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Web Proxies for Anonymous Scientific Peer-Review?

Posted by Cliff on from the valid-uses-for-open-proxies dept.

nodrogluap asks: "As a scientist, I am often asked to peer-review journal papers. The peer-review process is generally supposed to be anonymous, but often times it is necessary to extensively visit the author's Web site to check and test Web interfaces to software and databases described in the paper. It can be easy for the author to surmise who's reviewing the paper based on Web logs (paper subject + gleaned reviewer's institution), especially when the reviewers are getting the first public crack at the URLs. Are there free, reliable HTTP and HTTPS proxies out there (not including servers run by people who've somehow mistakenly enabled an unrestricted proxy server in Apache)?"

34 comments

  1. Tor by Loualbano2 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Basically an anonymous proxy network. The site owners will see the tor endpoints in the logs

    http://tor.eff.org/

    1. Re:Tor by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      Works for HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS4. (HTTP/HTTPS are best used in conjunction with something like Privoxy)

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    2. Re:Tor by Mattcelt · · Score: 1

      So does JAP. I use it almost exclusively, and it works wonders. It allows stacking with other proxies, either local or remote (if you use proxomitron or have an institutional web proxy), and while it does slow things down a touch, I find it to be eminently useful.

  2. In short no by Dr.Opveter · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm going out on a limb and assume you've googled this question prior to submitting it to ask slashdot.
    You will notice the amount of .ru sites in the result. Other websites offer free proxies which turn out to not be so free after all.

    --
    Sample this!
  3. Proxify.com by kfx · · Score: 1

    http://proxify.com/ is pretty decent, but they often restrict free access during peak usage times.

  4. tor by f0rtytw0 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Try using tor (http://tor.eff.org/) along with privoxy. There are instuctions on the page on how to get the two working well together. Its pretty easy to set up and it only took me a few minutes before I was up and running.

    --
    this is the most important sig ever! In your face 446154!
  5. Get a dialup account by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Try using a cheap dialup account.

  6. Get a shell account by DrSkwid · · Score: 2, Interesting

    and run your own

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    1. Re:Get a shell account by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or get a friend at a different company to set up one for you.

  7. Number of ways. by SocialEngineer · · Score: 1

    You could contact one of the many Linux/UNIX shell account providers and have them set you up an account (either through a free independant provider, or a professional group - you have enough reason to convince a free one to let you have one for a SOCKS proxy), or use a web based CGI proxy such as Guardster.

    --
    "Better to be vulgar than non-existent" -Bev Henson
  8. Try getting a VPN... by AnObfuscator · · Score: 1

    I don't know of any "Free VPN services", but maybe set up a computer off campus and set up a VPN service on that...

    --
    multifariam.net -- yet another nerd blog
  9. Stayinvisible.com by SpaceLifeForm · · Score: 2, Informative
    Pick a fully anonymous proxy.

    --
    You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
  10. Firefox Extension: SwitchProxy Tool by Kvorg · · Score: 3, Informative

    By fat the easiest solution is the SiwtchProxy Tool, a Firefox Extension that is easy to install and manage.

    SiwtchProxy Tool offers a simple status-bar interface where the user can change proxies on the fly. It comes with a pre-set anonymous setting which will change the proxy periodically (user-supplied value). For the list of proxies used, you can supply a simple text file or use a web-based dynamicaly updated list.

    For SwitchProxy Tool homepage, see http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/switchpr oxy or https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php ?application=firefox&id=125
    (I have not observed any of the problems mentioned by the users - with the obvious exception that sites that know you by IP address won't recognize you if you use the anonymising proxy, but that can hardly be construed as a bug.)

    You can find several suitable anonymising proxy lists in this forum:
    http://forums.mozmonkey.com/viewtopic.php?t=19

    It's really quite fast, elegant and easy.

    --
    -Kvorg
  11. Is anonymity really required here? by harves · · Score: 1

    First, you should be one of at least 2 or 3 reviewers. And you only need to worry about your anonymity if you were harsh to the author's work (fear of retaliation).

    If one review is harsh, and the other two are nice, the author of the paper still doesn't know who exactly (in this case you) was the nasty one. If all/most reviews are harsh, then you don't need to worry because you're not the only one being harsh (and so it was justified).

    If your name can be tied to a single review, there's a problem. But being tied to a batch of reviews doesn't matter.

  12. Ask your employer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why doesn't the journals supply a proxy that can be used for the purpose? They are after all getting paid a rather substancial sum for their minor work.

    1. Re:Ask your employer by 91degrees · · Score: 1

      Because they haven't thought if that.

      I dare say it would be possible to persuade an administrator or colleague at another university to set up a proxy though.

  13. Why really bother? by ameoba · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You seem to forget that most professors, even those in computer science, don't have an IT background and don't think of things like "web logs". Even those that do aren't generally going to have access to the logs on their departmental webservers.

    --
    my sig's at the bottom of the page.
    1. Re:Why really bother? by secolactico · · Score: 1

      You seem to forget that most professors, even those in computer science, don't have an IT background and don't think of things like "web logs". Even those that do aren't generally going to have access to the logs on their departmental webservers.

      They can easily ask/force/bribe/coerce someone in the IT department to provide the logs and maybe analize them. Or they can have a log analysis tool (such as webalizer or webtrends) to provide that info.

      --
      No sig
    2. Re:Why really bother? by wronskyMan · · Score: 1

      They can easily ask/force/bribe/coerce someone in the IT department to provide the logs and maybe analize them.
      I think most IT personnel would react somewhat violently to a random professor trying to analize them?

      --
      --- You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad- Neal (not Cowboy) Boortz
    3. Re:Why really bother? by poincaraux · · Score: 2, Informative
      You seem to forget that most professors, even those in computer science, don't have an IT background and don't think of things like "web logs". Even those that do aren't generally going to have access to the logs on their departmental webservers.


      I think you're pretty wrong here. Many resources are hosted in the lab, rather than by the department. Looking at the logs is easy. I am quite sure that people do it. We submitted a paper recently where it would have been very easy to determine the reviewers by looking at the logs. We didn't, but it would have been dead simple.

      This can be particularly bad because, in academia, there are quite a few people who hold grudges for way too long.
  14. Please by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 1
    Paranoia will destroy ya.

    But, I don't buy the thread author's premise anyway. I think he's a hacker looking for tips.

    --
    "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
    1. Re:Please by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

      Why worry?
      Without a court order he can at best find out what ISP the user is on. Maybe what town.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
  15. Journal should set up a proxy by Asgard · · Score: 2

    You might suggest that the journal set up an authenticated proxy server so that you can relay through them to better review the journals.

  16. ISP is enough! by lilmouse · · Score: 1

    Let's suppose I work in an odd field of mathematics, and there are about 10 people who are qualified to peer-review an article I write. (This is, BTW, entirely reasonable in many fields in Math). Just knowing which university they are coming from, I've got a pretty good idea of who they are. One of them I know really likes my work, so I'm sure I'll get good reviews from him. One I know never says anything negative about anyone. And one is this young entrant to the field, who was foolish enough to negatively review my article. I'll squish him like a bug! Pffft - end of his career, 10 years of schooling downt the drain. At least he can go make webpages somewhere.

    --LWM

    1. Re:ISP is enough! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heck, you can often guess who the reviewers are without any information from the weblog. Seeing an ISP/university in your weblog would provide final confirmation, not a starting point. The original concern is very well founded.

  17. plenty of (mostly) free proxies out there by paltemalte · · Score: 2, Informative

    Anonymouse surfing: http://www.anonymization.net/ http://www.anonymizer.com/ http://osiris.978.org/~brianr/ians/ http://www.guardster.com/ http://www.antiproxy.com/ http://www.attackcensorship.com/ http://proxify.com/ http://www.anonymous.as/ http://www.mezzy.com/s-index.php http://anonymouse.ws/anonwww.html http://unipeak.com/ http://www.urlencoded.com/ http://www.behidden.com/ Full system proxy systems: http://tor.eff.org/ http://freenet.sourceforge.net/ http://internet.flashback.se/ http://anon.inf.tu-dresden.de/index_en.html http://www.privoxy.org/ http://www.silentsurf.com/ http://www.peacefire.org/circumventor/simple-circu mventor-instructions.html Ordinary proxies: http://www.atomintersoft.com/products/firewall/cou ntry.aspx/Sweden-se http://www.proxy4free.com/page1.html http://www.publicproxyservers.com/page1.html http://www.proxz.com/ http://www.digitalcybersoft.com/ProxyList/ http://www.freeproxy.ru/ http://www.samair.ru/proxy/ http://www.multiproxy.org/anon_proxy.htm http://www.rrdb.org/ http://www.free-proxy-servers.com/ http://www.proxylists.net/ http://www.proxywhois.com/anonymous-proxy-list.htm http://www.openproxies.com/ Plenty, as said.

    --
    Sam has one liberty, which he sacrifices for one security. Can you tell me what Sam has now?
  18. dial-up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You could also access the website from a dial up acct, instead of the university network.

  19. ProxyBlind by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You guys forgot to mention http://www.proxyblind.org/. Excellent site with free anonymous proxy lists, help, ip tests, tutorials, discussion board, free proxy programs...

  20. putty by Macgyver7017 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    You can use putty (free windwos ssh client) to create a SOCKS4 proxy that appears to come from any machine you can ssh to. Google for putty and click the first hit. To set up the proxy: under the tunnels settings, create a "dynamic" tunnel on port 8080 or some port of your preference. Then after the ssh session is up, point your browser at a SOCKS4 proxy on localhost, port 8080 (or whatever you used). It can also be helpful to enable keepalive packets to keep your firewall from closing the idle ssh session. Just get a friend to give you shell access, or maybe your institution has a shared machine you can ssh to for the proxy to come from.

    1. Re:putty by neilsly · · Score: 1

      I've heard this mentioned several times by people but I nor anyone I've talked with has actually gotten this to work. Using putty on windows xp and OpenSSH_3.9p1 on the back end it simply doesn't work, at least not out of the box or with any tweaks that I can find.

  21. putty by Macgyver7017 · · Score: 3, Informative

    You can use putty (free windows ssh client) to create a SOCKS4 proxy that appears to come from any machine you can ssh to. Google for putty and click the first hit.

    To set up the proxy:
    under the tunnels settings, create a "dynamic" tunnel on port 8080 or some port of your preference. Then after the ssh session is up, point your browser at a SOCKS4 proxy on localhost, port 8080 (or whatever you used).

    It can also be helpful to enable keepalive packets to keep your firewall from closing the idle ssh session.

    Just get a friend to give you shell access, or maybe your institution has a shared machine you can ssh to for the proxy to come from.

  22. Web Proxies for Anonymous Scientific Peer-Review? by Usenet4all · · Score: 1

    Hi,

    For this I have installed my own anonimizer:
    http://usenet4all.com/gate/

    This proxy is for public use.

    Enjoy!

  23. Is this really a problem? by doktor-hladnjak · · Score: 1
    Honestly, I have to wonder how much of a problem this really is. Over the course of a few weeks (the usual time frame for reviews to go out and come back), I imagine most websites containing this information get a fair amount of traffic. A paper I wrote last year gets downloaded about 25-30 times per month and it's not even that signficant. I know the site for my group gets thousands of accesses every month. Is it really that easy to pick out who the reviewers are from all that traffic?

    Even with an anonymous proxy, it's not terribly hard to guess who the possible reviewers are anyways. There are only so many people/groups in a field and papers chairs try to send your paper to somebody who will be able to competently evaluate it.

  24. Google is your friend by DA-MAN · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Just use the Google Web Accelerator.

    http://webaccelerator.google.com/

    Then you'll show up in the logs as though the connection were coming from Google.

    More info here.

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