this is good information. Goodbye Tor. :)

>>30346 Oops I mean the DoD, not CIA.

>>30339 TOR isn't just hacked by the US Government they are by far the largest financial contributor to the project via the CIA.
I2P could be interesting, I've not tried it out yet but the theory is good.

Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is also an option. https://geti2p.net/en/

>>30334 What program/software hasn't been (un)covered by the NSA/US-UK government?

I tried it and wasn't impressed; had to outside the program to make it work. Tor makes the claim that add-ons can be dangerous. I didn't have anything to browse that's worth worrying about anyway. It was just a shot. My other browsers work just fine.

TOR is largely funded by the US government so keep that in mind if you think it's a good place for illegal activity. VPN's are good but as Grim says for torrenting you'll need to be paying. I don't use one myself, but check out torrenting forums to see whats recommended.

Also know that TOR is only useful for .onion sites, otherwise it's just a proxy.

It's now on my desk top but I haven't used it.

Agreed. It was fast enough for me. Some sites wouldn't load, but it is basically a new version of firefox. I'm pleased with it, but will still look into a monthly subscription with a VPN.

Strangely enough, when I was surfing with Tor last night, my internet connection went out. I'm sure the two are not related, as Time Warner does maintenance every blue moon around 2am or so.

I'll give it a go

>>30267 You don't need to sign up, just download and install. And yes, it shows an icon on your desktop. It is in fact using Firefox as a base, and on my rigs it's fast.

Do you donate money to TOR (by looking at the site, it might not be a bad idea)
If I sign up and install, does it provide an icon or separate browser like IE and Firefox on my home screen?
Is it a slow browser?

i'm giving the tor browser a go tonite.

for torrenting (downloading a movie or two), I've considered a VPN such as Private Internet Access. It's about 7 bucks a month (if paid monthly).

"Positives: : accepts Bitcoin, no logs, fast, up to 256-bit AES OpenVPN encryption, client features port forwarding, VPN kill switch and DNS leak protection, 5 simultaneous connections, great price, SOCKS5 proxy

Negatives: US based, no free trial, Apple users not so happy with software

Private Internet Access provided some of the fastest internet speeds in one of our tests, their software provides a very secure connection (256-bit AES OpenVPN encryption, with SHA-256 hash authentication and 4096-bit RSA handshake encryption) and packs an extensive list of features such as a kill switch and DNS leak protection. On top of this PIA keeps no logs, uses shared, IPs and accept Bitcoins.

Despite being based in the USA, PIA have built up a very good reputation for protecting customers privacy, but while we found its Windows and Android clients among the best we have ever tested, OSX and iOS users have reported a more frustrating experience."

yw!
haha, the first ip address is from Merlin's bar, the second is from google. As a IT-nerd/geek the latter address is handy to know.

>>30262 Thanks for the information. Your last sentence: Are these two IP address I SHOULD or SHOULD NOT use?

haha, I saw your comment but thought you would get it eventually ;)

They are still legal, at least in the USA and in the Netherlands, but not in China, Russia and maybe soon in the UK.
Heavy bandwidth is streaming HD videos/movies, online gaming (MMO), and downloading stuff..like movies/games/programs. If it's just browsing or even extensive browsing (aka surfing) I would just use TOR.

Most VPN connections are more suitable for businesses, because they are a bitch to set up and cost is an issue too.

btw, at work I use a L2TP/IPSec connection, not SSL

72.167.232.214 is the only ip-address to remember. well 74.125.136.139 is handy too. ;)

>>30258 I was just being stupid in my comment (as usual) but I click on one of your suggestions and read the info. Didn't know sites or browsers like this existed. Are they legal. I've wanted to comment or search in the past but was afraid of an IP address (no, nothing stupid like kiddie porn). I see the sites don't allow heavy bandwidth use (per your statement ) what does that mean? Extensive browsing ?

You could try OpenVPN or VPN Gate, however both are rather slow. (because free)
One thing to remember is that most vpn providers don't allow torrents or other heavy bandwidth use.

https://openvpn.net/
http://www.vpngate.net/en/
http://www.cyberghostvpn.com/en_us
https://torguard.net/
https://www.ivpn.net/

I've used TOR a few times, it isn't a vpn though but does offer secure browsing.

https://www.torproject.org/

just wondering about it. Thinking of signing up for a month and seeing what trouble i can get into without getting in trouble :)

I've never needed the VIN# of my car but I can tell you where to find it.

Each time I access the work server I use vpn (SSL) but other than that I don't use it.

Why do you need it? NSA bothering you?