It is important to be safe in all aspects of your life. Sometimes people are careful in all other areas but overlook the information they reveal online. Not only is you IP address logged on many sites but your ISP can keep data on all sites you visit that can be turned over to LEO's with a simple request. If you really want to get scared read this article: BBC NEWS | UK | UK 'must log' phone and web use It explains how the UK plans to log all phone and internet communications that can be accessed WITHOUT a warrant.

One great way to keep your online tracks hidden is a VPN.

So what is a VPN?

A VPN is a "Virtual Private Network". Basically it creates a fully encrypted tunnel between you and the VPN providers servers. All of your data goes through this tunnel to their servers and out to the internet. This protects your IP address and browsing histories not only from the websites you visit but also you ISP.

How is a VPN different from a proxy?

First off a VPN encrypts and tunnels all of your internet traffic through it. Proxies need to be configured in each program where you want to use it. This is not necessary for VPN's, once they are configured and enabled your done. Also with proxies your communication to the proxy itself is unprotected. This means its possible that your ISP can see the traffic going to and from the proxy. The only thing that GOOD proxies protect is your IP from the websites you visit. Bad proxies wont even protect your IP.

VPN's sound great, how can I get one?
There are many providers of VPN's on the internet. Many are attached to a small monthly fee in the range of 5 - 10 dollars a month. There are also some free services available but good ones are hard to find.

Here are a few good VPN providers:

Home Great FREE option! 128 Bit Encryption. Decent 1Mb speed for free users. Unlimited speed for paid customers; $12.99 a month. This is a new service and is well regarded.

http://www.perfect-privacy.com/ €12 (Euro) a month if you prepay a year. This quote from their site says it all: "We are not interested in who you are. You can pay anonymously. We do not keep logs." They have very fast speeds and servers all over the world. Offers up to a crazy 4096 bit encryption! The main downside is the shitty exchange rate of the USD. Can pay with multiple anonymous services including cash. For those who need serious security.

Unblock VOIP, annonymous surfing, Unrestricted access in UAE, Dubai, Cheap Personal vpn services! - VPNGates.com $15 a month. Servers in multiple countries. Has PPTP, L2TP IPSec and VPN services.

Free 7-Day Trial Offer! Instant Internet anonimity, security and privacy for Windows, reliable and affordable fast vpn service $5 a month for normal 128 Bit VPN. $8 a month for the more secure OpenVPN service. US based servers.

Personal VPN Service Anonymous Surfing Paid VPN Accounts Unblock Skype UAE Dubai $15 monthly. Large provider. Multiple servers in different countries to choose from. Multiple payment options including CASH so there can be no links back to you. Great for those looking for extreme privacy.

This are enough options here so anyone can get a decent level of online protection. Always remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

How about anonymous email?
Sometimes you not only need to protect your IP address but also your email. So what are the options? Well there are quite a few out there. I recommend Free Anonymous Email - Hide My Ass! There you can create temporary anonymous email addresses that expire after a set amount of time. These are great for places that might spam you or temporary addresses for secret conversations. Remember you use your VPN before signing up or logging in.

If you are looking for a more permanent option then Hushmail – Free Email with Privacy is your best bet. All messages are fully encrypted as the server creates a secure tunnel between your computer and its servers. Still make sure to use you VPN when you sign up and use the service so there are no logs leading back to your IP. Although the messages are encrypted and safe from prying eyes there have been situations where the company was subpoenaed and turned over the contents of a mail box to the authorities.

I see now that this might be better in the Computer fourums. Mods if you think its a good idea could you move it?

I'm not particularly worried as I'm legal and well within the limits in my state. I could see though how this would be good for someone who does not yet have the legal access to medicine yet.

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When true patriots become labeled as enemies than you can bury my corpse right beside lady liberty's.