Browsers, Hardware and Anonymity

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Apr 2, 2019
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I have been looking at laptops lately and plan on getting an AMD because of the Intel "backdoor" in the processors or motherboard, whichever it is. I would like to use a VPN also, for added safety online. These sorts of things are new to me and I am curious if anyone else has thoughts on it. Will it even be possible to be anonymous? What about European users, the new EU censorship law, and VPNs? So many questions
 

polymoog

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to directly answer your question:
nothing and no one is truly safe online. always remember that. there will always be a way for an entity (person or government) to pierce the veil and discover your identity.
that said, you should never stop speaking the truth out of fear.
 
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to directly answer your question:
nothing and no one is truly safe online. always remember that. there will always be a way for an entity (person or government) to pierce the veil and discover your identity.
that said, you should never stop speaking the truth out of fear.
So I should just not worry about using a VPN? I recently heard someone comment that as far as the FBI or CIA etc. are concerned, the attempt to conceal your location or identity is a red flag and causes them to assume you are up to something.
 

polymoog

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So I should just not worry about using a VPN? I recently heard someone comment that as far as the FBI or CIA etc. are concerned, the attempt to conceal your location or identity is a red flag and causes them to assume you are up to something.
i stopped caring about the FBI and the CIA. we cant live our lives worrying about them. vpn or not, they can locate you if they want.

however, your ISP is allowed to sell your browsing history, and walking around getting unknown wi-fi signals can lead to a breach of your data from your phone. vpns can also stop you from getting advertisements targeting yourself (speaking a word while the cellphone is nearby will trigger an ad in that same vein). i suppose its less of a concern for home desktop or laptop people, but vpns allow you to circumvent government censorship (like when you go to youtube and you arent allowed to watch a music video because its banned in your country). so if youre in china, a vpn is essential.
 
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i stopped caring about the FBI and the CIA. we cant live our lives worrying about them. vpn or not, they can locate you if they want.

however, your ISP is allowed to sell your browsing history, and walking around getting unknown wi-fi signals can lead to a breach of your data from your phone. vpns can also stop you from getting advertisements targeting yourself (speaking a word while the cellphone is nearby will trigger an ad in that same vein). i suppose its less of a concern for home desktop or laptop people, but vpns allow you to circumvent government censorship (like when you go to youtube and you arent allowed to watch a music video because its banned in your country). so if youre in china, a vpn is essential.

heres a list of free ones i came across while doing a bit of research to answer your question. that proton one is recommended by the editors, for what its worth.
https://www.pcmag.com/roundup/285788/the-best-free-vpn-services
I actually watched a video recently while researching VPNs and they strongly warned about using a free one because if you aren't paying them, they have to make money somehow and that would be selling your data. Also it wouldn't be worth their effort to fight releasing your info to authorities even if you were paying because an attorney to fight it would cost more than anyone would ever pay for the service. I am very demoralized.
 

polymoog

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I actually watched a video recently while researching VPNs and they strongly warned about using a free one because if you aren't paying them, they have to make money somehow and that would be selling your data. Also it wouldn't be worth their effort to fight releasing your info to authorities even if you were paying because an attorney to fight it would cost more than anyone would ever pay for the service. I am very demoralized.
yeah-- i just deleted that blurb about a free vpn-- i looked at the details. its not true. sorry about that link.

if privacy and data mining are a big thing, just get rid of your smart phone and get a older bare bones cellphone with no internet capability. i dont even own a phone myself.
 
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yeah-- i just deleted that blurb about a free vpn-- i looked at the details. its not true. sorry about that link.

if privacy and data mining are a big thing, just get rid of your smart phone and get a older bare bones cellphone with no internet capability. i dont even own a phone myself.
I don't even have a smart phone, I am a laptop user. For me it's ALL about the internet, lol, so it's not a option to simply unplug.
 

TruthSucker

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Imagine this: a room with one thousand people in it, one is wearing an anonymous mask. Who will catch attention?

If you do normal things in the internet you don't need a vpn. If you don't, you wouldn't ask us.
Meaning: if I would be a criminal I wouldn't use devices connected to the internet.
Meaning: the internet is big brother. Hello NSA!!

If you live in a dictatorship I would strongly advice to not use the internet for critical opinions easily. Then my advice would be: get the fuck outta there.
 

Mr.Anderson

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thing is, if you really want to be anonymous then the best option is with trowaway accounts and simply using various computers at diferente places, like in "destroy after use".

But if you get to the point you need to do this then you would really be deep into wathever you are doing, and then you shouldn't be on the internet anyway hehe.

If I reckon, russia opted for the use of typing machines because they were worried about security
 
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Imagine this: a room with one thousand people in it, one is wearing an anonymous mask. Who will catch attention?

If you do normal things in the internet you don't need a vpn. If you don't, you wouldn't ask us.
Meaning: if I would be a criminal I wouldn't use devices connected to the internet.
Meaning: the internet is big brother. Hello NSA!!

If you live in a dictatorship I would strongly advice to not use the internet for critical opinions easily. Then my advice would be: get the fuck outta there.
I don't like you answer or your attitude. Like someone said, Snowden maybe?, "Saying you don't care if the government is watching you because you don't have anything to hide is like saying you don't care about freedom of speech because you don't have anything to say." What is wrong internet activity depends on your political affiliation and which party is in power.
 

TruthSucker

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Thank you for the flowers.

Where did I say I don't care? Can you quote please? If not, can you apologize? I guess not.
Anyway, waste of time I think. I'm out.
 
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