TrackMeNot Firefox add-on protects search privacy by generating noise

[quoderat]

Reminds me of the part in Crpytonomicon in prison, when Waterhouse is hacking something up but using similar noise techniques to conceal it.

[trapper]

I have always wondered about applying this to browsing & downloading. Would you be liable if you computer decided to download and share something illegal?

[vaksel]

that'll work well until there is some bug and the thing accidentally searches for kiddie porn.

[ScottWhigham]

Wait - couldn't Google, et al sue them for distributing a system that potentially prevents Google's servers from serving other customers? I mean, if this became popular and enough people began using it, it's nothing more than a slow-trickle DDOS and Google would have to spend 6 or 7 figures upgrading to new servers/hardware to manage it.

[eli]

Pretty silly if you ask me.

[Create]

I don't know why he got downmodded: noise filtering can be quite artful and effective, and this "noise generator" is certainly quite weak in terms of providing anonymity in a cryptographic sense/strength. Actually, the situation just gets worse, because it creates a false sense of security.

[wizard_2]

its lifted right from Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. Which is a great read and a wonderful tool to teach the importance of the right to privacy and encryption.

[barbie17]

Since it appeared before "Little Brother", maybe Doctorow was inspired by this extension instead of the other way around ;).