Removal of Internet Privacy Restrictions

[Steadfast (imported)]

I'm a frequent visitor to the Story Archive and occasionally come to the forums to read posts as well. As an American citizen, should I be worried about coming here in the future?

[Prudence (imported)]

Short answer: no.

Longer answer: The Internet Privacy scare stories currently in the News don't tell the whole story (as usual for the Media). Your Internet Privacy today is the same as it was before October of 2016. The main thing the law passed in October of 2016 did was prevent your Internet Service Provider from selling your information to advertisers. It does not stop your ISP from keeping records of what websites you visit. Your ISP has always been able to do this.

In other words, in America today, everything is the same as it was before October 2016 as far as Internet Privacy goes. Your ISP couldn't sell your information to advertisers between October 2016 and March 2017, now they can again.

What "your information" consists of depends on the ISP. AT&T is the worst, with Verizon in a close second place -- both will gladly hand out the sites their users visit and contact info (names/addresses) to pretty much anyone who pays the fee on their Advertiser's Portal site. Other ISP's tend to sell only the sites visited with no personal data, or as an aggregate (ie: xx percent of our survivors visit website yyyy every month). Some ISPs will not sell this information at all. Also sometimes ISPs change thier policy because of public outcry or legal action, you have to check the Privacy Policy to see what your ISP actually does.

[Losethem (imported)]

Short answer: no.

Longer answer: The Internet Privacy scare stories currently in the News don't tell the whole story (as usual for the Media). Your Internet Privacy today is the same as it was before October of 2016. The main thing the law passed in October of 2016 did was prevent your Internet Service Provider from selling your information to advertisers. It does not stop your ISP from keeping records of what websites you visit. Your ISP has always been able to do this.

In other words, in America today, everything is the same as it was before October 2016 as far as Internet Privacy goes. Your ISP couldn't sell your information to advertisers between October 2016 and March 2017, now they can again.

What "your information" consists of depends on the ISP. AT&T is the worst, with Verizon in a close second place -- both will gladly hand out the sites their users visit and contact info (names/addresses) to pretty much anyone who pays the fee on their Advertiser's Portal site. Other ISP's tend to sell only the sites visited with no personal data, or as an aggregate (ie: xx percent of our survivors visit website yyyy every month). Some ISPs will not sell this information at all. Also sometimes ISPs change thier policy because of public outcry or legal action, you have to check the Privacy Policy to see what your ISP actually does.

If you're worried, sign up for a VPN service. While you don't physically move your location, it makes your computer appear to be in another country.

--LT

[Paolo]

Don't know how well it works, but the latest version of the Opera browser has a built-in VPN.

Personally, I don't give a fuck one way or the other.

If someone wants to see my history, etc., I give 'em something GOOD to look at!

[Slammr (imported)]

I always use a VPN. It encrypts your data so your IP can't see what's in it, and it hides your IP address from anyone that's trying to track you. To be extra safe, you can use both a VPN and a TOR browser. Can't guarantee someone can't still track you, but to do so, they will have to spend a lot of effort.

I was drawing unemployment and using their online claim system. One week I didn't get paid as usual so I called them. One of the rules is that you can't be away from your home area for more than 3 days a week.

"I didn't receive my check."

"Were you out of town, on vacation?"

"No," I said, "I was here the whole time."

"Our records show you filed your claim from Amsterdam."

That's when I realized I'd been signed on through my VPN via a site in Amsterdam. I had to explain to them that's what happened. I got my check.

Using a VPN, the data is encrypted coming from my computer to the VPN server at which time it is decrypted and sent on to its destination, hiding what I sent from my IP provider and anyone else snooping, and making it seem like my IP address it that of the server which can be located anywhere in the world. Add a TOR browser, and it would probably take the FBI to track you down, and even they would have difficulty doing it.

[ambiguous (imported)]

In the UK this year the "Snoopers Charter" becomes law.

This means ISP's have to provide details of personal web activity to the authorities should they request them.

This action was brought about as a "Knee Jerk" response to anti terrorism.

I would guess that most of those baddies out there would have the sense to hide their ip's.

So it is unsure who this legislation is aimed at.

Okay I could use TOR but I din't think I have anything to hide.

[nutless1 (imported)]

Legislation like that makes no sense, as terrorists are smarter than any legislated "prevention" measure. Sounds like grandstanding on the part of legislation creators to give the public a sense of false security.

An IPS usually offers an "opt-out" option to subscribers to allegedly protect subscribers' privacy.

What is the worst to happen? One on here might get Viagra or breast implants advertising? Your worst enemy you don't want to know is not likely to being purchasing this data.

[Steadfast (imported)]

It's probably long past time I sign up for a VPN, honestly. At least if I'm specifically paying someone to keep my data private I can know better that they'll actually do so.

[ka.dick. (imported)]

I use TOR. In a virtual machine. It would be probably better to have a separate physical machine for that but I like to use my large display and multitask so I guess I'm taking certain risks (some spyware on my host machine could still watch what I do in the VM).

You know, it would be nice if EA had https access. It would remove at least some of the privacy concerns.

[Buster_007 (imported)]

I just created an 'on line persona' complete with its own email and phone number ect, it even gets Govt mail, so sell away corrupt internet scum, you won't find me !