Should ISP's offer privacy to its users?

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

dWarriors88 said:

Just renewed my contract for my internet, faster speeds and lower price yay. But I was reading the contract, for a change, and got to one of the final paragraph and saw something that really kinda irked me. Of course I signed it -what else am I going to do?

This image was way to large to post here, so I uploaded here. http://m.imgur.com/ZRfAjbz.jpg


Anyways, the quote that interests me is:



So obviously running an ISP, you'll have to include this kinda stuff I'm sure, legal reasons and you never know what your customers may be into. However, the blatant lack of privacy is pretty scary, and I'm curious if there is anyone who believes an ISP could or even should offer some kind of privacy for their users.

I'll hang up and take your answers off air.

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I use one now... its called a vpn... Google my ip addresss says I am in Virginia. I pay for it with a filehosting service I use to store my files. Its part of the deal. So how safe am I. If the goverment wants to find me they will. But for joe blow hacker I just feel a bit safer not broadcasting my personal IP address , even when I am sending email it uses the vpn address. and I can change it to one of 3 countries

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

The only level of privacy they could offer would be to state what they would/would not do with your information...other than that, they can't guarantee protection against the FBI, NSA, Russians, Chinese, Iranians, etc. I imagine that is why that statement is there...

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

I have been noticing an increasing trend of hardware vendors including adware that is increasingly difficult to remove. The only thing that I can figure out for the reasoning is that they are subsidizing the low cost of the laptop with the information they gather from the software they install. There is little reason to believe that your ISP isn't doing the same thing. I have cleaned this junk off of a new HP and a new Dell. Regular spyware stuff defines it as adware, assuming I guess that it was installed by the owner, and it usually gets a free pass by the virus scanners as well. The issue is that most regular joe schmoes have no idea what half of this junk is, as it identifies as being part of the vendors line usually, and if they installed it, its there for a reason right?

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

chanson78 said:

I have been noticing an increasing trend of hardware vendors including adware that is increasingly difficult to remove. The only thing that I can figure out for the reasoning is that they are subsidizing the low cost of the laptop with the information they gather from the software they install. There is little reason to believe that your ISP isn't doing the same thing. I have cleaned this junk off of a new HP and a new Dell. Regular spyware stuff defines it as adware, assuming I guess that it was installed by the owner, and it usually gets a free pass by the virus scanners as well. The issue is that most regular joe schmoes have no idea what half of this junk is, as it identifies as being part of the vendors line usually, and if they installed it, its there for a reason right?

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Do what I do. Wipe it and install Linux. :biggrin2:

I hate using Winders as a matter of principle. I can do everything I need on Ubuntu, Mint or Debian.

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

AUDub said:

Do what I do. Wipe it and install Linux. :biggrin2:

I hate using Winders as a matter of principle. I can do everything I need on Ubuntu, Mint or Debian.

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These machines weren't mine so I was doing a favor for family..

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

Try this.
http://malwaretips.com/blogs/strongvault-virus/

Malware bites is a really good site for getting rid of this junk.

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

Odds are what that means is you have another program that you didn't get rid of that is reinstalling it every time. I always make sure to get rid of all the vendor specific installs as well as a few of the other third-party stuff that gets installed on the new machine. Well besides stuff that's obviously drivers that is.

If I was you I would back up my important stuff and do a reinstall but the problem is it's difficult to find just the install media for the Windows operating system without all that crap anymore.

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

Bamabuzzard said:

Yeah, I've got malware bites on my computer. I've run it several times. It says it removes it then when I go back into the computer (after restarting it) it is still installed.

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You could try this:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/combofix/

I am not a big fan of these free scanners and cleaners, but this one gets a bunch of that kind of stuff off of machines.

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

Bamabuzzard said:

Yeah, I've got malware bites on my computer. I've run it several times. It says it removes it then when I go back into the computer (after restarting it) it is still installed.

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Malwarebytes has a forum that lets you post information about a given malware, and within 24 hours they'll reply with directions for removing it. In some cases you may end having to use multiple AV programs (almost all are freeware) to get rid of the auto-reinstall elements of StrongVault.

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

to answer the security question, with a question: What are you willing to pay for that privacy and how difficult do you want your experience? You said you are paying lower prices for faster speeds. Security costs money. Money the ISP will not put up on their own, but will charge you for. Faster speeds plus security/privacy = more money. Security and ease of use are ends of a spectrum on a sliding scale, if you want things easy, it won't be secure, if you want it secure, it won't be easy. Most people just want connected, that's what your ISP is after, those that want to be connected. They don't care about your privacy and their lawyers told them to put that blurb in there, that most people never actually read.

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

AUDub said:

Do what I do. Wipe it and install Linux. :biggrin2:

I hate using Winders as a matter of principle. I can do everything I need on Ubuntu, Mint or Debian.

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been using Ubuntu for years and I love it.

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

Tidewater said:

been using Ubuntu for years and I love it.

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Me too for home use and I agree. Not a big fan of the latest default desktop UI though. However, this is somewhat security through obscurity. I have had my share of duties cleaning up after drive by attacks on various Linux systems too. If someone tells you that you don't need any protection on Linux, Apple, BSD, etc. they just mean that they are not targeting you because there isn't as big a market share. Ubuntu's stance on this disagrees based on server market share: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Antivirus, but this makes no sense. Most AV and malware targets desktop users to get more penetration and usage, not servers.

Due to my job I am still a majority Windows user. I must stay up to date with software and systems that work well in a corporate environment, and IMO Linux distributions just have not got there yet. I really wish someone would come up with a good single sign on, Active Directory/LDAP/Kerberos, and associated policy type system that truly competes with Windows based systems which have matured over the years.

Back to the ISPs providing privacy. I doubt seriously our current environment is going to allow it. There are too many layers. I had hoped that at some point (perhaps when IPV6 came out) that there would be some sort of second network pop up with more security, a different framework for DNS, and with gateway interfaces to the internet as a whole. It hasn't happened.

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

Get your tinfoil hat strapped on real tight and venture here - TOR

Re: Should ISP's offer privacy to it's users?

I have a Toshiba Laptop I bought about a year ago & I love my Toshiba laptop..It's the best one I've had yet..I was curious as to exactly what "Strongvault" is & does all Toshiba's have it BB????..

Bamabuzzard said:

Yep. I've got a Toshiba laptop and I cannot remove this hardware/adware called "Strongvault". No matter what I do it will not come off my laptop.

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