The Invasion of “Cyber-Bullies”

Bullies have been around for decades.  Before the Internet, bullying was limited to the school yard or neighborhoods.   The victim was confronted by the bully and a group of his or her friends and taunted.  A lot of times, after the last school bell rang, the taunting became physical and the victim was beaten up.  The reasons for the bullying were varied.  Maybe the victim was from a poor family and couldn’t afford all the newest clothes.  It could have been because a child wore glasses, or braces, or had freckles.  It could even have been because the teacher singled out one child to always help pass out test papers or to answer questions in class.  Whatever the so-called reason was, bullies were an ever-present threat to the happy childhood of many kids.  Today is no different except that in this age of technology, most of the bullying happens over the Internet.  Welcome to the age of the cyber-bully.

Bullying is no longer confined to the school yard or the neighborhoods.  Now, a cyber-bully can hide behind a computer and remain nameless and faceless.  The attacks no longer happen just at school; they are carried out over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  Since most kids today have cell phones that also take really good pictures, it’s easy for one to snap an unflattering picture of a classmate and send it over the Internet for all to see.  Captions are added to make the pictures even more humiliating.  In the movie “Mean Girls”, the group of “cool girls” had a “burn book” with photos and comments about those they hated.  Today, that “burn book” is a Facebook page made for the sole purpose of hurting others.

During the last few weeks, I have seen quite a few stories on the news about kids, some as young as 10, killing themselves because they were cyber-bullied.  Why?  Because some nameless, faceless cowards started rumors about them online, or posted pictures of them that they were embarrassed by.  And, yes, these cyber-bullies are cowards.  They don’t have the nerve to say something face to face, but behind a computer screen, they’re brave.  A very unnerving facet of all this is that the cyber-bully could be the victims best friend in real life; the friend that he or she confides in and who pretends to give support. 

   

Parents need to talk to their kids about this issue.  Kids need to understand that what happens online is unimportant.  What’s important is real life.  Those who know you know what is true and what is false.  The kids also need to know that they have to confide in a parent or teacher if they find themselves in a cyber-bullying situation.  How many lives could have been saved if these kids knew they could talk to someone about what they were going through?  The schools need to be made aware of any instances of cyber-bullying.  In some cases, the police should get involved.  If things get out of hand, the police will be able to track down a cyber-bully.

Above all, the victims of cyber-bullying need to know that suicide is never the answer.  It may seem like all is hopeless, but it’s not.  Dear Abby once said that suicide is “a permanent solution to a temporary problem”.  This is so true.  Parents should monitor their kids’ social media pages.  They can’t let this go on until it’s too late.  Let your kids know not to give a cyber-bully the power to control their lives.  Cyber-bullies and real life bullies truly are just cowards who act tough to appear brave.  The only way to stop them is to take a stand and show them that their words can’t hurt you.  Hold your head up high and don’t listen to the whispered comments or read their hate on social media.  If everyone took a stand against these bullies, they would continue to move on to the next victim and the next until they realize that no one cares what they have to say.  It’s up to the parents to teach their kids the art of ignoring.

We all want our kids to be safe.  Please take a few minutes to download the free Privacy Guide located at the top of this page.  It will give suggestions and tips on how to stay safe in many online and off line situations.

Your Old E-Mail Can be Read Without a Warrant

What do you do with your old e-mails?  Do you just let them sit in the “Read Mail” folder, or do you permanently delete them?  If you let them sit until they automatically disappear from the “Read Mail” folder, you may have a problem. 

If you have e-mail that is over 180 days old stored in a cloud server, it is considered “legally abandoned” and can be read by any government agency without obtaining a warrant.  This means that if you use Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, AOL Mail, G-Mail, etc, your privacy could be at risk.  If you store your e-mail on your hard drive, however, a search warrant is needed no matter how old the mail is.

The law that permits the release of e-mail without a warrant is the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which is from 1986.  In 1986, most people who used e-mail would delete it immediately after reading it to save on computer storage space.  There was very little chance that your average citizen would have an e-mail in storage that was 180 days old. Today, however, with the use of cloud servers, storage space is just about unlimited.  E-mails are read, then left forgotten in the “Read Mail” files.  Unfortunately, the laws haven’t been updated to keep up with the rapidly growing technology.

Recently, the ACLU requested information from the IRS under the Freedom of Information Act.  In response, the IRS indicated that their criminal investigation department does read citizens’ e-mails without obtaining search warrants.  This is one of the reasons why an update of the ECPA is needed in order to protect the privacy of all US citizens when it involves any digital communications.

The ACLU also sent a request under the Freedom of Information Act to the FBI.  The response indicated warrants aren’t generally gotten, but the FBI wouldn’t come out and say for sure.  As a way of explanation, the FBI provided the ACLU with excerpts from two of its Domestic Investigations and Operations Guides; one from 2008 and one from 2012.  Both state that “FBI agents only need a warrant for emails or other electronic communication that are unopened and less than 180 days old.”  

Obviously, the time for modification of the ECPA is well over-due.  Since 1877, any government agency was required to obtain a warrant to read any personal mail sent via the US Postal Service.  Now is the time for this policy to be expanded to include e-mail and any other electronic communications.  In the meantime, if you want to keep your privacy, make sure you use the “Delete Permanently” button provided each time you read your e-mail.  For most of us, this isn’t a matter of covering up criminal activity; it’s to protect our privacy.

 Please go to the top of this page and download the free Internet Privacy Guide.  There are many other tips and suggestions on how your privacy can remain safe both on-line and off.

What is the Solution to Being Banned from a Website?

Being banned from a website is a problem that many Internet users are faced with.  It can happen if you post too much or post inappropriate content.  It may not even be something you did.  It could be that for whatever reason, the Webmaster just doesn’t like what you are posting.   If you agree with the ban or not, the decision has been made.  So, is there a solution?

You would think that deleting your cookies and creating a new username and password will by-pass that ban, but that isn’t the case.  You see, when you are banned from a website, not only are your username and password banned, but your IP Address is banned as well.  Don’t panic; the situation isn’t hopeless.

Changing your IP Address can be done in a few ways:  1) Go to your local public hotspot whenever you want to go onto the banned site (but that isn’t convenient at all); 2) switch Internet Service Providers (but that would cost too much, especially if you are locked into a contract with your old ISP); or 3) you can find a proxy service that has multiple servers for you to choose from.

Changing your IP Address by using a proxy service is the easiest and most convenient way to do this.  It can be done at any time right from home.  You would need to delete your cookies then pick which proxy server you want to sign on with.  Go to the website, create your new username and password and you will be good to go.  Since the IP Address is that of the proxy, you will no longer be banned.  Just be careful not to get banned again.  True, you would have many proxy servers to choose from, but remember that if you get banned from the website using the proxy, any other members of that service will also be banned from that website if they happen to use your banned IP Address.  Just read and understand the rules of the website and this shouldn’t be a problem.

Getting on banned websites isn’t the only advantage to using a proxy server.  When you use a reputable service, your line of communication is always encrypted no matter where you are; at a public hotspot or at home using your wireless router.  The encryption will keep you safe from hackers because none of your information will be readable to them.  Make sure you use a reputable service because sometimes those free proxies are owned and run by some shady characters that monitor the lines and sell your information.  You won’t have that worry with a reputable service because the lines will be encrypted and unmonitored.  

My information and privacy is important to me, so I use Private Proxy.  No matter where I go, my information is safe.  Try it for yourself by going to the Home page and use the link for the Risk Free Trial.  You could be surfing the Internet safely within minutes.

What are the Advantages of Using a Proxy Server?

I have been asked many times if it’s worth it to use a proxy server.  My answer is always an emphatic “YES”!  

I travel a lot.  Since my means of transportation is usually a car, I often work while on the road.  This means using public hotspots, whether it’s when I stop at Starbucks for a quick snack, or when I stop for the night at a motel.  This always worried me before I started using Private Proxy’s proxy servers.  You never know if someone at the next table or in the next room is a hacker, but now, I don’t have to worry because I know that everything I send out from my computer is encrypted.  Sure, you can find some free proxies, but some may not be so trustworthy.  Because they’re free, they can be used by anyone and they are usually not encrypted, so you’re not really safe from hacking.  You also have to be careful because some of these proxies are monitored by the owners of the sites.  By monitoring, they can get your personal information.  

Another advantage is that no one knows when I’m traveling or when I’m at home.  With Private Proxy, I have a choice of many servers, both rotating and static, in many areas of the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.  This way, I can use a server in my area of the country when I want my travels to remain private or, I can choose a server across the country when I’m invited to the hundredth kid’s birthday party of the year at Chuck E Cheese!  After all, there is a limit on how much bad pizza and how many screaming kids one person can take.  

Even when I travel outside of the United States, I can still keep in touch with friends, family and my local news.  Since some websites aren’t available all over the world, all I have to do is choose which one of the US servers I would like to use and no matter where I am, the Internet will be “fooled” into thinking I’m home.  I will then have access to sites that would normally be blocked in whatever country I’m traveling in.  I can watch my favorite TV shows, read my local newspapers and shop on sites that would only be available to me in the United States.  All of this without worrying that someone could steal my information by breaking into my data stream.

When I chose Private Proxy as my proxy service, encryption was one of the major selling points.  I like knowing that no matter where I go in the world, even if I’m just around the corner or at home using my wireless router, no one will be able to grab my information and use it to their advantage.  Also, the proxies are never monitored and only Private Proxy clients have access to their servers.  Add that to the choice of multiple servers in different areas of the United States, Canada and the Netherlands and I was hooked.  

Private Proxy offers a free trial period so you can see all the advantages for yourself.  Simply go to the home page and click on the link for the Risk Free Trial at the right of the screen. 

Are Our Privacy Rules Changing?

Do you realize how much information is gathered from your smartphone?  This is something most people use every day, but not just to make calls.  It is also used to surf the Internet, send e-mails and update social networking.  Many people even use their smartphones as a GPS.  Because of its many functions, your smartphone holds information on your location, your e-mail contacts and your favorite Internet sites.   In other words, your smartphone is yet another way you can be tracked on-line. 

It seems like every month new apps are being developed for smartphones and tablets.  In fact, the smartphone is probably used less to make calls than to surf the Internet.  You can use Google Maps to find any location in the world, you can keep up with your office e-mail and you can even use GasBuddy to find the least expensive gas in the area.  When you’re ready for a break, you can play your favorite on-line games!  All this can be done with one device.  You can be traveling, yet you’ll never be far from your office or home.  You can even access sites that can help you out with a solution if you don’t know how to handle your two-year-old’s tantrums or medical sites that can tell you what that strange rash on your leg is.

Yes, these apps are a fantastic convenience, but they also leave us open for tracking.  Many people find that the convenience far out-weighs the risk of being tracked.  After all, isn’t it better to have access to all of these great sites if it means all you have to do is enter your zip code and your birth date?  There are thousands of people in that zip code with the same birth date, so what could be the harm?  Well, thousands of people aren’t using YOUR smartphone!

With this information, you are opening yourself up to being tracked by advertisers.  This can happen because many sites share the gathered information with others. They know your location from your GPS, so with your zip code, birth date and the knowledge of what sites you visit on-line added in with your e-mail address, you are going to get a whole lot of targeted advertisements in your inbox.  You could also be given suggestions for even more apps to either purchase or download for free.

These app developers claim that in order to get the full benefits, some personal information is needed.  Congress has discussed the issue of these apps as a privacy risk.  It has also been discussed that consumers should be allowed to opt out of being tracked, but so far, not much has been done to remedy this.