Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Blog #2: Privacy from the Government!

          There are definitely some major concerns with people being unsure on how secure or private their activities are when using the Internet, phone calls, text messages, etc. Finding out exactly how the government uses this information, and for what reason, is the hard part. But either way, the ones who use the sources available are also giving them the rights to use it how they would like.

            When signing up for an email account, for example, there is a question that is asking you to agree to their terms and conditions. In that statement explains what all they can do with your information.

            With that being said, if someone wants their information to be more secure or private, there are tools that can be used to do so.

1.     “The Silent Circle”
This is practically a hack proof way to prevent the government from being able to screen your emails, text messages, videoconferences, or phone calls.
2.     DuckDuckGo
A search engine that does not track your searches. Google uses their information on your searches and builds a profile about you.  Unfortunately, some of this information can be looked at from people that can use it against you in an inappropriate way.  DuckDuckGo does not keep track of these records.

3.     MegaFile Storage
This is supposed to be Internet storage specifically for you (50 GB free). In the fine print, it does state that they will use cookies to give to advertisers but it will not personally identify you.
4.     PGP
Also known as Pretty Good Privacy, this is used for encrypting and decrypting emails.
5.     Burner Phones
For private phone logs, this is a prepaid phone that automatically cuts off in 30 days. It has unlimited calls and messages and it can also be paid for by using Bitcoin.
6.     Bitcoin
Making peer to peer transactions securely and privately.




            

Works Cited 
Markowitz, Eric. "EBuilding a Hackproof Network." EBuilding a Hackproof Network. Global Encrypted Communication Service, 18 Apr. 2013. Web. 8 Sept. 2013. 
"MEGA." MEGA. Mega Limited 2013, n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2013. 
Rouse, Margaret. "Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)." What Is ? Tech Target, Sept. 2005. Web. 8 Sept. 2013. 



9 comments:

  1. I knew Google tracks information to create a profile about a person, but I didn't know there were alternatives to avoid that. Amazingly, most of the time, we give permission to many websites to use our information without even reading the conditions we're agreeing on. How much do the government and private companies know about each one of us? I think that's something that we may never know. But one thing is certain, there are ways to protect our information on the interntet. Great article.

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  2. Great information in your post. I am very concerned about the about of my information that is available without my knowledge. I am one of those people that click that terms and condition box without even reading it. I do this because I need whatever the site is offering and that is the only way to get the information or service I need. Maybe one day there will be a way around the terms and condition box or to ways to not agree to the parts you do not want. Can you provide more information on “The Silent Circle”?

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    1. The Silent Circle is actually a service that you have to pay for. It is beneficial for businesses that are trying to communicate without confidential information being leaked. It may be used by consumers as well. I do believe that both parties have to be a part of the silent circle for it to work.

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  4. Great article, I too think that the "Silent Circle" is interesting. I have never heard of it or anything like it. However, I've never conducted any research on this topic to find out ways around giving the government access to my information or anyone else. Do you feel that the government doesn't have any employees that could still hack or find a way around "Silent Circle"?

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    1. I'm sure there are always going to be concerns on who can get to what and what they will do with that information. Unfortunately, we cannot control the actions of others and there are always bribes that people tend to fall into.

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  5. I really liked this posting, because it was not drawn out, and it kept me interested. I found the provided examples to be very interesting, such as "duckduckgo.com." I feel that with these privacy issues individuals should be alot more aware of the terms that they agree to.

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  6. It is definitely scary to think about what all these companies are doing with our private information. Also when talking about specific "terms and agreements", we all just click "agree" and never really know what we agreed to. This makes me want to never do that again, so thank you!!!!!

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  7. I do believe that the terms and conditions that you agree to are more for that specific website to use for what they desire to use it for. From what I know, the information that is recorded and actually used is based on using it for marketing purposes. They are mostly interested in what you are doing to be able to target you as a consumer. When it comes to hacking to read what we say, I don't think they will do that. They would actually have keywords that will be flagged to view these things further. It is not just to be nosey on their behalf.

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