Posted on 02/05/2010 1:38:42 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
The FBI is pressing Internet service providers to record which Web sites customers visit and retain those logs for two years, a requirement that law enforcement believes could help it in investigations of child pornography and other serious crimes.
FBI Director Robert Mueller supports storing Internet users' "origin and destination information," a bureau attorney said at a federal task force meeting on Thursday.
As far back as a 2006 speech, Mueller had called for data retention on the part of Internet providers, and emphasized the point two years later when explicitly asking Congress to enact a law making it mandatory. But it had not been clear before that the FBI was asking companies to begin to keep logs of what Web sites are visited, which few if any currently do.
The FBI is not alone in renewing its push for data retention. As CNET reported earlier this week, a survey of state computer crime investigators found them to be nearly unanimous in supporting the idea. Matt Dunn, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the Department of Homeland Security, also expressed support for the idea during the task force meeting.
Greg Motta, the chief of the FBI's digital evidence section, said that the bureau was trying to preserve its existing ability to conduct criminal investigations. Federal regulations in place since at least 1986 require phone companies that offer toll service to "retain for a period of 18 months" records including "the name, address, and telephone number of the caller, telephone number called, date, time and length of the call."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.cnet.com ...
If there is open talk about it, you know they are already doing it. CRAP!!!!!
It is one thing to tap someones service when criminal activity is suspected, but it is quite another to collect data just in case. This is crap.
We are all criminals now, my brothers!
One word: TOR
Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security known as traffic analysis.
Tor protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you visit from learning your physical location. Tor works with many of your existing applications, including web browsers, instant messaging clients, remote login, and other applications based on the TCP protocol.
I've been using it for several years myself and it works well.
People, use OpenDNS for your DNS web address conversion and use IXQuick or Scroogle.org for your search engine choices.
IXQuick even has a proxy to view most webpages without ANYONE knowing. Also, they do not record or pass on IP addresses or keep any search records. Scroogle.org is not audited to assure privacy, but they say they anonymize your search against Google.com.
One final thing—use NoScript in Firefox or some similar utility to stop Google from recording your every webpage hit. Websites use Google Syndication to note traffic—even Free Republic does this. It used to be considered pretty harmless, but in reality, Google (now in partnership with the NSA), is linking your hits and IP addresses against your search results against your gmail against everything you click on. All available with one warrant or inquiry, or by any of the liberals that run Google just for fun.
Google is more “evil” than people think Microsoft has been. And your local internet provider may start running right up there soon.
They can start with Barney Frank’s computer. There is probably stuff on there that would make Larry Flint shutter.
One thing we know for certain, based on the sleaziness of leftwing government bureaucrats and SEIU government employees, is that the information will be misused to go after political opponents.
Sarah Palin’s website visits will probably be among the most popular viewing for leftwing government bureaucrats.
TOR lets people’s computer serve as the output for requests—this is not safe at all. A criminal in New York using TOR sends child porn through your TOR connection, making him anonymous but you are now the one who appears to have sent it through to the final destination.
Not cool and totally worthless in that regard.
Figure somebody’s gonna find your naked pictures of Nancy Pelosi?
This is huge.
Whats next, licensing internet site content with government?
The TOR website reads like being a relay is optional.
The Fuds appear to be doing a great job of catching some criminals already. Why do they need to catalogue internet usage. What is their parameter of specific sites they want to monitor? Possibly FR would be one of those right wing conservative rebel sites they would also feel the need to watch, because it fits into their parameters of keeping an eye on potential subversive or criminal elements.
Word to the FUDS, focus on terrorists. When you get that right, then maybe you can find other people to monitor.
That is interesting, but since every byte of data going to and from your computer does so through your ISP’s servers seems like there is no real way to have any privacy unless everything is encrypted which is not feasible.
If big brother really wants to watch..nothing much we can do about it.
OMG thats funny as HELL! (nice tag too)
Clearing your cookies or using a generic cookie against Google is only minimally helpful.
Every computer that hits against Google, including for Google Talk, Gmail, Google Earth, Free Republic, etc, has its IP address saved by Google. If you run on Comcast cable, for instance, you are in an IP address range that, at its most, is likely randomized to 256 addresses in your immediate neighborhood. You keep this address on your modem, typically until the power goes out. So you need to reset your modem at least daily, right?
Nope, that won’t help. Because even if you did, you will have visited say, five sites that are your normal sites, under any IP address you had. Guess what? Google knows you visit these sites because of Google Syndication and your search clickthroughs. You have an easily identifiable routine that quickly makes your visits today to Free Republic and elsewhere line right up with the recorded behavior of a slightly different IP from yesterday (say, that wouldn’t be YOU, would it?). Therefore, you are incredibly easy to track just by Google.
Google says they anonymize the last 256 bits of an IP address after many months, but as I just showed you, you are still easily found and lined up against what you do today under a different IP address and a different cookie.
Oh, and many people are using Google Chrome as their browser, or using Google as the default search in Firefox. On top of that, Google Android phones all phone home for everything you do. Do you access Hotmail on your phone using XXX@hotmail.com as your address? Google may know this, and definitely knows this if you set the Gmail account you use to pull your Hotmail emails into it for easier viewing (Google wants you to use them as the hub of everything).
Starve the beasts by the tools I mentioned above.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.