Are you being spied on when you’re using the internet?
The extent to which your online activities are under the threat of spying by world agencies including the NSA have been largely unknown up until the leaks of Edward Snowden and Wikileaks. The bitter truth is that the people are constantly being scanned, traced, and tracked while performing their daily tasks online. To ensure complete confidentiality and protection against cyber crimes, here are some measures you can put into practice:
Cover the Camera Lens
The camera lens on mobile devices and laptops can be a cause for worry who tend to be avid users of Skype or other services where you are consistently using the camera on your electronic device. One of the best ways to ensure internet security from hackers is to cover the camera lens with the help of a sticker. You can use the Graffer tape if you don’t mind the glue remnants. Nowadays webcam stickers are available at inexpensive prices.
Dummy Plug for Microphone Jack
The hackers and the NSA authorities can interfere with your conversations even if you have muted the microphone or are not even using it. The best way to prevent eavesdropping of this nature is to use a dummy earphone plugged into the jack. Make sure you cut off and throw the speaker device on the other end of the wire.
Silent Circle and Redphone Applications
Silent Circle and Redphone are two important applications that are helpful for encrypting the details of online conversations. Hence the service providers like Skype or Google are restricted from having access to your conversations. Both these software applications are open source providing internet security assurance against any possible occurrence of backdoors trojan attacks.
Off the Record (OTR) Encryption
The NSA implements a PRISM program to access chat conversations through Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft and other accounts. To keep the details private and personal, both the users should select the option- ‘Off the Record’. The OTR introduces an encryption technology to provide internet security to the data between the two end users only. Use messenger spectrums that support the software program. Pidgin and Adium are two important software programs in this regard.
Mobile Device Batteries
The NSA surveillance system tracks the nearest towers from where phone calls are made to trace the exact location of the particular cell phone user. To escape the location being traced, leave the mobile phone at home, or switch it off or you can take out the battery from the handset.
It is important to note that though some precautionary measures can prevent the NSA authorities from hearing your conversations, it is ultimately tough to lock the metadata details related to the user contact number contacted, calling patterns etc. Hence be very particular about calling questionable phone numbers and unknown people as they may be engaged in malicious activities that can drag you into trouble as well. While contents can be hidden from spying activities, it is practically impossible to hide the users you contact online over a voice call, video chat or emails. Protect yourself online by being aware of your daily activities on the internet.
