Internet Privacy

Online Privacy Protection Software

We shouldn’t need it but I’m afraid we seem to live in a world where privacy is no longer guaranteed. It’s a lot to do how the internet has developed (of course it’s also the way society has developed too!) – in that I mean technically. HTTP is the core of internet communication. Unfortunately it’s also completely insecure and transports all our data in clear text.

That’s how it sits at your local ISP, in their logs – your internet diary, every move you have made online for the last two years. Governments, agencies routinely use this information in their various enquiries. Ask me again if you need something to maintain your privacy then !

Do we need online privacy protection software when we’re online ?

In case, you agree try this video.

Anonymous Web Proxies 2009

If you’re searching for anonymous proxies in 2009 be very careful how you use them. Sure there’s plenty of these proxies around but remember most of these servers are operating as open proxies without the knowledge of the network or systems administrators. For instance lots of them are running in corporate and educational networks on pcs, forgotten or misconfigured servers sitting in a corner somewhere.

Now if you’ve no problem with using the latest 2009 web proxies without the owners consent, then fine – I’m not here to moralise on this. What I do want you to be aware of is two main points –

1) Because these servers are rarely patched up to date or configured correctly – they are extremely insecure. It is likely that hackers will either take over or partly run these open proxies at some point.

2) HTTP – the protocol that you do the vast majority of your web browsing. Is a clear text protocol that is the whole data stream can be read easily. So anyone who logs the data passing through these proxies will see everything you are doing, downloading etc and your IP address.

I personally would never use a free anonymous proxy at all, I know how insecure they all are. If you do make sure you are very careful about what you browse through – never do anything which involves passing any personal information on them. Even something as trivial as logging into a forum or account will give away huge amounts of information about you. If you are unlucky enough to be on one of the many hacked 2009 open proxies it could cost you.

 

Why Can You Never find Working Anonymous Proxies

I get asked this quite a lot, but my answer is quite simply – it’s easy of course you can find working anonymous proxies they are everywhere ! But there is a single word missing here, a subtext to the question and that word is ‘free’

Free Working Anonymous Proxies

Now this is altogether a slightly different problem, the reason of course it’s so difficult is cost. Running a free anonymous proxy for everyone who wants, privacy, anonymity or simply to bypass restrictions based on their local firewalls and proxies – costs an awful lot of money. As anyone who has run a heavy bandwidth using web site knows it can get extremely expensive.

So the question is why would anyone supply anonymous proxies for free to total strangers? The answer may surprise you but it is that they don’t, I mean they don’t on purpose. Makes sense when you think about it, most people have other more fun ways to spend their money than supplying free anonymous proxies.

So where do these working proxies come from, well they’re either left open accidentally, or hacked and made into proxies and used and abused by the internet freeloaders society. The reason it’s difficult to find working proxies like this is that they usually fall over fairly soon or their owner realise what’s happen and pull the plug before they get even bigger bills from people surfing.

Ironically when they do pull the plug they actually have one of the most extensive logs of web searching about. Yes these servers have huge logs of everyone who has surfed through them, their IP addresses and every web site they visit. Enough to easily send bills out to each person although I don’t know of anyone doing it. It would make those people thing about their working anonymous proxies though if the surfers got a bandwidth bill from a systems administrator of a hacked server somewhere!

Alas, it’s the old story – the free stuff is more trouble than they’re worth (actually a lot more in this instance) so to find good working proxies, that are fast, secure and reliable you’re going to have to pay something.  It makes sense really, after all to be fast and secure they need skilled technical staff to keep them running, who would normally expect to be paid something.  Here’s a useful video which can help you start the process though as there are a lot of options,

Surf anonymous – a dictionary and some technology

I get quite a few emails from one of my other sites asking me how I can surf anonymous. You’d be surprised both how many people search for this information – and how many people misspell anonymous! But enough of this brevity, the reason people are worried is that our information is not safe, it’s not secure.

You might need a search warrant or a crowbar to gain access to your home PC and information. But unfortunately there’s much easier ways to gain access to your personal browsing history, your emails, your banking logons and well just about everything else you do online.

In fact despite what you read your PC is a much safer place for your information. When it hits the net, you are no longer in control. This is the problem when people ask me how to surf annonymous, they don’t realise that the first step out on to the internet is their ISP. Sitting happily on the ISP logs is a complete record of absolutely everything you do online. Every web site you visit, every file and picture you download and every video you watch is associated with your account and stored at your ISP.

If you’re in the US the police or NSA can access this information at will, in Europe Governments are planning legislation to access this information centrally. Who knows how many hackers and identity thieves have access to this information, how much do you know about security at your ISP?

So my friends – if you want to ahem – surf anoynmous then check out how to encrypt your connection and protect yourself – try this video to start.

The 4th Amendment and our Expectation of Privacy

The 4th amendment insists on ” The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
The expectation of privacy includes no seizure without a warrant, provides the foundation for businesses, and is the reason why the Privacy Act was created. Let’s continue on this journey and see how privacy has impacted our society.

The 4th Amendment states that their should be no violation without probable cause. No one should be forced to give up their privacy unless a situation and a warrant are issued. This is important to ensure that people are not forced to give up private information. It states that only if there is probable cause and a warrant is issued, private information shall remain private. Now that we have covered what the 4th amendment stands for we can discuss how business is conducted under this amendment.

Businesses are required to follow the 4th Amendment. When you are hired for a position with a business or company, they cannot violate your privacy unless they have probable cause. If your boss has probable cause they can have you prosecuted or fired, but they cannot violate your privacy. The 4th amendment also protects the privacy of the business, only needing to share information with employees on a need to know basis. Now that we have covered the 4th Amendments influence on businesses, we can begin to understand why the Privacy Act was created.

The expectation of privacy goes past the 4th Amendment today and lies in every household in America. Most people are unfamiliar with the 4th Amendment or only think about it on an authority level. The 4th Amendment is the reason why the Privacy Protection Act was created and reinforced today. People want their information protected and they want to feel safe especially on the internet. Today, consequences are paid for any breech in the expectation of privacy thus, instilling the basic foundation of the 4th amendment in today’s society.

Most people we’re simply unaware that the 4th amendment influenced the creation of todays Privacy Act. The expectation of privacy includes no seizure without a warrant, provides the foundation for businesses, and is the reason why the Privacy Act was created. The next time you think of the Privacy Protection Act, remember that our forefathers set it up in the 4th Amendment in the Constitution of United States.

Learn all about the issues across the world about online privacy protection.

Discover How California’s Privacy Protection Laws Can Affect Businesses In Your State?

If you are looking to fully understand how privacy laws can affect you, you need to understand California’s Privacy Laws. California’s privacy laws are listed in the state constitution, mandatory to report any breeches in security, and all states must comply in regards to business transactions. Let’s explore the importance California has made in today’s Privacy Act.

In the state of California, privacy laws have become a state wide enforcement, protecting its residents from identity theft. California has gone above the other 49 states in the union by integrating its own privacy laws in its state constitution. This state has become the leader when enforcing the privacy rights of all individuals involved. California hopes that one day every state will get involved in protecting individuals on the same level. Once you understand the high standards California has with privacy issues, you will begin to see why this state has such a low tolerance for identity theft.

How does California manage to enforce its privacy law throughout the entire state? What makes this state stand out from the other states with their implemented privacy laws? California has a no tolerance policy to anyone who breeches the privacy protection act. Any business caught violating these laws has to make a press release explaining the violations that occurred. Now that we have covered California’s policy on breech of privacy, we can continue on the individual rights of the California resident.

The Privacy Protection Act covers all residents and businesses in all 50 states in the United States. California has just taken extra precautions to ensure that all residents in the state are protected, even from businesses in other states. Privacy protection of all California’s residents requires that all businesses residing outside the states boundaries follow the same California law when involving sales to its residents. Meaning, that if a business in Ohio breeches the California Privacy Protection Act, then then that business could suffer consequences in California’s state court. All businesses, regardless of what state they reside in, should fully understand California’s Privacy Protection Laws, to prevent any future law suits.

Did you know that much about California’s Privacy Protection Laws? California’s privacy laws are listed in the state constitution, mandatory to report any breeches in security, and all states must comply in regards to business transactions. So next time you conduct business with California, remember that you are bound, and protected, by California’s Privacy Laws.