Internet surveillance
Your activity on the internet may be recorded in several ways.
The amount of detail captured may be:
- Websites - websites visited
- Website details - websites visited, araes or seraches within websites
- Everything - All activity on the computer including passwords and credit card details entered
Internet activity can be surveilled in many ways:
- Hardware keylogger
- Spyware
- Browser history
- Cookies
- ISP
- Mobile phones
- Wireless hotspots
- Fake base stations
- NSA and GCHQ
Hardware keylogger
Recordred: Everything A hardware keylogger is a device inserted between the keyboard cable and the computer. If the keyboard is wireless then the keylogger is insterted between the keyboard wireless receiver and the computer. The logger records all keystrokes entered on the keyboard.
Spyware
Recordred: Everything Spyware can be installed on PCs and smartphones etc. Spyware may be installed deliberately or may be installed by chance by a virus, trojan or worm.
Browser history
Recorded: Websites
By default web browsers record a history every website you visit.
Cookies
Recorded: Website details
Any website you visit can store data on your PC called a cookie. If you visit the same website again it can use the data in the cookies to identify what you looked at last time and change the adverts it displays accordingly. Some websites read cookies saved by other websites so they know something about your web habits even on your first visit.
ISP
Recorded: Website details
Your ISP records every page of every website you visit.
If you use a computer in an office then you can think of the company as being the ISP.
Mobile phones
Recorded: Website details
Mobile phones networks offers access to the internet so are effectively ISPs
They also record every phone number you call or are called by, when and for how long.
Wireless hotspots
Recorded: Website details
Wireless hotspsots like those at cafes, service stations etc. see the same details as ISPs. They should be regared as high risk becuase they may be operated by an single person rather than a company.
Fake base stations
Recorded: Website details
Fake base stations pretend to be the nearest mobile phone mast for a mobile phone network. Mobile phones are tricked into sending data to them instead of the real network. The fake base station passes the data onto the real network, but records everythng sent and received. One version of fake base station called StingRay is known to be used in the US and by police in the UK. Over a short range like a cafe, even a laptop can be used as a fake base station.
NSA and GCHQ
Recorded: Unknown - even encrypted data is vulnerable to these agencies.
The United States National Security Agency (NSA) and the United Kingdom Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) have several programs for surveilling all electronic commiunications worldwide. I recommend watching Jacob Appelbaum's lectures on youtube to learn about the vast scope of these activities.
Countermeasures
There are several countermeasures avaliable to prevent or at least limit internet surveillance:
- Antivirus software
- Private browsing
- Caution where you use passwords
- Tor browser
- Tails