Based on the nomenclature of the early papers in the field, we propose a terminology which is both expressive and precise. More particularly, we define anonymity, unlinkability, unobservability, pseudonymity (pseudonyms and digital pseudonyms, and their attributes), and identity management.

This paper studies the reasons for low levels of child support paid by non-custodial divorced fathers. When mothers remarry, some financial burden of raising their children shifts from fathers to step-fathers. This provides an incentive for the father to encourage mother’s remarriage through the use of strategically picked payment level. Assuming father’s income is to some degree unobservable b...

We present Decentralized Unobservable Reporting Protocol (DURP), a low-latency, low-overhead, decentralized protocol for anonymous, unobservable communication to untrusted recipient. DURP ensures unobservability against global eavesdropper (and malicious participants), in contrast to known low-latency protocols such as Tor. DURP design is a modular combination of a simple queuing module, ensuri...

The open nature of communications in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) makes it easy for an adversary to trace all the communications within the network. If techniques such as encryption may be employed to protect data privacy (i.e. the content of a message), countermeasures to deceive context privacy (e.g. the source of a message) are much less straightforward. In recent years, the research comm...

Based on the nomenclature of the early papers in the field, we propose a terminology which is both expressive and precise. More particularly, we define anonymity, unlinkability, unobservability, pseudonymity (pseudonyms and digital pseudonyms, and their attributes), and identity management.

This article studies the optimal use of fines and imprisonment when an offender’s level of wealth cannot be observed by the enforcement authority. I employ a model in which there are two types of offenders — a low-wealth type and a high-wealth type. The consequence of the unobservability of wealth depends on whether the enforcement authority would employ fines alone, or would also impose impris...

This paper deals with magnetic equations of the type dH = J where the current J is a δ–function on a brane worldvolume and H a p–form field strength. In many situations in M–theory this equation needs to be solved for H in terms of a potential. A standard universality class of solutions, involving Dirac–branes, gives rise to strong intermediate singularities in H which in many physically releva...

We study the role that price transparency plays in determining the efficiency and surplus division in a sequential bargaining model of price formation with asymmetric information. Under natural assumptions on type distributions and for any discount factor, we show that the unobservability of past negotiations leads to lower prices and faster trading. Unobservability, therefore, enhances the “Co...