Is browsing newsgroups private and if not can it be? If I view sensitive
newsgroups, can I be monitored or can the information be retrieved if I
unsubscribe after each use and don't save anything? is there a way to
protect myself?




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On 14 Aug 04 11:11, gump wrote:

Google Groups via a (free without registration) HTTP anonomyizer proxy.

Ultimately, your IP adress is recorded somwhere (as it's the nature of
the universe), but that's the most "secret" method I've come across.

Of course, IANASP.
--
Zarggg
KeyID: 0x6425C4ED
<http://www.zarggg.net/>
See <http://www.zarggg.net/contact.html> for contact information.

In article <411e2be7_4@corp.newsgroups.com>, gump wrote:
No. You posted from 209.96.216.123, which is address assigned to
an ISP in Middlesex, Virginia USA. (It's in the headers of the news
article, along with the fact that you are using Outhouse Distress as
a browser.) Therefore you should know about snail mail - specifically
postcards. EVERY PACKET you send and receive can be compared to a
postcard - meaning the mail man (your ISP) AND EVERYONE ELSE between
you and the destination can monitor it if they choose. Using an
encrypted service? The mail man can still see the address (and return
address), so while they may not be able to see the contents, they still
know about the traffic. Also remember that this "traffic" occurs EVEN
IF ALL YOU ARE DOING IS READING (and not posting).

Use an anonymiser service? Well, I may not be able to see your IP
address, but your ISP and the anonymising service sure can.

Oh... reading alt.kinky.sex.girbils.wrapped.in.duct.tape, are we?

This depends on Mommy's computer skills. There is information that gets
swapped out to disk in normal operation, and this _could_ contain enough
clues that you've been visiting pr0n sites. If you are viewing those
pretty pictures, they are often temporarily stored on disk during the
downloading process. The normal file deletion mechanism in most computer
operating systems does not REMOVE the deleted data - it merely makes it
harder to get to. Even if Mommy doesn't have the skills needed to recover
the data, there are commercial services that do this on a daily basis -
all it takes is money. Mommy could have also installed a key-sniffer
on the computer, which means you're toast already.

Worried about the boss discovering your surfing habits at work? It's
often worse (for you), because there may well be someone maintaining
the computers or network that knows a heck of a lot more about this
than Mommy. The same is true at many educational facilities. Using a
computer at the local library? Here in the states, many (most) of them
are set to use local proxy servers (and content filters), so they have
_all_ the details on a computer you can't f*ck with. The better news is
that most (but not all) librarians lack the computer skills needed to
embarrass you.

Now, if you are really worried about the legal authorities finding
out what you've been doing - generally they have to initially find some
sign that you are interesting. If you _do_ attract unwanted LEGAL
attention, then the 'postcard' image above applies. Depending on HOW
interested they are, they might spend additional effort "opening your
mail" (decrypting those packets). They might even go so far as to
install monitoring stuff on the computer on in the room where the
computer can be observed.

There is a company that regularly spams news groups advertising a
product that claims to remove evidence from the hard drive that you've
been surfing to the pr0n sites or similar. A far simpler solution is
to get a life and a real boy/girl friend, and otherwise avoid visiting
sites that you'd be ashamed to let others know you've visited.

I'm told there is also a shop in Staten Island, New York that sells
tin-foil hats (and full body suits) if you need them. ;-)

Old guy

"gump" <hisway@oasisonline.com> wrote in
news:411e2be7_4@corp.newsgroups.com:

You could use a proxy server to connect to a public nntp server to read
newsgroups, and a remailer to post to newsgroups, but you cannot really
trust any proxy service, even if they say they do not store log files.
They will. The only way to theoretically obtain complete privacy is to
covertly install a Trojan Proxy server which *does not log connections*
and which establishes an *encrypted tunnel* between you and the server.
The Trojan proxy server should ideally be installed onto several
computers around the world. Bounce your connections off of each
infected computer and chain them together and there will be a very small
probability that any traffic you download will be traced back to you.
The users will be unaware that their connection is being hijacked, no
log files are made (assuming no firewall is running on the remote
machine with the Trojan proxy installed) and all the packets are
encrypted!

Of course, installing Trojan proxy servers covertly without informing
the owners is *illegal*, and this might be the way you are caught, so I
would not recommend you do this, even though it would give you total
privacy!

As for removing data stored locally, Evidence Eliminator is recommended,
but you will need to fork out a lot of money to use this program. For
more information, visit: http://privacy-protection.no-ip.com

"Anonymous" wrote...

[snip]
Haven't seen much Usenet spam from them recently, but my recommendation
is to save your money, and stay well clear of it.

Are you trying to hide something? That link redirects to:
members.fortunecity.com/richard1985/EE.htm, which has a link to EE
containing what looks like an affiliate ID.

Anyone who has not witnessed the dubious claims and marketing
practices of this outfit is advised to check these pages:

"You Are Not Being Investigated"
http://www.evidence-eliminator-sucks.com/

"The Evidence Eliminator Documents A Consumer Warning"
http://www.radsoft.net/resources/software/reviews/ee/

"Response to Andy@Evidence-Eliminator.com"
http://www.pc-help.org/opinion/eeemail.htm

"Ant" <not@home.today> wrote in news:cid8if$dkj$1@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk:

I believe Evidence Eliminator is the best hard drive cleaning program
available. It erases more sources of evidence than any other software
program. The only downside to Evidence Eliminator is that it does not
use the Gutmann wipe method. If EE implemented Gutmann wipe, then EE
would be perfect.

Ok, I agree that *some* affiliates do use unacceptable marketing tactics.
I can assure you that you will not find any such advertising on my site.
I actually think the kind of advertising some affiliates employ is just
disgraceful. I made my site to show that there is no need whatsoever to
resort to such extreme methods of advertising, and, of course, to raise a
bit of money for university
As for the no-ip.com redirect, I am not attempting to hide anything. I
just thought that
http://privacy-protection.no-ip.com looks much better and is easier to
remember than members.fortunecity.com/richard1985/EE.htm

"Ant" <not@home.today> wrote in news:cid8if$dkj$1@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk:


These Radsoft pages cannot be trusted - They are from a competitor!
A company discrediting its competitors is as unethical as some affiliates
spam and 'you are being investigated' style of advertising.

"Anonymous" wrote...

How do you know this. are you believing their hype, or have you
evaluated other products?

It can't clean NTFS structures.

I can't blame you for that, but you do yourself no favours in
associating with people (EE and spammers) who are widely despised in
the Internet community. Someone who praises a product when there is
money in it for them is going to be looked upon with suspicion anyway.

So why is there no link to your home page from the EE one? A casual
visitor would have no idea who's page was at the end of that redirect.

"Anonymous" wrote...

I would trust them more than the pushers of EE. Radsoft give credit
where it is due, in regard to some aspects of the the EE software.

Normally I would agree with this, but they give reasons, and I
understand their desire to distance themselves from EE. They supply
good information on the EE controversy, not all of it negative.

So you acknowledge their sleazy sales techniques. What's more, EE
quietly condones affiliate spamming. They are a disreputable company,
and I would never consider doing business with them, no matter how
good their software might be.