How to protect myself from my goverment?

J

JimmiG

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Hi! The goverment in my country has now decided that starting from the 1st of january 2009, they will monitor all internet traffic. They will log all websites visited, log everything you type on Internet chat systems, recieve a copy of all emails you write and recieve etc., in realtime. Basically every packet you transmit and recieve will be copied and sent to an estabilishment for semi-automatic analysis using a supercomputer. This is done, according to the goverment, in order to find "threats" against the country.

I don't consider myself or the things I do on the Internet a "threat". I don't have anything in particular to hide, but I do want some privacy online. Especially if their database starts leaking information or gets hacked into or whatever. So, I was wondering what I can do to protect my privacy from those prying eyes? Would Tor be enough? From what I understand, it does not encrypt traffic, it only bounces it around. Would that still be enough to confuse their analysis tools? Can Tor be combined with encryption?
 
so what country are you from?

and i would convert everything you do to encrypted traffic. you can use https through gmail, some chat systems allow encryption, and so on. basically try to convert all your internet habits to some form of encryption. and make sure the servers you visit aren't hosted in your country.

i doubt you can do that with every aspect, but you can in at least some.
 
I'm from Sweden and you can read about the proposition here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_National_Defence_Radio_Establishment#Proposition_2006.2F07:63
It was decided yesterday that it will be applied starting january the 1st 2009.

This puts our country in the same league as China and Saudi Arabia.

Some argue that if you have nothing to hide, there's no need to worry.. But simply knowing that everything I do is being monitored is enough for me to take precautions to protect my privacy..and so far, encryption remains legal.
 
Wow.

Europe is doing this?

Last place I saw coming. I honestly thought it would happen here before it did anywhere else, (besides those crazy eastern asain places)
 
I highly doubt that they would archive everything and log everything... not to mention monitor everything. It most likley will pick up "suspects" and log those, once they are cleared it will most likley dump the data and continue looking.
 
Have you ever used a public computer lab.....welcome to the world we live in. whether you want to believe it or not anything you do these days is public domain. no matter where in the world you live. In some aspects i see a valid point in these types of laws and regulations (online pedafiles hosting in countries with no laws to prohibit, bank fraud) but for the most part there just is no good way of policing a worldwide network. every country has it's own laws but they can usually be avoided by using servers in a different country, and if a law can be circumvented in some fashion you can bet someone will figure it out and take advantage cuasing more laws to be made until we are all criminals in some fashion, if we aren't already....
 
I'm pretty sure that law is aimed toward warrantless wiretapping, they can monitor anyone within the country accessing international sites/phone calls/faxes. From what I've read it doesn't seem to be a broad sweep of everyone in the country only those that they deem as a 'threat'.
 
Then I hope the Swedes have a lot of extra money to throw around for the amount of resources they will need to be big brother....

edit:for nationality correction :p
 
TrEpIdAtIoN said:
Then I hope the Swedes have a lot of extra money to throw around for the amount of resources they will need to be big brother....

EDITED for his correction, roffle
Click to expand...

that is an understatement... especially considering how massive the pipes people have in sweden... they'll need entire datacenters dedicated to logging as much stuff as you say...

its not like monitoring 100 people in USA with 5mbps cable... 50 and 100 mbps synch lines aren't uncommon even in residential areas in sweden
 
quote from wikipidia:

"News reports from Sweden's state broadcast network [8] and other sources[9] report that FRA have in fact been conducting potentially illegal eavesdropping on Swedish citizens for a decade. According to the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment's General Director, Ingvar Åkesson, they destroy the data collected after eighteen months, but they confirm that they have in fact been collecting information not just on foreigners but also on Swedes as the presence of Swedish search terms used on the data would indicate"

wow, they've already been doing it and just want this passed so their illegal activities will now be legal.

so who are sweden's enemies anwyay? i thought everyone loved sweden..... and their hot blondes!
 
hate to brake it to you all but they been doing this type of thing for a long time. it's called Echelon look it up on youtube
 
A society that is willing to sacrifice a little freedom for a little security deserves neither and will lose both.

Does that ring any bells to you, and by you I refer to those who -even partially- see some logic in such actions.

Once you start to go that road in order to gain a false feeling of safety, there is no turning back and there are also no limits.

Do you even REALISE how close to the nightmare 1984 suggests we are ? Do you realise that monitoring your internet activity means monitoring stuff you do in your. own. house. ?

And last but certainly not least, do you realise that if today they officialy monitor our internet activity, tomorrow they might monitor our general activity, even in house ?

It is almost sad the fact that people cannot really see beyond their noses and think of the big picture. Ultimately it's not they that will take our privacy and freedom away. It is us who will give up on it.

PS : I do understand that monitoring the internet may result in some arrests. But so would monitoring our houses. I pity europe for going down the us way. And I am a european citizen.
 
Stardusted said:
A society that is willing to sacrifice a little freedom for a little security deserves neither and will lose both.
Click to expand...

Well said, and I must say I totally agree. I really could get on a tirade about this subject but I live in the land of the "Patriot Act" and I can't risk being seen as "unpatriotic"......................... (as I look over my shoulder)

To the OP, I think I would go the route of a VPN service if at all possible.
 
Ockie said:
I highly doubt that they would archive everything and log everything... not to mention monitor everything. It most likley will pick up "suspects" and log those, once they are cleared it will most likley dump the data and continue looking.
Click to expand...

I definetly agree. They are problably just searching keywords like terrorism , attacks, invasions stuff like that. I would think it is almost impossible to monitor all traffic. Because wow you would need alot of resources to monitor that much stuff.
 
I remember on dslreports that NSA had direct access to verizon's backbone, with the ability to do whatever they wanted.

This happens in every country. Nobody will stop it and nobody will care until its too late.
 
I think it's crazy to go that far and pretty much check every single thing people are doing online.. But.. It never bothered me TOO much.. Only because I don't do anything that's well.. illegal :) Same with being searched at the airport and having to go through tougher security now.. As long as it's for our safety, I don't care if they search me or my stuff.

But I understand how most people thing it's wrong for the government to do it... I mean, what's next? Video cameras in our houses/apartments? It's a double edged sword.. If they use the technology to actually catch criminals and manage to stop them from committing some acts of crime, then I feel it's worth it at least.
 
Syribo said:
I think it's crazy to go that far and pretty much check every single thing people are doing online.. But.. It never bothered me TOO much.. Only because I don't do anything that's well.. illegal :) Same with being searched at the airport and having to go through tougher security now.. As long as it's for our safety, I don't care if they search me or my stuff.

But I understand how most people thing it's wrong for the government to do it... I mean, what's next? Video cameras in our houses/apartments? It's a double edged sword.. If they use the technology to actually catch criminals and manage to stop them from committing some acts of crime, then I feel it's worth it at least.
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I'm all for safer "everything" but the question is, how far is too far?

Basically it boils down to a privacy issue. Should the government (or anyone else) know that you like to look at midget porn? Absolutely not.

I just hope that they use these techniques to filter and catch real criminals.
 
Gott said:
I'm all for safer "everything" but the question is, how far is too far?

Basically it boils down to a privacy issue. Should the government (or anyone else) know that you like to look at midget porn? Absolutely not.

I just hope that they use these techniques to filter and catch real criminals.
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Yeah that's exactly my point. It's bittersweet... IF they use it to catch real criminals, and not just put people in jail for downloading some songs off the internet, then I would say it IS worth it..

But chances are they're going to mostly use it to get people for pirating (Don't you think?), not actually trying to solve crimes like fraud, robbery, murder, etc.
 
Gott said:
Basically it boils down to a privacy issue. Should the government (or anyone else) know that you like to look at midget porn? Absolutely not.
Click to expand...

Woah woah woah, too much info there ;) :D
 
Gott said:
I'm all for safer "everything" but the question is, how far is too far?

Basically it boils down to a privacy issue. Should the government (or anyone else) know that you like to look at midget porn? Absolutely not.

I just hope that they use these techniques to filter and catch real criminals.
Click to expand...

Lol. I think your saying you like to watch nude midgets. Just kidding around hope I dont get slammed for off subject post but it all in good humor.
 
Governments have been doing this for years. The internet is no longer obscure, its an every day thing for many people, and it is a VERY PUBLIC PLACE. Just as your actions are subject to observation in public so should you be wary of that on the Internet. You may be in the privacy of your house, but your network actions propagate outward into the public domain. You can have as much privacy as you wish to have on the internet, secure transactions, encrypted email, etc. You should expect at this point in time that if you do not do these things that you have any privacy at all.

People bust out the tinfoil and start ranting about 1984 all they want but it won't get to that point unless your government prohibits you from taking privacy measures which at least here in the US they don't, despite the fact that they spy on us, and laws or lack thereof are not going to change that EVER.
 
I do have to say i agree again. It is utter bull crap that any one should be able to invade our privacy in such a manner. Has any one ever wondered why the USA is the only country you cant own an automatic weapon in. Ever wondered why driving is a priviledge in the USA and not a right like in every other country in the world. I say bull shit to all of it I dont do anything wrong with my pc but I sure as hell dont want some one watching every thing i do that is my business no one elses. Also terrorism doesnt happen over an internet conection. It happens in the middle of no where when people come up with a plan to do some evil stuff. DO YOU REALLY Think Hilter would have sent his mom an email telling her he was going to massacre 6 million jews. Right they are using bullshit reasons jus to see what you are doing. I think its all crap if we all just sit around and let whom ever look at what we are all doing.
 
heavenlykid said:
I do have to say i agree again. It is utter bull crap that any one should be able to invade our privacy in such a manner. Has any one ever wondered why the USA is the only country you cant own an automatic weapon in. Ever wondered why driving is a priviledge in the USA and not a right like in every other country in the world. I say bull shit to all of it I dont do anything wrong with my pc but I sure as hell dont want some one watching every thing i do that is my business no one elses. Also terrorism doesnt happen over an internet conection. It happens in the middle of no where when people come up with a plan to do some evil stuff. DO YOU REALLY Think Hilter would have sent his mom an email telling her he was going to massacre 6 million jews. Right they are using bullshit reasons jus to see what you are doing. I think its all crap if we all just sit around and let whom ever look at what we are all doing.
Click to expand...

Godwin's law pwns you!

In fact your whole post is full of hyperbole.
 
whatever any government is going to log, is that data safe from hackers? It's probably not that bad if my govt knows i'm looknig at nekkid japanese girls, but if Al Queda or chinese radicals get their hands on the info.....

It'll be hilarious if someone manages to steal a bunch of corporate information which the govt logged. (just in case some smart alec says no one's interested in what i do at home)
 
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