It doesn't take hacking tools or cracking passwords or hacking into password protected data bases to find out a lot about people on the internet. Although some hackers and the NSA do just that.

People say they want to keep from being tracked and personal information about themselves kept private from such organizations like the NSA but they are constantly doing foolish things that can allow anyone, who is persistent enough to use only Google searches, to find out a lot more about them than they thought was possible.

One such risky thing is using your real name. But, even if you don't use your real name and use only a moniker for a username...if you use that same username in other web sites... then what you say in those other web sites can be amassed to form a more total persona. And some of those other web sites may even have your email, phone number, address, relatives, your profession, past addresses and a lot more information about you. It could even show that there is a warrant for your arrest. No, I won't mention any names. Some of those web sites may even be personal dating web sites.

It is very possible to even use Google Earth to zoom right down upon... say a very large house (and you can measure it using the Google Earth ruler and determine the square footage of the house or property). There may be a personal tennis court, or another house may have it's own personal dock. And with Street View... you can actually see the details from the street. And while Google Earth tries to not be very accurate as to exactly which address it points to, and Street View tries to blank out the addresses on the houses or mail boxes and the license plate numbers..different street angles and/or zooming in often reveals them...or at least a neighbors address so you can interpolate.

Another way you can be tracked is by the use of certain phrases you use repeatedly or certain spelling errors you make repeatedly.

If you have already participated in various online social sites and have already used your real name or even repeatedly used, across various blogs, the exact same moniker or username then it's too late. The data is already there. But you can help to thwart the proliferation of any more of your information by using a totally different moniker or username at every future site you sign up with.

And of course it is totally very risky to use the same password at every site you sign up with. Because if they manage to breach one password at one site they can easily get into other sites...and if those sites happen to be something like Amazon or your bank then you will most likely be risking a lot more than just your privacy.

Of course, there are some people who just don't care about their privacy. Some people don't even care if the NSA is spying on them. But what about hackers that want to get into your bank accounts? And the NSA and hackers do not draw the line at merely using Google searches...they use sophisticated hacking tools right along with what they can get from Google, Facebook, etc.
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Here's an interest 30 minute video and transcript of an interview of Edward Snowden:
http://cryptome.org/2014/02/snowden-14-0126.htm

How can I find out if I am one of the 5000 fb users or 9000 googlers?

Quote ken ware: If you feel by hiding your name and other personal info is going to prevent someone with the knowledge of how to use the internet to find someone, I think you may be a little naive.

Ken, I don't think I have ever said anything that would indicate otherwise. You are quite right...there are lots of people who have the ability to hack, using the many hacker tools that are available, into someone's computer. I would certainly not go that far...that seems to me to be asking for trouble from the law and while many get away with it I'd just as soon not risk it. And most definitely, the NSA has hired a whole bunch of hackers and they have all the hacking tools that our tax money can provide. So, I know that the NSA has this ability. What ever gave you the idea that I didn't think that?

Quote ken ware:One thing I find amusing is that when I have googled my full name and location, several people appear, none of them being me. As a matter of fact, I cannot find myself when using the tools available on the internet!

Yes, I realize that there are many people who have very common names and it can present a bit of a challenge. But when one assesses all of the minutia, all the little tidbits of data, that has been displayed especially from one blog site to the next, then it is not so hard to determine who is whom. Some people have left a trail all over the internet and where, in most of those places, they may have not given out any identifying information, some sites do eventually not only give the name but the address but even potentially embarrassing information.

You, and many others, may feel you have nothing to hide but I believe that a little bit of information can easily lead to identity theft down the line. It would really tick me off if someone stole my identity and stole my savings. And it happens way more often than they tell you on the news. In some cases, if you catch it in time and report it to the bank, you can get the bank to reimburse you...much harder if you are running a business, though. So, businesses have to be even more vigilant.

Quote ken ware:But, to think by using Palindromedary you are hiding from anyone who wants to know who you are, that is being simplistic in your overall picture of what is really going on.

I am fully aware of the fact that using Palindromedary instead of my real name is not much of a cover. And if I used that same user name at other blogs then someone with the patience can read everything I said in those blogs and paste together a bigger picture of who I am.

I initially made the mistake of doing that at a couple of blog sites but then wised up. I have never, however, given much in the way of identifying information at any of those web sites. And since I have never participated in Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, or any of the others (and if I did, I wouldn't use my real name or even the same username as anyplace else), my information will not leak out unless some hacker illegally hacks into a blog site that I've participated in and scans the CME data base for my real name and other info. And, of course, there are other ways...but they are all illegal. Oh, yeah, and I really despise cell phones so don't use them...and I don't have OnStar in my vehicle either.

Quote ken ware: If anyone thinks that our NSA is going to change in anything they do, my belief is that they will just get even more secretive in their actions and close any loop holes that may have existed before Snowden.

I certainly agree with you there, ken! Once the Jeanie is out of the bottle...there's no putting her back! They'll just keep doing what they do best...spying on us and lying about not doing it.

Since this is getting kind of long I'll comment on your Iphone in the next blurb....

If the purpose of spying is to keep us safe; it seems to me after all this spying, the last chance we had to do just that, was when republicans ignored the Clinton admins group monitoring al Qaeda.. And the Bush had in what's even told by the Clinton admin something was up. Can you imagine if this were reversed that republicans warned a democrat admin, who ignored the warning, then 911 happened. Probably the best way o beep America safe if to get liberals into public office.

And the authorities had plenty of data about a planned Boston Marathon attack as well but they ignored that too! So, really, the reason they are spying on us is not to protect us...it is to protect the ruling powers against us when we finally revolt against them. It's kinda like when the United States and it's allies put the heavy on Syria to get rid of it's chemical weapons and when they ever do then they won't have any real defense against a US attack. They did that with Iraq as well before they attacked Iraq.

In my post #6 I said CME data base when I meant CMS data base.

What is most significant about this information is what the government is NOT allowing Google, Yahoo and Facebook to release: the figures from 2011. Why 2011? Because that's the year the Occupy Movement happened. By every rational estimate, retaliatory surveillance was therefore at an all-time high, with the number of individuals targeted no doubt in six figures at least.

Aliceinwonderland ~ We've been doing online banking for years without a problem. A super convenience. The bank has a great way of intercepting fraud. After all, that's their bread and butter nowadays. Anything suspicious sends up fraud flags and you get a phone call to confirm the transaction. You don't answer and your account gets frozen until they find you. Routinely I will get calls to confirm various transactions. So far all have been false alarms; but, the efforts by the bank really makes me feel secure. I also like the ability to access my accounts 24/7 to see what's up. Doing a quick transfer at 10pm at home in my pajamas is so much easier than standing in line at the bank during my lunch hour. Online bill pay is a life saver too. You can even set the account to pay automatically and the bank saves the records of all your transactions so there is no, "Your check got lost," or, "Your check is late." So far nothing weird. Probably best of all I don't keep a lot of money in the bank. Money saved is a bank is money lost. That is no place for your life savings. The interest paid does not keep up with the rate of inflation. I just keep there what I need to pay bills. You should check it out. Maybe just put your toe in the water with a small checking account. Just enough to take advantage of the conveniences; but, not enough to lose sleep over. In the long run, you might be glad you did.

Loren Bliss ~ Very well said. I agree. Thanks for pointing out that little tidbit about 2011. Basically, that's why I want to know who have been targeted. The very suggestion that at any moment there could be 30,000 potential terrorists walking around this country is absurd. That would be like 1 out of every 15 people in the Bay Area. I want to know what else these people may have had in common to justify targeting. To learn that occupy protesters were targeted would certainly prove my suspicions.

Palindromedary ~ As the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Compared to other ways to risk capital Mutual funds are far less risky. Try starting a business. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. At least with Mutual funds you spread those eggs amongst many baskets. If you're afraid to step off the curb you will never get anywhere. Mutual funds are baby steps; but, if you're patient enough, they will get you across the street. Just remember to diversify with several firms. The more baskets the better. Also, don't get discouraged because you take a hit. That will happen. The strategy is a long term one... if you have the time you will benefit.

By the way, here's a diagram that might be easy to understand:
http://www.veracode.com/images/mitm-steps.gif

And even if mitm (man in the middle) isn't happening between you and your bank... how much do you trust that you don't have a root kit installed key-logger and trojan on your computer that evades detection from virus checkers. Yes, there are also rootkit checkers but do they always catch them all? How often do people run them?

I would think that instead of using one's main O/S that is vulnerable to malware, that one should boot up an O/S on a thumb drive...some Linux distro..like Ubuntu Live...or something like Tails or Backtrack...something you use exclusively for banking and nothing else. Although it's hard to imagine that you'd use Backtrack for nothing else. ;-}

You know, if the Banks would only give their customers a bootable thumb drive with a specially tailored and encrypted O/S for only doing bank transactions..protected, of course with a password and a fingerprint scanner...that would be a lot safer than using one's home computer with it's possibly corrupted O/S. It would be easy...with the computer off...insert the thumb drive into the computer...turn the computer on...and hocus pocus...you're on-line to your bank and you are not using your main O/S or possible corrupted hard drives. It boots up with only the O/S from the thumb drive using only the computer's RAM memory. Then when you are done banking... power down and remove the thumb drive till you need to bank again.

But there would still be MITM....;-{

If you're young enough..still working..maybe it's a good idea..but I am, obviously, very untrustworthy of the current system....casino capitalism.

Those who worshpped FBI's Hoover will always want to use whatever techniques that are available to get information they can use for personal advantage. Tthis is the reason why the denial of the first 10 Amendments by various justices and members of Congress are so dangerous. We MST rise up and change Congress!

Mutual Funds are engineered consent...

Mutual Funds give Average Joe/Jo America tiny pieces of many pies. Avg Joe/Jo is investing, most likely, in his/her retirement. If those mutual funds include microscopic bits of Mobil Exxon, Monsanto, Dow, MIC contractors, etc., it is in Avg Joe's best (financial) interest to be on the side of the environment destroyers and labor-exploiting corporations.

Yes, there may be a handful of "green" mutual funds, but they are not in the majority.

Therefore, Avg Joe, in order to keep his retirement intact, silently goes along with corporate agendas.