OK all you tech gurus out there!
I am curious as to whether or not you all feel that any of the Evidence Eliminator type programs are worth the money paid for them. Do they work? Most especially at ensuring that deleted emails (ie: in Microsoft Outlook, or similar pop proggie) are really deleted.  Do you think someone who uses hotmail or a similar web-based email proggie has any need of a program like that?  I'm always willing to work on improving computer security and I'd love to hear what you guys have to say about it!Hugs*
Nicole

Hey Nicole,
Everyone has to make a decision about what their exposure is and take appropriate measures. The guy who wants to keep his wife from knowing that he surfs for porn has different needs from someone who is doing something that could cause him to become "the girlfriend of the guy with the most cigarettes".

Perhaps an appropriate question would be "How much time and money would LE spend recovering evidence to be used against me from my computer?" If you don't use SOME kind of security enhancement tools, your PC is an open book to anyone with physical access to it. I could read all the hotmail that you read just by browsing your internet cache after enabling the "view hidden files" option.

The general consensus of the reviewers seems to be that the makers of Evidence Eliminator and Evidence Eraser rely on scare tactic to make us buy a product that may not be effective and probably don't need anyway. Please read the reviews and decide for yourself.

For most of us, an online privacy application will be enough. Which one? Everyone needs to decide that for themselves. ANY program you install has the potential to be the "last" before it crashes your system, so you need to read the reviews and make your own choice. Try download.com and search for software using "online privacy" as your search term. There are Many choices.

A best practice is to use file mangler like BCWipe (I do recommend that one) in conjunction with any other internet security program. It will make sure the files and cookies you delete are really gone. Read my other post about computer security for more info about that one.

Safe Surfing!

I agree with Montt.  I don't perceive this as a technical question but an economic one.  Monitoring everyone's email, or web sites visited, even with the tools available requires a massive amount of money and effort.  Far more than LE would have expended on our pasttime even before the climate of the last 7 months.

Fret not.  They ARE using scare tactics projecting a technically possible, but a statistically highly improbable eventuality.  Even less probable than winning the lottery.  (I never buy a ticket.)  If you think you have a good chance at winning one of these publically sanctioned rip-offs, more power to ya.  Just don't come apart in front of me when the inevitable happens.  Your chanes of getting nicked by the computer police are even smaller.

I am honestly amazed at you guys... WOW... Most of the people I've encountered are sooooooo much more paranoid than that LOL which I suppose is the reason I would like to make triple sure that the privacy of any client who should happen to email me is protected. But you guys seem to feel it's a nonissue... so now I'm all confused because that is not usually the reaction I get when I ask a new client for his screening info. I have been told over and over again that just because I delete things, doesn't mean they are gone... even though I do know how to delete my temporary internet files, cache, and such, by hand so that I at least can't find it. So that is where that question originated.

As for anyone monitoring my email, no I do not think anyone is monitoring my email... you are absolutely right that it would involve far too much time and expense. My concern is always for the future and to improve all aspects of keeping things private for my clients. After all, I live alone, and this isn't a secret from me

Hugs*
Nicole

Nicole, I REALLY appreciate your concern for the privacy and security of all. I think a "web browser cleaner" is a Good Idea, especially coupled with BCWipe. I can't recommend a specific one because I have heard of instances where one will hose your computer, especially if it has not had Windows reloaded in the last year.

The most important thing is if you feel you MUST keep client info PLEASE secure it well. Refer to my earlier post on how to do it or feel free to contact me and I will help.

Most important people, is to be vague and general in our communications. Not much anyone do with "Hey what are you doing tomorrow afternoon?"

Play Safe!

I agree with Montt that I really respect your concern for our privacy.  I somehow fail to respect a potential client giving you a hard time over your ID screening.  You have to be more careful than we do.  It is OUR choice to participate in The Hobby and that is the least we can do out of respect for your concerns over your own safety.

Maybe I would be more paranoid if my internet activity involved anything less innocuous than The Hobby and making Amazon.com, .uk, and .fr rich by spending too much on books, music, and movies.  And I DO avoid any Hobby related activity on the laptop I was given for work for the reasons that have apparently been cited to you.  Nothing really cleans a hard drive short of chucking it into the sun.

'Taint us they are interested in, SexyCurves - especially not now.  But I appreciate your courtesy.

Hey honey, I don't save any info... actually it can be kind of a problem for me sometimes, because I often have someone provide me their screening info, then be unable to make an appt... then they'll contact me a month or so later, long after I've deleted their info, and have to start all over again. My concern is that I hear everyone saying that deleted emails can be restored... kind of a scary thought if you think about all the spam I get, if that's all STILL on my computer somewhere, no wonder this poor thing is slowing down ==:O  !!!!  I do not have a need to save any info, I just want to make sure that the things I delete, are indeed DELETED!

Hugs*
Nicole

If you really are concerned about this, here's another idea.  Upgrade to Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional.  These operating systems include built-in file encryption systems that are literally impossible to break without knowing the key information.  Here's a snippet from the Windows 2000 Help File.

The Encrypting File System (EFS) provides the core file encryption technology used to store encrypted files on NTFS file system volumes. Once you encrypt a file or folder, you work with the encrypted file or folder just as you do with any other files and folders. Encryption is transparent to the user that encrypted the file. This means that you do not have to decrypt the encrypted file before you can use it. You can open and change the file as you normally do. However, an intruder who tries to access your encrypted files or folders will be prevented from doing so. An intruder receives an access denied message if the intruder tries to open, copy, move, or rename your encrypted file or folder.

Use EFS to keep your documents safe from intruders who might gain unauthorized physical access to your sensitive stored data (by stealing your laptop or Zip disk, for example).

Temporary files, which are created by some programs when documents are edited, are also encrypted ...



Hope this helps.

Very good suggestion.  Also keep these encrypted files on a removalable hard drive or other media such as flash cards, Zip, and CD and store them in a secure place.  It just makes it harder for LE to search for the stuff, should they confiscate your PC.

I would suggest finding a PC Technician that can snap image your hard drive, after saving important data on other media, then reformat the hard drive and reinstall your system and programs. If you do this every month or so it would reduce any potential for LE planting a Trojan virus, via an email sent to you by them as a potential client, on your system to record the email addresses exchanged on your system.  LE sometimes has too much time on their hands and Ashcroft wants to neuter the sex industry.