[OT] Are you being tracked online?

[Horacio]

Always a pleasure to assist fellow fiends (I mean, look at that Avatar !!!)

Shameless thread pimp:

Her avatar is a dragon. A white dragon. I know it becasue I did it, I have a nice thread in Art forum with some morphings, maybe you could go there and see it yourself

 

[Sammael99]

Shameless thread pimp:

Her avatar is a dragon. A white dragon. I know it becasue I did it, I have a nice thread in Art forum with some morphings, maybe you could go there and see it yourself

I did that already, Horacio ! Nice work !!!

I know it's a Dragon. Just looks like a metamorphing demon to me

 

[Voadam]

Damn rangers follow me everywhere, over mountains, across the planes, and now online too.

So does Dragonstar have rules for using the track feat in cyberspace?

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

I find this whole thing interesting.
See, I posted this to RoE and my first post vanishes. Yes, yes, I know the YaBB has some wierd little feature that sucks up first posts.
Then, KoC posts it here, and you'd think he stood on your kitchen table and urinated all over your DMG's with the way some people have reacted. The references to tinfoil hats is especially amusing, since lately people who were called paraniod are turning out to be right, and the people who were calling the names and pointing the fingers are ending up looking like idiots.
I'll remind KoC to post something here the next time he finds something that looks suspicious just as soon as he can.
I won't bother posting here the information I found out about Microsofts plan for the .NET passport in conjunction with the National ID system.
Instead, I'll polish my tinfoil hat.

Firstly, Hong, nice attittude. I'm very impressed with your ability to navigate with Windows Explorer.
Obviously you did not read the article, since it stated the Windows XP used a different type of system.
I checked on the machines on my network, where it is standard protocol to flush web caches and history ever Friday. Guess what. Everything from email fragments to IP tracks.
Your insulting tone was unappreciated.

Fourecks: Why am I worried, if I'm not doing anything illegal?
Because it is MY property. Mine. I paid for it with my own money, nobody helped me. Mommy and Daddy are dead so didn't sign the checks. Uncle Sugar didn't help me. I earned it. Me. And I don't like the idea of some bored worker at some new security agency with nothing better to do than check what people have been up to.
It's an invasion of privacy, plain and simple. It would be the same if you kept a journal and I came into your house and read it without you even knowing I was there.

I think the worst thing about this, is that the effect is a documented "bug" but is anyone trying to fix it?
I wouldn't hold your breath for the patch.

 

[jdavis]

The references to tinfoil hats is especially amusing, since lately people who were called paraniod are turning out to be right, and the people who were calling the names and pointing the fingers are ending up looking like idiots.

They are? I think the people with tinfoil hats are still being laughed at and having fingers pointed at them. Like most things with extremes, the truth is normally somewhere in the middle. I wouldn't trust anything straight from Microsoft, but I also would take everything from the profanly titled anti-site with a grain of salt too. The big problem is that the real world is actually too dull, you have to do something to spice it up.

 

[Dareoon Dalandrove]

One of my friends said basically the same thing. "if your not doing anything why do you worry?" I think the best answer, besides "it's my stuff so stay out." It work on those type of people that see no probelm with it. How would you like it if I sttod outside your window and watched everthing you did. All day all night. you can't shut the blinds, why? What do you have to hide? Are you a criminal? People who say "if your not doing anything wrong you shouldn't worry", to be polite upset me.

As far as microsoft is concerned. I don't like them. I don't like how once you have one program they force you to use more. A perfect example of this is my mp3's I had a nice player that I liked. It did everything I wanted. Then I dl the new version of media player. Blam! It takes over all my mp3's and makes it "Easier" to use WMP. That's not what I wanted. I keep hearing about how linux is better AND cheaper ( you can apperently dl it for free) I think if all this proves to be true I may give windows a kick in the pants and tell it not to come back.

 

[kenjib]

Just out of curiosity, what is the real concern here? I mean, if you have nothing to hide then why are you worried?

The abuse does not come into play regarding illegal activity. It comes into play regarding the misuse of data collected regarding perfectly legal activities and the discrimination that results. People within the government abuse such priviledges for political gain. This is not conspiracy theory, but simple historical fact. If you are interested do some research on J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy to start with.

Broad allowances in the invasion of privacy usually leads to infringement on freedom of speech and other freedoms. It's a recurring theme in American History. There are older examples. There are also more current examples but that is not for discussion on this message board.

Should one just give these powers away naively based on the assumption that people in positions of power are uncorruptable and will do no wrong? To do so is to deny human nature. To cede these rights to private parties, such as corporations, is no less dangerous than to cede them to public ones.

 

[Dragongirl]

So what have we learned?

1) Whatever OS you use, check into what they are secretly doing.
2) Get some kind of spyware checker and get rid of the "critters".
3) Get a firewall if you can.
4) If you have windows run msconfig and see what is actually loading every time you boot up.
5) People who wear tin hats are laughed at, but sometimes what they say comes true.

Did I miss anything?

 

[jdavis]

One of my friends said basically the same thing. "if your not doing anything why do you worry?" I think the best answer, besides "it's my stuff so stay out." It work on those type of people that see no probelm with it. How would you like it if I sttod outside your window and watched everthing you did. All day all night. you can't shut the blinds, why? What do you have to hide? Are you a criminal? People who say "if your not doing anything wrong you shouldn't worry", to be polite upset me.

As far as microsoft is concerned. I don't like them. I don't like how once you have one program they force you to use more. A perfect example of this is my mp3's I had a nice player that I liked. It did everything I wanted. Then I dl the new version of media player. Blam! It takes over all my mp3's and makes it "Easier" to use WMP. That's not what I wanted. I keep hearing about how linux is better AND cheaper ( you can apperently dl it for free) I think if all this proves to be true I may give windows a kick in the pants and tell it not to come back.

Linux requires you to know what you are doing, although there is supposed to be a program out there called Lindows which uses a simular interface as windows, I don't know much about it but I'm sure there are plenty of Linux fanatics out there that will help you join the Linux cult. Much more Microsoft crap and I'll be checking it out myself, I don't mind buying the software but I just wish it would work like it's supposed to.

Edit: Forgot the link
http://www.lindows.com/

 

[Castellan]

I'm kind of surprised nobody's mentioned Mac OS X, yet... Unix subsystem, with the distribution coming with most "services" turned off by default. Has great support and reliability, and with Windows on about 95% of all desktops, you can be sure that very few spyware apps are being written for it.

Now, that doesn't mean there are NO spyware apps (there are quite a few), but there are certainly fewer.

Please don't write off what I'm saying as a "Fah! Go buy a Mac!" statement. For some people, it's not an option, especially if you've got a new computer. But, if you're shopping, you really should look into the security a Mac provides. Compatibility is no longer an issue (actually, hasn't been for a long time) so, a Mac could be great for a second computer.

Whatever system you get, a modicum of experience with it will help tremendously. You don't need to edit (or even read) registries to be able to block 90% of the threats to your computer.

Enjoy!