protecting privacy while surfing!

[maaster]

Privacy has become a major concern now-a-days...I have 2 questions

1)I know there are already some Do not track plus,ghostery etc addons available to protect privacy....Out of these which one is better(not necessarily from the above two!)

2)Then,is there a way to protect privacy even from my own Internet Service Provider?i.e)they should not know about the websites I visit!Will a VPN address this issue?

 

[Gnosis]

Ghostery seems to beat DNT+ by a long shot. That said, I still retain DNT+.

Cocoon is a free proxy, but it nags you to death to upgrade. It is a good browser and proxy though.

 

[madyrocksin]

Ghostery and DNT+ can work together, u can use both + u can change your browser setting like in chrome to send dont track request + u can use Host manager to block tracking domains + many more, should guarantee 90% success at least,
but yea that will be kinda a overkill, so if you want reasonable protection(in my opinion) just use ghostery !!!

 

[arsenaloyal]

ghostery is much better than dnt+ no doubt about that

 

[InternetChicken]

yes ghostery is better dnt+ then for a VPN
Hotspot shield its free and when in use will protect all your internet traffic

 

[maaster]

yes ghostery is better dnt+ then for a VPN
Hotspot shield its free and when in use will protect all your internet traffic

Hotspot shield will protect my privacy but whether it will hide my web history from ISP?

 

[treefrog']

Hi

to be sure your ISP does not see your traffic you need to encrypt it
a VPN will do this
how private you wanna be will dictate whether you decide on a free or paid provider
I would always recommend a paid openVPN service, they can be very reasonible -around $5 a mth
I was also recommend off shore, non-logging providers
heres a few -
https://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-providers-really-take-anonymity-seriously-111007/
ISP's also "see" DNS requests VPN's shouldn't leak but sometimes a network adapter my send unencrypted requests, so running a DNS leak test is a good idea

 

[treefrog']

Apologies for double posting :angel:
I use AdBlock plus and ghostery, also I use FireGloves, a good add on in reducing my Panopticlick fingerprint - https://panopticlick.eff.org/
the EFF's HTTPS Everywhere forces your browser to use encrypted connections whenever possible.
I also NoScript

 

[Ink]

1. Don't share any personal information.

 

[MalwareVirus]

for a VPN
Hotspot shield its free and when in use will protect all your internet traffic

Hotspot shield is too good i like it fast & secure & hidemyass ext. are also good

 

[HeffeD]

I was also recommend off shore, non-logging providers

This is a bit of a double-edged sword. :s

How far can you actually trust a provider that is purposefully going out of its way to circumvent various laws?

If they don't care about breaking laws, what makes you think they really care about keeping your data private, or that they aren't actually storing your data for their own purposes? And who can you turn to if it turns out they've been lying about their services? Don't expect the government to be very helpful.

It seems very strange to me that people are so concerned with their privacy, yet they're willing to blindly trust someone who is purposefully making themselves difficult to legally prosecute.

Just something to think about...

 

[Gnosis]

"It seems very strange to me that people are so concerned with their privacy, yet they're willing to blindly trust someone who is purposefully making themselves difficult to legally prosecute."

That is spot on. They are just dying to throw their clients under the bus in order to save their own arses if things go sour for them legally. Remember what the ultimate demise of the Mafia was, as we knew it, in the lower 48? Those who were breaking laws to serve captains soon ratted out those same captains to save their own tails.

 

[treefrog']

I was also recommend off shore, non-logging providers

This is a bit of a double-edged sword. :s

How far can you actually trust a provider that is purposefully going out of its way to circumvent various laws?

If they don't care about breaking laws, what makes you think they really care about keeping your data private, or that they aren't actually storing your data for their own purposes? And who can you turn to if it turns out they've been lying about their services? Don't expect the government to be very helpful.

It seems very strange to me that people are so concerned with their privacy, yet they're willing to blindly trust someone who is purposefully making themselves difficult to legally prosecute.

Just something to think about...

A good point
I think that if you decide to stand up for your privacy you have to do just that...
but like you say it all boils down to trusting somebody at some point.
if you can find a provider with a good "track record" where no logs are kept I'd like to think no logs are kept.
Good reputation is key IMO

 

[InternetChicken]

@ maaster
Hotspot Shield is a free VPN client based on OpenVPN. Unlike other anonymous surfing options, such as JonDo or Tor, Hotspot Shield encrypts all of your Internet activities and not just web browsing. This is ideal for people who want to anonymise other applications without the need to 'proxify' them, which can be a complicated and tedious task.

""Hotspot shield will protect my privacy but whether it will hide my web history from ISP? ""
so unless your ISP can break the Encryption then the answer is yes

you might like to read this its by Chiron one of the Super Moderator's here
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/how-protect-your-online-privacy.htm
then this
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-anonymous-surfing-service.htm

 

[maaster]

@ maaster
Hotspot Shield is a free VPN client based on OpenVPN. Unlike other anonymous surfing options, such as JonDo or Tor, Hotspot Shield encrypts all of your Internet activities and not just web browsing. This is ideal for people who want to anonymise other applications without the need to 'proxify' them, which can be a complicated and tedious task.

""Hotspot shield will protect my privacy but whether it will hide my web history from ISP? ""
so unless your ISP can break the Encryption then the answer is yes

you might like to read this its by Chiron one of the Super Moderator's here
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/how-protect-your-online-privacy.htm
then this
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-anonymous-surfing-service.htm

Will Hotspot decrease speed of my internet connection?

 

[treefrog']

if you decide to use a VPN be it hotspot shield or another I would still recommend visiting this site - http://www.dnsleaktest.com/
be aware that your ISP can see what sites you visit whist connected to a VPN IF your DNS is leaking

 

[InternetChicken]

@ treefrog' my leak test with no DNS

@ maaster my speed test this morning while using hotspot shield

:angel:

 

[maaster]

@Internet Chicken:

what is your speed as promised by your ISP or what speed u get without using VPN?

 

[Spirit]

My first question : Is browser tracking by ad company or google facebook is such dangerous or its hoax created by internet users and software developers.
As far I think google or facebook have no interest on individual credit cards/bank account like malware/virus so there is no chance of financial loss in this circumstance.
As far ad agency,google,facebook or my isp provider try to learn which website i visit I have no problem till I am terrorist or do anything anti social or anti government work.

Correct me if I am wrong

 

[InternetChicken]

The speed promised by my isp is 8 mb but is usually between 4 to 7 mb though the day

my speed right now without hotspot shield

and with hotspot shield

And @ Stranger :goodpost:
I use hotspot shield not because I am worried about been tracked by
my isp or government , or agency,google,facebook

I use it for malware hunting mostly cos its not a good idea to leave
info like your ip address etc on bad sites and severs all over the internet lol