What I Learned Last Week from LISA
First, government loves Gmail. Any of those Web-based, third-party e-mail providers that encourage users to store thousands of old e-mail messages are music to the ears of those surveilling you or your friends. The longer messages are at rest, the more risk of them being seen. Remember that if you want to keep a secret.
Along those lines, Internet service providers, e-mail providers and just about anyone offering a forum for your thoughts -- such as those so-called anonymous postings to message boards and chat rooms -- well, they may have already ratted you out. A lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation warned that third-party providers are frequently asked by law enforcement and other agencies to divulge information on certain users under investigation. And they frequently give up the goods because it's far cheaper than a legal challenge. Moreover, few feel compelled to tell a targeted user what they've done. Yahoo is one of the exceptions.
Most people in IT already know there is no true anonymity in ordinary online use. You can be identified by the IP address attached to the network you use or, even better, a MAC address specific to your computer. There are ways to cloak your Internet browsing using commercial anonymizers or open-source ones like Tor. And you may want to consider such tools if you do a lot of shopping online.
Here's why: More e-retailers are employing a brand of IP-spoofing that calls up customized Web pages for certain customers based on their past buying habits. While it sounds good -- you aren't bombarded with a book seller's pitches for Danielle Steele novels when you've only expressed interest in Tom Clancy thrillers -- there's a downside. If you've paid full price in the past, you may no longer see discounted merchandise like more frugal folks shopping the same site.
OK. That's your DMZ lesson for this week. We now return to our regularly scheduled running -- on legs still sore from Tuesday's grueling Polish relays we did at the final track workout of the year. By my 12th 200m sprint, I could barely stand, let alone move quickly.
Along those lines, Internet service providers, e-mail providers and just about anyone offering a forum for your thoughts -- such as those so-called anonymous postings to message boards and chat rooms -- well, they may have already ratted you out. A lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation warned that third-party providers are frequently asked by law enforcement and other agencies to divulge information on certain users under investigation. And they frequently give up the goods because it's far cheaper than a legal challenge. Moreover, few feel compelled to tell a targeted user what they've done. Yahoo is one of the exceptions.
Most people in IT already know there is no true anonymity in ordinary online use. You can be identified by the IP address attached to the network you use or, even better, a MAC address specific to your computer. There are ways to cloak your Internet browsing using commercial anonymizers or open-source ones like Tor. And you may want to consider such tools if you do a lot of shopping online.
Here's why: More e-retailers are employing a brand of IP-spoofing that calls up customized Web pages for certain customers based on their past buying habits. While it sounds good -- you aren't bombarded with a book seller's pitches for Danielle Steele novels when you've only expressed interest in Tom Clancy thrillers -- there's a downside. If you've paid full price in the past, you may no longer see discounted merchandise like more frugal folks shopping the same site.
OK. That's your DMZ lesson for this week. We now return to our regularly scheduled running -- on legs still sore from Tuesday's grueling Polish relays we did at the final track workout of the year. By my 12th 200m sprint, I could barely stand, let alone move quickly.
