Protecting your privacy and keeping yourself from getting hacked

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u9 j[u9h[[9[hj

deprave said:

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u9 j[u9h[[9[hj

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Tor (short for The Onion Router)[SUP][5][/SUP] is a system intended to enable online anonymity. Tor client software directs internet traffic through a worldwide volunteer network of servers to conceal a user's location or usage from anyone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis. Using Tor makes it more difficult to trace Internet activity, including "visits to Web sites, online posts, instant messages and other communication forms", back to the user[SUP][6][/SUP] and is intended to protect users' personal freedom, privacy, and ability to conduct confidential business by keeping their internet activities from being monitored.

"Onion Routing" refers to the layered nature of the encryption service: The original data are encrypted and re-encrypted multiple times, then sent through successive Tor relays, each one of which decrypts a "layer" of encryption before passing the data on to the next relay and, ultimately, its destination. This reduces the possibility of the original data being unscrambled or understood in transit.[SUP][7][/SUP]
The Tor client is free software and use of the Tor network is free of charge.



[video=youtube;B38zx7TPDC4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B38zx7TPDC4[/video]

https://www.torproject.org/download/download

Does anyone use it? On wikipedia it says there are vulnerabilities. At the torproject.org website, before you download, is the warning:

Don't enable or install browser pluginsThe Tor Browser will block browser plugins such as Flash, RealPlayer, Quicktime, and others: they can be manipulated into revealing your IP address. Similarly, we do not recommend installing additional addons or plugins into the Tor Browser, as these may bypass Tor or otherwise harm your anonymity and privacy. The lack of plugins means that Youtube videos are blocked by default, but Youtube does provide an experimental opt-in feature (enable it here)that works for some videos



Is it something you can turn on and off? Is it its own browser?

I've used it. It has its benefits like anonymity, but it can be slow as HELL at times tho. There are some vulnerabilities.

The way it works is people connect networks others have setup and they just bounce the traffic, the network you're connected to changes every certain amount of time. Everything is encrypted, however, just because something is encrypted doesn't mean it's 100% safe. There are ways of cracking things.

There are other ways to stay anonymous, you can even use them and TOR for extra security. Just remember the more you use, the slower your internet will be.

And Yes, It is it's own browser.

I use an offshore open vpn whenever I'm online, as I'm sure many RIU members do. Look for one that keeps no logs, and takes privacy very seriously. The cost is minimal (less than $10 per month) and if you take the time to find the best servers for you, you can experience almost no loss in bandwidth speed...