Facebook groups

[MikeP]

I browse a lot of historical interest sites and veterans groups. A mixed experience. Way too many uninformed and opinionated folks who might be 12 or so years old in regards to posts and discussions.
Waste of time and patience.
Good place to connect and reconnect with some folks, but a lot of stuff to have to wade through.
A lot of the vet sites have even more issues to wade through.
One wonders how some folks even manage to operate a computer.
I probably need to get outside more.

[mrerick]

you all might want to look into these offerings:

Proton mail
https://protonmail.com/

Proteon VPN
https://protonvpn.com/

Offered out of Switzerland and under strict Swiss privacy laws.

[cirelaw]

Leave it to the Swiss!!!

[Vlim]

At least I can see the bleedin' Brownells website again, using the VPN software and routing through Canada.

Those blocked their complete site for old world visitors.

[lugerholsterrepair]

I have very few sites I occupy my time with. I spend way too much time on a computer and need to limit it.

[Sieger]

Originally Posted by Vlim

Compared to this forum, the Facebook Luger groups are kindergartens. And I'm not going to run around changing diapers there ...

John D. is doing all of us a great favor

Vlim,

Bump!!


Sieger

[Zorba]

FWIW, I do not consider sites like this "social media" but rather a "discussion forum". I've been using the likes since the dial up BBS days - even ran one for a number of years. There's no way to completely protect oneself on the Internet, but you can VASTLY reduce your "footprint" by using a bit of common sense.


The first rule, and the most important, NEVER, EVER use your real name on publicly accessible areas of the Internet. N.E.V.E.R. Not on discussion forums, not on websites, and certainly not on so-called "social media" sites like the ones under discussion. I only do so when purchasing things "Name on card". This makes me a vastly smaller target. I find it disturbing that many ignore this, a lot of them are radio amateurs ("Hams") following an admirable, but misplaced ethic of openness. The less information one puts out there, the better. You can't stop it, but you can limit it considerably - on the advice of an Internet security expert, I've even gone as far as to remove myself from data agregator's sites as best I can.



Face***k has been a thorn in my side since well before it became the behemoth it is today - back in the days when it was a small site limited to a few college campuses I had somebody link to my website claiming to be me. So I blocked all links from there, a policy that stands to this day. I log continued blocks every day, had 3 just yesterday. Probably people mostly trying to link to my sewing machine pages - I won't so dignify that site by even allowing that.


So put down that damn smartphone and GET OFF MY LAWN!

[lugerholsterrepair]

Zorba, The first rule, and the most important, NEVER, EVER use your real name on publicly accessible areas of the Internet. Been doing it for going on 20 years. As you can see, name, number's, email and both of my physical addresses. Nothing bad has come of it. Much good though. Paranoia will destroy ya.

In days of yore we all went about with our name and number in the phone book.

I am not anymore plagued with spam or robo calls than anyone else I know. And like most other people I have to pay for firewall protections. But that goes with the territory.

[mrerick]

I've seen a number of radio amateurs (hams) sign up on discussion boards using their ham call signs as user names.

It's reasonably easy to determine personal information about a ham if you have their call sign.

[Zorba]

Originally Posted by lugerholsterrepair

As you can see, name, number's, email and both of my physical addresses. Nothing bad has come of it. Much good though. Paranoia will destroy ya.

In days of yore we all went about with our name and number in the phone book.

I am not anymore plagued with spam or robo calls than anyone else I know. And like most other people I have to pay for firewall protections. But that goes with the territory.

Good for you - seriously.
But I never had my name and number in the phone book either - the less information "out there" about me, the better. I don't consider it paranoia, just prudent precaution. If I were really paranoid, I wouldn't be on the Internet at all - and I know people like that. YMMV, and all that.


But what do you mean by "pay for firewall protections". I do not - but maybe I should be?

[lugerholsterrepair]

Zorba, We are entering an age where your photograph is the key to know anything and everything there is to know about you. Facial recognition. You have left yourself open to attack! Really..not joking. They got ya if they want ya.


At one time the govt assigned a guy to keep track of me but he died of ennui.

[Sergio Natali]

Originally Posted by Vlim

Compared to this forum, the Facebook Luger groups are kindergartens. And I'm not going to run around changing diapers there ...

John D. is doing all of us a great favor

Vlim,

I agree completely with you and with the other forum members, although personally I take part to several gun forums, mainly regarding vintage firearms, several years ago I also joined some gun groups on Facebook, but slowly one at the time in the end I left almost all of them for the same reasons explained in the previous posts.

However, I must add that are not all the same, in fact I still take part to one regarding "Military Commercial Vintage. . ." and that with its 7,400 members, is top notch, quite instructive and would say very well-run.

Perhaps I'm not allowed to mention other forums or groups here, so whoever is interested to know more about it can get in touch with me.

Regards.

[Zorba]

Originally Posted by lugerholsterrepair

Zorba, We are entering an age where your photograph is the key to know anything and everything there is to know about you. Facial recognition. You have left yourself open to attack! Really..not joking. They got ya if they want ya.

Like I said, you can't eliminate, but you can make yourself a much smaller target. There are TONS of pix on the 'net of "Zorba", not any whatsoever of my legal name. Just because "they" might metaphorically "shoot" me, doesn't mean I go around with a target on my back so to speak. Somebody else can be the low hanging fruit.

[John Sabato]

For those of you who don't know, my life's work is in the field of cybersecurity. I consult to multiple federal departments, and several commercial fortune 100 companies. A short time, maybe a few months after Facebook became the phenomenon that it is today, I attended a lecture hosted by... well, let's just say one of the three-letter federal agencies where my work is in demand.

After the opening introductions, the speaker asked how many in the audience had facebook accounts? Three people raised their hands (out of about 50). His response was that there was at least 3 too many. I wholeheartedly agree with him to this day. Facebook, and similar "social" networking sites are privacy and identity theft waiting to happen.

My personal and professional advice is if you use these networks, to severely restrict the personal information you post on them. I also recommend that you create a free email account on Google or Hotmail, or the like, and use them specifically for communications to and from these networks. Do not connect them to your REAL email address.


FWIW, My dear friend Sergio, let me clarify that there is no restriction on the mention of other websites or organizations here on the Lugerforum. The only exception would probably be those sites that focus on extreme political views such as Nazism, or Facism... (as examples).

You have all been warned... Just my $0.02 ...spend it wisely.

[DavidJayUden]

Well, I'm over 60 , use my unique full name everywhere, have been around FB for maybe 5 years, and am all over E bay (my real name is also my seller/user name).
I'm not saying that you naysayers are full of beans, but in all these years I have never had a single issue. I suppose my time will come, but in the mean time I chose to not hide behind a rock, I will go where I wish and never disguise who I am. I chose to enjoy the internet, not hide from it.
david jay uden

[John Sabato]

An enlightening article that shows you how to check to see if your email address or passwords have been compromised in a major hack:

Nearly 773 million email accounts have been exposed in a massive data breach. Here's how to check if you were affected

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/tech...cid=spartanntp

[DonVoigt]

Originally Posted by John Sabato

An enlightening article that shows you how to check to see if your email address or passwords have been compromised in a major hack:

Nearly 773 million email accounts have been exposed in a massive data breach. Here's how to check if you were affected

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/tech...cid=spartanntp

John,
what makes going to check a good idea?
Do we know that site is secure, or will just visiting raise another "flag", and then typing in a pass word you may have used if you remember it- and the sight tells you if it is known?

Seems like it may/might/could be taking another chance for some nefarious hack to gain more info to me.

[John Sabato]

Hi Don, I considered that might be a possibility, but it seems highly unlikely that MSN would post a website that they had not already vetted to be safe. The liability issue that MSN would assume seems to be a real safeguard here.

There is nothing to tie your web session to the account you are checking and nothing to tie any password you check to any particular account... You could test a password without ever entering an email address or vice/versa...

As a victim of the enormous OPM hack a couple of years ago, I am pretty careful about where I visit and what information I leave there. One last word of advice to you all. NEVER reuse the same password on multiple accounts... If they hack one, they have access to them all. Use a password management software to keep track of your passwords. I have over 30 logins to manage myself.

[4 Scale]

I don't pretend to John's expertise re: cybersecurity, but I have some basic literacy in IT. Everything he says is consistent with my own knowledge.

Years ago I did some cybersecurity work that included simulated and actual hacking, where I played the hacker. I was surprised to find the thrill of defeating security protocols has the potential to be a dangerous pleasure. I didn't go over to that dark side but can assure you it is a vice that afflicts thousands if not millions today.

The average internet/email/cellphone user would be astounded to know how much of their information is recorded, tracked, analyzed and specifically associated with them. The Internet is the modern equivalent of the Wild West - a land where the denizens must largely fend for themselves with scant protection.

Many say "so what, I have nothing to hide". History teaches that is a poor argument to excuse other people assembling information about you. Would you be annoyed if you caught someone rummaging through your trash on the curb? Trash-diving is similar to tracking you on the internet and if it is a bad actor it has the same intent. Even if think you have nothing to hide you probably have things to protect. Bank accounts, credit cards, relationships and similar.

John has published an excellent warning, disregard at your own risk.

[Zorba]

John's words are EXACTLY what other cyber security folks have told me. Use those types of sites at your peril. There's a reason why percentagewise there are far fewer IT folks on face***k than there are in the general population. We know better.


If you feel you "must" use such sites, LIE. Lie about everything, obfuscate everything, and for Goddess's sake, don't use your legal name! And yea, NEVER re-use passwords, make them long strings of gibberish. A lot of sites limit what characters can be used, which is stupid as its actually harder to write code that way AND it decreases security - but do the best you can. A password like "k06V*0%wrzeCy8JV" used on ONE site only sure beats "password" everywhere...