Onion Routing Averts Prying EyesBy Ann Harrison Story location:
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,64464,00.html 02:00 AM
Aug. 05, 2004 PT Computer programmers are modifying a
communications system, originally developed by the U.S. Naval
Research Lab, to help Internet users surf the Web anonymously
and shield their online activities from corporate or government
eyes. The system is based on a concept called onion routing. It
works like this: Messages, or packets of information, are sent
through a distributed network of randomly selected servers, or
nodes, each of which knows only its predecessor and successor.
Messages flowing through this network are unwrapped by a
symmetric encryption key at each server that peels off one layer
and reveals instructions for the next downstream node. In
contrast, messages traveling across the Internet are generally
not encrypted, and the path of a message can be seen easily,
linking users to activities like website visits. The Navy is
financing the development of a secon