This picture says it all. What you do on the Internet is not private. Only you can protect your privacy by being careful about what you post and where you post.
Infographic byWordStream Internet Marketing
This video is two years old. In Internet time that’s like referencing the Ice Age. However it’s an interesting look at Internet Privacy issues.
One of the things they do not cover is that using an IP changer is a good idea. After you watch the video, please read through some of our posts on change IP proxies.
A social networking site is a web site where people can get together and talk, view each others profiles, and add friends. The premise is simple; get people connected. The sites come stock with a friend adding service, where you can request someone to be your friend and add them to your list for easy navigation back to their page. The commenting and messaging services are offered on almost all sites as well; this allows you to send a private message to someone, or send them a comment that everyone can view and then comment back on. The profile system is perhaps the biggest draw for most people though. This allows you to have your own web page and URL, and personalize it however you wish. There are many sites that will walk you through on how to do so, and if done well, can look quite professional and avant-garde.
While these sites have good intentions, sometimes they can slip up a little. For example, even though the services on the site are free, you will have advertisements wherever you go, and will have to click through one pretty much every time you navigate to a new page. Keep in mind though it is often the users who corrupt the site. The fact that you could easily impersonate anyone lures in many child predators who could easily pose as a friend and arrange a play date in real life. Also, it is quite easy to hack someone’s profile, as their security secret question is usually answered there. If you are wondering what their cat’s name is, you could probably look at their photos, and find one of their “cute cat Maxine.”
The Internet can be found in every part of the average citizen’s life. Synchronization to it is simple via wi-fi and other wireless services, and service is getting more and more affordable by the day. Many people use the Internet too, nearly everyone has a computer and a ready connection. People spend most of their day socializing on a social networking site. Consider this shocking fact; people often just chat through the Internet rather than actually get together. It is fast, efficient, and often times, free. Business men can now market their products to a wider demographic of interested users than they ever could before, and often for very cheap compared to the amount of products they will sell. Although the Internet is indeed an overall positive ingenuity, it definitely has some inarguable downfalls and risks. The biggest and most noticeable one of these is that of individual’s online privacy.
It is not all the Internet’s fault though. People are often just careless when using it. Information gets posted on someone’s blog page that definitely shouldn’t have and then that information is stored on the blog site. From there, it will be stored and forwarded to a bunch of someone’s friends, and if everyone actually deletes the piece of information, it will still be in their heads. Prospective employees should beware of the impact their MySpace or FaceBook page may have on their chances of being hired, especially for a lucrative, high paying job. An employer can run a quick Google search of the person’s name, and upon seeing their probably unsecured blog, will gain access and see all of the crazy stuff they have posted. These pictures could turn a boss off of a perfectly qualified candidate, and do regularly. Even colleges are instating this practice, as applications are getting more and more competitive and intense.
Every thing you do on the Internet is being watched and recorded by somebody or something. This isn’t a major problem, as a lot of the stuff and surfing you do on the web is just mindless browsing. It becomes more serious when you begin to use credit card numbers, bank account information, or passwords and log in systems.
The government is behind a lot of these security surveillance systems, and this isn’t meant to cut them down. After all, they are dealing with matters of national security, and that is nothing to joke around with. They have all sorts of information intercepting programs in place, and many other safe guards that prevent any citizen from consorting with terrorists or doing any other illegal activity.
Some people are a bit worried by all of this though. They have been law-abiding citizens throughout their entire life, so why are they being watched? They feel that this amount of time the government takes watching them could be put to useful other stuff. They think you should have to screw up first before being monitored.
Right now the world is in a state of change; a metamorphosis if you will. Just as the ugly caterpillar crawls into its cocoon and emerges as a majestic butterfly, the business world is in a transition. Right now, the economy has taken a turn for the worst, and is scaring even the highest echelons of society. Globalization has always helped spur the economy back to health by expanding business into other regions, but it is not easy. Different countries have different rules and regulations than does the U.S., and sometimes these fall into conflict.
Privacy laws are a prime example. In the U.S., privacy laws are stringent for the public, and many services are available to bolster your defenses even more. In other, less-than-democratic countries, the words “private proxy” or “anonymous IP changer” probably aren’t even in the local vernacular. One specific paragon of this would be online banking. In America, no expense is spared to ensure digital privacy. Everything you can think of; encryption, anti-identity theft, and the use of secure tunnels makes all transactions virtually impenetrable. In other countries, proxies and other privacy software are frowned upon and oftentimes blocked by the government. These places, in their attempts to delete all of their citizen’s privacy so they can be more easily monitored, actually place them at higher risk for online crimes.
Two subcommittees are conducting a thorough investigation into the controversial sales technique known as behavioral advertising. This is where advertisement agencies will actually scan and scrutinize a person’s browsing habits and send them advertisements that they feel will be tailored to the person’s needs.
Today, members of these committees are beginning preliminary drafts on a bill that will likely cut down on the freedom these advertisers have to analyze people’s records, and thusly, restrict their marketing demographic.
Google, FaceBook, and Yahoo remain rooted in their opposition to any bill that would limit these advertisers.
These companies praise the work that the Federal Trade Commission has done with this technology, and wouldn’t want it to be cut down. Privacy advocates such as the Center for Digital Democracy, insist that this software is invasive and compromises people’s Privacy Rights by scanning their histories with no permission or notification.
Recently, a law has passed in China that requires all personal computers to come pre-installed with Internet filtering software. This has forced all computer makers to load their computers up with all sorts of software that block and censor “sensitive” sites. This could be a variety of things, as “sensitive” is a very subjective word.
The state run newspaper, Liberation Daily, insists that this new addition to all computers is to shield young people from “possibly harmful influences.” All throughout the week, this new act has sparked a fair amount of controversy, and some believe it is just China, once again, finding a way to censor things they don’t want the public to see.
China has a spotted past with censoring, and riding the thin line of people’s rights. Their history of blocking sites they deem inappropriate is often referred to as “The Great Firewall of China.”
Every Internet user leaves behind a trail of information every time they log onto the web. Most of us are blissfully unaware of this, and for this reason, Internet crime has been on the rise. Viruses, spam, and spyware are prone to attack anyone’s system, and it is time to fight back.
Installing a virus scanner and a firewall can be a great tag-team and give a one-two punch to internet criminals. When choosing which product to use, keep in mind that your computer might already contain a firewall or virus scanner. There are much better and stronger programs available on the web and even the best ones can be free. Norton, McAfee, AVG, and ZoneAlarm are just the big names. A Google search should yield a wide selection.
A change IP proxy server is also an essential player on the Internet security team. A proxy will actually change your IP address. This stops you from being tracked and throws off future trackers. These proxies also conceal your identity. They can create the appearance that you were not surfing the website you were actually on, but just going on the change IP site over and over.
The market and demand for internet security grows daily. It would be a bit simplistic to believe it is simply due to people enjoying security, and a bit more realistic to attribute it to the fear of hackers and interlopers.
Anyone with access to your IP address (pretty much anyone) can get the scoop on all of your internet activities and learn personal information about you. This is a blatant invasion of your privacy and you shouldn’t have to stand for it. An anonymous proxy service will allow you to bypass this IP recall and can protect your privacy while surfing online.
Why do people offer free proxies you might wonder? Running a proxy is very expensive; a bunch of bandwidth, and it could become a huge security risk if configured improperly. With all of this money on the line, what defender of good would be so selfless as to pay for everyone else’s security? The truth is it doesn’t happen a lot. Often, these servers don’t even offer any protection, and they are actually some poor guy who just set up his network wrong!
If the proxy isn’t an accidental occurrence, and there is not obvious way that the proxy makes money, then it is often a criminal one. To pay for the bandwidth charges, hackers and identity thieves will spy on their users’ activities and steal bank information, log-in passwords, even identities! It would be wiser to pay a small monthly fee than to pay a hacker’s whole vacation!
