ZKS: Privacy program returns, less anonymous than before

[R. A. Hettinga]

http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/v-text/story/300063p-2626720c.html?printer



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Privacy program returns, less anonymous than before
Copyright © 2002 AP Online
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By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer
NEW YORK (March 12, 2002 8:54 p.m. EST) - A Montreal company that
specializes in privacy software said Tuesday it is again offering a service
for browsing Web pages anonymously - but users will be less anonymous this
time around.

The Freedom Network, discontinued by Zero-Knowledge Systems Inc. last fall,
was too expensive to run and too complicated to use, so it remained a niche
service, spokesman Dov Smith said. He said the new service, called Freedom
WebSecure, is designed for the mass market.

The main difference is in the level of anonymity users can expect.

Under the old system, data bounced around a worldwide network of computer
servers to remove any traces of a user requesting a Web page. Web sites
wouldn't know who the user is, nor would anyone at Zero-Knowledge, even
under threat of subpoena from a law-enforcement agency.

Under the new system, data will make only one pass through a server run by
Zero-Knowledge. Web sites still wouldn't know the user, but in this case,
employees at Zero-Knowledge would.

Although Zero-Knowledge said it won't regularly store the information, it
could respond to law-enforcement's requests to track future surfing.

"This is not a tool you'll be using to hide from the FBI," Smith said.

He said the tools are more useful for hiding from Web sites that may be
tracking users' surfing habits for marketing or other purposes.

Smith said the new service is less aggressive about encrypting data and
works only with Web pages and certain file transfers. The Freedom Network
works with e-mail and other Internet traffic as well.

The product requires Microsoft Windows 98 and higher and works only with
Microsoft's Internet Explorer browsers. It is available immediately and
costs $49.95 a year.

Though the Freedom Network was widely respected, Zero-Knowledge
discontinued it in October, citing low demand.

Law enforcement officials had raised concerns about the service when it was
introduced in 1999. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks renewed general concerns
about encryption, but company officials said the decision was purely
business-related.
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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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