Anonymous Surfing is more than using an Anonymous Proxy

Last week I uploaded a video on anonymous surfing and why hiding your IP address is not enough. Basically, you need to follow these simple steps as outlined in the video to protect your Internet Privacy.

Anonymous Surfing Involves More Than Using an Anonymous Proxy

This Squidoo lens features information on Anonymous Proxy surfing. It was written by our VP of Marketing and provides tips on how to stay anonymous on the Internet. I'll post one of her tips below, but click the link for the full article.

E-mail Addresses
If a site requires an e-mail address, or the e-mail address is part of your post, then you might want to have multiple e-mail addresses. They are easy enough to set up and if you do it correctly using an anonymous proxy server, then your e-mail identity is masked. Let's use Google Gmail as an example. If you use one of our servers, let's say the one in Tempe Arizona, set up an account with Google. Then, when you use Gmail, the header information in the e-mail will show an IP address from Arizona.

US Websites and International IP addresses

For a number of our American customers who travel abroad, the desire to stay in touch with US culture is not that odd. As a society Americans are somewhat insular. We value the familiar and can feel uneasy in different countries. One way to keep that connection is to watch American TV.

For years when I traveled I marveled that I Love Lucy was on TV in so many countries. Reruns of many popular shows from the past would be on during prime time. Unfortunately nostalgia is not a substitute for a current connection. Watching anything current was out of the question.

Then came the Internet, and watching TV on your laptop. Over the years however, many media sites started restricting access to those in their geographic location. It's easy enough to do with an IP address look up. So what was a traveler supposed to do?

The answer is use an Anonymous Proxy to change your IP address from a non US IP address back into an American IP address. This is however, only part of the answer. The proxy also has to have speed and not be recognized as a proxy. Using a software based proxy like Private Proxy put all the pieces of the puzzel together so US travelers can access US Interent web sites from other countries.

The 7 Worst Mistakes People Make Online

Online business, activities and transactions are increasing exponentially each year. That means that a ton of money is flowing through this virtual world, and where there is a lot of money, usually, there is a lot of greed as well. Some people will do anything to make a quick buck, so the average consumer needs to be on guard. Unfortunately, many people are still in the dark when in comes to staying safe online. Everyday, there are more and more people who become victims of internet fraud and scams because they have neglected to take online security seriously. Here are the 7 worst mistakes that people make online, which could easily be avoided.

• Entering personal information on social networking sites for the entire world to see - This is a very common mistake made by many people, especially the unsuspecting youth. If you enter your personal information like your home address or your telephone number on a public site, and you aren't careful about whom you accept as friends, then it can potentially be misused or you could become a victim of harassment.
• Using unsecured, internet protocols for financial transactions - This puts your financial information, in particular, your credit card numbers and bank account numbers at serious risk when you purchase products online. Be sure to use a notable processor like PayPal or make purchases at the big-name, trusted sites.
• Using similar usernames and passwords for different accounts - It's simply risky, because if one of your accounts is somehow hacked, then the security of the rest of your accounts is also at risk.
• Accepting cookies on the internet from unfamiliar sites - This may make your online experience a little easier, but it can also be a great threat to your privacy. That innocent cookie could actually be a piece of spyware that records your keystrokes. Your account ids and passwords could be at risk of being exposed.
• Ignoring the importance of anti-virus and anti-spyware programs – As previously mentioned, spyware and related malware programs can send sensitive information about you to a third party. These can automatically install themselves without your knowledge while you are browsing the net. Therefore, make sure that you have an anti-spyware program installed and also, be sure to have the latest updates for your chosen program.
• Storing account ids and passwords, passport ids, bank account and credit card numbers, or other ID numbers and passwords on your hard drive – This type of information should be stored on a USB memory stick or copied to a CD. Although archaic, even just writing that information on a notepad and keeping it in a safe place in your home is safer than having it on your computer. I don't think that the hackers have written a program yet that can grab your sensitive information off our desk!
• Not monitoring the online activities of your kids – Everything that your children do online should be monitored. If it turns out that a family member is engaging in unsafe behavior that threatens your privacy and online security, take immediate action to inform them of the recklessness of their actions before it's too late. Put boundaries in place to minimize the risk.

With the increased number of online transactions everyday, the level of security has to keep pace with the level of online activity. Don't take online security lightly. Get educated about the risks online, and follow the measures that have been addressed in this article to keep you and your family safe.

Not All Hotel Internet Connections Are Created Equal...

A recent report by Government Computer News sheds light on a topic that millions of people all over the world deal with on a regular basis: Internet privacy and security in the hotel industry. People have many different reasons to travel, but with the modern tech-era upon us one of the most frequently asked questions when booking a hotel is: "Do you have Internet?" That answer is most likely a, "yes."

Internet access allows you to be more productive during your trip and stay in touch with the rest of the world that isn't traveling with you, but just how safe is that Internet connection? According to researchers: Not very. Most of the Internet connections are not properly secured and leave you at risk for a number of privacy risks. Researchers gathered written information from147 hotels and personally visited other properties and the findings were quite astounding.

Roughly 20% of all hotels used simple network hubs to connect guests to the Internet. This means 20% of the hotels you have ever stayed at are allowing you to connect to an unsecured network where all the packets of data being sent over the network can be seen. Anyone else on that network can access your personal data via the network connection. Ideally, hotels should have security features implemented so only the packets associated with your session should be seen. No other users should have access to the data. This would stop an "interloper" from using a program that saves all packets being sent over the network.

Of the hotels that do offer Internet access, 90% of them allow guests to connect wirelessly. This adds an extra layer of protection since they have to use a router to get the signal out. While this is an advanced security measure, it still does not mean a user is protecting their personal information. Man-in-the-middle attacks are still possible, and almost 21% of hotels have reported attacks and malicious activity on their systems. Man-in-the-middle attacks allow an attacker's computer to act as an Internet gateway and intercepts all network traffic.

Researchers visited 46 hotels and found that six of the 39 hotels using wireless Internet used encryption methods on their network. Only six properties thought of going above and beyond their Linksys router and securing their network! Anyone using a hotel's Internet connection should assume the worse and hope for the best. An anonymous proxy server will definitely help keep you protected from an unsecured wireless network since it encrypts all the data you send before it reaches the Internet gateway.

7 Tips to Protect Your Online Privacy

It's common knowledge that the world has moved online, and so has the bulk of our personal lives. The majority of us pay our bills online, we manage our bank accounts online, and some may even earn an extra or full-time income from the Internet. Even those who were once leery of that “Internet thing” are venturing online these days. With our lives so impacted by the internet, there is an increased concern about online security. The information that we leave unguarded online can easily be obtained by unscrupulous people and used in ways that could a make our lives a nightmare. Be very careful of the footprints that you leave when you are on the web. The following are some of the measures that you can take to protect your online privacy.

• Whenever you visit a website, be sure to take a look at the privacy policy. More importantly, make sure that the website even has a privacy policy. The privacy policy indicates how that site will attempt to collect information from you and what will be done with that information. There should be verbiage that reassures you that your private data will be kept safe and will not be sold to a third party. If you don't see a privacy policy, then any information that you submit becomes public property, so be aware.
• Make sure that all of your online passwords are very difficult for anyone to just guess what they are and make it a habit to change your passwords at least once a month or even more often than that.
• Make sure that you teach your kids that it is unsafe to carelessly enter personal information on the internet. Children can easily be tricked into giving out information like your home address, social security numbers or other critical information regarding your family that could potentially lead to identity theft. Therefore, it is essential that you explain to your children the potential dangers of the internet and be sure to set boundaries.
• Clear the cache memory of your system while browsing. Cache memory may be useful in making your browsing faster; however, it can have a great impact on your privacy, especially if you are using a public computer. Periodically, clear the cache memory along with the history, the cookies and other traces of your online activity.
• Make sure that any online forums that you use or visit are secure in nature and clearly state that fact.
• Always use an anti-virus and an anti-spyware program to search for key loggers, viruses, malware and spyware that may be lurking on your computer. These malicious programs could be collecting and sending your personal, private information to a third party.
• Use your common sense. Sometimes, we allow ourselves to become victims of scams on the internet simply due to a lapse in judgment. For example, if you get a random email that says you have become a millionaire and they need your bank account number to transfer the funds, don't let the vain hope of instant riches cloud your judgment. Phishing is still alive and well.

As more and more of our daily activities are managed online, we will inevitably see more and more online crime. Take the necessary measures to keep your personal information out of the hands of the online, criminal element.

Chinese Milk Producer Pays to Have Negative Publicity Censored

It may seem like I am picking on China today, but they are just putting themselves in the spotlight with yet an another controversy regarding Internet censorship . Australian news TheWest.com.au reported that a PR company acting on behalf of Chinese milk producer Sanlu, asked Baidu, China's leading search engine, to censor and stifle any negative publicity about tainted milk....twice.

Sanlu agreed to buy $640,000 worth of advertising from the search engine, as long as Baidu would censor and screen any negative press associated with the milk scandal. Thousands of infants have been hospitalized, with four deaths, with kidney illness after drinking Sanlu's product. The milk produced by Sanlu was tainted with melamine, which was used to "add" protein to watered down milk. Without going into very complex chemistry details, melamine is not good. It is 66% Nitrogen and has flame retardant properties, which can easily be turned into plastics, glues, and a ton of other such products. It is somewhat common to use melamine to cover up and mask low levels of protein, but adds no nutritional value.

Sanlu has since ceased production, but without first trying to bribe Baidu. Of course it is important to keep in mind that Baidu does abide by Chinese Internet laws, so it is possible the Chinese version of Baidu has been censoring content based on the regulations in place. It is bad enough that the Board of Directors at Sanlu need to water down the milk so they can increase their profit, but adding melamine to fool the tests is just ridiculous. Why would they take the risk, especially since it is common knowledge (in that industry) that melamine causes renal failure and kidney stones? And just to boot, the melamine they used wasn't even the purest grade since that kind would have been too expensive to use. Sanlu used lower grade melamine that could contain urea and ammonia. At least poison the country with the best toxins you can find...