Ever Wondered Who Is Tracking Your Web Browsing? Find out here...

[RazorCut]

Ok, the reason for this post is I came across a web site that is running over 150 trackers on one page. Now most people wouldn't have a clue that this was taking place, and most wouldn't care but I think that is excessive to say the least.

In the EU websites have to get your permission in order to use cookies and many may feel this is over the top as they are just harmless. However have you considered how much tracking is actually done when you visit a site?

Below is the front page of LeadPages. Land on that page and 32 trackers kick into play. Now I'm not saying that there is anything suspicious in these as they are a reputable company who's whole business revolves around testing responses but wouldn't you like to know who is doing what? Compare LeadPages with Reddit that has just 2, or Craigslist(uk) that doesn't have any at all! A very rare occurrence.



As I'm very interested in internet marketing I like to see what other sites are using and how they are monetising their web real-estate (just call me nosey if you like).

If you are at all curious as to see who is tracking your web browsing or are privacy concious and want to be able to turn off some or all of these trackers at will then there is a very good Chrome extension called Ghostery where you can get info on how you are being tracked and by who.

 

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[EricZ]

Thanks for this!

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Thanks!
Just wanted to add that Ghostery is also available for Firefox, besides the built-in do-not-track feature.

 

[RazorCut]

Just wanted to add that Ghostery is also available for Firefox, besides the built-in do-not-track feature.

Thanks, I checked and found it is available for the following:

Desktop:

• Opera
• Firefox
• Chrome
• Safari
• Internet Explorer

Mobile:

• Android
• iOS
• Firefox Android

 

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[Mattie]

https://www.torproject.org/
lol, I was just watching some stuff on the dark web on You Tube and keeps pointing people to use Tor. It's all quite interesting.

 

[RazorCut]

I've used Tor for some time. It's a very useful browser. The history is even more interesting as it was a US military project created by the United States Naval Research Laboratory. It has many more uses than just Dark Web access but of course that's what most people like to flag it for.

 

[Mattie]

I've used Tor for some time. It's a very useful browser. The history is even more interesting as it was a US military project created by the United States Naval Research Laboratory. It has many more uses than just Dark Web access but of course that's what most people like to flag it for.

Nice...I think I get a good laugh out of those on Reddit experimenting entering the Dark Web. I imagine they're in their twenties and gullible. And then the feed back they get is hilarious. And there worried about the F.B.I. coming to get them. I don't seem to think the F.B.I. is interested in kids experimenting with the dark web and going down the rabbit hole.

I haven't used it myself. I just had watched something on the Dark Web and read a few things.

But it would make good material for some fiction.

 

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[Dwight Schrute]

I've used Tor for some time. It's a very useful browser. The history is even more interesting as it was a US military project created by the United States Naval Research Laboratory. It has many more uses than just Dark Web access but of course that's what most people like to flag it for.

I did a little expedition into the deep web some time ago, quite interesting.
The part of the internet we can access with ordinary browsers is just the tip of the iceberg.
And using Tor gave me that Jason Bourne feeling, kind of like when I repair something with superglue
and think, "Woah, they invented this stuff for Vietnam to quickly close wounds on the battlefield, and now I have it at home!"

BTW, a lot of people concerned about their privacy recommend to use duckduckgo.com
instead of Google. I'm quite happy with it.

 

[Mattie]

I did a little expedition into the deep web some time ago, quite interesting.
The part of the internet we can access with ordinary browsers is just the tip of the iceberg.
And using Tor gave me that Jason Bourne feeling, kind of like when I repair something with superglue
and think, "Woah, they invented this stuff for Vietnam to quickly close wounds on the battlefield, and now I have it at home!"

Hmm...I'm not sure, If I'd want too. Watching some of the video's others have posted about their journey's it sounds as if some of it's just dark porn, dark insane websites, and more like a horror movie like the conjuring. Weird and unusual fetishes, and other things which are inhumane. Well, they say it has a lighter dark side. I suppose if you were a horror author it would be a great Idea.

Probably where E.L. James pretends she hangs out, or does. People love the dark side and fear. I can see why they would go exploring in there. The horror authors get their ideas from somewhere. lol

And lets not forget Silence of the Lambs was a pretty good movie.

 

[DaRK9]

"Deep Web" is basically just 4Chan (²)

Not much to see.

 

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[Dwight Schrute]

Hmm...I'm not sure, If I'd want too. Watching some of the video's others have posted about their journey's it sounds as if some of it's just dark porn, dark insane websites, and more like a horror movie like the conjuring. Weird and unusual fetishes, and other things which are inhumane. Well, they say it has a lighter dark side. I suppose if you were a horror author it would be a great Idea.

Probably where E.L. James pretends she hangs out, or does. People love the dark side and fear. I can see why they would go exploring in there. The horror authors get their ideas from somewhere. lol

And lets not forget Silence of the Lambs was a pretty good movie.

It's like walking through a city at night.
Can be beautiful, but also very disturbing, depending on where you go.

I remember using some kind of travel-guide site and made sure to leave out the wicked stuff.
Wikileaks for example was quite interesting!
Good rule of thumb, do not click anything porn/contract killing related.
Coders can learn a lot in the dark web.

 

[Mattie]

Good rule of thumb, do not click anything porn/contract killing related.
Coders can learn a lot in the dark web.

Exactly. I think that's the point of why I'll choose to pass.

 

[RazorCut]

Huffington Post 68 trackers:

 

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[BlakeIC]

Nice...I think I get a good laugh out of those on Reddit experimenting entering the Dark Web. I imagine they're in their twenties and gullible. And then the feed back they get is hilarious. And there worried about the F.B.I. coming to get them. I don't seem to think the F.B.I. is interested in kids experimenting with the dark web and going down the rabbit hole.

I haven't used it myself. I just had watched something on the Dark Web and read a few things.

But it would make good material for some fiction.

or buying drugs, any drug you want

much safer than buying in person

 

[BlakeIC]

It's like walking through a city at night.
Can be beautiful, but also very disturbing, depending on where you go.

I remember using some kind of travel-guide site and made sure to leave out the wicked stuff.
Wikileaks for example was quite interesting!
Good rule of thumb, do not click anything porn/contract killing related.
Coders can learn a lot in the dark web.

just an FYI, clicking on anything porn/contract killing related won't get you in any trouble

LEO doesn't care about individuals like you or I just browsing down there

If you sell any type of illegal item there, then you are a target otherwise nothing to worry about

edit: I mean you can still get in trouble, but leo is not looking for random searchers

 

[Jambla]

The tor browser its self is not illegal, the technology allows the user to be anonymous because of the random way the packets move from node to node. I used it once but I am not that exciting and didn't have any dodgy to look at! I do use a VPN though.

 

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[Dwight Schrute]

just an FYI, clicking on anything porn/contract killing related won't get you in any trouble

LEO doesn't care about individuals like you or I just browsing down there

If you sell any type of illegal item there, then you are a target otherwise nothing to worry about

edit: I mean you can still get in trouble, but leo is not looking for random searchers

Wasn't concerned about trouble, just to keep my mental sanity/faith in humanity.

 

[RazorCut]

Wasn't concerned about trouble, just to keep my mental sanity/faith in humanity.

Yes, there are only so many rabbit holes you want to go down.

 

[EmperorPear]

If you want drugs, child porn and other questionable content that'll get the party van in front of your house - the deep web is for you.

If you want e-books that you likely won't find in your local library - the deep web is also for you.

You can guess which one I tend to stay for.

If any e-xplorer wants to go on a safari, I reccomend they get the Tor Vidalia bundle and use it to surf (it's interface is like firefox's) and use the Hidden Wiki(new one, you'll find it) to find sites of interest.

 

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[Mattie]

or buying drugs, any drug you want

much safer than buying in person

Yes, I seen they buy drugs on there. Don't know if it's much safer. Either way, you get caught and do time.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

Yes, I seen they buy drugs on there. Don't know if it's much safer. Either way, you get caught and do time.

Ah yes, "Silk Road"

 

[Mattie]

I think in 2007 when I ran into Homeland Security by accident, I kind of learned right away that it's not the smartest idea for anyone to do illegal business online. And I think one other time I had a prosecuting attorney check one of my articles because I was writing about a case. I guess if you want to be stupid, you can, but I have no doubt eyes are watching.

 

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[AgainstAllOdds]

For anyone using Tor, and assuming that the government isn't tracking you, you're ignorant.

After Snowden, I wouldn't be surprised if the government uses Tor to figure out whose internet activity to track. Basically the following logic:

This user uses Tor, and hence is more likely of being a threat. Therefore, we should track this user's activities and all online accounts associated with him.

Here's more info:

One thing to bear in mind about TOR is that the list of TOR entry and exit nodes is public, otherwise you wouldn't be able to connect to the TOR network at all.

This means that if you're using TOR it's potentially obvious to your ISP or anyone who has access to your ISP's log files or anyone that runs the public network between your computer and your TOR entry point that you're using TOR presumably for something you'd rather nobody else knew about.

They can't tell which websites you're accessing but they can tell that you're trying to hide something. A bit like using a torch in the dark.

This has implications, for example if you live in a country with a repressive government and think that TOR makes it safe for you to communicate with the outside world. If your government is not naive and is in control of the communications network you are flagging yourself for further investigation.

If you're careful and intelligent then TOR does provide anonymity in that the website you're accessing won't know your IP address but it will know you are using TOR because the list of exit nodes is also public. This gives a website the potential opportunity to behave differently for TOR visitors in the hope of "tricking" them into revealing their identity. As others have said, you need a very secure browser environment with absolutely no javascript / plugins / java / extensions / cookies.

 

[Mattie]

For anyone using Tor, and assuming that the government isn't tracking you, you're ignorant.

After Snowden, I wouldn't be surprised if the government uses Tor to figure out whose internet activity to track. Basically the following logic:

This user uses Tor, therefore he's more likely of being a threat. Therefore, we should track this user's activities and all online accounts associated with him.

I'd have to agree. Exactly why I didn't use it. Seems like somewhere along the line too, I remember watching something on if you're writing about certain topics or certain key words there is a program that picks it up, and they start watching. I'm not entirely sure thought anymore. It's been a few years since I seen that program.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

when I ran into Homeland Security by accident

This user uses Tor, and hence is more likely of being a threat. Therefore, we should track this user's activities

if you're writing about certain topics or certain key words there is a program that picks it up, and they start watching

*throws external hard drive into microwave and puts on tin foil hat*

 

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[Mattie]

throws external hard drive into microwave and puts on tin foil hat

Leave it to someone to make an instruction video. lol

Don't try it at home, but the dorm room.

Smart people!