Full Anonymity Research Articles

English

Mobile Ad-Hoc Network (MANET) uses an anonymous routing protocol for security purpose. This protocol hides nodes original identity from outsider, so that observer cannot threaten the security of network. An anonymous communication method in MANETs is mostly classified into three type s reactive methods, proactive methods and anonymous routing technique. Other reactive routing techniques involves hop-by-hop encryption and redundant traffic routing .This routing methods either generate high cost or cannot provide full anonymity protection to sources, destinations, data and routes Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) uses various anonymous routing protocols to support anonymity protection to sources and destination and data. Therefore to offer a high anonymity protection, Anonymous Location-based Efficient Routing protocol (ALERT) is proposed. Basic idea behind ALERT is to dynamically partition the network field into zones and randomly chooses nodes in zones as intermediate relay nodes, which creates a non-traceable anonymous route.

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF ALTERNATIVE CAMPAIGN FINANCE SYSTEMS: TRANSPARENCY, DONATIONS, AND POLICY CHOICES

We experimentally study the transparency effect of alternative campaign finance systems on donations, election outcomes, policy choices, and welfare. Three alternatives are considered: one where donors' preferences and donations are unobserved by the candidate and public; one where they are observed by the candidate but not the public; and one where they are observed by all. We label them full anonymity (FA), partial anonymity (PA), and no anonymity (NA), respectively. We find that in NA and PA candidates consistently respond to donations by choosing policies favoring the donors. FA, in contrast, is the most successful in limiting the influence of donations on policy choices. Donors benefit greatly from the possibility of donations whereas social welfare may be harmed in some treatments. To our knowledge, this article is the first to investigate the effect of different campaign finance systems distinguished by their transparency level. (JEL D72)

Lying, Guilt, and Shame

An extensive literature documents that providing the right incentives can reduce deception. We hypothesize that truthful communication can be promoted by the threat of ex-post disclosure, even in the absence of financial consequences. Our experiment identifies the effect of ex-post disclosure using a sender-receiver game in which the receiver can detect a dishonest message in one condition, but not in another. The advantages of a laboratory experiment are that it rules out reputational concerns by providing full anonymity and holds constant information availability. We find that ex-post disclosure almost doubles the incidence of truth-telling. Interestingly, the effect of ex-post disclosure on truthful communication is present for males, but not for females.

Control Cloud Data Access Privilege and Anonymity With Fully Anonymous Attribute-Based Encryption

Cloud computing is a revolutionary computing paradigm, which enables flexible, on-demand, and low-cost usage of computing resources, but the data is outsourced to some cloud servers, and various privacy concerns emerge from it. Various schemes based on the attribute-based encryption have been proposed to secure the cloud storage. However, most work focuses on the data contents privacy and the access control, while less attention is paid to the privilege control and the identity privacy. In this paper, we present a semianonymous privilege control scheme AnonyControl to address not only the data privacy, but also the user identity privacy in existing access control schemes. AnonyControl decentralizes the central authority to limit the identity leakage and thus achieves semianonymity. Besides, it also generalizes the file access control to the privilege control, by which privileges of all operations on the cloud data can be managed in a fine-grained manner. Subsequently, we present the AnonyControl-F, which fully prevents the identity leakage and achieve the full anonymity. Our security analysis shows that both AnonyControl and AnonyControl-F are secure under the decisional bilinear Diffie-Hellman assumption, and our performance evaluation exhibits the feasibility of our schemes.

EIPS: An Efficient Identity-Based Ring Signature Scheme

As an important crypto graphical tool, ring signature is able to realize full anonymity and identity protection. Comparison the traditional PKI, Identity-based (ID-based) cryptography is a very good cryptosystem since it eliminates the need for checking the validity of the certificates of traditional public key system. In this work, we propose an efficient ring signature scheme by combining ID-based cryptography and Schnorr signature conception. Our scheme has some advantages for efficiency. In our proposed scheme, no pairing operators are needed in the whole signing phase and the verifying phase. It reduces the signer’s computation cost and increases the whole signature algorithm’s efficiency. In terms of signature’s length, our scheme only needs (n+1)|G| bits. Our ring signature can achieve full anonymity and unforgeability. The security of the scheme is related to two classical security assumptions: computational diffie-hellman problem and discrete logarithm problem.

Insecurity of an anonymous authentication for privacy-preserving IoT target-driven applications

The Internet of Things (IoT) will be formed by smart objects and services interacting autonomously and in real-time. Recently, Alcaide et al. proposed a fully decentralized anonymous authentication protocol for privacy-preserving IoT target-driven applications. Their system is set up by an ad-hoc community of decentralized founding nodes. Nodes can interact, being participants of cyberphysical systems, preserving full anonymity. In this study, we point out that their protocol is insecure. The adversary can cheat the data collectors by impersonating a legitimate user.

Trading anonymity and order anticipation

Does it matter to market quality if broker identities are revealed after a trade and only to the two traders involved? We find that implementing full anonymity dramatically improves liquidity and reduces trader execution costs. To explain this, we compare theories based on asymmetric information to an order anticipation mechanism, where identity signals trader size, allowing strategic agents to predict the future order flow of large traders. Evidence supports the anticipation hypothesis: liquidity improves most in stocks where trading is heavily concentrated among a few brokers and in stocks susceptible to temporary price pressure. Also, only traders having large market shares benefit from anonymity.

English

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) using anonymous routing protocols hidden node identity and external routes having anonymity protection. Anonymous routing protocols use either hop-by-by hop encryption or redundant traffic, which generates more cost or without providing full anonymity protection to the data source and destination. It has more cost and increase for naturally resource constraint problem in MANETs particularly in multimedia wireless applications. High anonymity protection at a lower cost, we propose an unsigned Location-based competent Routing protocol. It dynamically partitions the network field into different zones and randomly chooses nodes in various zones as intermediate relay nodes, it also non traceable. It's based on counter intersection and timing attacks. It performs better route anonymity. It has self configuring infrastructure less networks. In future, the Random forwarder node replication attack will be also eliminated. To consider this attack, set up server will assign the key for each random forwarder node is generated by using the polynomial bivariate key generation scheme. The key wrapping algorithm used to protect the key from the adversary. In this paper, one way hash chain algorithm is used for key wrapping.

Combining a chaos system with an Arnold cat map for a secure authentication scheme in wireless communication networks

Purpose – Wu et al.'s scheme has a security problem that is related to anonymity: attackers can determine by interception the identity of a legal user. This paper aims to propose a new secure authentication which combines a chaos system with an Arnold cat map. The scheme improves upon that of the Wu et al.'s scheme. The scheme proposed herein provides for full anonymity and improves the security of authentication messages for wireless communications. Design/methodology/approach – A novel scheme that integrates a chaos sequence is used with an Arnold cat map for authentication messages. Authentication messages are shuffled using an Arnold cat map to improve the security of authentication in wireless communications. An analytic approach based on a chaos sequence with an Arnold cat map is developed to secure authentication. The proposed scheme is presented in this study to overcome the inherent drawbacks of existing designs. Findings – The integrated scheme involves two steps. First, a chaos map is used to generate a set of chaos sequences that is added to the authentication messages. Second, the authentication messages are shuffled using an Arnold cat map. The main feature of the proposed design is such that the chaos systems are sensitive to the initial values of conditions. Sensitivity will lead to long-term behavior unpredictability to reflect the non-linear dynamic systems. Furthermore, to increase the complexity of the authentication message, the authors also use an Arnold cat map. Originality/value – The proposed scheme provides functions that include full anonymity properties, protection of the real identity of the user, one-time password properties, timestamp benefits and sufficient complexity of the password. The analysis shows that the proposed scheme exhibits the advantages of the chaos system and is more secure than previous schemes. Notably, the proposed scheme is effective for wireless communications.

An anonymous e-rental protocol based on ID-based cryptography and NFC

Most e-rental services require customers to register sensitive information, which gives malicious service providers a good opportunity to launch social engineering attacks, or to use data mining techniques collecting and analyzing customers' information or rental preferences. Therefore, we propose an anonymous e-rental protocol based on ID-based cryptography and near field communication technology, with particular focus on vehicle rentals. Our contributions include: (1) Anonymity. Users' real identity is hidden from the rental service providers. (2) Unlinkability. Rental service providers cannot find the relation between two rental records. (3) Traceability. As full anonymity is not always desirable, traceability allows disclosure of a malicious user's identity, whereas other users' privacy remains unviolated. Rental service providers can request TTP to reveal users' identity with a legal warrant. (4) Flexibility. Users choose their preferred service providers and vehicles. (5) Anonymous payment. Rental service providers cannot associate users' identity with the financial transactions.

THE ATTITUDE OF POTENTIAL PARENTS TO ALCOHOL ADDICTION AND HEALTH CHANGES OF THE FUTURE GENERATION

The results of this research into the alcohol addiction level among young people (potential parents) aged 17-27 years old are represented in the article. The questionnaire form, which guarantees full anonymity of the respondent, was chosen as a main research method. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: the first questions were focused on acquaintance with the respondent (sex, age etc), other questions focused on their attitude to alcohol with "yes" or "no" answers. Answers were transferred into points and summed up. Girls who had 16 and more points and boys with 21 and more points were considered to have a high alcohol addiction level. 753 people were questioned; there were 509 girls and 244 boys among them. 284 people (37,3%) showed a high alcohol addiction level with 187 girls and 97 boys among them. That is why it seems clear that there are no effective measures aimed at healthy lifestyle propaganda among the young today. It should be also mentioned that there is a big percentage (37,3%) of high alcohol addiction level among individuals 17-26 years old – potential fathers and mothers of the future generation. Scope of application of results – social medicine, healthcare arrangement. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-8-44

A randomized study of the effect of anonymity, quasi-anonymity, and Certificates of Confidentiality on postpartum women's disclosure of sensitive information

BackgroundUnder-reporting of substance use and other sensitive information is a substantial threat to internal study validity, particularly during the perinatal period. Anonymous approaches are associated with greater disclosure but are incompatible with longitudinal follow-up. Alternative approaches include use of a U.S. Federal Certificate of Confidentiality (CoC) and quasi-anonymous methods, in which there is no link between name and data. However, the relative effect of these procedures on disclosure is unknown. This randomized study was designed to evaluate the effects of consent condition (anonymous, quasi-anonymous, CoC, and traditional confidentiality) on disclosure of sensitive information among postpartum women. MethodsParticipants were 200 postpartum, primarily African-American women who were randomly assigned to one of the four consent conditions and completed a brief computer-delivered assessment of alcohol and drug use, sexual risk, intimate partner violence, and emotional distress. ResultsParticipants in the anonymous and quasi-anonymous conditions disclosed significantly more sensitive information than those in the traditional consent condition. In contrast, no advantage in overall disclosure was observed for the CoC condition. This result was largely consistent across specific content areas with the exception of emotional distress, disclosure of which was unrelated to consent condition. ConclusionsAlthough use of a CoC has limited impact on disclosure, the quasi-anonymous method may increase disclosure to a similar extent as full anonymity. Quasi-anonymous approaches should be considered when under-reporting is likely, a context in which the disadvantages of this approach must be balanced against its advantages.

Fully Anonymous Profile Matching in Mobile Social Networks

In this paper, we study user profile matching with privacy-preservation in mobile social networks (MSNs) and introduce a family of novel profile matching protocols. We first propose an explicit Comparison-based Profile Matching protocol (eCPM) which runs between two parties, an initiator and a responder. The eCPM enables the initiator to obtain the comparison-based matching result about a specified attribute in their profiles, while preventing their attribute values from disclosure. We then propose an implicit Comparison-based Profile Matching protocol (iCPM) which allows the initiator to directly obtain some messages instead of the comparison result from the responder. The messages unrelated to user profile can be divided into multiple categories by the responder. The initiator implicitly chooses the interested category which is unknown to the responder. Two messages in each category are prepared by the responder, and only one message can be obtained by the initiator according to the comparison result on a single attribute. We further generalize the iCPM to an implicit Predicate-based Profile Matching protocol (iPPM) which allows complex comparison criteria spanning multiple attributes. The anonymity analysis shows all these protocols achieve the confidentiality of user profiles. In addition, the eCPM reveals the comparison result to the initiator and provides only conditional anonymity; the iCPM and the iPPM do not reveal the result at all and provide full anonymity. We analyze the communication overhead and the anonymity strength of the protocols. We then present an enhanced version of the eCPM, called eCPM+, by combining the eCPM with a novel prediction-based adaptive pseudonym change strategy. The performance of the eCPM and the eCPM+ are comparatively studied through extensive trace-based simulations. Simulation results demonstrate that the eCPM+ achieves significantly higher anonymity strength with slightly larger number of pseudonyms than the eCPM.

Anonymous authentication for privacy-preserving IoT target-driven applications

The Internet of Things (IoT) will be formed by smart objects and services interacting autonomously and in real-time. As an application scenario, household smart meters will provide real-time neighborhood information which enables a smart community to cooperatively identify patterns, adapt consumption and improve overall quality of life, making the shared environment more sustainable. There is, in these types of settings, a major need toward securing all communications, placing equal effort on guaranteeing privacy properties (e.g., participant anonymity, unlinkability) as on assuring security properties (e.g., content authenticity). In this article, we present a fully decentralized anonymous authentication protocol aimed at encouraging the implementation of privacy-preserving IoT target-driven applications. The system is set up by an ad-hoc community of decentralized founding nodes. From then on, nodes can interact, being participants of cyber-physical systems, preserving full anonymity. We also present a performance and security analysis of the proposed system.

ALERT: An Anonymous Location-Based Efficient Routing Protocol in MANETs

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) use anonymous routing protocols that hide node identities and/or routes from outside observers in order to provide anonymity protection. However, existing anonymous routing protocols relying on either hop-by-hop encryption or redundant traffic, either generate high cost or cannot provide full anonymity protection to data sources, destinations, and routes. The high cost exacerbates the inherent resource constraint problem in MANETs especially in multimedia wireless applications. To offer high anonymity protection at a low cost, we propose an Anonymous Location-based Efficient Routing proTocol (ALERT). ALERT dynamically partitions the network field into zones and randomly chooses nodes in zones as intermediate relay nodes, which form a nontraceable anonymous route. In addition, it hides the data initiator/receiver among many initiators/receivers to strengthen source and destination anonymity protection. Thus, ALERT offers anonymity protection to sources, destinations, and routes. It also has strategies to effectively counter intersection and timing attacks. We theoretically analyze ALERT in terms of anonymity and efficiency. Experimental results exhibit consistency with the theoretical analysis, and show that ALERT achieves better route anonymity protection and lower cost compared to other anonymous routing protocols. Also, ALERT achieves comparable routing efficiency to the GPSR geographical routing protocol.

A Norwegian Study of the Suitability of Hair Samples in Epidemiological Research of Alcohol, Nicotine and Drug Use

A feasibility study was performed to examine the effectiveness of hair testing in determining the prevalence of drug use in a young adult population. The study included 200 randomly selected young adults in Norway. It was designed to make the collection, preparation and analysis of the samples as little resource demaning as possible. Full anonymity was provided for the participants. In total, 23.5% of the samples were positive for one or more substances (14.5%, excluding the nicotine metabolite cotinine). Of the samples, 5% were positive for at least one illegal drug, 9.5% for a medicinal drug, 11.5% for cotinine and 2.5% for the alcohol metabolite ethyl glucuronide. The preliminary findings suggest that the study protocol used to collect and analyze the samples was unable to produce results that could be generalized to the young adult population in Norway. Analysis of hair samples may underestimate the use of cannabis, alcohol, amphetamine and methamphetamine. It may, however, be done to estimate cocaine and general drug use if a sample-collection procedure different from that described in our study is used and includes information about hair length, sample length, length from the scalp, cosmetic treatment, washing and whether the samples always get washed/decontaminated prior to analysis.

The internet as a medium for health services research. Part 2

To enable readers to make an informed decision about whether online research methods (ORMs) are appropriate for their studies. Using an ORM is an innovative way of collecting data and many research designs, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups and ethnography, can be conducted online. There are many potential benefits that can be conferred on traditional research procedures when implemented via the internet, for example economy and convenience, as there are no travel or postal requirements. Depending on the data sample, participant access can also be increased by using an intemet method, as it is possible to reach a large geographical span. The Internet can also offer full anonymity, if appropriate, and for some marginalised groups, such as those with mobility or communication difficulties, the intemet is an inclusive method for their participation. The first paper in this series, Walker (2013), introduced ORMs in general and outlined what needs to be considered when ascertaining whether an ORM is appropriate for the specific reearch needed, including ethical, validity and sampling issues. It also discussed some of the ORMs that omy be used. This second paper outlines the considerations researchers need to make when designing an online interview or focus group to ensure their method is valid. The different tools that can be used for collecting data are also discussed. Analysis includes online qualitative data capture, such as collecting data from blogs, social networking sites, chat rooms or discussion lists. This paper also contains resources and references for further reading. ORMs can provide efficient and innovative methods for collecting data, although there are certain considerations needed to ensure that they are valid for given research questions. As more ORMs are validated and as more people using the internet, there will be an emergence of online-only research. Careful consideration should be taken to determine whether using an ORM is an appropriate tool for the population and questions under study.

An Experimental Study of Alternative Campaign Finance Systems: Transparency, Donations and Policy Choices

We experimentally study the transparency effect of alternative campaign finance systems on donations, election outcomes, policy choices, and welfare. Three alternatives are considered: one where donors’ preferences and donations are unobserved by the candidate and public; one where they are observed by the candidate but not the public; and one where they are observed by all. We label them full anonymity (FA), partial anonymity (PA) and no anonymity (NA) respectively. We find that in NA and PA candidates consistently respond to donations by choosing policies favoring the donors. FA, in contrast, is the most successful in limiting the influence of donations on policy choices. Donors benefit greatly from the possibility of donations whereas social welfare may be harmed in some treatments. To our knowledge, this is the first paper that investigates the effect of different campaign finance systems distinguished by their transparency level.

Tipping Pennies? Privately Practical Anonymous Micropayments

We design and analyze the first practical anonymous payment mechanisms for network services. We start by reporting on our experience with the implementation of a routing micropayment solution for Tor. We then propose micropayment protocols of increasingly complex requirements for networked services, such as P2P or cloud-hosted services. The solutions are efficient, with bandwidth and latency overheads of under 4% and 0.9 ms, respectively, in the ORPay implementation, provide full anonymity (for both payers and payees), and support thousands of transactions per second.

Making Use of “Benford’s Law” for the Randomized Response Technique

In this article, “Benford’s law” is applied to the “randomized response technique” (RRT) to increase the validity of answers to sensitive questions. Using the Newcomb–Benford distribution as a randomizing device has several advantages. It is easy to explain and follow the procedure, as no physical device such as a coin or a dice is necessary and the method guarantees full anonymity. As is well known, the price for the anonymity of the RRT is a decrease in the efficiency of the estimator. However, because of the subjective overestimation of certain numbers (Benford illusion), the conflict between the variance of the estimates and the degree of anonymity is less pronounced compared to other RRT methods. The suggested RRT variant has the potential to improve the efficiency of the estimator. Moreover, the assumption is that this method works well with self-administered questionnaires.