Press reports

Internet remedy for data retention

JonDo anonymisation tool now available for USB flash drive

JonDo, the software for accessing the JonDonym anonymisation service (formerly known as JAP / AN.ON), is now also available in a version for running on a portable USB flash drive. As a convenient supplement, the JonDoFox, an adjusted portable version of Mozilla Firefox optimized for anonymous surfing, is also available for download. Both applications are open source and are compatible with Windows, Linux and MacOS X. Our easy to use and comprehensive test site gives JonDo users the possibility to check whether he or she is really surfing the web without leaving a trace.

The JonDoFox has another new and especially interesting feature: disposable e-mail addresses. You may use them for anonymous forum registrations, for example, without generating or revealing traceable e-mail addresses.

The service is available in two versions: A free but slower version and a faster and hence more efficient one with a prepaid billing system. As most recent member, the German Pirate Party launched two new servers. Free servers are, among others, provided by the Chaos Computer Club, the University of Dresden (TU) and the Independent Center for Data Privacy Schleswig-Holstein (ULD).

JonDo‘s anonymising process uses a multiple encryption method and various servers (Mix Cascades) from independent service providers. Servers used for the paid services are often spread over different countries. This makes it almost impossible for single authorities, even when international data retention is introduced, as well as for hackers, to access all log data. Without the logs, deanonymisation of users is not possible. The goals are to expand the spread of the servers even more and to make the network more international in the months to come.

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Anonymisation service AN.ON launches commercial operation (2007-06-22)

The popular internet anonymisation tool JAP is getting a new name and a new platform: JAP has been renamed to JonDo (a pun on "John Doe"), AN.ON to JonDonym. The service is now run by JonDos GmbH, a business founded by members of the former research and development team. With public sponsoring of the AN.ON project having expired in 2006, this Regensburg, Germany - based company (www.jondos.de) will now fund operation and development of this cutting-edge privacy-enhancing technology.

AN.ON, the anonymisation service, and JAP, the corresponding client program, were originally designed and developed at German universities in Dresden, Berlin and Regensburg. The Independent Centre for Privacy Protection (ULD), run by the north german state of Schleswig-Hostein, provided legal support for the project. AN.ON represents the current state of the art in internet anonymisation: its technology ensures that it is impossible to uncover the identity (IP address) of a user. Even the operators of the service, as well as the providers of the servers making up the anonymisation chain (called a Mix Cascade), do not have the possiblity to break the user's anonymity, as long as only one of the servers is uncompromised.

Some free AN.ON services will still be offered by non-profit organisationslike the ULD. The majority of servers though will be new servers requiring payment, offering longer and therefore even safer anonymisation chains, with servers based in several different countries (currently Germany, the UK and Thailand). The new servers will also provide the users with higher speed and increased availability. Both the client and server software will continue to be available fre  of charge as open source software, free for anybody to use, inspect or modify.

In order to use the new servers, users (called JonDonauts) prepay JonDos for a certain amount of traffic to be anonymized. That credit can then be used with all servers. JonDos provides various payment methods, some of which are completely anonymous, and does not store any user data. This way paying users enjoy state-of-the-art privacy while using the internet via JonDo.