Trying to be anonymous using TOR or the like...

[resistorX 4]

First, a quick mention then onto why I'm mentioning it.

If anyone ever comes across a program/website that can do 'in theory' what TOR does, routing your connection through several locations before you finally reach the site you want and it can do it without a latency problem existing (like TOR has too much of the time, like 15 minutes to fully load a website!), post it (if there's such a thing...that is). Or even if there's a better method to use, for that matter.

What I'm really curious to have really, is a way to do what TOR 'in theory' does but without the latency issue. Referring to it routing data packets through several nodes before you finally reach the site you're going to. I know it, probably asking too much... "Without a latency problem?", you're saying, I know it, too much to ask for, but I thought I'd try anyway.

Doubt it exists, yet anyway. This physics problem of latency hasn't been overcome enough yet ASAIK

TOR and things like it which send your data packets to several locals before reaching the website you're trying to connect to creates a latency problem and a lot of times a huge one, as I just said. Because of this, TOR and such is not practical for everyday internet use. I'm sure you'd all agree.

It's really too bad this latency thing exists, but for noobs who may know it, it exists not just with computer networking. It exists in lots of arenas. Even phone networks have this problem, even before the invention of computers which are now used to help route calls through.... just to name one. It's a limitation of physics.

What noobs also may not know, is that latency works in reverse. Take the example of TOR. When using it, you'll notice various delays in reaching the website and getting it completely loaded. Well, this delay is called latency (in technical terms). This latency also works in reverse, so to speak, meaning when you get off the site you went to, the same delay time it took for you get it loaded, the same delay time exists for your computer to actually disconnect the connection, so to speak. This is going on in the inner workings of your computer, to put it laymans terms, and you won't see it on the surface. What all this is actually called is round-trip latency. It's the delay time, in computer networking, it takes for data packets to be sent to and reach the site you're going to, and also the delay time it takes for this to take place from the destination back to the source (which is from the site you got off of and back to you).

I'm going into this part at this point because I'm sort of curious about something. Has anyone heard of anyone being able to take advantage of round trip latency to find the source of who connected to a website but has just gotten off the site? I mean, if someone had used TOR or whatever to try to connect with. Just wondering.... for curiousness' sake.

Edit : Had to add more for clarification.

Edited January 25, 2011 by resistor X

[jeremy 2]

http://en.wikipedia....ork)#Weaknesses

Tor is actually pretty fast when compared to other darknets/anonymity networks. I use Tor everyday on my phone and desktops, and it's slow, but worth it. I don't bother using Tor for WWW sites, I use it to access Onionland. Tor is your only choice, other than a VPN (which can be easily traced back to you), to surf the Web. You can look at I2P and Freenet, but those aren't the same as Tor. They do not connect to the Web as an anonymous router, they are separate networks altogether.

I just pretend it's dial-up and deal with it.

Edited January 25, 2011 by jeremy_

[resistorX 4]

http://en.wikipedia....ork)#Weaknesses

Tor is actually pretty fast when compared to other darknets/anonymity networks. I use Tor everyday on my phone and desktops, and it's slow, but worth it. I don't bother using Tor for WWW sites, I use it to access Onionland. Tor is your only choice, other than a VPN (which can be easily traced back to you), to surf the Web. You can look at I2P and Freenet, but those aren't the same as Tor. They do not connect to the Web as an anonymous router, they are separate networks altogether.

I just pretend it's dial-up and deal with it.

Darn. The link you just gave has broke up when posted, can you try again?

Yeah, that's what I figured - TOR is the best choice. Good point, I should see the slowness like using dial-up. Guess I'm sooo used to not using dial-up with it's slow paced jazz, I'm spoiled to the faster way and don't want to have to give that up.

[jeremy 2]

The link you just gave has broke up when posted, can you try again?

http://2dk2i.tk

[NimitySSJ 8]

The link you just gave has broke up when posted, can you try again?

http://2dk2i.tk

You can do better. I just answered this question for someone else. Tor's default configuration provides severe weaknesses so far as anonymity is concerned. You have to use some extreme mods to the configuration to ensure your exit node is changing enough and you have enough hops to be anonymous [enough]. More theoretical (and practical at gov.t level) attacks on Tor's protocol pop up yearly. Then there's the latency issue. "There must be a better way..." (source: many infomercials) Ok, so how do you be anonymous? If you're targeted by a gov.'t, ur screwed. So, let's focus on online snoops only.

Guess what: the best methods are illegal. I'm mentioning those aspects for informational purposes only. Start by getting another person, preferrably an "undocumented worker," to pay cash for a netbook and a long-range backtrack compatible card and antenna. Turn off all unnecessary BIOS features, use a LiveCD with hardened version of Linux/BSD, and ensure RAM is overwritten when it turns off. Change the antenna's MAC regularly. Find a bunch of open residential wifi hotspots (crooks crack protected ones too) and connect from a distance, possible with a homemade cantenna. Then, use proxy lists (WITH ENCRYPTED CONNECTIONS!) and a proxy software that constantly changes which proxy you use. So, they see various IP's that are traced to other random residential IP's and you aren't on camera at the local Starbucks. An even better idea is to put a long-range antenna and small low power embedded PC near a neighborhood, then connect to it from a distance with a long-range directional antenna. This keeps you out of sight entirely, gives you access to all the networks in any bugged neighborhood, and only requires occasional exposure to fix the small PC. It could be disguised as telecom equipment and you a telecom worker. Make sure you are using something that sanitizes browser's data, no javascript, no flash, no java, etc. They can all leak ur data. Finally, ur browser can often be uniquely identified by what plugins or addons you have, so make sure that's pretty generic. If you must use flash or JS, get flashblock and noscript for firefox.

Note: The anonymity method crooks usually employ combining proxies and corporate wifi hotspots has less security and can actually cost more if you're drinking a ton of expensive coffee. So, if they can't get discovered, your odds are pretty good.