Computer Systems Laboratory Colloquium

4:15PM, Wednesday, April 12, 2000
NEC Auditorium, Gates Computer Science Building B03

A Pseudonymous Communications Infrastructure for the Internet

Ian Goldberg
Chief Scientist and Head Cypherpunk
Zero-Knowledge Systems
About the talk:
The underlying structure of the Internet Protocol requires users of the Internet to reveal their IP addresses to those with whom they communicate. This and other things (such as cookies) allow data collection, tracking, and other privacy violations without the user's consent. It also makes it difficult for some people to speak out against oppressors (be they an employer or a government), for fear of repercussions.

Anonymous remailers and other so-called "Privacy-Enhancing Technologies" have been around for quite a while, but they are difficult to use, and are often limited in the extent or effectiveness in which they can pretect users' identities.

In this talk, I will discuss protocols for allowing anonymous and pseudonymous use of any IP-based service. These protocols can be leveraged to provide services such as anonymous web browsing, pseudonymous email and newsgroup posting, and private electonic payment systems, and are the basis for Zero-Knowledge Systems' Freedom product.

About the speaker:

Ian Goldberg is Chief Scientist and Head Cypherpunk of Zero-Knowledge Systems, a Montreal-based company producing privacy software for consumers. He is simultaneously completing his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, where his research interests include privacy systems, cryptography, security, and electronic cash. In the past, he has been known to find security holes in Netscape's SSL implementation, to break cryptographic algorithms used in GSM cell phones, and to throw a lot of parties.

Contact information:

Ian Goldberg
Zero-Knowledge Systems
888 de Maisonneuve East
Suite 600
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H2L 4S8
Phone: 514 286 2636 x2087
Email: ian@zeroknowledge.com
Web: http://www.zeroknowledge.com
Web: http://www.freedom.net