# ****Lessons from the Stasi

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Posted by Bibleman [Bibleman] on November 10, 1999 at 10:43:03 {AAJB0ph6mYMRXA6xmpscslyACFuF8c}:

In Reply to: ***Lessons from the Stasi posted by Kent on November 10, 1999 at 07:20:21:

Hi Kent,

Oh no! This is too much. Privacy is probably not possible on the internet.

But I use different servers owned by different people. For instance, if I have a good friend, I'll use their credit card and have them set up the account or just become a "family member" to their account. Now if someone really wanted to hack through that, it would be okay because they'd know everything about me anyway.

And I know it is fundamentally effective in certain settings because of the incredible amount of belly-aching so many here at H20 did when I used to change my name every other post. It was just too annoying for some reason. Even though there was no necessity to read the post and we are still identified in the first line of the thread.

Of course, I was generally thinking of persons who post at several newgroups under the same name since USENET retrievals allow you to scan all the postings by "author". Thus you might be discussing something with someone about the Passover in one newsgroup and then when you scan where they post, you'll find out they might be a recovering tobacco addict or into sports cars. Miscellaneous information that to me is none of the other person's business, but then that changes the perception of that person. It's an invitation into an area they would not ordinarily have known about.

As far as the WTS goes... I warned the people here not to join any "list" that is promoted here since after that list is created, where you go on the net can be monitored including your visits to XJW webpages, etc. And it looks like the organization is on the verge of disciplinary action for witnesses visiting these sights. Can'y you just imagine a directive from the WTS telling brothers, in order to "protect the weak minded, to casually approach those in the congregation with computers and tactfully ask about what they use the internet for. Make sure they have read the KM insert. Then ask them has any apostates ever bothered them, etc." You know the elders will take it one step further. Some of them.

Of course, so many of them now are checking out things on the net, they can hardly be cracking down on others. The new internet guilt trip might be aimed at them!

Another thing you can do is to use two computers. So I switch back and forth between different servers and different computers and about four different webpages. That way, if you have lots of E-mail addresses and you are posting on USENET or elsewhere, you can sort of isolate certain topics to one E-mail address, one IP and one browser on a specific computer.

So the overall effect is you have several "personalities" on the internet that are relatively unconnected. Two phone lines help too, in case you want to pull a fast one, you can be on the internet on two different computers at the same time.

Also something you can do is to use one of your servers long-distance numbers. If you want to hide your location to some extent, most long distance for about 10 cents a minute is not too bad. So if you're in L.A. just use the Chicago long distance dial in number for a national server.

Or if you know somebody with AOL, for instance, you can ask them to allow you to be one of their "familly members" and then use their account as a "guest". It will just look like their out of town
checking on their E-mail and doing a little surfing.

So really, if you've got enough money, you can set up server accounts in the name of your actual relatives and use their name and address on the account, and you're just one of the "guest" family members.

But ultimately, as you said, if someone is REALLY that interested in tracking you, it doesn't matter since they know who you are anyway.

When I was performing and appearing in a certain place, I didn't mind if someone who had actually seen me perform came up and asked for an autograph. The fans are fine. What is annoying is something who doesn't know your work who just saw your picture in the paper or you on television and then they want to interact with you. That's what is annoying. It's the casual riff-raff that you want to throw off the scent. You don't care about the people who know who is really behind the alias.

Thanks for destroying some of my illusions though.

By the way, CHAT in a way is a special thing as well. Since you have one-on-one in live time. For "secure" communication that is a way to go. I have had my E-mail "edited" sometimes by some BBS servers, so I know E-mail tampering or missed delivery does take place as well.

Cheers,
Bibleman

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