Anonymityville Horror

	Anti-virus and Computer Security by The F@t Guy

Anonymityville Horror - Protecting your Identity.

Remember back in the introduction how I said there were some folks I don't mind meeting, but that I wouldn't want to bring home? That's what this little section is about.

Have you ever met someone you like (kinda), but not really? have you ever given such a person a bogus name or phone number instead of your real one? Have you ever been willing to give out your home phone with the answering machine, but won't give out your personal cell number to someone?

If so, then you know something about what I am talking about here. There are just some folks that you'd rather not be bugged by. It may not even be a personal issue, it may just be that you are sick of the aggregate- Everyone has your number and you are bombed incessantly with phone calls. So you figger out a way to shunt the most of them of to a more manageable situation. Don't feel lonely, you've got alot of company.

Believe it or not, the same thing happens on the net. You sign up for a few forums, get on a few mailing lists, register a few programs, and suddenly you find yourself overwhelmed with e-mail... A good portion of it unwanted. But that isn't even the worst of it...

One of those things you had signed up for may have sold your address to a spammer, who in turn sells it to another spammer, and so on. Next thing you know you are no longer overwhelmed, but rather inundated! Suddenly there are all sorts of e-mail ads hitting your box with less than helpful solutions, most of which pertain to improving the size of various parts of your body, or offer low, low prices on a variety of prescription drugs. Now you've had it! This is too much! But sadly, even this is not as bad as it get...

One of the creepy things about the net is that you don't really know anyone you are talking to... even if you do think you know them. For all you know, that lovely girl named Angela619 you are getting tight with might actually be a fat pimple-faced guy named Lenny... Even worse, she might really be a weirdo with "issues," whose hobby is stalking, and who works as a butcher in real life.

"Eeeeek!" You say, " Don't say that! You're freakin' me out!" Yeah.. I know... but it's true. You should be really, really careful about giving out your true name and personal information. You need to develop some anonymity.

Being "anonymous" is really a misnomer... There are a few tricks, but really it is pretty impossible to be totally anonymous- For one thing, in order for you to access anything on the web you are assigned an unique IP address that is tied to your network card's unique MAC address - that is the only way you can get to any page or download anything... So if one is determined (like a Federal-Marshall-with-a-warrant kind of determined), one can be tracked down completely. One can go through a proxy service or two to make a few more hoops to jump through, but it can be done (for the most part).

So "anonymous" isn't really as anonymous as you might think. But for the most of us, it isn't necessary to be exactly anonymous, but only to *not* be who we are... sort of the opposite of a secret identity... A Flagrant Identity. It is the real you that is to be the secret part.

**Special note** In order for this to work, you must start out right in the first place - Before you have already given out your e-mail to everybody and his dog - If it is already too late, and you have a problem with people you don't want having your e-mail, or you are being bombed by spammers, call your ISP and get your e-mail addy changed - Then follow along. You will see where this is going shortly.

The first thing you need to develop is a monikker, a handle or nickname if you will. You can develop multiple identities if you wish, but for now, let's just stick to a main identity. This can be anything, really, but I would suggest that it does not contain anything that can point directly at you, so it shouldn't contain your name, or at least not your last name. I would also suggest staying away from any explicit stuff- SexyGrandma82 might work in some places, but might not work in others if you catch my drift. It should be memorable and rather easy to write, too: HorsesForCourses might be a great handle, but it is rather long in the spelling. KiteFlier, CheeseDip, LongBow, and etc. would be more the thing.

The next step would be to develop a contact point for your new self, and the way this is done is to get yourself a webmail account. These are freely available at hundreds of places on the net - Most of the major search engines offer a free mail service (I prefer and recommend Yahoo). You simply sign up for the mail account, using your real name and email address and submit the name of the account you'd like to create. Your new identity name should be a part of this new account because when you are done, you will be issued an e-mail address that will be the contact point for your new self.

If the name you picked out is already taken (mad_dawg, for instance), that's ok... just throw a few numbers after it (maddawg4098, NOT your Phone, StreetAddy, or SoSoc etc...), or screw with the spelling (madddawgg) until you get a variant that isn't taken.

Log into the new account and set your preferences, making sure there is no part of your real identity that will be "seen" by anyone. You do not want anything visible to the web which would identify the real "you"

There. you are done. You are now newself. You can be reached at your spanky new newself@searchengine.com email address.

From now on, when you sign up for a newsletter, or create an identity in a forum, or anything else, do so as your new self, not your real identity. Your real self and your real e-mail address should never be entered anywhere on-line again. Only give your real e-mail out to your family, friends, and clients... real folks that you actually know... If you create any further identities, use your main alias identity address to sign up for the rest.

Pay attention to that webmail, too - Handle it just like you do your real e-mail. Check it daily, and keep it clean.

If you use Instant Messaging, the same thing applies. Use the alias rather than your real identity.

Besides the obvious obfuscation- The ability to interact from the safety of your alias, there are several really great benefits that go along with using the alias account:

1. Because you use your alias online, the likelihood is that the alias e-mail will be the one that gets sold to a spammer, If you do fall prey to a spammer, the spam-mail will go to your alias account rather than your real one. The webmail services online have terrific junkmail features, so the only effect will be the need to dump the Bulk Mail folder now and then... If spam does get through, there is usually a "This is Spam" button which will notify the mail server of such and will blacklist the sender- benefitting you and countless others.

2. The online webmail services are fully protected by antivirus and will not affect your machine at all if you happen to get a malicious attachment. You can always check the attachment with their AV scanner before downloading the attachment to yourself.

3. You can change ISPs alot easier: Since the lion's share of your e-mail traffic will be going to the alias, you can easily dump your ISP for another, needing only to send change notices to your close circle. this saves endless hours of signing on to every forum or whatnot to change the address.

4. The alias is disposable - If needed, the current alias can be dumped for another - while keeping both active long enough for your email to follow you to the new one... Even for years, if neccessary - At no cost or inconveinience to yourself.

There you have it. Fly and be free. Not only will it be harder for others to identify or harass you, the alias you just set up is the very best thing you can do to protect your real e-mail from the constant irritation of spammers.

::TFG