Last month at the Internet SIG we talked about Google and their “privacy issues”. A few weeks ago Google was accused of crack the iPhone. Here’s Leo Laporte to tell you more about it…
For even more on this subject watch This Week in Google.
Security and Privacy Tools
So far we have just dealt with privacy issues but what about Internet Security?
SSL and TSL
SSL or TSL are Internet Security protocols. They encrypt (make your communication secret) everything on the Internet point to point meaning from your computer to the web server, this includes your passwords. Whenever you login to a SSL or TSL session you will see the far left of the address bar of your web-browser change color. This should always be the case with your banking sites. If you do not see the bar change are being fished or the bank is not a good one and you should get a different one right away. It is most important that these protocols be observed when using a WiFi hotspot, if not everything you are doing can be observed.
Passwords
By all means you must create good passwords and you must have a different password for every website. This can be difficult but there are tools like LastPass that can help you create good passwords and store them for you.
See Password Security Presentation
Virtual Private Networks
A Virtual Private Networks or VPN is a great tool to enhance your privacy and security in fact it is the only way to really stay secure on an unsecured WiFi hotspot.
Using Proxies
If you really, really paranoid you can always use Incognito or private browsing plus connecting through a proxy. Yes you can connect to websites using a proxy server. Proxies prevent the site at the other end from knowing that it is your computer that is connecting to their site.
Chromebook
A Chromebook is a notebook computer that runs the Chrome OS and its only function is to access web-applications via the Chrome web-browser. Chromebooks are manufactured by Acer and Samsung. They are sold at Newegg, Tiger Direct and Amazon. They are priced between $349 (Wifi only) to $499 (with WiFi and 3G connectivity). Amazon and NewEgg always seems to be sold-out so go to Tiger Direct. Continue Reading »
Google Privacy Policy
In the past week there has been a lot of noise surrounding the issue of the new Google Privacy Policy to take effect March 1st. Right now Google has 8 different policies each for a different service. They have been combined the into one very readable document. No legal-speak. What this policy says is… Continue Reading »
Break Up With Google
If you don’t trust Google anymore you can opt out and never be “spied on” again.
To delete your account go to Google account settings. At the bottom under “Services” click “Close entire account and delete all services and info associated with it”. Continue Reading »
Data Liberation
Google does not want to trap you into using their services so they’ve made it very easy to get your data out of Google. Although very easy it is sometimes not apparent so they have created the Data Liberation Front, a website that explains the various methods used to get your data. Continue Reading »
Really Paranoid
If you are really uncomfortable never sign into any web service, they all do what Google is doing and a lot more.
If you really want to be sure no one is watching, use “Incognito” in Chrome or “Private Browsing” in Firefox. There will be no history and no tracking cookies. There will be no functionality as well! Continue Reading »
My Web Apps
Many of the Chrome apps are just Web GL optimized web-pages. Of course all of the Google apps are available including Gmail, Docs, and Calendar.
The Huffington Post app is incredible. Also the Google Music App is pretty nice.
The best app of all I think is the Kindle app. It is just like the Kindle device but on your computer.
The 60 Minutes App is pretty good also.
Offline Google Mail
Offline Google Mail beta is a Gmail app built to support offline access, allowing mail to be read, responded to, searched and archived without network access. After first start-up, Gmail Offline will automatically synchronize messages and queued actions anytime Chrome is running and an Internet connection is available. Continue Reading »
