3 ms·

Scripts like these can be easily circumvented as browsing habits are not random. Using machine learning or statistical methods, you can filter out the randomnes

by brodo 10y ago

Scripts like these can be easily circumvented as browsing habits are not random. Using machine learning or statistical methods, you can filter out the randomness. People can be identified by the unique set of websites they use pretty reliably. (see https://svs.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/publications/2013/2013-04-10HBF_Behavior-based-tracking-with-dns-traffic.pdf https://svs.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/publications/2013/2013...) The only way to anonymize yourself using fake traffic is not to generate random traffic but to specifically engineer requests which bring you closer to the global average. How to do this is still an open research question.

snerbles 10y ago
Why not generate browsing sessions from the mean? As a crude example, feed the browsing histories of many "typical" users into a Markov chain and do random walks during typical browsing hours.
- brodo 10y ago
  Yes, that is a possible approach. The problem is to get browsing histories from typical users. If an anonymity tool needs to gather the user's browser history and share it with others, it kind of defeats the purpose of providing anonymity.
  - snerbles 10y ago
    The willfully ignorant "I have nothing to hide" crowd may be a viable source of volunteers.
    - gruez 10y ago
      Even then, they're not going to install am extension just so you can track them.
  - notduncansmith 10y ago
    You could probably get the usage data from companies by offering analytics.
notduncansmith 10y ago
What if you were to train an algorithm for a given user's usage patterns on a website and then project those patterns onto other users? Use machine learning to generate realistic noise seeded with random keyword topics that would span multiple sites. It would appear to anyone watching as if you really did have a certain number of interests, that you don't actually hold. Then superimpose a bunch of fake usage profiles over your actual browsing.
- zodPod 10y ago
  That sounds awesome! "Tonight, I want Google to think that I'm a duck watcher that is interested in skydiving and cooking at low altitudes!" and you just combine your profile to be whatever you want. You could even use that as a purchasing advantage. "Well, I'm interested in knowing what a gamer would buy in this situation. So, I'm going to use a 23 year old gamer geek profile." or "I wonder what you would buy a photographer for Christmas.." then you just seed it with photographer data and let it suggest you things then you pick something haha
JoachimSchipper 10y ago
Yes, this is an open question (and a very hard one). As a good first step, just use Tor. Tor does not protect you against the NSA - or, against, say CMU with a million in funding - but it's both fairly practical and a good first step towards a complete solution.

by brodo 10y ago

snerbles 10y ago

Why not generate browsing sessions from the mean? As a crude example, feed the browsing histories of many "typical" users into a Markov chain and do random walks during typical browsing hours.

brodo 10y ago
Yes, that is a possible approach. The problem is to get browsing histories from typical users. If an anonymity tool needs to gather the user's browser history and share it with others, it kind of defeats the purpose of providing anonymity.
- snerbles 10y ago
  The willfully ignorant "I have nothing to hide" crowd may be a viable source of volunteers.
  - gruez 10y ago
    Even then, they're not going to install am extension just so you can track them.
- notduncansmith 10y ago
  You could probably get the usage data from companies by offering analytics.

notduncansmith 10y ago

What if you were to train an algorithm for a given user's usage patterns on a website and then project those patterns onto other users? Use machine learning to generate realistic noise seeded with random keyword topics that would span multiple sites. It would appear to anyone watching as if you really did have a certain number of interests, that you don't actually hold. Then superimpose a bunch of fake usage profiles over your actual browsing.

zodPod 10y ago
That sounds awesome! "Tonight, I want Google to think that I'm a duck watcher that is interested in skydiving and cooking at low altitudes!" and you just combine your profile to be whatever you want. You could even use that as a purchasing advantage. "Well, I'm interested in knowing what a gamer would buy in this situation. So, I'm going to use a 23 year old gamer geek profile." or "I wonder what you would buy a photographer for Christmas.." then you just seed it with photographer data and let it suggest you things then you pick something haha

JoachimSchipper 10y ago

Yes, this is an open question (and a very hard one). As a good first step, just use Tor. Tor does not protect you against the NSA - or, against, say CMU with a million in funding - but it's both fairly practical and a good first step towards a complete solution.