Secure anonymous communications methods and apparatus

A communications system, the system comprising:

• a network server in a first communications network, the network server including:
• i) a first interface configured to receive a first communication session establishment signal from a first user device, said first communications session establishment signal being sent by said first user device as part of establishing communications with a second device and
• ii) one or more processors configured to:
• allocate, at the network server, a first fabricated set of device attribute information including at least some values indicating one or more of:
• i) physical device information, ii) operating system information;
• or iii) application information to be indicated for a first communications device, to be used for communications with the second device, and
• as part of allocating a first fabricated set of device attribute information selecting elements of said first fabricated set of device attribute information using a constrained randomized selection operation, the device attribute information values selected for the first fabricated set of device attribute information being device information values which represent compatible device attributes or capabilities that could be expected in an actual physical device of a device type indicated by a device type value selected to be included in said first fabricated set of device information;
• and
• operate as a first communications device to communicate with the second device on behalf of the first user device as a first communications end point in a communication in which the second device is a second communications end point, operating as the first communications device to communicate with the second device on behalf of the first user device including:
• establishing communications with the second device via a first communications path;
• providing at least some of said first fabricated set of device attribute information to the second device;
• and
• providing content obtained from the second device to the first user device.

A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer executable instructions which when executed by one or more processors of a network server cause the network server to perform the steps of:

• receiving, at the network server in a first communications network, a first communication session establishment signal from a first user device, said first communications session establishment signal being sent by said first user device as part of establishing communications with a second device;
• allocating, at the network server, a first fabricated set of device attribute information including at least some values indicating one or more of:
• i) physical device information, ii) operating system information, or iii) application information to be indicated for a first communications device, to be used for communications with the second device, said allocating including selecting elements of said first fabricated set of device attribute information using a constrained randomized selection operation to select one or more device attribute information values, the device attribute information values selected for the first fabricated set of device attribute information being device information values which represent compatible device attributes or capabilities that could be expected in an actual physical device of a device type indicated by a device type value selected to be included in said first fabricated set of device information;
• and
• operating the first communications device to communicate with the second device on behalf of the first user device as a first communications end point in a communication in which the second device is a second communications end point, said first communications device being a processor in the network server, said step of operating the first communications device to communicate with the second device on behalf of the first user device including:
• operating the first communications device to establish communications with the second device via a first communications path;
• providing at least some of said first fabricated set of device attribute information to the second device;
• and
• providing content obtained from the second device to the first user device.