[TIGERE]

Open to suggestions about utilities to conceal internet activity ....

TIA

Tigereaz

[number6]

To conceal your internet activity from web sites you can go through a proxy, but I haven't found any proxy that I can be absolutely sure won't track me.
I also wrote a document that is not quite finished called Protect Your Privacy From Google.
If you want to delete your tracks from your PC, CCleaner does a good job.
ArmorSurf is a secure web browser. I think it's supposed to do about the same thing as running a web browser in a sandbox using Sandboxie. No tracks are left behind.

[Flashorn]

Hey TIGERE !!



Well, you can do like Number says or you can buy a subcription

to a Proxy Provider such as Anonymizer.com but, I must warn

you , they don't come cheap , the Good ones that is. These guys

will keep you safe online and you will absolutely not leave a trace

while surfing.



I guess the cheaper and still the best, to my knowledge, would be

to use Sandboxie , where you can delete the Sandbox when your session

is over. This method would also save you from malware as , all things

in the Sandbox would be deleted, Malware and all. If you happen to download

a program , you can always retrieve your download to a folder of your

choice on your HDD.



FLASHORN. !http://forums.pcworld.com/legacyimages/
1!

[smax013]

It also matters if you are talking home use vs. work use. Many companies employ computer monitoring "stuff" to protect themselves from employees doing stuff they should not do and that could result in the company being sued. Such things might not "hide" stuff even with using anonymizer type proxies as such monitoring might be on "this" side of the "wall". And FWIW, those companies are perfectly within their rights...it is THEIR computer, THEIR Internet connection, etc. You are being permitted to use it for company business, not for personal use. You have no expectation of privacy when using company resources.

[mjd420nova]

Goodness, doesn't anyone follow the rules anymore?? What's to worry about if you're not doing anything wrong? I could care less about who knows where I go on the web, what sites I visit and the things I post on different sites. I have nothing to hide. I never put anything on the internet, be it a blog, a photo or a response to someones questions. I am guarded about posting or otherwise providing any personal info. My children have also been very good in that respect too. What, Me worry?/

[smax013]

mjd420nova said:

Goodness, doesn't anyone follow the rules anymore?? What's to worry about if you're not doing anything wrong? I could care less about who knows where I go on the web, what sites I visit and the things I post on different sites. I have nothing to hide. I never put anything on the internet, be it a blog, a photo or a response to someones questions. I am guarded about posting or otherwise providing any personal info. My children have also been very good in that respect too. What, Me worry?/

While for some, it is an issue of hiding something. But, for others it is more being concerned that someone (whether your ISP or the Goberment) is watching what you are doing. While I might not doing anything wrong, I also don't believe that my Goberment or my ISP has any right to monitor my online activity for any reason (perfectly fine if they have a legal court order). What sites I visit and use is none of my ISPs or Goberment's concern unless they have a valid, legal reason and a court order to back it up.

Now, I am not "bothered" enough by the possibility that I feel the need to go use anonymized proxies (frankly, too lazy to worry that much), but I can understand why some might...so I won't brudge them that.

[number6]

I'm a little confused by your post. Why are you careful about what you post if you don't care what people know about you?

[mjd420nova]

It's not that I care about what people think about me personally, it's what others might do with the information I do reveal. When it comes to the internet, as soon as I decided to have a computer in my home, back in 1983, and began using bulletin boards, I impressed upon my children that they needed to agree to some simple rules. They are: You must never give your real name, birthdays are okay but never where(cities yes, hospitals no), no license or ID numbers, social security number, phone numbers, home address or any schools attended or specific years, or any bank account numbers. Past, present or even future employment hopes, addresses and phone numbers is really a big mistake as many employers can and will use anything you post or reveal to dash any present or future opportunities. Past employment specifics can be used in a court to press charges should you have any negative comments. This information applies not only to your info, but others, be they friend or foe. With todays advanced search engines, this information can be easily cross referenced and used by others who have no qualms about what they might do with that info. Scams abound and even the most wary of users can become caught up in them. This may sound a bit harsh to some but if your computer persona is kept pristine then you shall never have any problems. Now many web sites require you to provide certain ifo in order to join, and this is where you must trust them to maintain their security. This info can be tracked by using your name in different manners, such as a full name with no initials, nick names or specific mis-spellings to provide clues as to where the info came from. Even the most careful sites can be hacked and databases and mailing lists are often sold to the highest bidders by otherwise honest appearing sites. If you don't believe what I'm saying just do a google search using your name, then do a search using your user name or names if you use more than one.

[number6]

Aye, wise advice. It's this statement that confuses me.

mjd420nova said:

What's to worry about if you're not doing anything wrong? I could care less about who knows where I go on the web, what sites I visit and the things I post on different sites. I have nothing to hide.

If that's so, would you mind posting your history log. I find that kind of thing interesting. :D

[TIGERE]

MJD ....Well said - can I run my stuff through your computer ??? (joking) You have voiced my concerns - while most of my stuff is inocuous and even mundane there is enough information to be vulnerable - so its either encryption on the computer; set up a home based sever which is a lot like locking your doors while the scoundrel is lurking outside -( I have already had to change access codes for my on line banking and may well do it every 3 months anyway since this experience - they actually did get a couple of charges in - and one even sent some token merchandise of no use to me of course but still mercnadise never the less) .. or some sevice as mentioned earlier .... so I got to thinking --- I'd ask ... since I do business on line and communicate in places where unfortunately a lot of personal info is logged ... and !!! I live in a state with the highest identity theft activity in the continental US ... so far so good .... but ...

Thank you all for your time and thoughts, most appreciated

Tigere

[mjd420nova]

You want my history, just google my user name.

[mjd420nova]

With the large number of computers that I have in my home, I have designated one that all of us use for our online personal transactions. It resides behind a double firewall and has a double antivirus besides the protections provided by my ISP that boasts their security. We use this machine for bill paying, banking, E-bay, and any purchases we wish to make online. To date we have had no problems with this information getting used by anyone else. We have had one situation where someone had hacked a PayPal account and made a purchase with a bank card previously used on E-Bay. As a result, we have ceased any use of PayPal and if E-Bay refuses to take any other type of payment, then they will lose our business until they can protect our info.

[TIGERE]

MJD:

I am pretty damn sure that is where my intrusion originated - the account was old fortunately but I couldn't get back to the old records (forgot password) but it sounded like that account ... My SO however is just way careless and it bothers the bejeezus out of me ... and frighteningly blase about it as well - although I did convince her to scan several personal documents for safe keeping ...

Tigere

[smax013]

mjd420nova said:

With the large number of computers that I have in my home, I have designated one that all of us use for our online personal transactions. It resides behind a double firewall and has a double antivirus besides the protections provided by my ISP that boasts their security. We use this machine for bill paying, banking, E-bay, and any purchases we wish to make online. To date we have had no problems with this information getting used by anyone else. We have had one situation where someone had hacked a PayPal account and made a purchase with a bank card previously used on E-Bay. As a result, we have ceased any use of PayPal and if E-Bay refuses to take any other type of payment, then they will lose our business until they can protect our info.

There are credit cards that offer "temporary" credit card numbers for online purchases. You create a temporary credit card number that can have a time limit and a money limit. In addition, they tend to be "keyed" to one vendor (i.e. if a online's site gets hacked and the criminal steals the temporary credit card number, that number can ONLY be used at that online site...i.e. if the card number is stolen from Amazon, it CANNOT be used at NewEgg if Amazon has charged to it).

[wannabegeek06]

ahh, good one :)

[mjd420nova]

Smax: That's really good info but for me and the rest of the family it could lead to a pretty large number of cards. In real life, I have no credit cards, just one of the bank check cards and it has proven to be very good and I don't have to pay a membership fee. My youngest son uses one of the prepaid cards and it has really stopped a lot of attempts by someone who got a hold of the number as he only transfers enough money into it to use for a purchase and then uses it right away. My online user name is in no way connected through the internet to my name address or telephone number except by trusted web sites where that info may be required for registration and I often use the clues I've described such as first initial, middle name and last, no middle initial or some intential mis-spellings of any of the three. Another trick to use is the usage of apartment numbers or department names. Really helps me figure out where certain mailings came from and who the originating mailing list came from. Twenty years ago I used to have close to $500. a year worth of magazine subscriptions coming into my home and then the companies started selling their mailing lists and I was flooded with every kind of junk mail you can imagine. I was able to track them and eventually cancelled those offending publishers and the garbage stopped. Remember the old BYTE magazine? They turned out to be the biggest seller of mailing lists and even sold lists that were years old which I'm sure was unknown by the buyers.

[smax013]

It is just one "actual" card (you might get multiple "copies" for each member of the family that you want to allow to carry it around) with on "permanent", actual card number...and one billing statement. You then use your computer to generate "temporary" credit card numbers that link back to the "real" credit card...and all those numbers are tracked by the computer software. This, no actual multiple cards involved.

Personally, I NEVER use debit cards linked to a bank account. While in theory you are protected similar to a credit card, if there is a problem and your bank disputes your position, it is YOUR money that is gone until things get resolved. This could cause you to bounce checks, etc. With a credit card, it is the bank's money that is gone until it is resolved.

And then there is the issue of credit rating and credit score. If your youngest son ever wants to buy a house, then unfortunate truth is that using credit now will help. While is good to not use credit cards in many ways, it is the unfortunate truth that they can help build up your credit rating if used wisely...and a good credit rating/score is key to being able to get loans you might need in future for houses and cars...and get the loans at good rates.