I know a lot of people here are computer wonks and was wondering if anyone could recommend a good proxy to me.
Define “safe proxy” and “good proxy”.
Any proxy that isn’t recording my typing and tracking my browsing.
you can use tor.
its a network of servers so it is very hard to track, but dont do anything bad on it!
Do you use it Kelvin?
Sometimes.
IDK if I want to know about the times you use it for.
Well, there isn’t exactly a way to “record typing” without actual keylogging software installed in the machine. A simple proxy isn’t going to be able to do that (unless of course you visit a malicious fake site, posing as a proxy, and then malware gets access to your machine either through an exploit or from you manually downloading it.)
As for tracking your browsing, as long as you’re using secure connections end to end (and you’re not on a machine that is rigged to offer false security certificates), the proxy shouldn’t be able to read your data. But this isn’t full proof.
Plus there’s the aspect of maintaining protection from any man in the middle who might sniff your requests as they are being sent to the proxy. This should be overcome if you have a secure connection to the proxy server itself.
Perhaps this will help:
http://ask-leo.com/can_an_anonymous_proxy_service_capture_my_email_password.html
However, there are limitations to this, as far as privacy goes. The most obvious of which is, the proxy knows your IP and the requests you’re making. They also can see your traffic load. So even if your data is encrypted, there’s still quite a bit of info you’re giving away.
Tor is essentially a network and protocol that overcomes this issue by routing traffic through at least three different servers before sending it on to the destination. By having a separate layer of encryption for each of the three relays, there’s virtually no way for any party on the Internet to connect you with your traffic…that is, there’s essentially no way for anyone to know what you’re doing…not even the servers (i.e. sites) you’re visiting. (There are caveats to this though, for example, if someone knows enough to be watching your traffic as well as the traffic of the site(s) you’re visiting, it is feasible that through matching traffic volume and the timing of packets, a sniffer could potentially piece together your surfing. This is why there are best practices to be regarded when using Tor, and things to be mindful of when attempting to work anonymously.)
Visit
https://www.torproject.org/ and get reading. (This will step you through.)
Yeah I have been reading about Tor software since Silva sent it to me. I totally forgot the word keylogging lol. I was thinking to myself “hmm I can’t remember what it was called? recording type??” lol. JJ how do you know this stuff? Self taught?
@EL: What’s wrong with Tor??
Google uses SSL if you have “https” in your browser bar, then you are accessing google through SSL, which means that it would be difficult for anyone besides Google to view your search queries.
Depending on the level of “untraceability” required, there are any number of measures you can take to varying degrees of exoticness. I suppose for CIA-level paranoia, you might purchase a laptop, configure Tor, go to a free WiFi hotspot somewhere a reasonable distance from your house where you will not be on security camera, set up SSL-over-Tor and then access a web proxy through SSL-over-Tor and then wipe the hard drive using a secure wiping utility and/or physically destroy the laptop when finished. You can reduce the specs on this down to your desired balance of economy versus security.
Clayton -
only need to destroy the network card no?
Oh and the laptop that you use cannot have any previous uses which may be associated with your identity, AND make sure the laptop that you bought was either
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stolen
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bought with cash. credit/debit/checks are too unsecure and traceable.
isnt that redundant as tor is already just a bunch of proxies connected together?
Don’t use a stolen laptop… why use a laptop that someone is looking for??
I meant to use an “SSL web proxy” over Tor… Tor is not encrypted, it’s just an onion-router. So, you need to either use a VPN or you need to connect to an SSL proxy through Tor, otherwise, you have information leakage even if only some of your packets are intercepted.
Clayton -
Are anyone of us actually this paranoid? You’d figure that the CIA has bigger targets to go after than a bunch of guys who see the state for what is.
You’re right. They’re probably more worried about the bunch of guys who see the state for what it is.
You’d think this sounds complex, but Clay is just describing what he does everytime he logs on to Mises.
I mean, that’s up to each person - the point is simply to illustrate the tradeoff between security and economy… the more you need to economize, the more security compromises you’ll have to accept. A lot of people just install some Tor browsing client and then think “Ooh, I’m secure, the government can’t track me.” Idiot, your ISP has access to every single byte of data you’re pulling down off the web (or pushing up).
@JJ: Actually, I have this specially-made pair of Internet-browser sunglasses that self destruct 5 seconds after I’m done using them…
Clayton -