Dear Lifehacker,

I've read that my ISP keeps logs of my activity and I'm concerned that private data is being saved on their servers. How concerned should I be, and how can I ensure they don't see everything I do?

Sincerely,

Paranoid Browser

Dear PB,




According to the TorrentFreak article you mentioned, you can already get an idea of what is and isn't logged. Here's a quick summary of who retains what and for how long:

Comcast - They're believed to retain IP addresses that've used BitTorrent for 180 days, but they haven't officially commented on the matter

- They're believed to retain IP addresses that've used BitTorrent for 180 days, but they haven't officially commented on the matter Verizon - Information about IP address assignments is retained for 18 months.

- Information about IP address assignments is retained for 18 months. Qwest/Century - IP address logs are kept for approximately one year.

- IP address logs are kept for approximately one year. Cox - Believed to keep logs for up to six months.

- Believed to keep logs for up to six months. Charter - Believed to keep logs for up to one year.

This is just a short list of IP logging practices and is far from complete. If you really want to find out how long your ISP retains logs of your activity, you'll want to give them a call and ask. From the looks of it, some ISPs are very forthcoming with this information and others are not. If you want to protect yourself and come close to ensuring your ISP doesn't really know what you're doing online, you'll have to anonymize your activity.


A lot of people probably assume that if you're browsing anonymously it's because you're doing something illegal, but there's plenty of content on the web you may not want to risk letting out in the open. Not only is it possible that it'll be logged by your ISP, but with free-flowing data your activity is potentially open to anyone on your network. In the past, we've seen how easily Firesheep can sniff out usernames and passwords on public Wi-Fi and that's just one example. Protecting your activity is not just important because you want to avoid any tracking your ISP may employ, but more so because your private data can be compromised if you're not careful. While it's unlikely a hacker is going to steal your Facebook credentials—or anything else—while you're signing in at Starbucks to update your status, when easily-preventable bad things happen you're not going to be comforted by statistics.


Browse Securely With HTTPS


First things first, you should be using HTTPS. If a site offers HTTPS, just go to https://www.thewebsite.com instead of just plain old http. If you want to make things even easier, you can just install the Firefox and Chrome extension HTTPS Everywhere and it'll take care of the problem for you.


Browse Anonymously With Tor

HTTPS just encrypts data as its transfered, but it doesn't completely anonymize your activity. That's where Tor comes in. Tor was designed to help you browse the web without leaving a trace, as it funnels your traffic through a series of virtual tunnels. Tor offers a great, detailed overview of how it works and what it's used for, but here's the part you'll want to know (if you don't already):

Tor is a network of virtual tunnels that allows people and groups to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. It also enables software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features. Tor provides the foundation for a range of applications that allow organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy. Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers. Tor's hidden services let users publish web sites and other services without needing to reveal the location of the site. Individuals also use Tor for socially sensitive communication: chat rooms and web forums for rape and abuse survivors, or people with illnesses.


To get started with Tor, just follow these steps:

Download the browser bundle Open up the TorBrowser application. Wait for the Vidalia application to connect you to the Tor network. Once you've connected, a special version of Firefox will open and it will be called TorBrowser. It will provide you with a protected IP address (which should not be your actual IP address). You can browse anonymously within that browser.


Just using Tor is not enough to keep you truly anonymous. You need to avoid installing/using browser plug-ins, always use HTTPS (as recommended above), and do not open any documents you download while connected to Tor (or while online, for that matter). Tor also suggests that you use a bridge relay if you don't want anyone on your network to find out that you're using Tor, but that may or may not be a concern in your particular case. If you use Tor and heed these precautions, you shouldn't have to worry too much about anyone tracking your activity.

If Tor's not your thing, you have a few other options. Reader Briareos suggests using an off-shore VPN service that doesn't log your access, like BolehVPN. I'm always a little wary of trusting a company with privacy concerns, but in this specific case I'm probably being a little overly-paranoid. Reader Trolls4Breakfast suggests Cocoon, which is another option in the form of a browser extension for Firefox, Internet Explorer, or your iPhone/iPad.


But what if you're just somewhat paranoid about specific activities? If you're a BitTorrent user you can anonymize your traffic with BTGuard. If you just want to have a private chat, you can download TorChat.


Ultimately, your ISP is going to have some idea of your online activity no matter what you do, but with these methods you'll be anonymous enough to avoid any problems. Happy anonymous browsing!

Love,

Lifehacker

Photo by erwinova (Shutterstock).