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Anonymization

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Public Domain Music Downloads. 33 Bits of Entropy. ID protection at crisis point. With her long chestnut hair, lawyer Katherine Lane mightn't look much like Luke Skywalker but that's the name she gives to nosy retailers who needlessly demand personal details. The principal solicitor with the Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW, Lane takes a hard line on requests that increasingly accompany purchases. Buy a toaster and you're asked for a postcode. Buy a television and you're asked for a home address - ostensibly to validate a warranty. Buy a mobile phone service and you're likely to have your driver's licence photocopied. The requests may seem harmless but Lane says they are insidious, exposing people to identity fraud and eroding a right to shop anonymously. ''They basically ask for as much personal information as possible now,'' she says. ''The big question has to be: is it necessary? '' Advertisement More often than not it's just part of a fishing expedition by marketers, she says.

In some cases, the information is required by law. Risky business. CyberAngels Internet Safety Program (USA based) WiredSafety: the world's largest Internet safety, help and education resource.