Lord of Geeks

Friday, February 03, 2012

Well, remember that time when I said that I will write about how to protect your privacy?

I haven't forget about it yet.

But here's the thing. After a rather extensive research, I feel contradicted and cornered in this issue. Due to the online policies rapidly changing, I'm unable to give you a definitive answer at the moment.

Here's why.

Remember the good old Google? Well, they recently changed their privacy policy if you haven't noticed from all the little banners they've been putting around. I recommend that you give it a read.

http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/
http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/preview/

It will be effective on 1st March, 2012.

If you don't care about your online safety and just want to get the gist of it, here's what it means. Basically, if you use any Google products, or signed into your Google accounts when you use other services, they have the right to collect all your data and sync it across all their services.

So for example, if I use Blogger, Youtube, Google search, Picasa, Gmail, Google Docs (just to list a few), they have the right to use all your data collected to generate advertisements suited for your needs.

Of course, it seem like a good thing at the moment, but what does it really mean?

It means that now, a third party company has a complete portfolio of you. Google can guess your age group, your gender, your interest, and your browsing habits, everything you do online is potentially monitored by them.

Facebook will also be reviewing their policy pretty soon. At least that's what I think will happen, there are many many internal changes due to the uproar going on with SOPA, PIPA, ACTA.

So I have a rather good grasp of the laws at hand, I have a good idea of how to protect your internet traffic. Why am I still conflicted? Continue for the explanation.

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Labels: featured, geek, google, lordofgeeks, must read, privacy, screwed

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We are all screwed, the internet is screwed

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Now, here's some things to bring out the fear in you.

Watch it. It explains everything you need to know about how YOU are screwed.

Now, about PIPA and SOPA. Both of them has been paused indefinitely. Which means that in a way, the internet won. But it doesn't mean that the bill is gone, or deleted. It merely means that this is a temporary peace while they find another way to fuck with us.

I realized that I didn't do a good job of explaining it well the other time. Anonymous did a good job at it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeEcoi8kEuU

It's just a video of them speaking, of course, they provided the transcript. Here.

The SOPA act essentually means, that even if you make a video of your child playing or singing and you have music playing in the background, or video on TV, you are breaking the law, and the government will order the websites that host your content to censor your content because of their new bill. Or if you visit websites that are on servers not in the United States you will be blocked so that you cannot access them.

Ask yourselves, Who really owns the internet?

The answer is simple: no one actually owns the Internet, and no single person, organization or government controls the Internet in its entirety. It is more of a concept than an actual tangible entity, and the Internet relies on a physical infrastructure that connects networks to other networks. There are many organizations, corporations, governments, schools, private citizens and service providers that all own pieces of the infrastructure that make up the internet, but there is no one entity that owns it all. How can the US government decide to block access to parts of the internet that the US government does not even own? The SOPA act is a direct violation to people's right to freedom of knowlege and information, And for that violation the United States government is a disgrace to the land of the free, The free that every United States soldier has fought or died for. The United States government is essentually telling the people of the United States that they are free to do as the government tells them. If people do not follow their rules they will arrest them for making an attempt to learn. But the government will tell the media that these people are getting arrested for acts of treason, domestic terrorism, or internet piracy.

As for the United States government. Who gave you the right to regulate the people's right to think outside the box and use the internet as they see fit? If we cut off global internet, shouldn't we also cut off all foreign affairs? Should we hinder globalization completely? Perhaps all other World Trade Centers are acts of terrorism by existing, as they use the Internet for commerce. The ambiguity of this bill should terrify you.

Now that ACTA has been passed, it means that your ISP (internet service provider) can now legally spy on all your data. EVERYTHING you do, is potentially monitored. So don't think that all the downloads that you've been getting are getting pass unnoticed.

You know, it's been quite long since I'm this quite fired up as a geek. This is ridiculous. Simply ridiculous.

Thankfully, I have been taking measures against such things for the longest time. I may have slacked off a little, but I did what I could without knowing all this bullshit.

From now onwards, I shall start writing about how you can protect yourself online, against threats like this. How you can stay safe online, remain as anonymous as possible, and avoid getting screwed ten times over.

I hate this shit. Honestly, fuck this shit.
My minions, the legal governments has declared war upon the internet, remain aware, and stay safe.

Labels: ACTA, anonymous, featured, geek, internet, lordofgeeks, megaupload, must read, PIPA, screwed, SOPA