Company Fact Sheet

Vision

Empower individuals and organizations with innovative security solutions that ensure safe, secure and private Internet experiences.

Mission

Bring to market innovative solutions that empower and protect individuals, businesses and organizations from privacy abuses and unwanted annoyances such as identity theft, hacker attacks, computer viruses and other malicious code, SPAM, pop-ups and other advertisements.

Overview

Anonymizer, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet privacy and security solutions for consumers, corporations, organizations and government agencies. The company is the market leader for Web privacy, providing a safe and secure Web experience for over one million Internet users around the globe. The company's Web site is home to the world's most popular Internet privacy service, Anonymizer Private Surfing, which defends users from the most prevalent Internet privacy and security threats, from online tracking using “Cookies” to malicious code, identity theft and email spammers. Anonymizer Private Surfing has been used to privacy-protect over four billion Web pages for millions of users since the company's inception in 1996. The company is privately held and headquartered in San Diego, California.

Core Products – Solutions for Consumers

• Anonymizer Private Surfing 2.1
  Eliminates online tracking and makes your surfing invisible, providing protection against advertisers, hackers and ISPs that attempt to harvest information about personal habits and activities. Privacy and security is shielded from threats like cookies, Web bugs and malicious code, and blocks annoying Internet clutter like pop-ups and banner ads. With the optional Privacy Toolbar for Internet Explorer, users can activate protection with a single click at any time while surfing. They can also easily configure many features and settings, including full-time SSL encryption, URL encryption and Safe Cookies.


• Anonymizer Total Net Shield™
  The most powerful and complete privacy and security service providing secure, private email, newsgroups, Web surfing, chat, and instant messaging. It includes Spam Assassin technology to keep email inboxes clutter-free. It works by creating an encrypted “virtual tunnel” to and from the user's computer to defend against even the most sophisticated methods of online spying and snooping, much like secure Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that corporations use, but designed for personal use. It is simple to set up and use, and it works silently in the background without slowing down the user's Internet connection.


• Anonymizer Dialup Access
  Secure, private and anonymous dialup Internet access. Includes all the features of Private Surfing 2.1 and Total Net Shield.

Additional Products - Solutions for Enterprise and Government

• Competitive Intelligence Toolkit™
  Allows corporations, law firms and government agencies to safely and privately perform research and harvest Web data. It combines Anonymizer's privacy technology with essential Web research tools such as Ping, DNS Lookup, Traceroute, and spidering engines in a user-friendly interface to facilitate safe, anonymous online research by non-IT personnel.


• Envoy Secure Intranet Access™
  Enables employees, partners and clients to securely log on to company networks from any computer, anywhere, without requiring client software. Envoy rewrites Intranet content on special proxy servers, enabling employees, clients and partners to access vital information while preventing direct contact with data and eliminating the risk of intrusion and data tampering.


• Ecommerce Fraud Prevention
  Proprietary credit card fraud screening tools designed specifically for ecommerce merchants distributing digital goods online. By identifying high-risk Web behavior and traffic patterns, these Fraud Prevention systems provide more relevant scoring criteria and effectively reduce both fraud rates and “false positives”.


• Anti-Censorship Systems
  Provides the U.S. Government with anti-censorship technologies designed to enable unfettered, anonymous access to news and information for citizens living under oppressive regimes. Chameleon Proxies™ provides access censored Web sites while actively responding to and countering government attempts at blocking. Active outbound communications keep users informed of the changing addresses of the servers.


• VPN/Traffic Mixing
  Anonymizer provides organization-wide protection solutions via its VPN/Traffic Mixing systems. Anonymizer routes all traffic from the corporate LAN to the Internet through the Privacy Proxy network, effectively hiding the source of the traffic, and blending it with the traffic from over half a million other active users. Our Chameleon Proxies™ even prevents the destination site from knowing that a customer of Anonymizer is visiting it. The process is completely transparent, allows 100% functionality for all Web sites, and requires no software on the end user's computer. Only a single server needs to be installed at the client facility.

Technology

Anonymizer's core Internet privacy and security platform uses proxy servers armed with proprietary encryption technology to rewrite requested Web pages for its end-users, filtering potential threats like cookies, Web bugs and mobile code while shielding the user from identification and online tracking. When surfing the Internet using the Anonymizer service, users are protected from Web site logging, tracking by online advertisers, hacker attacks and exploits, Web-borne viruses, network monitoring by ISPs or employers, and other threats.

Because Anonymizer's core technology is server-side and platform-independent, end users don't have to download client software or adjust their system configurations. Anonymizer does offer a client-side download, the Anonymizer Privacy Toolbar that allows Internet Explorer for Windows users to activate Anonymizer protection with a single click at any time.

A Commitment to Safety and Freedom on the Internet

In addition to the company's successful commercial Web presence, Anonymizer, Inc. is dedicated to using its technologies to support liberty and security in the U.S. and around the world. Anonymizer's activities on this front have included:

• Providing anonymous email and Web surfing services to Internet users in oppressed states in order to report human rights abuses and war crimes, and to spread the message of freedom and democracy.
• Deploying "anonymous tip" technology for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation terrorist tip site to help the agency collect information about suspected terrorists.
• Supplying law enforcement and media professionals with Anonymizer privacy services in order to ensure safe, effective online investigation.

Key Milestones to Date

• 350% subscriber base growth from 2000 to 2002
• Over 1 Million unique monthly users
• Over 4 Billion Web page views protected since 1995
• Over 100,000 paying subscribers
• Profitable since 2001
• Core business expected to double in 2003
• Anonymizer brand name is considered as the “Kleenex” of the Internet privacy market
• Not a single breech of privacy since 1997, when consumers first started using the services

Management Team

Bill Unrue (CEO, Board Member) - Bill was recruited by Anonymizer in 2000 and has lead the Company to profitability and rapid growth in sales. Previously, he was brought in as president of Newpoint, Inc. which he turned around and made profitable in only nine months. As the director of Sunbeam’s Healthcare Division, Bill grew annual sales from $60M to $170M. As an executive at Thermos, he lead his group from a $12M loss to a $3M profit in only one year. Bill earned a BA in Economics from the University of Washington and holds an MBA from Northwestern.

Lance Cottrell (President, Founder, Chairman) - Lance is an internationally recognized expert in cryptography and online privacy and security issues. Since founding Anonymizer in 1995, he has gained wide media exposure for the Company and is regularly quoted by The Wall Street Journal and other national sources. He frequently addresses major conferences such as Comdex. Lance holds a BS degree from UCSD along with a Masters degree in Astrophysics.

James Reynolds (Director, Engineering) - James has 11 years of Web development management experience, primarily delivering financial service applications including credit-card fraud detection and numerous banking solutions. He has held engineering management positions at Digital Insight, HNC Software, Bexcom Research and Deutsche Bank. James holds a BA degree in Computer Information Systems from Weber State.

Robert David Torres (Creative Director) - Robert has 11 years of experience in graphic design, advertising, marketing and e-commerce, bringing a rare combination of creative talent and Internet expertise with an emphasis on direct marketing to Anonymizer. Previously, Robert oversaw creative direction and website development for Proflowers from startup to annual sales of nearly $100M. He completed work towards a BFA degree in Graphic Design at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Brian Souza (Business Development, Consultant) - Brian has held multiple strategic sales positions, most recently as Director, Strategic Sales for Akamai Technologies where his sales team increased annual revenue from $1M to $30M while adding 500 customers in less than 18 months. Prior to that he held senior sales positions with NetGravity and Netscape, consistently achieving top sales efforts. Brian holds a BA in International Business from SDSU and has completed graduate work at SDSU and Harvard.

Greg Bohdan (Chief Financial Officer, Consultant) - Greg has been the CFO of several VC-backed technology companies over the last 12 years, including Ensemble Communications (first employee hired) and Single Chips Systems (co-founder). He has helped raise $145M of venture capital for these companies and been instrumental in their growth. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Notre Dame and an MBA from UCLA.

Board of Directors

Steve Benet
Founder and Principal of Bodega Partners; Venture Partner at iMinds Ventures. MBA from UCLA in Entrepreneurial Finance and Entertainment Management.

Gary Kremen
Co-founder of Los Altos Technologies, Match.com, Electric Classifieds, NetAngels. MBA from Stanford University.

Graeme Linnett
Founding Managing Member of Godel Capital LLC; Former Managing Director, AIG International Inc. First class honors degree in Mathematics, University of Queensland.

Advisers

Patrick Moneymaker
President and COO, Ocean Systems Engineering Corporation. Retired Rear Admiral, US Navy. Former Commander, Blue Angles; former Navy Director of Space and Information Warfare.

Philip Zimmerman
Creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), the world's most widely-used encryption software, and founder of PGP, Inc. Fellow at the Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society.

Press Contacts:

Media FAQ

Q: How does Anonymizer protect people’s privacy?

A: Anonymizer acts as a trusted intermediary between its users and the web sites they are viewing. We remove all identifying information from the user's request for each page, and prevent the web site from reaching the user’s computer with requests or programs to gather information.

Q: How much do the Anonymizer services cost?

A: While we offer a free version, the more robust Private Surfing 2.1 service is $29.95 per year. We also offer Total Net Shield, the most powerful and complete security package, which is $99.95 per year.

Q: How does someone use your service?

A: Anyone can start using the service by visiting us at www.anonymizer.com. Once there, users can get a glimpse of how it works by using the free service. Simply type in the URL of the site they want to visit into the form (http:// window) on the front page and click “go”. Within seconds we have fetched the page and they can surf by clicking on any links on the page, or by entering a new site in the Anonymizer control bar across the top of the page.

To take advantage of the full service, visitors can access the products by clicking on the product link to sign up. Premium users simply click on the "Log In" button then enter their user name, password, and URL to visit.

Q: What kinds of computers and operating systems does Anonymizer support?

A: Anonymizer is compatible with all browsers and platforms, and requires absolutely no special configuration.

Q: Do you have to install any special software to use Anonymizer?

A: No, the Anonymizer services are totally Web-based. All you need is a browser.

Q: How is Anonymizer different from other Internet privacy products and services?

A: A major difference is in our blend of technology and convenience. No one else offers entirely Web-based services that rewrite every visited web page for optimal user protection. No one else has a Safe Cookies™ feature to allow full functionality and safe access to sites requiring cookies. And no one but Anonymizer offers URL Encryption to protect against monitoring by any third party. These features make Anonymizer not only the most secure privacy service but the easiest to use as well.

Another key difference is experience and brand trust. We are the oldest and most widely used Internet privacy service, having privacy-protected over 4 billion Web pages since our inception in 1996. Anonymizer is the only Internet privacy service that has earned its reputation in the field, and our real-world experience gives us the edge in developing newer, safer and better privacy technology.

Q: What kinds of information can Web sites gather about their visitors?

A: Web sites can always track you as you move through their site. They can usually recognize you when you return, allowing them to build a detailed profile of your activities over time. Any personal information you enter into their site will be added to and correlated with the rest of this profile. Many so-called contest sites were actually created to gather real name and other information to connect to on-line profiles. The most dangerous trend is with advertising networks which can track users over thousands of web sites. Any time a user visits a web page with a banner from the network (or an invisible "web bug"), the network can track the user’s activities. This extends the profile to cover a large fraction of all the user's online activities. The contents of web forms on the pages being viewed are also often available to the advertiser.

The detail of observation possible online is much more detailed than in the real world. In a physical bookstore, the store can gather a list of what books you purchase (assuming you don't pay cash). On line they gather all purchases, your home address and credit card number, all the books you merely browsed, and the amount of time spent browsing each book. It is like being followed around the store with a camera over you shoulder.

Q: Can Anonymizer protect people against spying by their ISP or government?

A: Yes. Using our Total Net Shield service, the Anonymizer tunneling accounts, provide absolute protection against anyone monitoring the connection between the user and our servers. URL Encryption is included with this service and protects against all analysis of records of which URLs have been visited by the user.

Q: Does Anonymizer work with sites that require cookies?

A: The Total Net Shield service has a feature called "Safe Cookies™," which allows users to access sites that require cookies without allowing the site to track or recognize the user.

Q: Really, how secure are Anonymizer's services and can the information be subpoenaed?

A: No, the information cannot be subpoenaed because we do not keep any of it. We would never be able to share with anyone where a user is by their IP address, what sites they visited, or anything else, because even Anonymizer does not know. Additionally, we work with law and police agencies where a privacy breech can have severe consequences, even death in some cases. We have never had a single breech since we began selling our products and services in 1997 due to our level of security.

Q: Can self-regulation and privacy seals be effective?

A: While self-regulation is a fine thing, it provides little assurance to the end user. Few users understand the standard policies advocated by many industry groups, many of which are far from privacy friendly. It is also difficult for users to tell the difference between legitimate privacy organizations, and window dressing. Finally, enforcement is very difficult. There are serious questions about the ability of these groups to effectively sanction violators.

Q: Can legislation protect privacy?

A: Legislation has a role to play, but it cannot effectively protect privacy. First, legislation is mainly national or local, while the Internet is by its nature international. Second, enforcement is difficult, and unlikely to be pursued against small time violators. Third, it is often difficult to tell who has gathered information that is later used by a third party. Fourth, restrictions on the use of publicly visible information have serious first amendment implications. Legislation is key for setting baseline expectations of privacy, and minimum privacy standards. It is also required to protect privacy in situations where an individual is required to hand over personal information, such as banking, medical, and on-line purchases.

Q: How concerned should an average user be and what are the biggest risks?

A: Anyone who surfs the Internet should be concerned about the amount of information that's shared as well as how long it's kept. Information trails are being left and because of how long this information is often kept, data points accumulate giving a wide range of personal information to those seeking it. These data points are often sold to marketing companies who will then use your personal information to market to you with annoying pop-ups, spam emails and even worse, for example, possibly sell the information to health insurance companies who track what health information you've been seeking to use it against you by increasing your rates.

Q: Can a user feel safe on a site with a privacy policy?

A: No, the mere presence of a privacy policy is almost meaningless. "We will take all your information and sell it to everyone" is a valid, but very bad, privacy policy. Even a privacy seal usually only means that the privacy policy will be followed, not that it is good. Users should read the policies, but they are often written in a very legal language and can be almost impossible to understand. Many policies are also subject to change without notice, putting an incredible burden on the user. Finally, many gatherers of information are unknown to the user, such as the advertising networks. Users are unlikely to even know who might be collecting information, let alone know where to go to check the privacy policy and try to opt out. The privacy policy of the site may not reflect the policy of the advertiser.

Q: There must be some information kept somewhere, can you really say that people are anonymous?

A: Yes, we really can. Our system is engineered so that records are NOT kept, even in real time. At no point do we gather the information because we never receive it. Although it's never happened and it would be difficult, if a hacker broke into our system, they still wouldn't be able to see any information about our consumers Internet surfing habits, because we don't have it.