Your internet privacy is now for sale to the highest bidder in Trumpistan

[Tiberius]

The only silver lining when it comes to TOR being compromised is the leaked NSA presentation which had the slide "TOR Sucks" and explained that they could de-anonymize some people some of the time, but they could never de-anonymize all people all of the time.

[Minimalist]

Yo, Divi Tiberio.

What do you know about this?

https://www.torproject.org/

Quite a bit. You should use TOR if you are so concerned about your privacy that you don't even want a VPN provider to know where you are going.

TOR works by routing your traffic through three nodes, and using encryption at each of those nodes.

Node 1 knows your IP address, but not what site you are connecting to, or what data you want to send to it. It strips your IP address from your traffic and sends it to Node 2.

Node 2 knows nothing about you, neither your IP address, or the site you are connecting to, or the data you want to send to it. It merely forwards your traffic onto Node 3.

Node 3 is able to decrypt your actual traffic. It knows the site you want to connect to, and the data you want to send, but it does not know your IP address (i.e. who you are). It sends your traffic to the site you want to connect to.

When the site sends back a response, the process is reversed.

If you connect to a site over HTTPS when using TOR, then Node 3 only knows what site you want to connect to, and not what information you are sending (i.e. URL, login information).

However because TOR uses 3 nodes to relay your traffic, it is often quite slow.

When you say quite slow how would that translate to loading a thread on AF?  Would it be noticeable?

A friend of mine in Holland sent me that link.  He's a bit of a conspiracy freak and always thinks someone is out to get him.  I have no such delusions.

[Secular Elf]

Ok, the question then becomes 2 fold for me.

Will the VPN providers sell the info?  I understand they exist to protect privacy, but will this new law make it possible for them to say one thing and do another?

And secondly, sites like google, FB, and amazon will still be collecting my data for sale, even if I have a VPN, correct?

P.S I rarely post on FB, but I do read my friends posts and articles.  I guess it will be time to ditch it and Google and use some other search engine.  Are their any that don't collect data?  I mean, I'm not doing anything that would seem to matter, but I don't want to become a product unless I give my permission, like when I request to be added to a mailing list.

Very good questions. I may wind up not using the Internet at all. At home I have already kicked Windstream to the curb as my ISP, they are such assholes, their corporate culture and customer service sucks. I make trips to my local library to go online. I miss playing WoW and I mostly use the Internet to check my e-mail and get on FB and vent my frustrations and participate in the AF here. Looks like I may be disappearing from using the Web, unless and until this law is struck down in the Supreme Court or we get a new administration that actually gives a damn about people, this country, and the world. I am losing hope, again.

[Tiberius]

It'll be slower than loading AF over a regular connection but honestly it depends on several factors like how many people are using the TOR network at the time, how fast your connection usually is.

[Crunchy]

Google doesn't get your information if you don't use any google products or services.  Likewise with other players.  You can opt out of it by choosing to not use services that spy on you.

Your ISP knows everything you do online, and in a lot of cases, you don't have much choice - if any - over what ISP you use.

I guess, but I don't know what this is going to affect other than making my advertisements more accurate. The internet was never private anyway. Like the article says though you have options for privacy it really matters to you. It doesn't seem like a huge deal.

If Obama had done the same thing you and every conservative would be calling him a disgusting traitor to freedom and spinning yet another pack of lies about some conspiracy to rob you of all your freedom.

[Jackalope]

If Obama had done the same thing you and every conservative would be calling him a disgusting traitor to freedom and spinning yet another pack of lies about some conspiracy to rob you of all your freedom.

True, but c'mon, they'd do that regardless of whether he did a thing or not. It's how they roll.

[LastPoet]

It'll be slower than loading AF over a regular connection but honestly it depends on several factors like how many people are using the TOR network at the time, how fast your connection usually is.

Yeah, well if someone was after me, I can de found easily. Not much worried about it.

[Minimalist]

It'll be slower than loading AF over a regular connection but honestly it depends on several factors like how many people are using the TOR network at the time, how fast your connection usually is.

Gracias.  I suppose the simplest experiment is to DL the browser and try it out?

I'll report back.

---

Meanwhile.... this is amusing.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/activist...vacy-rule/

Activist finds the perfect way to turn tables on lawmakers who voted to repeal internet privacy rule

McElhaney explained that because the Senate is gutting online privacy and allowing anyone’s internet histories to be purchased, “I plan on purchasing the Internet histories of all legislators, congressmen, executives, and their families and make them easily searchable at searchinternethistory.com.”

“Everything from their medical, pornographic, to their financial and infidelity,” McElhaney wrote. “Help me raise money to buy the histories of those who took away your right to privacy for just thousands of dollars from telephone and ISPs.  Your private data will be bought and sold to marketing companies, law enforcement. ”

Start with McConnell and the WLB.

[Jackalope]

I for one do not want to know the degree to which of our esteemed Congresspersons are into donkey porn.

[Jackalope]

*"esteemed"