{"id":3933,"date":"2018-08-15T04:28:12","date_gmt":"2018-08-15T02:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mi.hdm-stuttgart.de\/?p=3933"},"modified":"2023-06-09T11:58:38","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T09:58:38","slug":"anonymity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.mi.hdm-stuttgart.de\/index.php\/2018\/08\/15\/anonymity\/","title":{"rendered":"Preserving Anonymity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the amount and value of data are constantly increasing more and more data of each individual is collected and processed. Moreover Facebook’s recent data leak with Cambridge Analytica shows that collected data cannot be absolutely securely treated and stored.<\/p>\n

In 2014 and 2015, the Facebook platform allowed an app \u2026 that ended up harvesting 87m profiles of users around the world that was then used by\u00a0Cambridge Analytica<\/a>\u00a0in the 2016 presidential campaign and in the referendum.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is one of the reasons why we’ll take a look on our digital identity, how it can be linked to our real identity and how we can restrict that. An understanding of what data is collected while surfing on the web is a first step in preserving anonymity.<\/p>\n

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Anonymity has a lot of advantages and disadvantages and the discussion if it should be\u00a0strengthened or not is roughly as old as the internet itself. We just concentrate on technical aspects here. But wait, what exactly does anonymity mean?<\/p>\n

Definition<\/h2>\n

Anonymity is derived from the Greek word \u1f00\u03bd\u03c9\u03bd\u03c5\u03bc\u03af\u03b1, anonymia, meaning \u201cwithout a name\u201d or \u201cnamelessness\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s more a historical point of view. Today we don’t need a name to identify an user on the internet, just think of the IP address. Thus a modern definition of anonymity is being unreachable. You can communicate, access or publish information and use services without revealing your identity.<\/p>\n

Common identification methods<\/h2>\n

A very common method of identification on the internet is the user revealing his information on his own, such as registering on Facebook with the real name or purchasing clothes on Amazon.<\/p>\n

There are several methods to track your usage behaviour, the websites you visit and the services you use, so that a clear picture of you can be created. These identification methods are split up into two categories: cross-domain tracking and cross-device tracking.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Figure 1: Common identification method categories.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cross-domain states tracking on one device, in one browser across different websites and applications, whereas cross-device tracking relates to multiple devices and applications.<\/p>\n

Cross-domain tracking techniques include:<\/p>\n