Preserving Privacy in a Network of Mobile Computers

Abstract

Even as wireless networks create the potential for access to information from mobile platforms, they pose a problem for privacy. In order to retrieve messages, users must periodically poll the network. The information that the user must give to the network could potentially be used to track that user. However, the movements of the user can also be used to hide the user's location if the protocols for sending and retrieving messages are carefully designed. In this paper we will describe a set of protocols that we have developed to allow a user with a mobile computer to communicate without compromising privacy.