A system and method is provided for handling network communications
between a client and a target server on the Internet to protect the
privacy and anonymity of the client. For a session between the client and
the target server, a routing control server sets up a routing chain using
a plurality of Web servers randomly selected from a pool of participating
Web servers as routers for routing messages between the client and the
target server. To prevent traffic analysis, an "onion encryption" scheme
is applied to the messages as they are forwarded along the routing chain.
A payment service cooperating with the routing control server allows a
user to pay for the privacy protection service without revealing her real
identity.
