The Already Big Thing on the Internet: Spying on Users

[kentuck]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/05/opinion/05sat4.html?ref=opinion

<snip>
In 1993, the dawn of the Internet age, the liberating anonymity of the online world was captured in a well-known New Yorker cartoon. One dog, sitting at a computer, tells another: “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Fifteen years later, that anonymity is gone.

It’s not paranoia: they really are spying on you.

Technology companies have long used “cookies,” little bits of tracking software slipped onto your computer, and other means, to record the Web sites you visit, the ads you click on, even the words you enter in search engines — information that some hold onto forever. They’re not telling you they’re doing it, and they’re not asking permission. Internet service providers are now getting into the act. Because they control your connection, they can keep track of everything you do online, and there have been reports that I.S.P.’s may have started to sell the information they collect.

The driving force behind this prying is commerce. The big growth area in online advertising right now is “behavioral targeting.” Web sites can charge a premium if they are able to tell the maker of an expensive sports car that its ads will appear on Web pages clicked on by upper-income, middle-aged men.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

1. There are ways

of surfing the internet anonymously. For example, look at OpenSourceMac where we find Vidalia, a free program that uses military-grade encryption and data spreading techniques to ensure your web communications/surfing is private.

The other thing to remember is that, yeah, they may be able to look, but they probably won't. When computers are doing all the looking, a few years ahead, then we should all be paranoid!

[liberalla]

2. Interesting. Have you used Vidalia?

It sounds like it's only for Macs. True? Do you know of anything similar for Microsoft?

I'm thinking seriously of getting a Mac, but haven't gone there yet.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

3. I am almost PC-illiterate

Yeah, apologies for my Mac-centrism (but can you blame me, really?). I don't know of any PC open-source software like Vidalia, but I imagine there exists lots of PC or Linux-based open-source out there. Real grassroots web stuff featuring trickle-down tech from military surplus and the efforts of thousands of individual programmers. You often need to deal with bugs or program conflicts (the software seems to be in an eternal state of beta), but several applications get the job done as well as their $600 counterparts, and open-source programs are by definition free. For programmers and the adventurous (or stupid) all of the source code is wide open and awaiting add-ons, plugins, etc.

Vidalia runs when I use the Firefox browser, but I only really needs it fer my postings on DU! :tinfoilhat:

[bemildred]

5. You can do similar things on any computer.

Particular software packages may be operating system specific, but the methods are general and in the public domain.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

8. It is also available for Windows

http://vidalia-project.net/
http://www.torproject.org/

[Irreverend IX]

9. Get the Tor plugin for Firefox

It does the same thing as Vidalia, basically, but it places a button on your Firefox window that you can click to immediately go into "stealth mode." Of course, your page load times will increase quite a bit when you do this.

[bemildred]

4. That is correct.

And otherwise, there has never been any real privacy on the net, except that provided by numbers. It has always been possible to know who you are if the motive was strong enough.

[alfredo]

6. Thanks for the open source Mac site. I see they have Bean on there.

Great piece of software.

Audacity is for Windows too. Very good app.

Handbrake, don't leave home without it.

NeoOffice is very good.

GIMP, Inkscape, and Scribus are all excellent. All cross platform.

NVU is excellent and easy to use.

Cyberduck is solid.

Miro is very useful.

[bluesmail]

7. I'd say good luck to those who are banking on those cookies

in a recession headed for a depression, that's what they'll be calling it Good Luck.