If you are engaging in activities on the internet that are questionable or require some type of security and anonymity or just sitting @ Starbucks or McD's accessing their public WIFI you may want to check this out...
While looking more into VPN services I came accross the
TOR project @ TORproject .org as well as the
Guardian project @ guardianproject.info and have been using TOR now for a few weeks and I have to say I'm impressed...Downloaded the software for desktop after trying it out on my kindle for a few weeks....
[h=2]Tor: Overview[/h]
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Inception[/h]
Tor was originally designed, implemented, and deployed as a third-generation onion routing project of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. It was originally developed with the U.S. Navy in mind, for the primary purpose of protecting government communications. Today, it is used every day for a wide variety of purposes by normal people, the military, journalists, law enforcement officers, activists, and many others.
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Overview[/h]
Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy.
Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers.
Groups such as Indymedia recommend Tor for safeguarding their members' online privacy and security. Activist groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recommend Tor as a mechanism for maintaining civil liberties online. Corporations use Tor as a safe way to conduct competitive analysis, and to protect sensitive procurement patterns from eavesdroppers. They also use it to replace traditional VPNs, which reveal the exact amount and timing of communication. Which locations have employees working late? Which locations have employees consulting job-hunting websites? Which research divisions are communicating with the company's patent lawyers?
As to VPN services... Do some research... some of the paid VPN services keep logs, and personal info, some more than others and a few have also surrendered that info over when requested by LE....
http://invisibler.com/lulzsec-and-hidemyass/
Hidemyass VPN based in the UK surrendered info to the FBI relating to the investigation of Cody Kretsinger in 2011...
A branch of the U.S. Navy uses Tor for open source intelligence gathering, and one of its teams used Tor while deployed in the Middle East recently. Law enforcement uses Tor for visiting or surveilling web sites without leaving government IP addresses in their web logs, and for security during sting operations.
android mobile apps:
Orbot:
Anonymous Web Browsing
Orbot brings the capabilities of Tor to Android. Tor uses Onion Routing to provide access to network services that may be blocked, censored or monitored, while also protecting the identity of the user requesting those resources.
Orweb: a browser with increased privacy
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Orweb is a privacy enhanced web browser that supports proxies. When used with [/FONT]
Orbot[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
, Orweb protects against network analysis, blocks cookies, keeps no local browsing history, and disables Flash to keep you safe.[/FONT]
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You can also configure Firefox mobile with the:[/FONT]
Proxy Mobile Add-On
A Firefox for Android Add-on which exposes HTTP and SOCKS proxy settings through a new options menu. This enables the user to connect with Tor through Orbot, as well as any network proxy service.
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However, those @ Amazon like to have your info go through their servers and have made it difficult to set up any type of VPN on the Kindle, so in my case I had to do a little more work since I don't want to root my Kindle just ye......So, I Downloaded Opera Mobile app and set the http/https proxy settings to the TOR network. That allows me to open Orbot, connect to TOR then use Opera Mobile...[/FONT]
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now, when I need it all my internet traffic is routed through the TOR network, it's encrypted, and I'm anonymous... when you log in to the network your connection is verified on the start page showing what your IP address appears as to others...
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torproject.org has all you need for information and software download to your desktop or android mobile device...
Guardianproject.info has much more related to the android products as well as app downloads...
Additional information: WSJ Online
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324677204578185382377144280.html
Tor: An Anonymous, And Controversial Way to Web-Surf
More on VPN's that moved me in this direction:
For Info on VPN services and what info they retain as well as the recent Hidemyass incident:
http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-providers-really-take-anonymity-seriously-111007/?
Lifehacker has alot of info and has compiled a list of top VPN's and what info they store...
http://lifehacker.com/5940565/why-y...and-how-to-choose-the-best-one-for-your-needs
They also show you how to set up your own VPN with
OpenVPN and/or
Hamachi if you may only be concerned with public WIFI security...
http://lifehacker.com/5900969/build...-streaming-remote-access-and-oh-yeah-security
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