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Hong Kong Internet Group Resists Chinese Censorship

The Reds are clever. They are relentless. Where they hold power they are, as they’ve always been, ruthless in suppressing challenges to it.

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demonstrators n Hong Kong

The People’s Republic of China is no different. It has long operated one of the most sophisticated, thorough, and effective internet censorship systems in the world. The PRC is especially ferocious in attacking the anyone who erects proxies or VPNs to help other citizens bypass the state blockades.

Why can’t Beijing crack down?

The PRC is supreme in its core territories. It faces extreme difficulty, though, in forcing Hong Kong’s web traffic through the state’s firewalls. Consider, for example, what happened when a report began circulating all over East Asia that Beijing was planning to block access to certain websites and online services. The Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association (HKISPA) said it would not and could not comply:

Technically speaking, given the complexity of the modern internet including technologies like VPN, cloud, and cryptographies, it is impossible to effectively and meaningfully block any services, unless we put the whole internet of Hong Kong behind large scale surveillance firewall.

Of course, Beijing could throttle web services in Hong Kong anyway. But it can do so only at the cost of stifling industry. This outcome the state wants to avoid if it can. China already suffers severe economic pain, and will tolerate otherwise intolerable challenges to prevent more.

Of course, it’s impossible to predict how much more Beijing will tolerate. The regime may be nearing its limit.

So far, though, the Hong Hong ISP Association seems undaunted. It continues to remind the regime that it will pay a fearful price for further efforts to suppress internet freedom.

What price will Beijing pay to maintain control of the web?

…Imposing any insensible restrictions on the open internet would only result in more restrictions, as the original restrictions wouldn’t be effective, and ultimately the result is putting Hong Kong’s internet behind a big firewall. Therefore, any such restrictions, however slight initially, would start the end of the open internet of Hong Kong, and would immediately and permanently deter international businesses from positing their businesses and investments in Hong Kong.

This doesn’t mean Beijing is or has been completely passive about the matter. Telegram, an encrypted message service used to coordinate recent mass demonstrations, has suffered a series of massive DDOS attacks. These attacks were almost certainly the state’s handiwork. Still, the Hong Kong ISPs insist they won’t censor Telegram or any other platform.

Beijing has to be careful. The PRC’s economy is already fragile, with growth slowing sharply, and U.S. tariffs are likely to sharpen the pain. A crackdown on internet services in Hong Kong would induce a mass exit of international businesses. China’s economic crisis, severe already, would worsen exponentially.

How will the standoff end? We’ve no idea, but we’re certain to see a great deal of drama before it’s over.

For the best internet connection, shop with Satellite Country. Compare all plans, then call 1-855-216-0185. We can help.

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How can you protect your anonymity online?

A famous New Yorker cartoon from the dawn of the internet age features two dogs at a computer. One says to the other: “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” On the web, anonymity was virtually guaranteed.

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Those canines might not be so confident about online privacy now. With each passing month, we get more disquieting news that others are spying on our web traffic. It was governments at first. But in the last few years we have learned that Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook have been tracking our web usage so they can show us targeted ads. Trolls and stalkers have learned how to find the real identities behind user names we adopt for online comments.

Does this mean we should abandon hope for online anonymity? If we want to maintain our privacy, do we have to stay off of the internet?

In truth, there is only one guarantee of absolute anonymity. We’d have to stay offline entirely.

Short of this, we’re taking on some risk. Still, there are several ways to hold our odds of exposure and I D theft to a bare minimum. I will cover two of them here:

TOR, Proxies, and VPNs

One of the most effective ways to mask identity and location is to appear to be someone else at a different location. For this, you’ll need a virtual private network (VPN) or a proxy server. Not only can they mask your identity, they can enable surfing in other countries like the natives.

VPN services are easy to find. They protect traffic between your computer and internet servers, and they will mask your IP location and address. Suppose that , while working from home, you connect through your employer’s VPN. Websites will track your activity to corporate headquarters, not to your home.

For more advanced security, you may want a proxy server, a computer that redirects your web traffic. Like a VPN, it will mask your IP address. The proxy server also caches internet requests and responses, which will speed connection for your return visits to your favorite sites.

TOR is sometimes called ‘the onion router’ for its multiple layers of protection for anonymity. It provides a network of routes for data requests and downloads.

A few years ago, Edward Snowden revealed that the NSA had been spying on web traffic, giving special attention to TOR. But the NSA was only able to monitor its ‘exit nodes’. The agency could track what TOR was being used for, but couldn’t identify users.

Browser Security

How do you know your browser isn’t informing on you? Some, most notably Google Chrome, have been especially aggressive in tracking user traffic. Usually, the purpose of vacuuming up this data is advertising. You can’t be sure, though, that your web footprint will never be used for more sinister purposes. Since Google and Facebook have been caught censoring information for political reasons, it pays to be careful.

You can block your browsers ability to store your passwords. Of course, this can be inconvenient, since you probably have a separate password for each web service you use. A password manager can cache your passwords so you don’t have to remember them. Some password managers are free.

You could also activate your browser’s anonymous surfing mode. For Microsoft’s Explorer and Edge, it’s called In Private. For Firefox, it’s called Private Browsing, and for Chrome, it’s called Incognito. Activating the anonymous mode will block the browser from keeping records of websites you visit, your downloads, cookies, passwords, and cached material. Your browser may also offer a Do Not Track option in its settings bar. If it does, you’d be wise to activate it.

Anonymity through Browser Choice

Some browsers are better than others at protecting user anonymity.

Google is notorious for vacuuming up user data for use in targeted advertising. Bing and Yahoo also are aggressive in collecting user data.

Comodo Dragon, Comodo IceDragon, and Epic use Google’s Chromium rendering engine, but they don’t share user information with Google. DuckDuckGo, Brave, and Opera do not use Google, Bing, or Yahoo search engines. They don’t track your web usage or sell your data.

Stealth modes and specialized browsers won’t provide perfect web security. But they can keep websites from sending unrequested info to your computer, info that other sites can read to discern your surfing habits.

More to Come…

There are other steps you can take to protect your anonymity online. We will spell out these additional steps in another post.

 

(For the best internet connection, talk to us. We can help.)

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VPN: Do You Need One?

How much of your life is on the internet? How much do you communicate online?

If you’re like most of us, you probably reveal much more about yourself than you intended. Your schedule, your relationships, your general location, your political and religious loyalties- all are open to public scrutiny on the web. Skilled hackers can also obtain your credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, plus your identification codes.

The web is notoriously insecure. What’s even more alarming is that your ISP is allowed to sell your browsing history.

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How, then, can you keep your data secure?

One of the most effective methods is the virtual private network (VPN), an encrypted connection between you and the network’s private server. Some experts call such connections “tunnels”. The network masks your identity, because to a hacker or a spy, your web surfing appears to originate from the VPN’s address. It’s highly unlikely your data will be intercepted, especially if the sites you visit are secured with HTTPS protocol. If it is intercepted, though, it’s almost impossible for anyone to trace it back to you.

What level of protection do you need?

How do you know you need a VPN? It depends on how concerned you are about data privacy. If you never use public WiFi networks, you never buy anything online, and you keep a low profile, ordinary internet precautions may be enough. Even in this case, an extra level of protection may be wise.

You certainly should consider a VPN if you use public WiFi. You need to be especially wary on public networks. Not only is public WiFi  vulnerable to spies, some such networks are actually run by the thieves. The Applebee’s name on the network doesn’t always mean Applebee’s operates it. Anyone spying on the airport or coffee shop WiFi, though, will be unable to intercept data you’ve routed it through a VP network.

Consider, also, whether and how often you shop via the internet. Buying online can expose your credit card numbers, bank account numbers, personal I D codes, and other private data.

Finally, what is your profession? What are your hobbies? How do you use social media? If you’re a journalist, a public official, or a celebrity, you could be a high-profile target. Countless people may have powerful incentive to ruin your life, and an insecure web connection may be the opening they need.

 

If any of this applies to you, you need an extra measure of online security. You may need a VPN.

 

(For a secure home internet connection, talk to us. We can help.)

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SECURE BROWSING: CHROME CRACKS DOWN ON UNENCRYPTED SITES

Chrome, the most popular web browser in the world, will soon be getting rough with websites that don’t use proper encryption. Such sites can expose visitors to hacking and malware.

The next version of Google’s famous browser, Chrome 56, will be active in January 2017. The new version will warn web surfers about any sites that are still unencrypted. In a small window next to the address bar, Google will mark such sites as “Not Secure”. This warning will flag any sites using the older HTTP application protocol, rather than the more secure HTTPS. Later, these pages will also be marked with red triangles.

 

WHY CHROME IS CHANGING ITS SECURITY PROTOCOLS

Google’s current method for warning users is very different: a “neutral indicator”. Emily Schechter, an executive in the Chrome Security Team, explained why Google is changing its warning protocols. “When you load a website over HTTP”, she said, “someone else on the network can look at or modify the site before it gets to you.” Attacks via such means are not uncommon.

 

HOW YOU CAN SURF MORE SAFELY

Meanwhile, there are several steps by which you can make your Chrome browsing safer.

The easiest ways are to activate privacy extensions.

Disconnect is an extension that enables blocking of sites that would otherwise track you across the internet. Disconnect will also increase your connection speeds noticeably.

Adblock Plus and uBlock Origin will block autoplay video, pop-ups, and other annoying ads. They will not only keep advertisers from tracking your internet use, they will reduce your data consumption dramatically. If you worry about exceeding your data cap, you need an ad blocker.

Web of Trust is a worldwide community. It rates websites based on user experience. By regularly checking ratings on Web of Trust, you’ll have a better handle on which websites to avoid.

 

VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS

Logging in through a virtual private network (VPN) is an advanced approach to browser security. Some people call VPNs ‘the nuclear option’. They require somewhat more effort to set up than the Chrome extensions, and you’d have to pay for the best ones. The advantage of a VPN is that it encrypts your data, then routes it through secure external servers. Nobody- not even the NSA or your internet service provider- knows where you’re going on the web.

 

(For secure browsing, you need a secure internet connection. Talk to us. We can help.)