MACchanger

There are two addressed that identify your computer: the IP address and the MAC address.

The IP address is used on the internet when data is transmitted back and forth accross the planet. Typically you will get another IP address if you move your computer to another place.

The MAC address is only used on the local network - i.e. the network in the building where your computer is connected. The MAC-addres is coded into your network interface card by the factory and will never change, no matter where you connect your computer.

Usually, your computer automatically gets its IP address from a router or server when you connect your computer to the local network. This router or server will then remember which MAC-address (and thereby also computer) is connected to which IP-address.

This implies that if e.g. you are using an internet café, then you risk being traced. You get your IP address from the server on the interernet café. From the whole world, this IP-address can be traced back to the café. And the internet café will know that this IP address was used by a computer with your MAC address. If you later on return to the internet café, then can recognize you on the MAC-address. Apart from that, factories and resellers know the MAC address of the PC they sold you.

The bottom line is that you can be traced by your computer's MAC address. Luckily, it is possible to change the MAC address set by the factory.

The program MACchanger can do this for you automatically. It simply makes up a random MAC-address and tells your network card to use that instead of the one set by the factory. We have configured this CD in such a way that MACchanger automatically will do this everytime you boot your computer from the CD, before your network card is used.

Using MACchanger assures you that even if your IP address is traced back to the internet café, it will be difficult to determine exactly which one of the guests in the café used the IP address. If you turn off your computer, it will be impossible to know who had that random MAC address.

This can for example be used for making an anomynous phone call. Read more about this under IP Phone.

Political perspectives

Politicians often argue that more surveillance is needed in order to catch criminals like terrorists and pedophiles. Just as you can protect your privacy by using the tools on this CD, so can terrorists and pedophiles as well. Just like you can have a phone conversation from an internet café, a criminal can distribute child pornography without being tracked.

For this reason it will not help increasing surveillance; it is too easy to circumvent - in a completely legal way. Increased surveillance will only harm innocent private citizens.

Considerable public and private resources are wasted on useless surveillance that infringes on the citizens' privacy. These resources can be put to better use by allocating them to traditional investigation of criminal activities.