Privacy: Online and Off

Privacy is dead, right? It’s no secret that companies are more than willing to pay a nice chunk of cash to learn as much about you as they possibly can, so hardly anyone can blame you for thinking privacy no longer exists.

But even if you think you have nothing to hide, your personal information is worth protecting. This collection of resources contains everything you need to know to protect your personal information and stay safe.

Now 16,318+ British Cops, Suits & Spooks Can See Every Website You Visit

Last Updated: March 25, 2017 The Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) is a new law that makes mass surveillance legal in the United Kingdom. All citizens’ mobile phone and internet use will now be logged, and the law also allows the government to secretly bypass encryption, among other things. The Act specifies a number of job […]

Everything You Need to Know on Tor & the Deep Web

The internet has, in its storied history, been compared to many things: a river; a superhighway; and, perhaps most famously, a series of tubes. But as it turns out, the most apt comparison of all just might be an iceberg. Like the mighty floes that break off from glaciers, only 10% of the network we […]

Update on the Cloudflare Data Breach

As you may have heard, a coding error at Cloudflare exposed information of users of potentially millions of websites. This is being referred to as “Cloudbleed.” Although WhoIsHostingThis.com does use Cloudflare, there is a minuscule chance that this will affect any of our users. In a general sense, WhoIsHostingThis.com is relatively safe from such attacks […]

50 Ways the Internet May Be Out to Get You

According to the Pew Research Center, as of 2016, about 87% of US adults use the internet. And according to data collected by Statista, there are nearly 3.5 billion internet users worldwide. If these numbers are indicative of anything, it’s that the internet is an important part of our lives. Think about it. You can buy pretty […]

The Investigatory Powers Act: Ultimate Guide

The Investigatory Powers Act (PDF)is a new law that gives the UK government massive surveillance powers. It legalizes the tracking of internet usage, the hacking of smartphones and laptops, and the monitoring of innocent people. It also opens up that data to a huge number of staff members in various agencies and organizations. And it provides a mandate for the […]

Email Under Attack

Your Email Is Under Attack — Fight Back!

In late September of 2016, Yahoo! announced a massive security breach whereby hackers stole information from around half of their one billion users. The catch? The security breach occurred in 2014. Data from the Ponemon Institute shows that the average time it typically takes for companies to identify a breach is 191 days. It then takes, […]

Quick Guide to Safe Online Shopping

The holiday season is upon us! And that means most of us will turn to the internet to find the perfect gifts for our loved ones. Online shopping is convenient. It allows you to avoid crowds, get items shipped straight to your home, and in some cases, save money. Even though it’s convenient, however, online […]

Quantum Computers and the End of Privacy

From government to business to regular individuals, encryption is important. It’s how we maintain some level of privacy in our lives. It protects our email and our credit cards. For some, it can be a matter of life and death. And it’s a risky business. We never know if our passwords have been compromised, or […]

49 Tools to Secure Your Privacy

The Internet is a warehouse of information on any subject you can imagine. Even you. The more time you spend online, the more you put yourselves at risk for having your private information or communications intercepted, read, and possibly even used for illegal purposes. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available — many of them […]

Is Your Home Safe From Hackers? Probably Not

Hackers were never so powerful as they were in the 1990s movies. By furiously typing on their keyboards, they could decode any encryption, steal any amount of money from any person or organization, reveal any classified government secret… even travel back in time. In the early days of the internet, hacking powers were sorely misunderstood. […]

Privacy and Copyright for Photographers: What You Need to Know

Modern tech has made taking photos, editing them, and sharing them with friends and family easier than ever. That’s a wonderful thing for budding photographers… but it’s also a bit of a double-edged sword, for photographers and their subjects. Education on privacy and copyright hasn’t kept pace with the rapid progress of technology. There are […]

4 Email Privacy Tools to Keep Your Email Secure

What’s the worst that could happen if someone gains access to your email account? You may think not much — maybe a few spam emails will be sent from your account, but once you change your password, it’ll be over, right? Actually, your email account is probably the worst online account that can be hacked. […]

How Fraudsters are Scoring Millions

Online Dating Scams: How Millions Are Lost

People tend romanticize the past, but when it comes to the romantic institution of marriage, the “romantic” part is actually a much more recent phenomenon. Marriage today is completely different than all throughout history. In the past, it was a means of uniting families together; it’s only recently that we began thinking of marriage as […]

7 Apps to Encrypt Your Chats

True Private Messaging: 7 Apps to Encrypt Your Chats

Are your text messages private and secure? Or are they vulnerable to prying eyes? Given the news lately, it’s safe to assume they’re not. It’s been revealed that the National Security Agency has been collecting text messages for years — up to 200 million a day. They collect everything they can from anyone they can, […]

How to Set Up a VPN (and Why You Should)

Think your Internet connection is secure from hackers and spies? You know your basic online safety tips. You’re careful at home, scrutinizing your email for phishing attempts, never giving out personal information, and installing nothing unknown on your computer. When you’re out and about, connecting to public Wi-fi, you verify you’re on the right network […]

Getting Started With Privacy

In the wrong hands, your personal information can be used for more than just serving you with ads tailored to your interests. It can be used to steal your identity, completely empty your bank account, kidnap or harm your loved ones, and more. The following resource will provide you with a general introduction to online privacy.

The World Wide Web and internet Privacy: an introductory overview of personal data that should be protected with simple rules to follow to secure your information.

Browsing The Internet

The internet is no longer a place reserved for simple information exchange. It’s a way of staying in touch with your family and friends, planning your next vacation, and shopping for various items. However, it can also be used to access sensitive information and sell your personal data to a third party. The following resources will show you the risks and educate you on the importance of keeping your children safe.

Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety: smartphones allow you to know where your children are at any given time but the apps that your children use on a daily basis can put them in danger online. This guide covers everything you need to know about keeping your children safe on the internet.

How to Spot a Fake Website: phishing is a serious issue, which extends well beyond your email. Phishing scripts can also be deployed on the web. This guide covers both simple and more advanced methods of spotting fake websites and explains what you can do to protect yourself.

Staying Safe With Social Media and Private Messages

While hate crimes and bullying was once reserved for places like work or school, in today’s digital age, social media and private messaging apps are the perfect opportunity for evil-doers to cause great harm. It’s easier than ever to become a victim of a hate crime on social media and private messaging where the offenders hope to remain hidden.

Under the Magnifying Glass: A Dissection of Hate Crime: a hate crime is when a person is attacked for being associated with a certain social, ethnic, or religious organization, or for their sexual orientation, nationality, physical appearance, handicap, or gender identity. Learn what you can do to protect yourself.

Protect Your Email

Your email is the most important asset of your digital presence. If your email is compromised, the hackers can use it to reset passwords and gain access to all your other online accounts. It’s essential to understand just how vulnerable your email is and what you can do to protect it.

Email Spam by the Numbers: a must-watch video to truly understand the importance of keeping your email inbox secure.

Sender ID Introduction and Resources: this guide outlines how to use Sender ID to protect yourself from email spam and common scams.

Use Strong Passwords

Passwords were invented way back in the 1960s as a means of regulating online access to shared files. Unfortunately, most users don’t follow the best practices when it comes to creating passwords, and to make matters worse, they often use the same password over and over again. While the system hasn’t changed much in the past 50 years, there is hope for new technology to take over and you could be logging into your bank account with your fingerprint, or accessing your email with a retinal scan.

Beyond Strong Passwords: online passwords are like keys to your digital home. And in the wrong hands, they can be used to steal your money or open up new lines of credit, use your identity with malicious intent, or sell your personal information to the highest bidder. Learn how to keep them safe and what the future holds for identifying yourself and accessing sensitive information.

Avoid Online Scams and Protect Your Data

Desperate princes in Nigeria who need your help to transfer funds from their deceased fathers, fake lottery winnings, and acquaintances stranded in a foreign countries are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to online scams. The following articles offer information on recognizing online scams, preventing digital extortion, and using cryptography to protect your data.

Online Scams and Fraud: How Internet Users Can Minimize Exposure: learn to recognize the most common online scams and ways to protect yourself.

The Growing Threat of Digital Extortion — And How to Avoid It: digital extortion is a real threat where your data is held ransom until you pay a hefty sum. Avoid the risk with the tips in this article.

Cryptography Resources: cryptography is the science of concealing the meaning of data so only specified parties understand a transmission’s contents. This guide offers a complete list of resources with detailed information on cryptography and how you can use it to conceal sensitive information.

Revealing too much of your personal information online could have more serious consequences than being served targeted ads. Depending on what all you share online, anyone with a malicious intent can gain access not only to your information but to those closest to you. The resources above will set you on the right path to protect your information and stay safe online.