First They Came
By Patrick | June 11, 2009
Here’s an interesting video from civiliberties.eu. It may be more relevant to the US than we think.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Topics: Government | No Comments »
Updates and Status of TPG
By Patrick | June 10, 2009
I’ve been asked by a couple people when would this site/blog get updated again. That’s a good question. I had mainly quit updating this site due to the simple fact that I wasn’t building a readership for any other topics other than my discussion on Anonymous Credit Cards.
Also, I hadn’t decided what direction I wanted to take this blog. Was it going to be just privacy from 3rd parties and commercial entities? Or was it privacy from oppressive governments? Was I just contributing to providing resources for illegitimate gain and use? Or by shedding light on ways to remain private and anonymous, would these useful methods soon be eliminated or disallowed? Would these legal “loopholes” be closed by more attention being drawn to them?
Finally, the answer came to me. This is The Privacy Guy blog. The blog should cover all topics of privacy. Why pigeonhole it into one niche area? Having said that, I’m going to try and put together some ideas and topics to cover in the coming weeks. I have no doubt that the anonymous credit card topic will remain the most popular, however, I’m hoping the new content will be intriguing and useful. So, until next time, stay low.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Topics: News | No Comments »
Facebook Changes Terms Of Service
By Patrick | February 16, 2009
In case you haven’t heard, Facebook has changed their Terms of Service ever so quietly. On February 4th, Facebook announced a change of their TOS on their corporate blog, but no where else. Until today, no one had really paid any attention, or even known for that matter about the new TOS. That is, until Chris Walters over at The Consumerist broke the story Facebook’s New Terms Of Service: “We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever.”мебели пловдивbackgammon free casino money free craps game play free black jack craps video poker strategy play black jack online how to win video poker casino game online uk best casino online casino secure online gambling jackpot casino online casino black jack learn to play craps how to win at video poker craps online blackjack casino game online casino betting free on line video poker casino games no download casino online gambling casino play free casino slots video poker machine bonus video poker free on line slots double bonus video poker free video poker games free casinos roulette online craps rules free on line casino rules of craps online casino free money blackjack 21 internet casino how to play craps free casino game download fortunelounge online casino free casino download free casino card game free roulette gamemach zehnder modulator free casino play no deposit free money casino internet casino online
While Facebook has released a couple statements detailing the what’s and why’s of this change, and frantically insisting that your privacy still supercedes all, I just don’t buy it. Looking back to a previous post I had written, Facebook and the Government, we are reminded of the possible government tie-ins that Facebook has. Plus, since this change was made without any notification whatsoever, what’s to keep them from changing it again with even more restrictive or invasive language? Granted, after this last change I’m sure people will be on the Facebook TOS like hawks. At least until they get complacent.
This also serves as a good reminder to all of us to be careful about what we put online. Do we really need a Facebook account? Isn’t an email or a phone call still sufficient? I’ll admit for a while I’ve let my privacy-paranoia mindset take a back seat. I’ve gotten lazy. I’ve said “It’s just so convenient having a Facebook page, or a Linkedin page, etc.” Now I’m reevaluating all of my online presence offerings.
Whether or not you were pleased with the 2008 elections, you have to agree that regardless of the party in office, government wants information, and more specifically your information. They can deny it all they want, but information and knowledge is power and Facebook is a gold mine of both. 1984 here we come.
Popularity: 16% [?]
Topics: Facebook, Government | 1 Comment »
Data Loss Database
By Patrick | December 15, 2008
I recently found out about the Open Security Foundation and their Data Loss Database.
The OSF Data Loss Database offers a number of reports detailing things like the latest data loss incidents and the most discussed data loss incidents. My favorite offering of this website is the RSS feed of latest data loss incidents: OSF Data Loss Database – Latest Incidents
The OSF DLD also has an interface on their website that allows you to drill down and see occurrences of data loss by data type (SSN, medical, financial), Sectors (Business, Education, etc) or Source of the loss (Outside, Inside Accidental, Inside Intentional).
This website not only keeps you up to date of the latest incidents, but it also serves as a reminder of why we should always be mindful when and where we give out personally identifiable information.
Popularity: 17% [?]
Topics: Misc | 1 Comment »
University of Florida Leaks 11,000 Social Security Numbers Online
By Patrick | July 4, 2008
“The University of Florida is sending letters to more than 11,000 current and former students to notify them that their Social Security numbers, names and addresses were accidentally posted online.”
June 10th, 2008 via WWSB ABC Newsrent a car bulgaria
Popularity: 19% [?]
Topics: Identity Theft | No Comments »
Anonymous Prepaid Credit Card Options
By Patrick | December 30, 2007
PLEASE READ – UPDATE – July 6th, 2008: This post has been merged into a page. Please go here for the full information: http://www.theprivacyguy.com/anonymous-credit-debit-cards
So here’s the list of Prepaid Credit Cards I will be investigating and detailing the conditions and requirements:
- GreenDot
- WebSecret
- Vanilla Visa
- Privacash
- All-Access Gift Card
- Simon Gift Card
If anyone can think of anymore I should review, please let me know. Reviews on the above cards coming in January. I’m afraid however the news won’t be good. Most cards all appear to be checking for SSN’s and verifying them due to the Patriot Act.
I’ll keep you posted.
Popularity: 35% [?]
Topics: Anonymity, Patriot Act, Surveillance | 1 Comment »
How To Stay Out Of Government Databases
By Patrick | October 10, 2007
Many of you already know that I am an avid reader and supporter of Michael Hampton’s Homeland Stupidity. I’ve used his blog entries in my own posts in the past and I’ve come across another article I want to share. “How to stay out of government databases” is a neat article that Michael wrote back in July of 2007. It’s kind of a brief, high level HOWTO with some suggestions and ideas on how to stay low and off the governmental radar per se.
You may find many of Michael’s suggestions can’t be implemented in your own personal life without significant lifestyle changes, but don’t be discouraged just yet. This article can serve more as a general guide and as a good reminder of how we need to change our thinking and question every time someone – commercial or government – asks for information from us. No matter how small or unimportant a certain tidbit of information may seem to be at the time, you can be assured that it is being requested for a reason. A reason that
may or may not be supported by legitimate necessity.
Popularity: 25% [?]
Topics: Government | No Comments »
Facebook Profiles Now Public
By Patrick | September 27, 2007
For those of you who might have missed the announcement (like my wife), Facebook has opened up their site to external search engines like Google and Yahoo earlier this month. What does this mean to you? Not a whole lot except now when someone types in your name to a search engine, they might be able to find your Facebook profile. However, they will only see a limited public profile like the one below.
There is no immediate cause for concern as there won’t be a huge amount of information available. However, for me personally, I don’t want any part of my Facebook profile indexed. So to ensure that your profile does not become available to the major search engines you can disable that feature by going to the Search Privacy page in your Facebook profile.
For more detailed instructions check out this blog posting from Of Zen and Computing.
Popularity: 30% [?]
Topics: Facebook | 1 Comment »
TD Ameritrade Hacked
By Patrick | September 14, 2007
Word coming out a couple hours ago on the AP Newswire (via MSNBC) that TD Ameritrade has been hacked and information has been compromised.
Bad news:
Information such as email addresses, names, addresses and phone numbers was retrieved from this database and affects TD AMERITRADE retail and institutional clients.
Good news:
Client assets held in accounts with the Company remain secure as UserIDs, personal identification numbers and passwords were not stored in this particular database.
MSNBC Article: Some TD Ameritrade info stolen
TD Ameritrade Press Release
Popularity: 25% [?]
Topics: Corporate, Identity Theft | 1 Comment »
PassPub – Random Password Generator
By Patrick | July 10, 2007
Almost a month ago I received an email from Martin Wright, creator of PassPub. He was telling me a little bit about his new web based SSL password generator. I promised him I would take a look. Well Martin, sorry for the delay, but I’m finally getting around to checking out PassPub.
PassPub is a cool little website that allows you to generate all kinds of unique passwords. I do some private consulting and sometimes I need to come up with a new, unique password. Whether it’s a new WPA key or a router password I need, PassPub is extremely helpful for these types of situations.
PassPub offers predefined templates for creating passwords. It can create a random 6, 8, 10 or 12 character password. It can also create 64 and 128 bit WEP keys, as well as 256-bit WPA keys all with a single click.
For those times when you need a memorable, but still hard to guess password, there is a section entitled “Memorable Passwords” with a few cool choices. My favorite option from this section is the “Mnemonic” generator. This option creates an easy to read password, with alternate vowels and consonants and an appended 3 digit suffix. I like this one because usually it’s a lot easier for me to read and therefore easier to remember, but still hard to guess. I generally use Mnemonic when changing my login password for my PC, especially since I do that every 45 days. The Memorable Passwords section also offers password generators using keyboard combinations as well as chemical elements symbols that can be extremely useful as well.
As a personal example, when I’m configuring a new router or firewall password, this is when I use the standard 10 or 12 character password generator. I use this option because I want a very hard to guess, random password. Plus, I won’t be typing it in often, so I can afford to have one that’s not easy to remember.
Now many of you are probably asking why would I waste my time going to this website when I can just come up with some random letters and numerics on my own? This was the same reaction I first had when I looked at Martin’s product. However, I always try to commit to using a new program or application for a couple weeks before I totally disregard it, and I have to say that PassPub has come in very handy. You may find it’s not a great tool for your arsenal, but others might. I do know you need to check it out and decide for yourself. Thanks for a cool new tool Martin!
PassPub – Strong Passwords, Uniquely Generated
Popularity: 33% [?]
Topics: Password | No Comments »