  As more and more data is transmitted in the configurable optical layer,
whereby all optical switches forward packets without electronic layers
involved, we envision privacy as the intrinsic property of future optical
networks. In this paper, we propose Optical Onion Routing (OOR) routing and
forwarding techniques, inspired by the onion routing in the Internet layer, the
best known realization of anonymous communication today, but designed with
specific features innate to optical networks. We propose to design the optical
anonymization network system with a new optical anonymization node
architecture, including the optical components and their electronic
counterparts to realize layered encryption. We propose modification to the
secret key generation using Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR), able to
utilize different primitive irreducible polynomials, and the usage optical XOR
operation as encryption, an important optical technology coming of age. We
prove formally that, for the proposed encryption techniques and distribution of
secret information, the optical onion network is perfectly private and secure.
The paper aims at providing practical foundations for privacy-enhancing optical
network technologies.
