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Tips to protect yourself on the Internet...

Discussion in 'YachtForums Yacht Club' started by YachtForums, Mar 27, 2018.

  1. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Tips to protect yourself on the internet...

    • Don't use G, except on someone else's device (library, hotel biz center, etc.) Instead use DuckDuckGo.com which doesn't track you.
    • Don't use C browser. Ever. I like Firefox... and use ad and script blocking extensions on your browser.
    • Check out eff.org for some good privacy tools.
    • Don't use g mail, yahoo, comcast (or any other Google/FB/Yahoo/Amazon owned apps) and opt for ProtonMail or other secure options.
    • Don't use Skype or WhatsApp Opt for Wire or Signal (same ownership issue)
    • Use a password manager such as LastPass or 1Password, and use it to change to long complex passwords.
    • Use a VPN to secure your web traffic, ESPECIALLY over wifi. There are a few good vendors.

    Further tips on protecting your privacy and security are encouraged...
  2. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    This is a MUST SEE Ted video!

    How (your) deep surveillance information is being assimilated to develop Artificial Intelligence and algorithms to influence you or program you...

  3. Ward

    Ward Senior Member

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    After reading that post of SeaLion's I set up a ProtonMail account to check it out. I like the fact that your email is stored on their servers encrypted, and you have the option of sending a standalone "self-decrypting" message if you want to send to someone who's not using ProtonMail (if you send to other ProtonMail users, all your email is end-to-end encrypted).

    One interesting (possible) glitch with ProtonMail that I found out about the day after I set up an account: I'm a sysadmin, I work with our company's email and deal closely with our domain name registrar. The day after I set up a ProtonMail account, we had an email issue on one domain - mail simply wasn't coming in. While talking to the registrar company to see if there were any issues "upstream" of us, the tech I talked to mentioned that he'd heard of random problems with ProtonMail: because of the security, it's sometimes used by scammers and sometimes gets more aggressively blocked by spam filtering software.

    Another possible reason ProtonMail might be more aggressively filtered by Gmail is that it's a competitor... Just something to keep in mind.

    Something SeaLion didn't mention that I consider very important: make sure you have your own, local backups. Although online / cloud-based file storage and backup is useful for some things, I think it's critical to have my own (multiple) copies of all my files and data. Hard drives are cheap, I currently have 3 backup copies of all my files. (Every file I've ever created or saved over the past 30 years fits easily on a 1TB drive.) I'm not currently using it, but at a previous job we used CrashPlan for online backup, and it worked quite well (and all your data is encrypted before being backed up.)
  4. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Just composed this newsletter. Mailing to our members...

    ***

    As responsible members of the internet community, we feel the need to help our members protect their interests and personal information. Many of you may have heard the news that Facebook has been secretly collecting private and personal information through users mobile phones. Facebook has been collecting call logs and text logs from some user phones, then selling that information to 3rd parties who “target” both you and your contacts.

    What to do:

    1) The safest option is to DELETE Facebook, Facebook Lite, and Facebook Messenger from your devices. We realize that not everyone will do this, so we offer these additional recommendations:

    2) Do NOT share your contact list with any app.

    3) Android phone users are particularly vulnerable due to the open nature of the architecture and cooperation from google.

    4) Check your Facebook account settings in the app. This is a complex and changing process – they don’t necessarily want you to know how to turn this off. You’ll have to browse their menu for security settings. If in doubt, turn it “off.”
  5. SeaLion

    SeaLion Senior Member

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    Ward,

    Great point on encrypted backups!

    Regarding blocking of ProtonMail (and other secure email services and VPN's) It seems like some governments (force companies to) block secure email services because journalists, activists and whistleblowers use secure email. For example, Snowden used Lavabit, which chose to shut down rather than compromise their principles...

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-23627656
  6. SeaLion

    SeaLion Senior Member

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  7. GhostriderIII

    GhostriderIII Senior Member

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    NEVER USE G for anything.
    Use Opera, FF Focus or SeaMonkey browsers
    Don't use Waze - now owned by G
    Instead of DDG - use Ixquick or StartPage
    Use a private email - www.startmail.com or www.runbox.com
  8. SeaLion

    SeaLion Senior Member

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    A few more Internet privacy thoughts:

    Remember that all the popular "smart speakers" are ALWAYS recording everything they hear: people, TVs, pets, guests, traffic outside... Even if you don't own one but you are near someone else's device, your voice will eventually be matched to your identity and you can be (even retroactively) tracked.

    Many smart TVs have microphones and cameras that can watch you as you're watching TV (or not?)

    Be cautious with baby monitors, even if not web connected.

    Be careful with webcams to monitor your boat/home/office when you're not there.

    Also be aware of cameras in tablets and smartphones and consider placing stickers over built-in cameras you never use.

    For all smart devices, enable encryption if possible and use long, complex passwords or better yet, a password manager.
  9. SeaLion

    SeaLion Senior Member

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  10. GhostriderIII

    GhostriderIII Senior Member

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    I listened to the congressional hearings - re: FB. Much ado about nothing. People that took the "test" did so voluntarily. They gave FB their approval. Nothing will come of this. It reminds me of when Motley Fool had free forums. A lot of b.s. was passed along as truth. When they decided to charge fees, the nonsense stopped.
  11. SeaLion

    SeaLion Senior Member

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    The hearings will lull most people into (continued) complacency. The "scandal" with one analytics company is a red herring. The real issue is that every app, website, OS and ISP can collect incredible volumes of data about you, with or without your "consent". They then sell this data and it can be used in a manner that is not in your best interest.

    It is likely that FB constructs "shadow profiles" for people who think they're "not on FB". If someone on FB has your contact info, uploaded a pic including you to FB, attended an event with you, works or worked with you, is related to you, (and on and on) ...then you're on FB.

    Ditto for all the other huge data collectors.
  12. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    BIG ditto on the last two posts!

    If a company or business asks you to 'like' them on Facebook, let them know you won't do business with them.

    Tell your friends that you're not on Facebook because you 'like' them!
  13. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Anyone notice the "feel good" commercials Facebook is running on television trying to convince users their personal information is safe? This is the first time I've seen Facebook advertise. Interestingly, Snapchat has began running TV commercials (for the first time) to capitalize on the FB exodus.

    The internet should be used for more important things than a popularity contest for narcissists.
  14. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    After cars, pills and cleaners, the internet is now one of the biggest spending advertisers on TV.

    How do they make their money? Advertising.

    Go Figure?
  15. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    And selling information.
  16. GhostriderIII

    GhostriderIII Senior Member

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    Remember the first time you heard the phrase "Politically Correct" ?

    Well this is what it meant... exactly what it has always meant.
    Word Control.
    Thought Control.
    Reality Control.
    CONTROL OVER YOU

    "Political Correctness" is a war on the genius of the First Amendment, the American way of life and human dignity in general. Long ago they unilaterally decided they have the right to think for you, and now that they have the ability, they are exercising it...

    The people who signed up for these social media accounts gave them the permission. I never signed with any of them. I READ the terms of service showing they owned everything you posted, they could use your photo's without asking, they track everything you do on your phone and P.C. and people seem to think that was a great idea because they SIGNED up, and are to addicted to delete their accounts.

    Remember at this time they are a private sector owned businesses with NO regulation. You can thank Congress for that.

    Seems there are four choices, buy up enough shares to take over, use anti-trust laws, delete or don't sign up, or trust Congress to regulate them, and we ALL know how that works out when Government gets involved..

    Otherwise get used to it because there is nothing you or I can do about it except not use them, or find a platform that DOES believe in free speech.