[LINK] Fwd: Expert Panel: The Seven Stages of IPv6 Adoption

[Karl Auer]

On Fri, 2009-03-27 at 12:04 +0100, Kim Holburn wrote:
> I don't think you've got my point.  Yes, my internal address is that  
> but it really doesn't get you far and I'm not trying to hide it.  I  
> could change it to almost anything.

My IPv6 address won't get you far either. I could change it to anything.
Automatically even. IPv6 supports "privacy addresses", they are even the
default in XP and Vista (stupid design decision that).

>   Routers often keep no logs of  
> this.  To track me from my ISP IP requires effort.

As it would with an IPv6 address. Slightly less if it's static, but only
slightly. It depends what you mean by "track" too.

>   Unless I have  
> broken the law and you have the help of government agencies, a lot of  
> effort.

No, not really. One look at an email does the trick. If you are *trying*
to hide, then yes it's trickier. As it would be if I was *trying* to
hide with an IPv6 address.

>   You will have to ask my ISP and somehow get through the  
> layers of privacy laws.

Only if you have tried to hide. Either way, I get only as far as your
outside address, then the rules change.

>   If I am travelling my IP address will  
> probably be whatever local ISPs give me.  Each ISP would require  
> effort to untangle.

Ditto with IPv6.

> Whereas assuming your IPv6 address comes up in smtp headers it will be  
> traceable to a particular machine - if it's a laptop the IPv6 address,  
> as I understand it, will be the same wherever you have travelled to  
> and it's there in your headers, knowledge but no effort required to  
> get it.  That's considerably more information than IPv4 provides.

Nope. If I travel, I will not get the same IPv6 address wherever I go, I
will get addresses delivered by the ISPs I happen to connect to, just as
it is with IPv4. That may be similar to my home address, especially if
the ISP allows autoconfiguration (which I doubt will generally be the
case). I will only get the same address if I use a tunnel - much as you
might get the same address if you used a company VPN or similar.

> As long as you don't mind the occasional collision you have a huge  
> range to choose from.  Not of course as big as IPv6 but bigger than  
> you would need.  Even through something like TOR your IPv6 address  
> would show up!

Sorry, I just felt that the difference between six months and 500
billion years was worth mentioning. Seems significant to me. Also, to
use IPv4 addresses for these purposes is difficult and tricky; to use
IPv6 in this way is not only straightforward, it's built into the
protocol.


Regards, K.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)                   +61-2-64957160 (h)
http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/                  +61-428-957160 (mob)

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