Durran,
There are lots of good and legal reasons to use Freenet. Most
people assume that tools like Freenet and Tor are for criminals -
and yes, I have a feeling that there are some criminals who use
anonymizing tools - but one good example might be computer virus
researchers.
You want to be a better programmer, you want to study existing viruses,
you want to develop tools to eliminate viruses, and you want to learn to
write software that doesn't contain vulnerabilities in the first place.
In the process of researching viruses, you could possibly visit web
sites that try to infect your computer - or they have pop-up ads on
their site that have less than honorable content. With all of the
javascript, html, and images loaded behind the scenes that you didn't
specifically request - and may never have seen on your screen - you
could end up with cache that contains material that your HR department
could use to fire you or that police could use to put you in jail.
So... with that much to risk, you don't want to use a commercial
product that won't let you look under the hood. Imagine buying
"Anonymity" software that runs and makes all sorts of promises
about how you're completely invisible. Since you can't see the
source code, you have NO IDEA whether they're telling the truth or
not. And here's the important part: THEY HAVE EVERY REASON TO
EXAGGERATE HOW WELL THEIR SOFTWARE WORKS. They could lie to make
the sale, sell you the software, and when it turns out to be a lie,
who goes to jail? Hint: Not them.
But here's the thing: When you decide to use open source software
so that you can avoid that trap, you can't just send out an email
and say, "Hey, does this stuff really work?" Because, just like
the commercial software, you're going to get answers... and if
those answers turn out to be wrong, who goes to jail? Still not
them.
No matter whether you're a virus researcher... or a bad guy who
wants to commit crime anonymously... are you really going to trust
the word of a complete stranger who you've never met, can't see,
and who doesn't owe you anything? If you're REALLY concerned about
the consequences of getting caught (whether you're a good guy or a
bad guy), asking the question "Does this stuff really work?" is
completely the wrong way to be safe. If you're REALLY concerned,
there's only one way: learn to program, read the code, learn
how browsers and operating systems work, study the Freenet source
code, and then TEST TEST TEST. For example, scan your hard
drive for a bunch of blue pixels. If you don't find any, put an
image with all blue pixels up on Freenet and surf for that image
using Freenet. Then hire some forensics guys to search your hard
drive for blue pixels. If they find any, then you KNOW that the
stuff doesn't work. If they don't find any, then you're getting
closer to trusting the software. Then interview more forensics
guys and ask them what they know that the first forensics guys
didn't know. And have them scan your hard drive. The more you
learn, the more confidence you'll have about how to use anonymizing
tools correctly and how well they work.
But if you just ask, "Is this stuff any good?" and someone says,
"It's perfect", is that really going to make you feel better when
you get fired or arrested or your girlfriend leaves you?
And if you ask, "Is this stuff any good", and someone says, "There
SHOULD not be anything which can be CLEARLY traced to your usage,
AS LONG AS you use...", there are so many qualifications in that
sentence that it's pretty much not even an answer. (I mean, good
for Arne for being clear that he's not 100% certain that it's
perfect). When you get an answer like that, it should be clear to
you that asking online isn't going to help you when you end up in
court. This is one of those times when you can't rely on a free
answer you get on the Internet, you need to LEARN and TEST if
you're actually concerned.
Of course, if you're just trying to keep your mom from knowing that
you used the computer to look at boobs, then maybe that answer is
good enough.
- Eric
On Sun, Sep 25, 2016, at 06:01 AM, Arne Babenhauserheide wrote:
> Dear Durran,
>
> There should not be anything which can be clearly traced to your usage,
> as long as you use at least "low security" (not None!). Forensic
> analysis might still reveal stuff, however, for example from browsers
> leaking memory into swap or disobeying caching policies even in
> incognito mode, or from not completely deleted files.
>
> To be more secure, encrypt your disk (then deletions work more
> securely).
>
> There will be encrypted fragments of many different kinds of files on
> your comp
