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Secrets to Masking Your Identity Online

In a previous post, we offered a few tips about protecting online anonymity. We addressed browser security, VPNs, TOR, and proxy servers.

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Now we will explore a few other steps to masking your identity online.

Phone Security

If you’re serious about protecting your anonymity, the easiest way is to ditch your smart phone. Apple, which owns the iOS system, is obsessed with control; and Google, which owns Android, vacuums up your personal data for its advertisers. For anonymity, you need a pre-paid phone. It’s what police call a ‘burner’.

The advantage of using a pre-paid phone is that your name can’t be traced to it. Of course, GPS triangulation can still locate the phone, so you’ll have to throw it away to guarantee that your location won’t be tracked.

If you don’t want to give up your smart phone, masking your identity requires another step. You’ll need more numbers for your device. You can get extra temporary numbers through several apps.

There are some disadvantages with the temporary numbers. One is inability to call 911. Also, the pool of available numbers is small, and they’re often recycled, so you may receive calls you don’t want from people trying to reach someone who had your number before.

Available ‘burner’ number services include CoverMe, Too, Burner, and Hushed. Burner is the original.

Too charges $1.99 per month plus 3 cents per minute and 8 cents per text. CoverMe charges $4.99 for 130 texts and 130 voice voice minutes. Hushed charges $1.99 for 7 days or $3.99 per month- with limits on texts and calling. Burner charges $4.99 per month for a premium subscription with unlimited texts, calls, and pictures.

Most of Burner’s numbers expire after a specified period. Any number you don’t renew is burned. With the premium subscription, you can get a permanent second number.

In-Home Firewalls

If your computer is connected directly to a modem, then you’re vulnerable. Hackers are constantly probing IP addresses for routes into computer systems.

Masking your identity online may require a router with a built-in firewall. Such a router will assign an IP address to each home device on your network through Network Address Translation (NAT). These addresses will be visible only on your home network. This step alone will stop most direct attacks.

If your system doesn’t have a built-in firewall, you can buy a security suite with firewall software. Norton Symantec and Avast are two of the better-known providers of of such security packages.

To be continued…

You may want to do more for masking your identity online, such as securing your e-mail and finding out what information your device is giving away. We will cover these subjects in a future post. Watch for it.

 

If you don’t have a reliable web connection, get one. Talk to us. We can help.

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TABLET OPTIONS: WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU?

Have you considered buying a tablet computer? There are certain advantages in owning one. Tablets handle all of the functions that smart phones do, but have much larger screens. If you want to watch videos, or you need to examine documents while away from home, a tiny phone screen might not be enough. And with a wireless mouse and a plug-in keyboard, a tablet can function like a full-size laptop or desktop computer. No other electronic device is as versatile.

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How do you pick the right one, though? You have multiple options, with widely varying specs and features.  You’ll need to consider operating systems, battery life, screen size, memory, and accessories.

What will you use it for?

If you want to use your tablet for graphics, you’ll need a large screen size, high resolution, and support for a stylus. If you plan to use your device for watching videos, screen size and battery life could be crucial- especially if you use your device away from home. If portability is important, you’ll want one of the smaller and lighter models. If you need to process huge amount of data, you’ll need plenty of memory and processing speed.

Operating Systems

If you want advanced graphic functions, an iOS device is probably your best choice, though Android and Windows 10 are beginning to catch up. In our view, the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil would be the ideal combination for graphics. If you’re accustomed to Windows, Microsoft’s Windows 10 OS offers a complete desktop operating system in a tablet. Android devices are compatible with a wide variety of other devices- and they usually cost less than Apple devices.

Price

Apple products tend to cost much more than Windows or Android devices. The iPad sells for $329 to $559. Tablets in the iPad Pro line sell for $649 to $1279.

If you’re budget conscious, an Android tablet would be a better option. The Amazon Fire HD 8 version is a bargain at just $80 through Amazon. The Lenovo Tab 10 costs just $119. The Asus ZenPad 8 costs $128. At the upper end for Android tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 starts at $598 (Amazon); the Google Pixel C sells for $685.

Windows 10 tablets tend to fall into the middle of the price range. Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet, which functions almost like an iPad Pro, sells for $719. The HP X2 Detachable sells for $250.

When evaluating price, consider the cost of accessories. For most Windows 10 tablets, keyboards are included.

Our Choices

For graphics, and the most complete range of functions, we’d choose the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil.  If you don’t like the Apple system, the Surface Pro is a solid alternative.

For tight budgets, we recommend the Lenovo Tab 10 or the Asus ZenPad 8. The Amazon Fire HD 8 is cheaper- just $80. But Amazon Fire users lack access to the Google Play Store. For us, the more limited selection of apps is a disqualifier.

 

(To get the most from your computer, you need the right internet service. For the best deals in home internet, shop with Satellite Country. Talk to us. We can help.)

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BLADE RUNNER: IS THIS YOUR FUTURE?

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In Blade Runner, a 1982 science fiction movie, large corporations control nearly everything. The individual is almost powerless. It’s virtually impossible to hold anyone accountable for anything important, because decision makers are faceless and remote. Bureaucracy pervades every facet of life.

Some people argue that the hellish vision in Blade Runner is our future. Gigantic corporations will consolidate their control over our economic life.

Such predictions may seem to be credible. Certain corporate giants, such as Facebook and Google, threaten to acquire near monopolies in their markets- and in control of information. Microsoft, Apple, General Electric, and Exxon are still among the world’s largest firms. If present trends continue, can you keep your independence? Is a Blade Runner type of dystopia inevitable?

In the past, size was a decisive market advantage. Giant corporations owned infrastructure, industrial machines, and factories. They owned distribution networks. They could produce much more than smaller businesses could. Their expenses were spread over a larger number of units. It was much easier to organize production within one firm than among many. In the Machine Age, massive size made sense.

Is this true today? Will it be true in our future?

It might not be. In the Information Age, the advantage of size is not as great as before. Some of the means of production, previously out of reach for individuals and small businesses, are much more accessible. Anyone with the necessary skills can write a new app. With only a computer and a web connection, he can make and sell his products from home.

Bringing new industrial products to market is no longer the exclusive domain of corporate giants. With about $20,000, you could buy a router, a CNC machine, and a 3D printer, and they’d be almost as accurate as the ones owned by industrial giants. If you can’t afford your own machines, you can rent time on someone else’s. You could even rent a factory instead of building your own. This can be true of large scale production, not just product development. Some computer chip designers have been renting capacity in chip foundries owned by others.

The Blade Runner may not have been prophecy. For every centralizing economic trend, there is a decentralizing trend, so we are not doomed to a miserable future of domination by giant corporations. In the future, we may have greater control over our lives.

We will say more about this in another post.

(To take control of your economic future, you need a reliable internet connection. If you don’t have one, talk to us. We can help.)