Are we being tracked?

[MossRoad]

It reminds me of a joke I played on a coworker years ago. I installed a program on his computer that changed his curser from the standard one to a small hand exhibiting the middle finger every time he moved the cursor. It was fun for a day or 2.

We had a practical joker in my department. We'll say his last name was Williams. I was getting kinda tired of him and told him to knock it off. He kept at it. So I reconfigured his computer so that every keyboard button he pushed produced my voice in helium saying:
"OOPS! I pulled a Williams"
Push another key
"OOPS! I pulled a Williams"
Push them rapidly:
"OO OO OO OOPS! I pulled a Williams" "OO OO OO OO OO OO OOPS! I pulled a Williams"


Everyone in the department applauded. :laughing:

 

[oosik]

If "they" are tracking me - - fine. I just hope "they" find what "they" are all looking for. Been on the internet a loooong time and never had any negative experiences from being tracked. Maybe it's just that I don't go places that are of interest to "them".

 

[lilranch2001]

I have been computing since 1986 or 87, my first computer was a Tandy 1000EX, and upgrade soon to a real computer that could access the internet.

I dont think I have had anyone tracking me either, well other than a few lovely ladies after I got divorced!

 

[Tinhack]

IE-11 is being replaced by Edge which has been getting good reviews. Give Edge a try to see if problem persists.

Edge is just a version of Chrome. I don't load anything from Google on my PC.

You folks are so used to giving up your rights and privacy, you fail to see the importance of choice. Sad, very sad.

 

[/pine]

Edge is just a version of Chrome. I don't load anything from Google on my PC.

You folks are so used to giving up your rights and privacy, you fail to see the importance of choice. Sad, very sad.

LMAO...If you really had a clue about anonymity and secure Internet use you would not even be using any version of windoze and especially any version of their browser software...the mere fact of what you are claiming about IE proves you know less than zero about the subject and are clearly misinformed...

FYI...If you had a clue about the subject you would be recommending the Tor browser/network on a LINUX platform...

 

[MossRoad]

Edge is just a version of Chrome. I don't load anything from Google on my PC.

You folks are so used to giving up your rights and privacy, you fail to see the importance of choice. Sad, very sad.

Enjoy your little box.

 

[/pine]

For anyone that takes their online security and anonymity seriously below is a link to the Tor project...the browser etc is available for most popular operating systems...there is no need for any addons or plug-ins etc...as the best ones (like NoScript) are incorporated...

Tor Project | Anonymity Online

 

[riptides]

For anyone that takes their online security and anonymity seriously below is a link to the Tor project...the browser etc is available for most popular operating systems...there is no need for any addons or plug-ins etc...as the best ones (like NoScript) are incorporated...

Tor Project | Anonymity Online

The entire Tor project opens one up, IMHO, for a greater deal of scrutiny. I don't think that true anonymity has been achieved within since at least 2006.

 

[jjp8182]

The entire Tor project opens one up, IMHO, for a greater deal of scrutiny. I don't think that true anonymity has been achieved within since at least 2006.

I think I'd go back farther than that ...but that's just me and I'm probably more paranoid than most, but I just live with it as a price to be paid (for the most part).

On the topic of practical jokes, for a while I had a coworker would go around taking a screen shot, set it as the background image and then drop the task bar so it wasn't visible (but the screen shot image of it was). Tried to do it once to me, but the different sizes of screens I was running caused him enough grief that he was still there trying when I walked up :laughing:

IMHO the only real way a person would avoid being tracked across the digital landscape in this day and age *might* be to avoid even trekking in it (i.e. no phone, no internet usage, nothing) ....but I suspect that even living like you would in the 1800's wouldn't be sufficient as any sort of commercial interaction creates data that will (likely) be sold between commercial enterprises. Given how many governments now issue some form of identification number at birth I'd say "true anonymity" mostly likely died with the creation of birth certificates and government issued ID's.

Everything since then has just made it's loss more apparent. So to my mind it's less about being tracked and more about the intentions of the trackers.

....but that may just be me..... so it may not even be worth :2cents: ....:confused3:

 

[/pine]

It's all about the "in and out"...for any site or script (within a site) to extract any information it has to be allowed to leave a system...i.e., a site etc can't have what they can't get...and it all starts with a secure browser that does not allow scripts to run...along with a leak proof firewall that prevents a site/server from gaining access via ports beyond the typical http server ports...

Again...almost all data gleaned from common Internet users is had via scripts...by stopping said scripts from running you are stopping said data from being gathered and returned...if you don't know how to prevent scripts from being executed you are out of luck if you are seeking anonymity...it is not difficult to do this (prevent the execution of scripts) but you must be informed and realize they are running if not prevented...

LoL...try requesting a URI on what is commonly referred to (by novices) as "the dark web" etc...many of the "dark" destinations will not even open in most of the common browsers that novices use and the destinations are loaded with scripts that will eat a wannabe's OS for lunch...a majority of the destinations are commonly accessed via CLI's only and most users are lost before they ever get started...