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September 21, 2006
Anonymous Firefox Browser Released -- Michael
Perhaps the single biggest threat to your privacy online is the indiscriminate sharing of your IP address as you surf the web, a transaction which is invisible to the average user. A new Firefox browser, modified by veteran hackers, claims to solve that issue. However, you may experience slower performance.
The technology may also make it impossible for website owners like Ace to ban trolls. Currently this is done with software that blocks an IP address.
Does this mean the venerable Banned by Bill Association™ is obsolete?
Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service
Wed Sep 20, 3:00 PM ET
A tweaked version of Firefox that makes Web browsing anonymous has been released by a group of privacy-minded coders.
Every few minutes, the Torpark browser causes a computer's IP address to appear to change. IP addresses are numeric identifier given to computers on the Internet. The number can be used along with other data to potentially track down a user, as many Web sites keep track of IP addresses.
Hackers Promote Privacy
Torpark's creators, a group of computer security gurus and privacy experts named Hactivismo, said they want to expand privacy rights on the Internet as new technologies increasingly collect online data.
The browser is free to download at torpark.nfshost.com. It's a modified version of Portable Firefox, an optimized version of the browser that can be run off a USB memory stick on a computer.
The Torpark browser uses encryption to send data over The Onion Router, a worldwide network of servers nicknamed "Tor" set up to transfer data to one another in a random, obscure fashion.
Tweaked Firefox Lets You Surf Internet Without a Trace