Category Archives: Counter-Surveillance as a Form of Protection

Final Counter-Surveillance as a Form of Protection Seth Cullen

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Dec 1.  Day one of becoming “digitally woke” I decided to start by switching from Google to Duckduckgo.  Duckduckgo is a search engine with all the features google has, such as images, videos, news, and maps.  The fundamental difference of Duckduckgo is that it does not collect and sell your search data.  I would like to add another benefit is that because your search data is not stored each time you search you receive an unbiased result.

 

Dec 2.  I was happy with the new feel of Duckduckgo, so I decided to switch to another browser. Tor was the first and obvious choice.  The makers of Tor have a mission of ending the “digital fingerprint” which is a unique series of information on your computer hardware.  Tor is not as pretty or smooth as Firefox or Google Chrome, but I think the mission it stands for is worth the switch.

 

Dec 3.  For day three I must go back in time.  A little over a year ago I set a Pihole in my house. Pihole is an ad blocker that works on all devices on your internet.  It is highly configurable with an administrator portal.  The setup is not easy for people with little programing experience.  You must buy a Raspberry Pi and configure the software to work as a Pi-hole.  My family and I really enjoy having no ads, and it also increases the speed in which websites load.

 

Dec 4.  Day four is still in the past shortly after making the Pi-hole I decided the next step was to setup a household VPN using Open VPN.  The setup for the VPN is similar to the Pi-hole and I was able to put it on the same Raspberry Pi. The benefits of having the VPN hosted from my house are that I can access devices on my network from anywhere. The VPN also ads an extra layer of security when accessing my network. Having a VPN also stops your internet service provider for tracking you.

 

Dec 5. Today I bought five dollars’ worth of bitcoin or 0.00026000 of one coin.  Bitcoin is a useful way to take back your privacy from being tracked for purchases online and even at some stores and restaurants.  Bitcoin is encrypted end to end on transactions.  There are no receipts to track your uses of bitcoin.

 

Dec 6.  I wanted to use a new email service that was encrypted.  I did some research and decided to try Protonmail hosted in Switzerland.  The service has a mobile app that syncs with the desktop and is user friendly.  A great feature of using the service is that Swiss privacy laws cover it.  The biggest downside of using the service is that if you lose your password your account is gone if you do not have a recovery email set.  The service is similar to any other email, but the user interface is nothing exciting.

 

Dec 7.  Today I decided to do a check on what comes up on me online using OneRep.  The service informed me of 17 different websites where my information was available, including where I was from and my phone number. I investigated one of the websites that had my information, it was called social catfish. The website claims to be able to reveal info on people such as usernames, arrest records, previous relationships, and other sensitive information.  But once the scan of myself was done it had me under a different last name, and I did not want to pay to see someone else’s information.  OneRep claims to remove the information from the websites it finds, but it charges a fee, so I am unsure if it is worth paying for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Counter-surveillance is a form of protecting oneself from being surveilled.  The ways in which I used counter-surveillance to take back my online privacy were Duckduckgo, Tor, Pi-hole, Open VPN, Bitcoin, Protonmail, and OneRep.  I used Duckduckgo to stop having my search data collected, used, and sold by Google. I used Tor to erase my digital fingerprint.  I made a Pi-hole in order to remove ads while using internet browsers on all devices in my home.  I set up Open VPN to stop my internet service provider from tracking me online.  I bought Bitcoin to purchase stuff online without a trace.  I created a Protonmail account to send encrypted emails. I scanned myself with OneRep to see what information of mine was available online.

My goal in using the aforementioned counter-surveillance techniques was to take a step in gaining back my online privacy.  I would also like to spread awareness of what steps you can take to protect our data online.  Additionally, I would like to inform readers about the ways that websites, apps, and other services collect, store, and track our data.  I believe that we need to take a stand and draw the line on what information is taken, and who can take and see it.

The self-knowledge I gained from taking back my online privacy were: how much data is collected, who collects the data, and how my data is used.  After learning of how my data was being taken advantage of I realized that I am not okay with it anymore.  I learned of new ways to take back my privacy online.  Taking the steps that I did make me feel much more secure in my online activities.

Data becomes valuable information to me when it can be used against me in any way, such as spam callers contacting me, or my phone location being used to track me. It is under uses like those that it can be manipulated to cause impacts on society.  Data is also valuable in predicting the behavior of different groups of people.  This can have negative side effects, especially when used in terms of race, gender, or country of origin.

If I were to have my own terms of service, they would allow for less data collection.  I would allow for data to be collected that is anonymous, meaning that the data could be collected but not linked back to me.  The data would be for purposes of improving services related to the data, such as improving algorithms.  I also would like for the data to not be stored for more than thirty days.  I also am not okay with information on my computer’s hardware being collected such as monitor sizer, or what video card is installed.  Additionally, I would like the data to be encrypted end to end when being collected so it is not subject to an outsider attack while data is transferring.  I am okay with my data being collected so long as it meets these terms and has a benefit for the website or service that is useful to the community and myself.  These are my five rules for equity and fairness when it comes to data sharing.

I have become a big fan of Duckduckgo, I installed their additional browser extension for Firefox.  Overall, I think the community that uses Duckduckgo is fed up with Google and other companies that collect and use their data. Duckduckgo is unbiased, and in my opinion that provides greater search results.

I will not use Tor as my daily browser just because it lacks some features of Firefox that I have grown used to. I like the goal of Tor to reduce and eliminate digital fingerprints.  I also like how it is open source and transmits your privacy thought the community.  The idea of Tor is very appealing to have an anonymous internet, but it is honestly unpractical for daily use.

I cannot express in words how happy I have been with my Pi-hole. The community is regularly active on Reddit and you can get responses to any questions within hours.  I have been working on computers for years.  I had done some work on Raspberry Pis before, but this was by far the most user-friendly installation I had ever done.  I did what is referred to as a headless installation, meaning I did not connect the pi to a monitor, instead I remoted into it from my computer.  The whole process took under thirty minutes, I have had to do little updating to the list of sources to block from and there are lists you can copy online.

Open VPN was extremely useful until I moved, and my configuration no longer worked. I liked being able to remote into my network and use my devices from anywhere. I connected to it if wanted to connect to unsecure Wi-Fi and not have them see my data.

My bitcoin will fluctuate in value and likely increase after a while. I look forward to spending my bitcoin in the future anonymously. I think the way how algorithms make the transactions happen is incredibly unique and interesting.

Protonmail is a service that I believe could be developed to become a main source of email.  The Swiss take their online privacy seriously, and since Protonmail is hosted in Switzerland you benefit from their privacy laws.

OneRep is a website that looks online based on your name and location to what pops up online about you and what websites that information is available.  I was not happy with the idea of paying them to remove data that I could not see, and I would not recommend using their services.

My findings from the group reflection are that we used similar strategies of taking back our online privacy. Michael, Harrison, and I all used Duckduckgo which is a great tool for taking back online privacy.

Counter Surveillance and Taking Agency Over Yourself

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Harrison Paul

Dr. Koellner

German Lit in Translation

8 December 2020

My Data Diary

 

Day 1 (December 1st):

Today I decided to no longer use Google and to switch to a different browser that is more secure. The browser I have chosen is DuckDuckGo. The benefits of switching to DuckDuckGo are boundless. Everything from less propagated search queries to less of my data being sold.

 

Day 2 (December 2nd):

My next step in practicing counter surveillance is downloading and using a VPN. Today I installed NordVPN. By using a VPN, all of my internet use is now secure. This means that I am able to use the internet without the worry of my information being sold and my internet practices being under close scrutiny. There are also hidden benefits of downloading a VPN. I am also able to now watch Netflix shows that aren’t available in the United States, as well as watch videos that are banned in this country.

 

Day 3 (December 3rd)

Today I realized the importance of setting all of my social media to private and being careful of all of the information I share. Due to this I turned my instagram account to private and I turned off my location services on Snapchat, a service that allows other people to see your personal location.

 

Day 4 (December 4th):

This may sound simple but today I decided to cover up my webcam. With the presence of “always-on” programs such as Zoom, I find the extra safety precaution to be fairly necessary. And for the record, former FBI director James Comey said himself that Americans should cover their webcams.

 

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/295933-fbi-director-cover-up-your-webcam

 

Day 5 (December 5th):

Now that it’s winter during the pandemic, I feel the most hidden in my entire life. When I wear my mask and a hoodie, I feel as if I have a blanket masking my identity. I think this will be my “get-up” for everytime I go out now.

 

Day 6 (December 6th):

Today I connected my Twitter account to applymagicsauce.com as a way to have some personal surveillance over myself, and while I have only tweeted a less than 50 times I was extremely surprised to see that the data profile that was created for me was insanely correct.

 

Day 7 (December 7th)

Today I decided that I would no longer fall into the trap of social media and I decided to stop using it entirely. As well I have decided to download all of my data in order to have personal agency over myself. Goodbye Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.

Counter Surveillance and Taking Agency Over Yourself

In the year 2020, humans have become subjugated to surveillance that is at a level that is completely unprecedented. By the means of social media, satellites, search engines, advertisements, and many other mediums, humanity has become surrounded by surveillance at every front. As well, privacy is dwindling down for the average person, more and more everyday, with very little chance of it ever returning to what it was. As each day passes, new algorithms are developed, with each one better than the last. These algorithms are designed in order to suck a person into the illusionary world of the surveillance state, making users more and more addicted to platforms that surveille them. It is no secret that these surveillance tactics have become incredibly detrimental to the mental health of humanity and due to this, counter-surveillance has become more important than it ever has been. Counter-surveillance is the actions that a person can put in place in order to take personal agency over how their data is being surveilled around the world and on the Internet. 

In order to take back agency over myself and my own personal surveillance, I decided that I would spend each day incorporating a new counter-surveillance method that would give me back freedom in the presence of a surveillance state. In chronological order these include, switching over search engines, using a Virtual Private Network, covering my web cameras and front facing mobile cameras, wearing surveillance-conscious clothing, analyzing my own social media data, and lastly getting rid of social media.

On the first day of my counter-surveillance experiment I decided to switch my search engine from Google to DuckDuckGO. Google is an incredibly infamous company due to their lack of privacy concerns, and is known to track users. From the Associated Press, “An Associated Press investigation found that many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store your location data even if you’ve used a privacy setting that says it will prevent Google from doing so.” DuckDuckGO, does none of this, at least according to them they don’t, and this alone does wonders from a counter-surveillance perspective. As well, Google is notorious in 2020 for heavily censoring search results for many different topics. In fact, I am still mesmerized by how different my experience on DuckDuckGo has been compared to Google.

Following this, on the second day, I started using a Virtual Private Network. Virtual Private Networks, also known as VPNs, disguise its users internet connection by rerouting it through a different location. During this process, the users browsing data becomes invisible to hackers, ISPs (Internet Service Providers), and even the government. The VPN that I chose to use is called NordVPN. NordVPN allows its users to choose a custom location that their virtual network is located in. This comes with many hidden benefits as well; Netflix shows and videos that are unavailable in the United States are accessible using a VPN. Instantly after using NordVPN, I feel more safe and secure.

The third step in my journey towards freedom from the surveillance state was to reassess all of my privacy related settings on social media. First I set all of my non-anonymous social media accounts to private, specifically Instagram and Facebook. This allows me to have direct control over who I allow to have agency over me. Following this I decided to go on Snapchat and edit all of my location services settings. Snapchat has a feature on its app that allows friends to see where other friends are located; while this is an amazing idea in concept, it is the antithesis to what counter-surveillance stands for. I changed the settings so that only my best friend and my girlfriend can see my location.

On the fourth day, I covered all of my webcams and front-facing mobile cameras. According to former FBI director James Comey, “If you go into any government office, we all have our little camera things that sit on top of the screen, they all have a little lid that closes down on them.” A lot of people find this to be silly, but in my personal opinion I believe that this is an obvious measure. This provides direct protection from the likes of hackers, the NSA, or whoever.  Another reason that I incorporated this into my own life was to give myself peace of mind. With the prevalence of free applications such as Snapchat and Zoom, I decided to take the FBI’s advice and put tape over my cameras.

Following this, on the fifth day, I decided to take the advice of surveillance conscious filmmaker Hito Steyl, and I made myself satellite proof. Due to the arrival of winter and the existence of the pandemic, this has become fairly easy. When I leave my house I wear a mask and a hoodie, as a result of this, all of my defining features are able to be disguised and invisible to satellites. According to Hito Steyl’s ironic short film “How To Not Be Seen,”  satellites have the ability to focus on any location in the world by a radius of only a couple feet. Due to this, I found it incredibly important to be more satellite-aware in my fashion choices.

On December 6th, I took direct action on created personal agency over myself and my own data. By using the website applymagicsauce.com, I was able to import my own social media data and create a data analysis sheet. The results shocked me, simply by looking at my posts and other social media activity, applymagicsauce.com was able to pinpoint nearly every single one of my personal intellectual characteristics. Honestly, this came to me as a shock and it took me a while to process all of this.

On the last day of my experiment, I decided to hang up the towel on Social Media. The six days prior to this, showcased the many reasons that I should stop falling for the illusion that social media provides. As a result, I deleted Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter from my phone. Of all the applications that I used in my experiment, I have found that this has given me the most freedom in the presence of the surveillance state.

In conclusion, this personal experiment allowed me to take back control in my own personal digital identity, and I would go as far as say that I feel free from the presence of the surveillance state. In the twenty-first century it is incredibly important for humanity to really think about what is more important: easability or freedom. Following my personal experiment, I discussed the implications with a group of four people who also attempted this on their own lives. After discussing with my group, I have found that we all took a very similar path to finding personal freedom; we all switched search engines, assessed our privacy settings, and started to cover our webcams. As a whole, we all found this to have an extremely positive outcome on our lives.

Works Cited

Steyl, Hito, director. How Not to Be Seen. A Fucking Didactic Educational .MOV File. Steyl, 2013.

“FBI Director Says He Covers His Webcam And Shares Other Security Recommendations”. Business Insider, 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-director-covers-webcam-2016-9. Accessed 8 Dec 2020.

“The Importance Of Using A VPN – Stay Safe Online”. Stay Safe Online, 2016, https://staysafeonline.org/blog/the-importance-of-using-a-vpn/#:~:text=A%20virtual%20private%20network%20(VPN,your%20online%20security%20and%20privacy.&text=Additionally%2C%20because%20your%20data%20is,intercept%20your%20data%20en%20route. Accessed 8 Dec 2020.