How Anonymous is Your Proxy?

August 30th, 2011

The predominance of online threats and data breaches show the need for a more secure online connection. Today, one can only hope for a technology that provides a better way to hide from data thieves while surfing online. Many companies have tried many times to address this concern, but only a few effectively gave satisfaction to users.

A user’s IP address is the key for dishonest people to steal his or her personal information. Without much effort, the user can be followed and monitored – what kinds of sites he or she visits, how long he or she stays there – almost all about his or her online behavior. If the user’s IP address is hidden from these crooks, these frustrating and actually dangerous activities are not possible.

Hiding one’s IP address can be effectively done by using Anonymous Proxy. This can facilitate a user to keep online anonymity in several areas. No one will know the location where he or she is surfing from so his or her online behavior can no longer be tracked. Anonymous proxy can help a user guard his or her personal information. With online anonymity, a user does not have to worry to do online shopping. The above-mentioned are some of the personal reasons why one must use Anonymous Proxy.

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Facebook has been plagued with many privacy issues over the years. Users have questioned some features that loosen the control they have over their own privacy. While the features’ intention was to enhance the user’s experience, problems arose, particularly with content sharing. The company responded by making changes to its privacy features hoping to give users more control over their privacy. Some of these changes were accepted and used, but others have ignited even more complaints.

This past week, Facebook publicized that it is giving its millions of users more enhanced privacy control. These changes will be out on the internet in the coming days, and users will be given an opportunity to try them when they become available. The new privacy features will, as a whole, make it easier for users to know what people will see about them online and who will see their posts.

Users can easily know who can see all that they post with just a few clicks. They can also opt to block photos that are unwanted, and those items tagged by others from their profile page. Facebook hopes to see that users will have more understanding of these settings by changing such terms from “everyone” to “public”. Users used to think that “everyone” simply meant everyone on the social networking site. The term really meant every person on the internet.

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Today, most middle and high schools provide some amount of internet access to students in order to enhance their learning. To make certain that children are well guided, each school provides an Internet Acceptable Use Policy. Usually at the beginning of each school year, parents and students are required to sign this document. It lays down and defines the school’s guidelines on internet use. It also gives the details of the rules regarding online behavior and the equivalent consequences of disobedience.

There are some schools that include in here the rights of staff members and students in using the school’s internet facilities. As a whole, all Acceptable Use Policies identify the rights of students to benefit from technology and protect them from harm. To reinforce its implementation, parents need to play a vital part. They should update themselves about what their children are studying in school and how they are going to use the internet. More significantly, they should realize that children are using the internet in a safe manner.

At home, parents should talk about the guidelines with their children. At their age, students might not fully understand the significance of those policies. Parents should particularly clarify those activities that might seem safe but are actually not allowed. What is the school’s policy regarding email use? What does harassment actually mean? Are students allowed to visit file-sharing sites or to download music? What consequences are there for cyber-bullying using the school’s computers? They should evaluate how their children usually use the internet at home and compare this to the things that are banned at school.

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Internet’s Good Sides

August 19th, 2011

Parents of children who have access to the internet should not only look at the downside of it. The internet has many good sides and, when used properly, it can help their children achieve improvement in school work. In fact, schools are encouraged to use this technology to enhance learning in many ways. That is why it is not rational for parents to speak ill of the internet without considering the benefits that it can give to their children.

Maybe what parents need to do is to involve themselves in the internet activities of their children. There are some basic recommendations that parents can try on their own. The most important is to learn more about the internet, or better yet, learn about it from their children. This can be an opportunity for bonding, especially with teenagers, who are starting to seek independence from parental control. A parent’s sincere goal to learn from his or her child is a boost to the child’s self esteem.

These experiences, when routinely repeated, will build trust. Parents can then wait for the right signal so that they can be ready to talk about internet safety rules. The right time would depend much on the age of the child. It is obvious that parents should know when this could come about, as with other areas where they set parental control. They only have to be careful that the trust built between them and their children is neither broken nor compromised.

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How About the Rules?

August 16th, 2011

It is important to synchronize online safety rules at home and at school. Children need to feel that rules in school strengthen or complete those at home. This is essential because nowadays, schools are taking a more active role in the enforcement of rules regarding online activities. Before children enter school, parents should have prepared them for their new situation.

Children who are exposed to following internet rules at home will find it easy to obey those of the school. It is best for parents to set up policies of their own at home so that children do not feel uncomfortable or intimidated. Of course, different schools have different internet rules, but giving children the “feel of it” will help them to become more compliant.

As a general observation, schools would revise their policies for several reasons. They do so because of the reactions of parents, which could range from rules being too lax or too limiting. Another reason could be the general conduct of children in a particular school. This is greatly dictated by the socio-economic conditions of the families to which these children belong. To keep with it, schools have to go by the generally accepted standards of online behavior. It cannot be denied that some schools sould lay down internet rules that are non-negotiable and are never compromised.

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Saving Our Schoolchildren

August 15th, 2011

Middle and high school authorities are alarmed at the worsening behavioral problems of a number of children. It is believed that some of these are manifestations of how these children behave online. School officials are seeking help from experts who can handle the problem. They see that it cannot be solved by the school alone, but must be a collaborative effort of the home and the school where parents play a crucial role. For this reason, many schools are in partnership with private organizations who can teach parents about internet safety and media literacy.

There is a realization among schools that what used to be confined to online behavior among children is no longer true. The truth is there is no longer a difference between how they behave online and offline. For example, when one student harasses another student online, the consequences will surely extend offline and most probably this will occur on the school campus. This then becomes the problem of the school administration. However, this kind of problem could have been prevented if parents carried out their obligations. Children should get their first education on internet literacy and safety from their parents. Unfortunately, this is not happening in many homes today.

Parents seem to be uneducated when comes to the risks and dangers of the internet when it comes to their children. Many of them do not set internet rules and, if they do, these rules are not realistic and consistent. There are some who would throw the burden to teachers. The usual reason why they do this is that they do not know the technology. Many parents feel it is enough just to know that their children are using Facebook, but they do not know how their children use it. This is one of the roots of the problems that schools encounter today.

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When users discovered the joy of social networking, they did not waste a second uploading their personal data just to open an account. Then, they invited their friends to do the same so that they would make a big circle of online friends. Likewise, “friends” of their “friends” now repeat all that the others did. As soon as they have an account, they create their personal profiles by adding even more information. On top of this, they then share photos of all sorts. Millions of other users, composed of all ages, replicate the same process. For 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, huge amounts of information is uploaded and shared online.

Then, privacy concerns due to data breaches started to upset their enjoyment. It started as a small issue, but more users’ privacy violations prompted privacy advocates to do something. They asked the government to update existing privacy laws. They also urged internet companies to disclose their privacy policies. Until now, debates regarding government control and privacy violations are still going on. Updated privacy laws are still in question, and their implementation is still pending. Private companies update their privacy policies, but there is a need for these to be in pace with the nature of privacy problems.

Users are becoming more concerned about the presence of their data on the internet and how this will be used. Once, they were very excited to upload their data, but now, they cannot wait to delete it. They are sure that one day, the data will be used to their disadvantage. Users discovered that there is already too much information about them on the internet. Third parties can use this data for many different purposes that users do not know about.

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Children and Internet Use

August 6th, 2011

It is not easy for parents to set rules on internet use for children when they themselves do not know about the dangers of its irresponsible use. They have to first educate themselves about the internet’s positive and negative effects on children. This will enable them to set clear and attainable rules on their children’s internet activities. In essence, children should be conscious about the limits of the kinds of sites that they could visit, online decorum, length of internet use, data that can be shared online, etc.

Each of my four children is using the internet. I have teenage girls, aged 14 to 18, who use it mainly for research but also for social networking. The fourth one, an 11-year old boy, is fond of playing online games and other applications. My eldest daughter was 14 years old when she was first exposed to the online community. That was when our family had its first access to the internet through a dial-up connection. Her first activities were done mostly out of curiosity, until she discovered the opportunities of research and the joy of social networking.

I could say that my having more knowledge of the internet than my children was an advantage. It put me in the right position to manage their online activities. As I reflect, I can say that the most demanding area of control among my children is for them to set limits on their time of use. Social networking and online gaming can be addicting to most children their ages and it is very difficult for children to say “stop” once they get hooked on these.

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My Private Proxy Benefits

August 5th, 2011

I am not well versed about the technicalities behind Private Proxy server, but I am thankful that it is here. I am a new Private Proxy server user, and am happy that I am getting its full benefits. My readings on the internet brought me to at least four benefits that I personally enjoy right now. Because of this, I do not have to worry about being blocked from accessing important websites.

Before I knew about this technology, I used to just leave my “footprints” anywhere. This probably made me the target of some people who meant harm, or wanted to steal my identity. But now, with Private Proxy, they cannot identify who I am. I learned that some proxy servers cannot totally hide you from prying eyes. Unscrupulous people can simply use an IP tracking software and they can identify you. Thanks to Private Proxy, my computer becomes untraceable because it is hidden from them.

I experience faster speed whenever I use Private Proxy. Instead of wasting my time waiting for the page to load, I can maximize the use of my time getting on with my purpose. There was a significant difference in speed even when attaching large files to emails, which is something that I always do. Further, I used to get frustrated when suddenly the connection got terminated. I lost so much data and there was so much wasted time. With the help of Private Proxy, I am assured of a fast and reliable connection.

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There is a continuing increase in the number of data breaches. With this development, more users realize that they themselves are to be blamed for it. They readily share information online without thinking about its results. Many users were surprised to find out that many sites “knew” too much about them. They wondered how this happened, but then later admitted that they shared that information some time ago. Now, they want to regain their privacy, but they have to face the reality that it is difficult.

Only now did they know that every time they are online, there are third parties watching their online behavior. There are online marketers, game developers and search engines, working for their own purpose. They only agree on one common thing – they are collecting as much information as they can from every online user. This useful information can provide third parties with lots of money, but users are not aware of this.

One user was very surprised to find that he has uploaded so much personal information. He did a simple search about himself on one site. He could not imagine where the site got his address, knew about his household members and food preferences. Other users are becoming more aware of this, so they want to regain control over their own identities. They believe that the best solution is removing their information from the internet.

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