According to the news tonight, there are some 20,000 computers in private hands here in VA (over 1000 in my county alone, and the majority in close proximity to DC) with child porn on them. Evidently, peer to peer networks and similar facilities don't have security sufficient to prevent peering into home files via the networks. Also evidently, there is no need for warrants, it is done automatically by finding the IP addys that visit known porn sites, then can somehow access the home computers to examine the files thereon. I have no interest in that sort of thing, but if any of you do, it's a matter of time 'till they find you. And, indications are that prosecution is inevitable subject to finding the time and money to go forth. More intrusions in the name of nanny. Now, I don't hold with child porn, but if they can do it with child porn, what makes us think they can't do it with gun porn? I think I'm getting pissed.
While I've no interest in porn I do value my privacy. What concerns me is the ability gov't seems to have to snoop into anyones computer they choose. Firewalls, and virus programs can't keep them out. I started using Firefox because it just seems more secure than IE, (cache files difficult to hack into because of not having extensions). One of the reasons I'm looking at Linux is for internet use. Isn't Linux more secure than Windows? I've been getting more paranoid about Windows for a while now. Ok for offline work but risky for online stuff.
The words "child porn" can be a bit misleading when it comes from the gooberment. We have outlawed it to protect sexual victimization of children, but the Bush admin has gone beyond that into the realm of ridiculous with the "Protect Act of 2003". It outlaws sexually explicit images of "underage appearing" people.... that includes drawings, sculptures, whatever. Even though nobody is harmed, nobody is victimized, and the supreme court said just one year earlier that it was legal. If Herr Bush and company can do that, they could also outlaw depictions of violence in movies. Just another wipe of the almighty GWB arse with liberty.
I'm not advising on how to keep kiddie porn from prying eyes, but anything that I want kept private I store on a portable hard drive and I delete and overwrite 3x all of my laptop activity on a daily basis.
Ok boys, I've got to own up to the gun porn pictures on my computer, confession is one of the first steps right?
love it! Got to agree, I move things from my internal drive to an external or flash drive. Then I wipe all temp files, clean the registry, over write, etc. But, I'm thinking hidden key logger software with Windows, because I don't trust Microsoft. I snoop around in Windows and am constantly finding files cached in places I would not have thought of. Windows does some really weird stuff most of this is done in the background and is scary how they do it and make things hidden, so the ordinary person could never find them. Somebody please tell me, does Linux do this, hide files I mean? I find traces or tracks on my hard drive even if I only view a file that's on a flash drive. CCleaner will remove this most of the time, but...., then there is always those hidden locations. Actually I would rather have GOD looking over my shoulder while I'm online than some of the stuff Windows and the gov't does to us. </exile>
