Along with the recent government hysteria over terrorists, we've seen legislative measures and 'emergency powers' inviting law-enforcement agencies worldwide to conduct Internet surveillance on an unprecedented scale. But because the state-of-the-art of electronic dragnets makes it difficult if not impossible to . . .
Along with the recent government hysteria over terrorists, we've seen legislative measures and 'emergency powers' inviting law-enforcement agencies worldwide to conduct Internet surveillance on an unprecedented scale. But because the state-of-the-art of electronic dragnets makes it difficult if not impossible to exclude the comings and goings of innocent citizens, we thought this a good time to run down the basic techniques for ordinary, law-abiding folk to come and go anonymously on the Net, and keep their private business private.

How do you make a truly anonymous post to a newsgroup or a BBS? How do you keep the Web sites you visit a secret? How do you send e-mail and ensure that its contents can't be read by someone who intercepts it? How do you chat anonymously?

We'll invoke our foil, Windows addict Harry Homeowner, and lay it out in terms the average user can profit from, though with hopes that even you power users might learn a thing or two in the process.