Short version: It’s the identification of your geological location. Can be good, can be bad. I don’t like being stalked though! Firefox, by standard, has geolocation tracking enabled. If you don’t want it, turn it off with a few simple steps:

1. Type in “about:config” in your url bar
2. Type in “geo” in the filter bar
3. Look for “geo.enabled” and turn its value to “false”
4. For an extra icing on the cake: look for “geo.wifi.uri” and change its content to “WHATEVERYOUDESIRE”

This is how it looks after the change:

Enjoy your stalking-free Firefox!

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Anyway while surfing yesterday I stumbled on http://scr.im . A service which allows you to hide your email address until the person who wants to know it personally verifies  a given code. This way Spam Bots are closed out!

All you have to do is enter your email address and choose your own URL like http://scr.im/WHATEVER ! Then share it. The person who clicks http://scr.im/WHATEVER will get a code and has to match from 8 random, and 1 exact match given.

http://mailhide.recaptcha.net is a similar service, expect you have to manually enter a given captcha.

Now we can carry on debating whether such services are useful or not. I say to each his/her own! No more stupid  nocando(at)whateverservice dot com !

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It never cases to amaze me how revealing and careless people are going on about on the internet. I mean nowadays where Key loggers, Worms, Virus and whatnot are as standard as your daily breakfast.

My dad, again for the umpteenth time, got infected with yet another Worm, this time it was, how could it be different, the Conficker. Of course he keeps his computer up-to-date, his Anti-Virus not so much. And on top of that he uses Internet Explorer.

Don’t get me wrong, I did like the Internet Explorer once upon a time when I was just another kid starting out on the internet. Since then I went from Internet Explorer to Netscape, did a migration to Opera and finally found my home in Mozilla, later Firefox.

USE FIREFOX! Even though you have to get used to a totally different UI if you are switching from IE or Opera, it’s well worth it in the long run. And here are 2 reasons why:

1. NoScript
2. AdBlock

These 2 addons coupled with Avira-Antivir , and if you really are paranoid, you can trow in Sandboxie, and trust me you are 98% on the safe side.

Of course there always IS and always WILL be a risk of catching a Virus, Key logger, Trojan. There’s no 100% guarantee!

So folks, remember, use Firefox, use NoScript, AdBlock, Avira-Antivir and Sandboxie, and you really never have to worry again.

When I play WoW, I often surf the official boards. Occasionally there’s some idiot posting Key logger links. By now the fear and paranoia on these boards have risen to such levels where people simply refuse to check out any links they don’t know. A good idea indeed, but flawed nevertheless. Almost every link posted there contains useful information. Very, very rarely is it a key logger. Yet the damage of a few have jump started the fears of thousands.

I for one don’t have to worry. I click any link I want and never catch anything. My NoScript blocks any script, by standard, unless I specifically allow them to run. Sure I have to spend a little extra time figuring out what this script is and what it does, but it’s well worth the trade-off I get in security.

My AdBlock blocks ads, period. No Ads, I don’t see any Ads, EVER. Not so long ago, there was a Key logger being distributed simply by an Ad-banner. I don’t have to worry about it. Of course it must be said that some awesome and useful sites are financed purely through advertisement. It hurts them if you block all their ads!

I really do believe with the 5 tools mentioned above you are on the safest side possible without compromising too much.

So long, Don Salva

Addendum:
I’ve been getting e-mails with folks saying a firewall software is missing. I apologize. Let me clarify: If you have a modern hardware router there’s no need for a software firewall as there already is one integrated in good, modern routers (I’m not talking about ancient ones, like from 1980 or so).

A firewall software is only necessary if you are paranoid and have the need of a illusory “double security” or if you have no router and are connecting direct to the internet via your personal computer with nothing in between your pc and the internet.

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