Our current work on anonymous communications is sponsored primarily by the NSF.

We are currently taking applications for new students with interests in anonymity research. Applicants should have a strong programming background, experience with simulation, and a basic understanding of probability and statistics. Please contact Dr. Wright for more information.

Anonymity is way to provide protection against traffic analysis and monitoring. In many networks, the adversary can observe the users' patterns of communication, i.e. who they contact and when, which can be sensitive information. Traffic analysis has been used since the advent of radio communications, e.g. by militaries seeking to track the positions and activities of enemy forces. Anonymous communications systems use traffic redirection, fake ("dummy") traffic, and packet delaying, as well as encryption techniques, to hide many of the users' communication patterns.

Anonymity is part of confidentiality, a fundamental security property. Encryption can only hide the content of a message; anonymity hides broader patterns of communication. If Alice and Bob are having a secret affair, the simple fact that they share encrypted messages could tip someone off. If instead we imagine that they are CEO's of two large corporations, messages between them could signal merger intentions. Similarly, the membership and activity of groups and other organizations could be observed through traffic analysis. The need to hide patterns of military communications, or in conducting intelligence gathering, is also clear. Bad guys could also use anonymity (just as they can use encryption) -- currently, however, bad guys can hide their tracks using machines that have been hacked into and throw-away accounts and cellphones. Honest users, however, need solutions.