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How to protect your PC from PRISM surveillance
PC World ^ | June 7, 2013 | Mark Hachman, PC World

Posted on 06/11/2013 11:48:04 AM PDT by Nachum

PC World - Thursday afternoon, a bombshell dropped: Two leading reports claimed that the U.S. government has been spying on emails, searches, Skype calls, and other electronic communications used by Americans for the last several years, via a program known as PRISM.

[ALSO: Prism leaker steps forward]

According to the reports, the Web's largest names--AOL, Apple, Facebook,A Google, Microsoft, Skype, PalTalk, Yahoo, and YouTube--participated, perhaps unwittingly. (Dropbox will reportedly be added as well.) The report claims that the National Security Agency had "direct access" to servers owned by those companies. Most, if not all, of those companies have denied participating in PRISM, although it's unclear whether they were unaware of the NSA's spying, or simply turned a blind eye.

According toA The Guardian andA The Washington Post, the data covered included: "email, video and voice chat, videos, photos, voice-over-IP chats, file transfers, social networking details, and more."

If nothing else, however, the PRISM disclosure is worrying and deeply shocking. If the report is accurate, the government may simply listen in on virtually any electronic communication you've made, in the interests of national security. Is this something that should be encouraged to fight domestic terrorism, or is this sort of government intrusion something that should be deeply distrusted? For the purposes of this story, we're going to err on the side of the latter; whether you take advantage of our advice is up to you.

Note that there is absolutely no guarantee that our tips will make your PC PRISM proof. One of the generally held beliefs in the security world is that, with enough resources on the part of the attacker, any secrets that are known about can eventually be unearthed. But let's say that you support an "Arab Spring" movement in a country whose interests parallel those

(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cybersecurity; prism; protectpc
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To: Buckeye McFrog

“The #1 use for Skype is video sex. Thus Obama has the blackmail goods on a WHOLE lotta people”

And how many of those people are reporters who better report pleasing articles about Obama or House or Senate members who better vote the way he wants them to?


21 posted on 06/11/2013 12:05:11 PM PDT by No Socialist
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To: Revolting cat!

LOL


22 posted on 06/11/2013 12:06:00 PM PDT by P-Marlowe (There can be no Victory without a fight and no battle without wounds.)
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To: Revolting cat!
Disconnect from the internet, which is what I’ve done.

I pull the wireless connection every time I leave my computer.

23 posted on 06/11/2013 12:06:06 PM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (The Second Amendment is NOT about the right to hunt. It IS a right to shoot tyrants.)
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To: servo1969
They are reading this right now!

Take the Blue pill

24 posted on 06/11/2013 12:06:29 PM PDT by showme_the_Glory (ILLEGAL: prohibited by law. ALIEN: Owing political allegiance to another country or government)
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To: MeganC

Right!...further the new Data Bases storing all this data are also about designing and breaking various codes and encryptions.

People just need to realize there is no place to hide your stuff...if they want to get it or in they will.

But really...we’ve known this all along. After all...how do people feel when they’re on line and the updates start rolling in?


25 posted on 06/11/2013 12:07:28 PM PDT by caww
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To: Buckeye McFrog

Let’s arrest them all for viewing child porn. There has to be a teenager or two doing the nasty over skype.


26 posted on 06/11/2013 12:07:48 PM PDT by No Socialist
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To: Nachum

Bookmarked.


27 posted on 06/11/2013 12:08:21 PM PDT by Navy Patriot (Join the Democrats, it's not Fascism when WE do it, and the Constitution and law mean what WE say.)
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To: proxy_user
TOR over commercial VPN.

The FEDS own/control most of the TOR nodes.

All computing devices with communications ability (servers, your PC, etc) have a BACKDOOR built in which requires no 'encryption breaking', no 'password'. Federal 'law' requires it.

28 posted on 06/11/2013 12:09:18 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (The monsters are due on Maple Street)
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To: caww

Unplug the battery (back up the data beforehand)

Can they still track it with the battery unplugged?


29 posted on 06/11/2013 12:13:00 PM PDT by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57 returning after lurking since 2000))
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To: Utah Binger

A laser can be reflected off the ‘string’ picking up the vibrations and decoded back into ‘voice’.

So...basically ANY communication whatsoever, no matter how secure one thinks it is, can be picked up.

Even if you are standing face to face with your spouse in your living room. Even your ‘movements’ inside your house can be detected.


30 posted on 06/11/2013 12:13:46 PM PDT by UCANSEE2 (The monsters are due on Maple Street)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

“The #1 use for Skype is video sex.”

I’m doing it wrong then


31 posted on 06/11/2013 12:13:52 PM PDT by AppyPappy (Obama: What did I not know and when did I not know it?)
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To: WildHighlander57

Maybe. Even with the battery out there’s still a charge the equivalent of a watch battery keeping some info from being lost.


32 posted on 06/11/2013 12:17:31 PM PDT by servo1969
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To: caww

Exactly!


33 posted on 06/11/2013 12:18:10 PM PDT by Principle Over Politics (Is this a free country or what?)
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To: WildHighlander57
You'd be amazed the tactics they have at their disposal....

I know there's humor that they can come in thru your refrigerator...but take Gates house where it's all tied in together....if your refrigerator has the components...they have the means to hear anything in your home. Years ago they could put a device on any line going into your home and hear your conversations. So what they are doing now should not be such a shock to people.

We've been told all along they can access all your stuff...and they can.

34 posted on 06/11/2013 12:19:08 PM PDT by caww
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To: UCANSEE2

Did you see the latest...where you can wave from across the room to disengage your tv etc...but at the same rate they can tell by your movements where you are in your home or business?


35 posted on 06/11/2013 12:20:47 PM PDT by caww
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To: UCANSEE2

Did you see the latest...where you can wave from across the room to disengage your tv etc...but at the same rate they can tell by your movements where you are in your home or business?


36 posted on 06/11/2013 12:20:48 PM PDT by caww
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To: Buckeye McFrog

I looked at the changes made by Craigslist recently and I think that the storage of the database is part of this system. One cannot ever erase anything from craigslist. If you post it it is out there forever.

Good for the irs I guess, if you sell secondhand stuff.


37 posted on 06/11/2013 12:24:52 PM PDT by Chickensoup (200 million unarmed " people killed in the 20th century by Leftist Totalitarian Fascists)
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To: caww

All Energy Star appliances have sensors that connect with Smart Meters. So they do have access to your home.


38 posted on 06/11/2013 12:28:05 PM PDT by Chickensoup (200 million unarmed " people killed in the 20th century by Leftist Totalitarian Fascists)
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Comment #39 Removed by Moderator

To: proxy_user

Even that is just a partial solution when the surveillance has the complicity of all these service providers. You’ll be fine as long as you don’t want to actually use youtube, email, skype, etc. As soon as you log in to any of those, they are spying from their end on the government’s behalf.


40 posted on 06/11/2013 12:37:31 PM PDT by Boogieman
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