YOUR PC

So I thought I would start a helpful post concerning your internet usage.  

The topic, what are you doing to clean up after yourself???

The internet is a wonderful thing, but unless proper precautions are taken, a history of the sites you visit is readily accessible to others who may use your computer.  Temporary internet files capture information on sites you visit.  History also does the same thing.

1.  If you are e-mailing from your employment, be aware, most IT departments monitor the websites employees visit.  They also can monitor your personal e-mail if you access it from your office.  This can be grounds for dismissal.  Also if you are using a corporate laptop, be sure to keep your pc cleaned using a internet cleaner program.  Worst case scenario, your laptop crashes and needs to be sent to corporate who to investigate.. what will they find???

2.  Have you cleaned your browser history AND your search history?  If not, the next individual who uses your PC can have access to every site you have visited including provider sites.  Do not think that setting your history to delete immediately will suffice.  Sometimes it does.. other times it doesn't.  You should manually clear it through "tools" before signing off.

a.  Click on "tools" in your headers

b.  Click on "internet tools"

c.  Click on "delete files" and be sure to check "delete all offline content"

d.  Click on "delete cookies"

e.  Click on "clear history"

Also, do you know that your login information may be saved as well?  That means that the next person who tries to login to the internet may get your ID (and possibly password) when they try to sign in to their own account.  

a.  Again, using the tools option, Click on tools.

b.  Then a pull down menu will appear, click-on "internet options".

c.  Click on the "content tab"

d.  go to "autocomplete"

e.  First click on "clear forms."

f.  Second click on "clear passwords".


Another surprising glitch that I know holds true with SBC DSL.  If you enter the internet through the DSL log-in and follow all the steps above, you may not have cleared everything. For DSL you can also access the internet simply by clicking on the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop.  I have found, at least with SBC DSL, that often the history has to be removed by following these same steps through the screen on internet explorer.  Why? Beats the heck out of me.  So, I generally access the internet only through internet explorer.  

3.  Erasing Programs.  There are numerous programs out there that will erase the history and temporary internet files stored by your computer.  However, this one is free and I find it works well:

http://www.ccleaner.com/

Supposedly you do not have to manually clean your internet tracks when using them, but I do so anyways.  Also there is an option for a secure NSA delete (deletes and rewrites files 7 times).  This is recommended.  Rather be safe than sorry!

4.  Your e-mail.  Have a separate e-mail account, such as hotmail, if there is any concern that anyone in your household may have access to your e-mail account.  

5.  Also be aware that there are other ways to find out what you are doing.  There is software available that can "capture keystrokes."  In other words, if your SO suspects something, they can download this hidden software on your PC and have a record of everything you type??  Maybe the techies here can address this.

6.  Be cautious when visiting the websites of providers.  Some sites either ask you to add them to your listing of favorite sites (favorites is found on the toolbar of internet explorer) and others just do so.  You may want to check this list from time-to-time to ensure that no additions have been added.  Given that this is an adult industry where discretion is necessary, I have never understood why sites still do this.

7.  Do not leave incriminating evidence on your PC.  That includes e-mails from providers, photos, etc.  Delete them immediately.  

8.  When you print out instructions to the provider's location, I recommend that you double check your printer to make sure that you didn't run out of paper with pages left to print, accidentally request multiple copies, etc.  Also, leave the directions with the provider when you leave.

9.  If you copied and pasted information from a provider's e-mail for any reason (perhaps the original e-mail has gotten so long with replies back and forth and you only want to print the directions so you copy them onto a separate page or document).. this information is stored in your computer's clipboard and can be pasted into other programs by anyone in the household.  So, I recommend that you copy something from either the internet explorer toolbar or a document in your word processing program, so that this is the only thing that is stored in the clipboard memory.


The best advice, delete, clean and delete.  Delete any e-mails that contain correspondence with providers.  As much as you are tempted to save them to relive hot erotic moments, they can be your downfall and jeopardize you and the provider.  And clean up after yourself by cleaning any history of your visits to TER and other sites.  Finally, do not access these sites from your work.  

CELL PHONES

1.  It is never recommended that you use a corporate cell phone for contacting providers.  Many companies look at phone logs.

2.  If you lend your cell phone to a family member, be sure that you are the only one who may access voicemail messages.  Keep the password to yourself.

3.  Who looks at your bills?  If your S/O pays the bills, she may question certain numbers that appear on the bill and decide to call them.  Also, delete the phone numbers of providers you call from your call listing on your phone even if you are the only one who uses it.  If you S/O is suspicious, she may decide to look at your call logs to see who you have been calling and who may be calling you back.

4.  If worse comes to worse, get a prepaid phone.  If you are registered with any verification services, list this phone as the one you will be calling from since many require that you ONLY call from the number they verify.

-- Modified on 6/27/2007 4:09:10 PM

Sinful, you should get a Public Service award.  Those are wonderful tips.  Most of us are discrete, but I, for one, welcome all pertinent recommendations.
Thanks.

Even if you request no detail billing for your phone bill....guess what?  The cell company still has those records and maintains them for some time.  Thus, if someone wanted to see the call detail records, the cell company can provide them.  Trust me, I know.

As Sinthia states, a 'hobby' phone is a very good idea.

When my phone was stolen back in December I asked for my phone records (numbers dialed) and I was told there was a new law that said I had to wait for the bill no matter what so it may have changed since then. I tried to find out the details of the new law from my cell phone company, but no one seemed to know. I was told that only LE could get the details for me.

Thank you!!  I am still fairly new to the hobby and this sounds like very good advise.

Go to Radio Shack or any outlet that sells Virgin Mobil. I bought the phone on sale for $30 and a top up card for $20 good for three months. I have never gone over or needed to renew before the three months. It comes out to $7 a month for phone service and no records are kept. You can't beat it.

I originally bought it because Kandie Sweetbit's wouldn't see me unless I had one. It turns out to be the biggest favor she has done for me with the exception of BBBJTCIM !!

also for your PC, instead of IE(internet explorer) I have found it is best to use 'Firefox' browser ... you can set it up clear EVERYTHING after surfing the net.

JJ

If you delete them a lot of good info such as logging into bank account, paid subscriptions of online magazines, etc, etc will be deleted. So you have to re-enter all that info.

My suggestion is to do all the Sinthia suggested but use windows XP or vista. The system as many of you know allows you to have multiple users on a single PC. I have one user as "guest" and then do all that Sinthia recommends.

You and anyone who has you number and virgin mobile key (password) can access them from the VM website.  Pay cash for the phone and top-up card and activate from an unsecured wireless connection other than your own (so they haven't logged your isp, and of course use a bogus name and address when you activate.  Then, to be really secure, throw the phone away periodically and get a new one (or let your time expire and reactivate with a new number).

internet to top up. Changing phone numbers freqeuntly can be a pain as you'll have to change it with verification services too.

Google "Trackless," its a free download and works like a charm. (The developer Boutell.com)

Another excellent lesson for everyone.  You should be given an award.  I know I would like to give you one and it sounds like others would also.  LOL

Thanks, Sinful1 for your sage advice and suggestions.  However, being single with no SO, and old to boot, and children grown, I don't really care about hiding my tracks on my computer or phone.

I am who I am and do what I do.  But I'm sure there are many of my fellow hobbyists who will benefit from your posting.  Thanks again for offering your assistance to all of them.

Keep up the good work.

Swim

I agree, Firefox rocks in that respect!  And, if others on the same PC use IE, the history and cache are separate, such that if you clear everything in Firefox, it doesn't clear the IE info, and hence doesn't cause suspicion because the IE history keeps getting wiped.

Adaware SE personal addition will pick up what Ccleaner misses, and defragmenting your drive will make it more difficult for someone to restore your deleted files.

use a guest account, instead create a new user, password protected, before each log-on session, thenonce the internet use session is over, do the procedures described above, but then delete the user;
Also, if you use an anti-virus/internet security program such as Norton's products, it also keeps logs - you need to clear them even after clearing the IE options;
If you have a home router/network, it also has logging features that track various info depending on what you set it to - those logs need to be cleared too.
another option when you first get a computer is to "partition" the harddrive, create a partition of about 5-10 GB size, load basic software for internet access/email unto it, then when you start up for hobby browsing/communication, have an option that runs that internet session via that partition.  If OS and basic software take about 1-2 GB, anything else you do will be written into the remaining space. periodically, depending on the level of security you want, follow the above procedures, then save other files-video, images works great to fill the capacity of that partition, then erase it all, then repeat - that can make info virtually unretreivable.

Also download "AD Ware" from Lava Soft, it's free for personal use, and do a complete scan of your system as frequently as possible.

I always like a moist warm towel or tongue.

Good advice Sin!

-- Modified on 6/29/2007 11:52:13 AM

How 'bout this? A bottle of Jack, an attitude, a sledgehammer, and a nice, hard cement floor.

How can I find out if it's being tracked? How can I avoid/get around it? (Small company on server)

Do providers maintain records of hobbyists for long? There is always a trail back from the providers... How often does this become "a problem" I wonder. It makes me a bit uncomfortable. I am hoping that the email and phone and "black book" trail I leave has an expiration date, personally.

Hobbyists can clean up after themselves all they want, but there is a trail from the other direction to some degree.

For those that don't want to have to carry or buy two phones, you can purchase prepaid SIM cards that will go in almost any modern cell phone.  The chip fits in your wallet like a credit card and you can just open up the back of your phone and switch out the chip.  That's how I don't have to explain to my SO why I have two phones.

Of course, be careful that your phone doesn't keep a call log, but you can rest assured that it won't be getting any voicemails or calls without the chip in.

And of course, prepaid SIMs are just like pre-paid phones, disposable, cheap, and if you pay cash, traceless.

You can't be sure.  Don't take the chance.  Guys have been fired from 6 figure jobs over this!  Get a cheap laptop & use a 3G wireless adaptor...  not tied to your regular phone!  It's more costly but secure.
skb

Thanks for the advice on a hobby phone...I am running out to get one now!  This site rocks!

First, download the Safari browser from the Apple website (it works on Windows too). Safari has a "private browsing" mode, we call it "porn mode" that doesn't save anything from that particular session. You don't create a new user name or anything, just turn it on and turn it off. It also leaves all your tracks intact from non-private session. Having no tracks or history looks suspicious in it self.

Also go to http://google.com/voice and sign up for a google voice account (free) with any gmail account (also free). Google voice gives you a free phone number that you can direct to any phone at anytime through a web interface. Or you can just have it take messages and not ring any phone. You can choose just about any area code you want (except 212, they're all taken) and you can have voice messages translated to text and emailed to you at a private email address as well.

Any questions, please just post or PM me.

At the very least you should be using Tor (can google tor project) to hide your actually IP from your email provider and anyone else trying to snoop on your data traffic.

It is a good idea to use encrypted email, but maybe its too soon for everyone to know how to put that in place. There are several good tutorials online for setting up pgp in popular email like gmail or there are anonymous email providers that don't keep activity logs and offer message encryption there are a few that are free but many of these are paid services.

Most modern computers have multicore processors that support a feature called virtualization. This allows you to run another operating system inside the one you're already using. You can find a program called VirtualBox to set up the environment it is free for personal use. I would recomend using it run T(A)ILS aka Amnesic/Incognito which is built to include tor and other measures to enable the most privacy. That projects website also has many other references regarding how to best secure your online communications and hiding identity elements.

If setting up a virtual machine sounds too complicated either run tor on your primary system (not really advised) or T(A)ILS is a LiveCD (or LiveUSB) which means it can boot from a CD or a USB and not interact with the systems hard drive (this approach is even more secure than the virtual machine approach). Just pop the disc in and restart the computer. If your computer does not boot from CD before boot from hard drive there are numerous tutorials available on how to change that setting in your BIOS.

Wally World and many other stores sell prepaid debit/credit cards you can buy these with cash which is useful in the event you need to pay for something (like your TER membership or anonymous email). Similarly Radioshack and Wally World cell pay as you go phones with recharge cards (aforementioned Virgin mobile is good as is Boost mobile) all of which can be paid in cash and can be used as burn phones. Tie that with the post mentioning Google voice service you have yourself an entire private communications setup. Just remember to take out the battery on the phones when you don't plan on using them GPS signal is transmitted to cell sites whenever the phone is powered!

Go online and get CC Cleaner. It will do it all for you in one easy step and it is free.

If you've texted a lot, can this be brought up, or found?

This post is valuable, but is close to it's tenth anniversary. I have some suggestions to update this post:
1) Browser history/cookies - While having a provider website or TER website in your history, cookies, or cache may be incriminating. Having NO history just looks suspicious. If you are on a common computer where setting up a personal login does not deter someone from hopping on while you are logged in

Someone mentioned Google Voice, this is an easy setup. Setup a new Google account just for the hobby. Get Google Voice number, install Hangouts on your smart phone. Now only use Google Hangouts while logged in as this new user and all your texts, voice calls, etc will be only in this account.
I don't even forward text messages to my regular phone, I just communicate through Hangouts. Oh, and you get free calling US wide through Google Voice / Hangouts.

Great information guys and girls . Thank ya .

Don't forget about your I-Pass, ladies and gents. Do you know that these records can be summoned by the courts? Yes, they certainly can. They also can be looked up online, particularly if you share an account with the SO or you have saved your password to your personal devices.

And if you have a vehicle with Onstar and your SO has code, well it's time to trade in

WOW!  I thought my ATF was making a return, after all these years when I saw this thread ...then I noticed the date of Sinthia's original thread. LOL!

If you use Google Maps and/or Google products like Gmail, then delete your Google Maps history.  If you don't know about it, you'll be shocked. Using Google Maps to get directions to your appointment? Google tracks your driving history, location, and time. So it will give when you went, where you went, how you got there, and how long you stayed, and your route back.  

Great advise yet easier ways to clean tracks online. For phone, WhatsApp is encrypted and safer than GV.

Once I finally arrive at the lication and call for the room. I will delete all messages from the provider and clean out my phone. This is most important.. I'm old school and don't rely on Gps. If I'm going to see a provider ill look up the general area before leaving and turn off my location on my phone. You can look up a ton of info o. You tube about making your phone more private.

Download Keyscrambler, the keystroke encrypter, from QFX Software.  It encrypts your keystrokes as you type and then decrypts them at the browser level.  Anyone using keystroke capturing software of thumb drives will only get encrypted information.  Works with all popular browsers.

Missing you!