Anonymity from your ISP et.al

With the changes in the privacy rules, how does one protect their privacy, even from your ISP?

Duh, a very good question, because virtually every (paid for) ISP who provisions your service via "wired" requires some sort of payment. That alone likely exposes your personal data.

otoh, if you a using some sort of wireless access to the 'net, you do have the option of paying cash at Walmart or where ever for a cell phone and you can usually pay cash to continue access. Those phones (and the wireless 'net service) can also access "free" wi-fi hot spots and only the phone's digital footprint is exposed.

Most public libraries have user computers which for the most part don't require a log in tied to a users library card.

Just remember, every wired or wireless carrier out there is susceptible to monitoring or data collection for its own internal engineering and other purposes. Unlikely any of these would attempt to monitor or track any users on an individual basis unless law enforcement requests such action.

Hope that helps.

I was thinking about an ISP's ability to capture your personal data and sell it for advertising purposes. One can only wonder what kind of ads people that frequent this site would get.

Basically, it depends on how much time and effort you're willing to put into it.

But yes, your ISP can now sell the information they gather on your web browsing habits. On the plus side, the internet is abuzz today with articles on things such as how to browse privately or to set up a VPN.

Here's a good article to get started with:

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/how-...e-d5cdba361907

They have leveled the playing field to allow zero protection. You have more privacy with Google than your ISP or Mobile carrier.

The claim is it will lower your bills by allowing additional funds to come to the internet providers. Never had a bill go lower, never gunna happen. Oddly the NSA metadata gathering that was such a concern in past years is now a moot point.

My limited understanding has modified surfing habits,
1) Use HPPTS Everywhere to encrypt between you and your target site. (ISP will still know where you visit)
2) Use a VPN services as much as possible. (ISP is unable to log sites visited)(not all sites are VPN friendly)


Privacy Issues
1) Access to your personal data allows your identity to be compromised much easier
2) You and wife/husband/significant other will be profiled
3) Your kids and grandkids will be profiled, and know when they are home
4) Online banking and credit card functions at much greater risk

Future
1) Opportunities for unique software to restrict logging methods

Perhaps someone with knowledge can chime in, its just me barking off some shit.

Again, privacy is relative.

Wired net access into your home or office via basic telco or cable provisioning exposes you to some serious data leakage potential.

Yes, the carrier may collect your browsing data, but every browser out there has that capability, too.

Chrome is a Google owned browser, much as IE or its new versions are owned by Microsoft. Safari is owned by Apple. Firefox is more or less independent.

You should know that G.Mail, for example, "reads" all your mail and uses some logic to present you with sponsored ads. Yahoo was very big on that process way back when which is why it was basically free to most users. AOL, hotmail, etc. etc. ditto.

So, no matter what VPN or what security software you use, certain data is automatically collected, stored and available for analysis by your ISP and your browser sponsor. And your emailer, too.

What they might do with all that data can be a concern.

But, the IT industry is very concerned about its privacy and ours as well. How well they protect themselves (!) is already known to be a big issue what with all the hacks out there that we know about and the hacks yet to be discovered.

2) Use a VPN services as much as possible. (ISP is unable to log sites visited)(not all sites are VPN friendly) Originally Posted by Totempole

Like this one.

Again, privacy is relative.

Wired net access into your home or office via basic telco or cable provisioning exposes you to some serious data leakage potential.

Yes, the carrier may collect your browsing data, but every browser out there has that capability, too.

Chrome is a Google owned browser, much as IE or its new versions are owned by Microsoft. Safari is owned by Apple. Firefox is more or less independent.

You should know that G.Mail, for example, "reads" all your mail and uses some logic to present you with sponsored ads. Yahoo was very big on that process way back when which is why it was basically free to most users. AOL, hotmail, etc. etc. ditto.

So, no matter what VPN or what security software you use, certain data is automatically collected, stored and available for analysis by your ISP and your browser sponsor. And your emailer, too.

What they might do with all that data can be a concern.

But, the IT industry is very concerned about its privacy and ours as well. How well they protect themselves (!) is already known to be a big issue what with all the hacks out there that we know about and the hacks yet to be discovered. Originally Posted by ck1942

Good advice.No privacy anymore.Watch hackers

VPN is a good start but not all VPNs are created equally..

Also what keeps an ISP from slowing or even blocking access to a VPN in the age of a non-neutral internet?

One of the bigger issues using a VPN or proxy or an anonymizer or TOR is your intended destination website (especially many with security concerns such as banks, medical practices, insurance or finance companies and many more) quite likely will challenge if not block your attempts to log in since they may have blocked or marked as suspicious the proxy's i.p.

Heck, I get challenged quite regularly just because the time of day say 2 or 3 a.m. is when a bank or other site expects or anticipates hacker attempts. An I.T. guy at my credit union explained that and also advised that I should log in more frequently than I do currently, which is every 50 or 60 days or so. Not that I don't use my debit card, just that I don't log on that much.

Many government websites even insist that users change their passwords every 45 to 60 days and if a user doesn't do that access to his account is suspended until he does. I know of some other major websites that do much the same thing.

Simple. Use a VPN. Easy.