Well folks, I feel there needs to be a sticky about this in this section or wherever else felt appropriate by admins

I'm no computer tech guy, but have used computers since age of commodor 64 and when i was like 5 lol

anyways

I see that many people log in here and share their pictures and since i'm a paranoid person myself, i figured some people like me may share more/easier if they knew some ways to increase their privacy-security online

read this as to why and how u can be identified easily by your ip
What is an Ip address and how can the police use it to track your down? - Yahoo! Answers

here is a list of methods i have found myself to improve privacy online, but by no means I can guarantee the accuracy or effectiveness of them, but I'm sure some of them will help to some extent!

1. Your ip can be traced right back to your door, with ease!

u can ask the admins here to confirm, but I'm pretty sure all of our ips are logged and may be accessed by some people possessing the knowledge about how to access that log. same log is used for banning users

So, try not logging in from your Grow location address as much as possible
pretty much all digital cameras these days can be connected to random pcs as a plugnplay usb device or u can have your pics burned into a pc or copied to a usb flash drive and use a non-grow location to get online and post, like Barns & nobles or other free wifi locations. BUT DON'T jack your neighbor's wi-fi without their consent or for that matter any1 else's public wifi withour permission, its a felony and can land u 5 years in the pen!

OR

use paid products such as
Hide-My-IP.Com - Hide Your IP Address, Surf Anonymously, Protect Your Identify, Guard Against Hackers
Anonymous Web Surfing by Anonymizer

or u can use free services such as anonymous proxies, here is one YouHide.com - Anonymous Proxy Server

AS A PRECAUTION
if u grow, and if u connect to internet from ur grow location (e.g. your house) AVOID ALL illegal activities on your computer, such as using p2p networks for copyrighted materials... i would say u r exposing yourself to too much risk online, they can [and have done this in the past] easily have an arrest/search warrant on the basis of having your ip caught downloading illegally... but when they knock on the door, they will have much more to charge u with!


2. Use firefox(v.3 still has got some issues) browser and get some of the security add-ons with which u can minimize the traces u leave about which pages u visit online. IE8 supposedly has added a similar feature, but its still beta



3. Use ip blocking softwares such as Peerguardian2 or Protowall

they are not a 100% protection by any means, but can increase your online security from snoopin authorities... this is not to give u a false sense of security but to INCREASE YOUR CHANCES!

4. Delete all online data stored on your pc after each time u go offline, cookies, history, temp files, etc... most updated browsers have made this a simple 1 click option now

5. for broadband users, periodically disconnect the power cord of your dsl/cable/satellite modems for a few minutes while your pc is off as well, then reconnect. This will usually assign u a new ip if ur ISP offers dynamic ips for the service u use. Online spooking is done warrantless many times, which means people who do it, don't have any warrant to have the isp turn over your track records. so they are on their own to monitor your activity, thus a mere ip change can cause problems

6. for one of the safest methods of staying online (but with its own drawbacks, read up on it) u can use Tor network which also has an add-on for Firefox

thats all that comes to my mind now, if anyone else has any other ideas please feel free to share. I will add more if I come across newer/better ways for maintaining highest possible privacy levels for the poor end-consumer online! big brother always got the higher hand on all of us in the digital world, unless u r a super Chinese hacker lol most professional American hackers have been caught & prosecuted rather swiftly, and they probably have had better privacy than any of us could possibly have!

oh u may wanna read up on this as well, P Box

keep tokin & B E-Z:rasta:
flyingimam Reviewed by flyingimam on . Online Privacy: better protection Well folks, I feel there needs to be a sticky about this in this section or wherever else felt appropriate by admins I'm no computer tech guy, but have used computers since age of commodor 64 and when i was like 5 lol anyways I see that many people log in here and share their pictures and since i'm a paranoid person myself, i figured some people like me may share more/easier if they knew some ways to increase their privacy-security online read this as to why and how u can be Rating: 5