The Internet still remains a largely unregulated domain with no enforcement agency with any teeth to protect the privacy of citizens using the World Wide Web. Recent outrages such as the “Google Chrome Crime”, the “Facebook Fiasco” and “Whitehouse.gov – gate” have encouraged Internet users to take it into their own hands to ensure that their privacy is ensured and therefore we present:-
100 of the Best Privacy Tools and Online Resources
Information you provide to one person or company may not make much sense on its own. It is only when it combined with information provided to other parties that it becomes intelligible, and therefore it is in your best interests to limit the amount of personal information freely available in every online transaction that you perform.
Email information in transit can be intercepted by your Internet Service Provider, the government or your employer. There are certain circumstances when it becomes illegal for your email to be read which are covered by the Federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) – however messages stored on your computer are not entitled to the same protection. Here are some options to help protect yourself:-
Cyber Rights is a non-profit civil liberties organization offering free and premium email services which include email encryption, secure file storage and unlimited aliases. Compatible for both POP3 and IMAP users, the Cyber Rights software also includes a secure password manager and genuine private web surfing.
Encrypted emails and safe storage facilities are also provided by the likes of Centurion, Mute Mail and Securenym, whilst Hushmail also provides this service to emails sent from your mobile and Kept Private provides an additional secure Instant Messaging Service.
More advanced email clients include Neo Mailbox who offer digital signature support, Sneakemail who provide a file shred facility and Stealth Message who have a multi-level security system for emails with 160-bit encryption within 128-bit SSL. You may also like to experiment with some of these providers of secure email services – Fastmail, NeoCertified, S-Mail, Sec-Ex Mail & Z1 Gateway or use the service provided by Spam-Ex who can actually determine who has revealed your information to spam companies.
Information collected about you while you are surfing the net is mostly innocent and used for identification, to store preferences and for future software development. Some data however is used for creating user profiles and generating targeted advertising or more serious privacy violations. The safest option when web browsing is to use a proxy or anonymous surfing site. Anonymouse.org allows you to surf the Internet via their proxy server which means that the only virtual footprints which are being left behind are theirs and not yours. Anonymouse also provides services for sending emails and posting to newsgroups without revealing your identity.
Browser Spy and Browse Info are further sources which demonstrate how much information completely innocent web sites have access to and, if you would rather not have your personal details spread across cyberspace, a number of private web browsing tools are available to disguise your identity.
Hide Your IP Address and The Cloak are free to use software package that protects your identity by cloaking your IP address. Cotse, IDzap and Guardster all provide similar private, secure and flexible web browsing packages, whilst Tor provides free anonymity by bouncing your communications and browsing sessions around a network of relays run by volunteers. Be Hidden is a similar proxy web surfing tool to Tor integrating thousands of worldwide IP addresses to completely baffle data miners.
The safest way to surf the net from a coffee shop or other public-access wireless service is by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) which provides a secure connection to the outside world and allows for anonymous browsing. Some public places already offer a secured Wi-Fi service, but it is better to be safe as you never know when an unauthorised source is collecting your data illegally. Depending on the level of security you require, there are a number of free VPN applications you can take advantage of, or you may wish to pay a little more for premium protection.
Ace VPN, Hotspot Shield and It’s Hidden allow 100% anonymous, secure and private access to the Internet via Wi-Fi for data, instant messaging and VOIP applications. Log Me In provides an on-demand hosted VPN service that securely connects both individual devices and entire networks whilst business users may prefer the guaranteed privacy supported by Connect in Private.
Using a mobile phone to surf the net can create as many issues as browsing on your home computer. To enhance your security in all mobile communications (Talk, SMS, and Browse), some of these tools may be of value:-
CasperTech and TopCrypto encrypt your mobile voice messages, SMS texts and data streams, whilst Good provides a service for Google Android phones. For ultimate protection however Gold Lock offers military standard encryption for all mobile devices.
How to clear Cookies in Opera Mini.
How to delete Windows Mobile phone browser history.
How to use Security & Privacy Features on Firefox Mobile.
Now that is possible to store documents and other files on somebody else’s hardware, you have to be extra careful to determine how secure the hosting company is. The risks involved in storing sensitive information outside of your control can be influenced by the location of Cloud Computing Companies, their own security arrangements (both from external sources and within) and trustworthiness – some companies could even willingly share sensitive data with marketing firms. By encrypting or password protecting delicate files before sending them elsewhere to be stored, you maintain an element of control over the data security.
The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario – Ann Cavoukian – produced an excellent document “Privacy in the Clouds”, which is available by clicking this link (750Kb) and options for achieving her recommendations include Chaos Mash, CryptoPad and DataCorner who use different algorithms to encrypt files for cloud storage, SafeNet who provides data encryption at field, file and column level and Lockbox who provide secure document and messaging services to legal firm standard.
Instant messaging conversations are often performed casually and without as much thought as is put into emails. However, workplace messaging can legally be monitored by your employer and is as easily intercepted as unprotected emails. IM applications have also become the new target for Spammers (or “Spimmers”) and links included in spam messages can lead to get-rich-quick scams or pornography, and may cause spyware to be installed onto your computer.
Leading IM provider – Skype – already applies a default option to accept a person into your select group of contacts, and there are further privacy tools you can utilize to keep your conversations private.
Designed to work “in an environment of mutual distrust between users and administrators”, Gale uses high level cryptography for private instant messaging. Psst is a simple, no-frills video and instant messaging software free to use and compatible with Windows and Linux, whilst Fire provides a similar service for Mac users.
Otherproviders offering encryption and secure messaging software for VOIP, text and file transfers include Bit Wise, Crypto Heaven, Secure Shuttle and Sonork, while the unfortunately acronymed SCIM allows for multi-user secure conferences and Igo-Incognito includes secure video conferences amongst its multi lingual privacy services.
Social networking sites may give the impression of being relaxed areas where subscribers can join interest groups and communicate with people who share the same interests, but in a recent survey commissioned by Microsoft it was revealed that 75% of the recruiters surveyed reported formal policies that required online research of applications. Employers, friends, dates, and parents can also access your information with little difficulty and it was recently reported that a certain social media operator was transmitting users´ details to its advertisers. To tighten up your security on any social networking sites that you use, check out these great pieces of software.
Rabid Gremlin and Reclaim Privacy perform a privacy scan on Facebook to determine just how much of your privacy is “exposed”, and how securely it is kept by those with whom you choose to share it. Open Book is more of an example of what not to write. This web site enables you to search keywords to discover just how many faux pas are left open to the world on Facebook.
For future security whilst keeping in touch with your friends, please refer to the following guides:-
Guide to Privacy on Google Buzz
It is indicative of the casual regard these media have for users´ privacy that none of these guides were compiled by the networks themselves.
Even if you use a proxy browsing service your searches may still appear in the temporary internet files stored on your computer, and for those who have grown accustomed to utilizing search engine toolbars, this can be a very difficult habit to get out of. Certain search engines have been known to supply search histories to third parties as marketing data and specialized software for searching on Google can be got from sites such as Hide My Ass and IXQuick. Liveoxy is a proxy search engine facility which is part of the Proxy Network that also includes Faceoxy and Tubeoxy, and Yauba is a brand new search engine which allows you to browse in anonymity, with all IP addresses and search history automatically deleted.
For those who may want to clear cookies, temporary internet files and browsing history manually, the following links are comprehensive guides:-
How to Delete Browsing History
How to Delete Temporary Internet Files
Depending on the service you use to host your web logs, certain amounts of your personal information may be publicly available. Your blogs are published for all to see – including potential employers – so consider carefully how you phrase contentious opinions as they may be there forever!
In some circumstances you may wish to hide your true identity, in which case some of these tools may be of assistance.
Anondom, APlus Domain Privacy, Katz Global Hosting and Silent Register are amongst companies who place their own details in the “Whois” registry and filters out spam mail and annoying telemarketing calls for you. Zentek International provides offshore domain hosting service where you still own the domain name but the details registered on “Whois” only consist of very basic information.
Bloggers sometimes publish articles that other people would rather not see – in one respect denying others their privacy. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has produced a “Legal Guide for Bloggers” who are resident in the US.
As we mentioned at the very beginning, the Internet is an unregulated domain, and even though the convenience that is available through shopping online is very welcome, there is no legislation to maintain the privacy of people who shop online and prevent cyber-vendors from collecting your data and selling it on to third parties. Although the payment procedures may be secure, details such as your purchasing habits, the time of day you shop online, the types of good and services you buy and the address you have the goods delivered to and food and drink to spam email companies and telemarketing organizations.
Although there are no 100% safe-guards, software packages such as Mil Guard cleans out “DataUser” records and auto-complete forms as you leave a site, and there are also useful online shopping guides such as “The Safe Online Shopper” which offer helpful tips about protecting yourself from fraud and identity theft while online.
Online vendors are more frequently joining organizations such as iSafeSite or Verisign which implement strict policies regarding what client details can be maintained or signing up to security conscious virtual shopping malls such as McAfee. There are also secure online payment systems being introduced such as Arcot which reduces the possibility of fraud in “card not present” transactions.
When you are shopping online, you simply have to take as many precautions as you would if out in the street.
Children are the most vulnerable section of society on the Internet, and there are several resources for parents, teachers and others caring for minors produced in order to protect them from cyber-stalking and other dangers. The FBI treats the privacy threat to kids seriously enough to publish their own “Parents Guide to Internet Safety”, the Federal Trade Commission dedicates part of their web site to “Protecting Kids´ Privacy” and the Internet Education Foundation has produced “Get Net Wise” for parents and children.
Other great resource guides for parents include “Children in Cyberspace”, the excellent “Kid Privacy” page provided by the University of Illinois and the comprehensive reviews found on the “Super Kids” web site for Internet filtering software and limited access programs such as Kid Desk, Cyber Patrol, Surf Watch and Web Chaperone.
There are many other sources of useful privacy information and protective tools, amongst them:-
Just 1 Key – Comprehensive and ultra-secure password manager compatible with Windows, Mac and Unix OS, handheld PDAs and mobile phones.
Perfect Passwords – SSL encrypted password generator using hexadecimal, ASCII and alpha-numeric codes to create the ultimate pseudo-random password protection.
Online Onguard – A website established by the Federal Trade Commission offers tips for avoiding Internet fraud, securing your computer and ways to protect your personal information.
Federal Law Enforcement agencies and public interest groups have created several outstanding web sites in respect of Internet privacy and avoiding online scams, amongst them “The Consumer Privacy Guide” and “Looks Too Good To Be True”.
Finally, one of the most comprehensive guides to privacy and security is published in PDF form by The Privacy Rights Organisation. You can download their “How to Secure Windows and Your Privacy – with Free Software” by clicking this link. (2.72Mb).
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One other small trick is that the AC/DC converter in the plug will burn out every two years or so. You will not be able to tell that is what is wrong because all the lights will be out on the modem, and all you know is that you are receiving no power, and hence no signal. Rather than tell you to get a new adapter plug, your ISP technical support will send you a replacement modem after you have spent ages trying to explain the problem (see below) and once you have paid $25 to cover the shipping costs of a minute piece of electronic gadgetry.
