When it comes to the Internet, no matter how overt and honest people are, we don’t want our privacy to be invaded. While President Bush may defend domestic eavesdropping, it doesn’t mean you should. Things have gone from bad to worse - why, we can’t even send an email without worrying about it being intercepted. Every site we visit, every facebook or hotmail login, every search in a browser - it’s all recorded, logged and saved in giant datastore farms, surreptitiously laying-in-wait for that one day where it’s all dragged out and thrown back in our faces. It’s anyone’s guess who’ll be granted access to this datamine down the road.

An exact copy of all Internet traffic that flowed through critical AT&T cables — e-mails, documents, pictures, Web browsing, voice-over-Internet phone conversations, everything — was being diverted to equipment inside the secret room,” - Mark Klein, a 20-year veteran for AT&T, referring to the sixth floor (secret room) in which the U.S. Government & NSA have unconditional access. According to Mr. Klein, there are 15 - 20 more buildings just like it across America, set up the same way. This is just the tip of the iceberg - there aren’t many whistleblowers like Klein that “leak” sensitive information such as this.

Whilst there’s not much one can do about Big Brother™ and his Orwellian cohorts from videotaping you at the local convenience store, or taking pictures of your licence plate at every street corner, or even RFIDing your next born - the least we can do is not let it happen to us in our own living room.

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What is the anoNet?

It is a self-contained private version of the Internet - a “darknet” for lack of a better word. AnoNet is similar to the Tor hidden services (websites that end in *.onion) and I2P’s “eepsites” (sites that end in *.i2p). It is also comparable to Freenet, except that it’s easier to set up, and it’s faster. Users can host their own anonymous blogs, IRC channels, forums.

What runs through anoNet?

Almost every Internet service. BitTorrent, web servers, search engines, email, FTP, IRC, Instant Messaging, P2P file sharing. They’ve tried to create an anonymous alternative to most services currently available through regular Internet. anoNet is not a proxy or ‘tunneling over’ service for Internet applications - it’s all rather self-contained through the VPN service and secure web pages.

Is it anonymous?

It’s probably best to just let the anoNet FAQ do the talking. Our article is about how to set it up and run some programs through it. But yeah, we’re convinced!

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We felt it necessary to give Tor projects its own page on FileShareFreak - more or less for our own convenience (when updating this entry). For those unaware, Tor is two things: First; it’s an anonymizing network used for establishing anonymous communications over the Internet. And second; Tor is also considered a Darknet.

Tor in itself is not a P2P program, but it can be implemented to add anonymous support to just about any ‘Internet’ program that will employ the addition of proxies. Tor adds layers of anonymity through onion routing, similar to both Internet tunneling and proxy services. Adding Tor to a P2P program is fairly easy to do, as long as Tor is already installed, running, and properly configured. Be sure to visit the ever-expanding Wikipedia page for Tor.

Tor Projects

Tor’s success has spawned the development of an entire armada of side projects, 3rd party spinoffs and software addons & plugins. It enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Listed below are just some of the projects that support Tor and the Tor network. It should be assumed that many of these require Tor to be installed and running prior to using (unless otherwise noted).

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Free VPN software solutions for anonymous connections & transfers.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) works by ‘tunneling’ over an existing network (for instance, the Internet) for secure and private connections. VPN is notably similar to tunneling networks such as Tor and I2P, with the main difference being that VPN users typically need to create a new network (and add users running the same software) or join existing ones. VPNs allow for secure remote access to the network from wherever there’s an Internet connection.

Technically VPNs have nothing to do with P2P filesharing in the general sense of the phrase. Having said that, some VPN software allow users to establish their own private networks consisting of friends from contact lists, and directly support many existing IM protocols such as MSN, Yahoo, AIM, ICQ, Google Talk and even support secure chat rooms. So if you’re concerned about big brother peeping in on your MSN or Yahoo transfers, VPN software may be the solution.

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(BitTorrent over I2P / BitTorrent over Tor / anoNet)

Using BitTorrent to download files is quite possibly the best method going - both for speed and for sheer content availability. And when used alone, it is also the most vulnerable. All P2P users share each others’ information in order to complete a download - thus opening the door to anyone who wants to acquire that info. This is simply a requisite of the deal, quid pro quo. And BitTorrent is no exception to the rule: IP harvesting (of the shared *.torrent file) is especially easy to do with a modified Bit client.

Solutions:

As mentioned here, using a proxy server is a great way to ensure anonymity over any P2P application, including BitTorrent. But there is an alternative - ‘BitTorrent over I2P’.

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(Freenet / WASTE / Onionland / I2P / anoNet Darknets)

Well, if you’ve come this far, you can see that we’re treading into some pretty deep water when it comes to Internet security and P2P file sharing - perhaps even considered borderline paranoia. As the saying goes, “You’re not paranoid if they really are out to get you”. For many zealots, this is the only way files should be shared.

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(Anonymous Protocols & Networks / Tor / I2P)

IP Tunneling and IP encapsulation (encryption) ensure the reliable delivery of massive volumes of real-time data without packet loss or damage.

Here are three key features in which tunneling becomes beneficial to the P2P file sharer:

• 1.It makes the user anonymous: By masking the real IP address of the user.
• 2.It encrypts the data on both ends: Thus no-one can intercept the transfer and figure out what’s being sent. Helpful in preventing traffic shaping by ISPs.
• 3.It can help circumvent firewalls that would otherwise be implemented to prohibit specific programs and transfers.

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(P2P Clients & Networks specially suited for anonymous connectivity)

Alliance P2P
ANts P2P
CSpace
Emscher P2P
Filetopia
GNUnet
i2Phex
iMule
Kommute
MLDonkey
MUTE
MFC-Mute
Nodezilla
RetroShare
Rodi
StealthNet
Other Projects

P2P file sharing is generating a lot of heat these days as countries introduce new copyright laws, stiffer sentencing for Internet pirates, and ISPs that restrict bandwidth for P2P file sharing programs. Fortunately for us, this new-age anti-P2P movement has inspired software developers everywhere to come up with their own counter-measures: Anonymous/pseudonymous P2P applications, encrypted traffic and safeguarded networks. Internet piracy is not exactly going to wither away and die, but it must evolve and adapt to strange days in order to continue to thrive. We’ve learned a great deal from Napster’s peccadilloes and KaZaA’s decoy-prone freestyle nature.

This is the future of P2P file sharing.

Filesharefreak is committed to providing information about these cutting-edge technologies and applications. Listed in this section are some newer (and some not-so-new) methods that incorporate anonymity into your Internet usage and file sharing. This is beneficial in two ways: First, you are out of the prying eyes of anybody snooping on your traffic (like the MPAA and RIAA); second, some client programs/networks support encrypted traffic/routing so that even your ISP can’t tell what you’re downloading (and throttle your bandwidth).

Categories of software include: F2F (Friend-to-Friend), P2P File Sharing, Instant Messaging, Chat, P2P Clients and Networks.

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Using Software to maintain Anonymity / Anonymous Browsers

Anon Proxy
GoTrusted
JAP
Psiphon
Torpark
SSL Explorer
xB Browser

To compliment web proxies and proxy servers, a software-based approach can help automate the anonymity process. The trick is performed by setting up a SOCKS server (proxy server) that performs the bypass procedure. Not only will most programs allow you to surf the web anonymously, there’s a variety of implications that go beyond the realm of just hiding the IP address. Other useful features include:

• — Using P2P programs from behind a corporate or university firewall.
• — Sending email to recipients via programs that would otherwise be restricted.
• — Using “Messaging” software on prohibited machines.
• — Block popups, ads and spyware.
• — Remove scripts (java) and potentially dangerous activex components.
• — Encryption features, file shredding, cache emptying.
• — Erase your online tracks, history, cookies, temp files.
• — Anonymous web searching

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Using ‘Proxy Servers’ to maintain Anonymity

As opposed to web-based anonymous proxies, “real” proxy servers don’t rely on you having to visit their website every time to enter an Internet address, or URL. While generally they offer the same anonymous services as their web-based cousins, proxy servers are embedded into the Internet browser, within the settings. Another key feature is that they can also be incorporated into almost every single application that requires access to the Internet: Online games, FTP programs, P2P filesharing programs - just to name a few.

Like everything else on the Internet, Proxy Servers come in two flavors: Free and Paid.

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An anonymous web proxy allows anyone to surf the web anonymously (almost) through the web browser. It works by hiding the user’s IP address and any other identifiable information from the websites that they are visiting. This is great for protecting your online identity, or browsing websites that may be otherwise blocked from your location (work, school, library etc.). Privacy is the key benefit to using an anonymous web proxy. They prevent other websites from tracking your browsing habits while protecting your browser history at the same time. Also, they work from any computer, without downloading any software.

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Using ‘IP Blocking’ and Blocklists (P2P)

IP blocking/blocklisting is simply a technique used to restrict (block) traffic from any computer that is within a set list or parameters of any given IP range.

While IP Blocking hardly makes oneself anonymous, it can significantly reduce your chances of being tracked by bad groups interested in what you’re doing with your bandwidth. And by no means do blocklists offer 100% effectiveness for file sharing protection. However, when used in conjunction with a proxy server, it can reduce your odds of being caught down to nearly zero.

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Keeping safe while sharing files, whether it be while downloading or uploading, is crucial to avoiding any undue attention. When using file sharing programs, computers are susceptible to IP harvesting (collecting) by anyone else sharing the same files - whether it be a *.torrent, or files being swapped on P2P programs such as Limewire.

There are a variety of ways to implement anonymity:

• IP Blocking - blocks snooping IP addresses.
• Web proxies - for anonymous browsing.
• Proxy Servers - to hide your real IP address (web & P2P programs).
• Anonymity Software - to automate the proxy process.

And lastly, use anonymous P2P programs that are specifically designed to achieve anonymity.

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