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Security upgrade for 'anonymity network'

8 August 2007

A LACK of internet freedom in India, China and Thailand has sparked a revamp of an online anonymity network.

The Tor system masks a user’s IP address by routing data packets through three servers chosen at random from a dedicated group of 1000. Although the packets cannot be traced, governments can find the dedicated servers, since they are publicly listed on the internet, and shut them down.

At a hackers’ conference last week, Tor co-founder Roger Dingledine outlined software that can turn any home computer into a Tor server. Under the new set-up, data is routed through any three of these unlisted home computers, but officials…

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