while they can be intercepted anywhere

In the past few weeks, several people have asked me whether I think their emails can be accessed by third parties.

This sudden paranoia has come about because of the recent revelations of whistleblower Edward Snowdon claiming that internet traffic is being intercepted and used by the Americans in their war on terror.

Since then, sources in France have claimed similar eavesdropping systems are in place there.

The standard defence is that these agencies don't actually read individual emails, but instead only capture "metadata", although no-one has said exactly what that is and how it's used.

It has been relatively common knowledge for years that wherever we go on the web, we leave clear tracks, so it shouldn't really have come as much of a surprise to discover this has been going on.

I tell clients that if Prime Minister John Key wants to read my emails, then let him. There is nothing I have to say that would interest anybody except the intended recipients.

As I've said before, if this eavesdropping is what I have to live with so angry people are prevented from blowing something up, especially if I'm nearby, then I'm fine with it.

That doesn't mean I don't recognise the wide-ranging implications of such actions.

The good news is that if you want to be anonymous on the web, you can be. There are several methods you can implement to avoid "the man".

One is to do what some Russian security services are doing and go back to using typewriters, managed dedicated server with or without invisible ink, and hand-delivered mail. Other methods involve technical jiggery-pokery that can get a little complicated.

Secure email has been around for many years. It's just that most of us don't bother with it. All you need is what's known as a PGP key.

PGP is relatively old compared with some encryption technology, but it is regularly updated and very widely used. Usually, the sender and recipient have their own unique PGP keys and encrypt their emails with it.

These emails are sent and received in the usual manner and, while they can be intercepted anywhere along their electronic delivery route, it is impossible to decode them without the right PGP key, making them useless to anyone but the recipient.

Another method gaining a lot of traction with "undernet" users is Tor, a dedicated anonymous network and associated technologies.

Usually, when you log on to the internet, your service provider assigns you a unique number called an IP address. If someone knows your IP, they can easily tell when you log on and off, where you go and what you do.

Tor creates a separate hidden network inside the existing internet. When you log on to it, your IP and location are randomly masked by bouncing encrypted data through thousands of standalone servers around the globe.

Your traffic data is encrypted in layers, with only one layer being decrypted and re-encrypted each time it hits a server. This means no one server knows where you've come from, where you're going or exactly what you are doing.

 I can already hear the alarm bells. Like any technology, it can be used for good or evil.

Bad people love anonymity, which means the Tor network is ideal for those not wanting to be tracked or overheard. It also hosts sites like The Silk Road, an underground trading site which has gained infamy for vendors offering everything from heroin to weapons and other materials subject to trading bans.

You can only access such sites by using a specially configured web browser that is connected to the Tor network.
Click on their website www.mileweb.com for more information.