Time to use VPN full time.

[hugeload]

Now that all out web visits are recorded, isn't it about time UKpunting lifted it's ban on VPNs a little?

I don't punt or post that much, so don't qualify for special treatment. It is a shame to have to never come back here.

[txitxi]

Yes, please can you lift the ban on VPN

[daviemac]

Now that all out web visits are recorded, isn't it about time UKpunting lifted it's ban on VPNs a little?

I don't punt or post that much, so don't qualify for special treatment. It is a shame to have to never come back here.

Do you really think your posting habits on here are going to be looked into that closely with all the illegal and terrorist activity to watch.   

[hugeload]

Do you really think your posting habits on here are going to be looked into that closely with all the illegal and terrorist activity to watch.   

It's not the Police I'm worried about.
Any fucker and their dog will be able to see what you've been looking at. Every agency down to traffic wardens can look. When it is hacked and uploaded for all to see - thats  a problem. Just cos you can't think of a way to use it doesn't mean another person can't.  I don't trust SKY, BT, OR talk talk to be very good at keeping my hobby safe.

Plus when some git crashes into you or something else daft - they'll take a look.

[daviemac]

It's not the Police I'm worried about.
Any fucker and their dog will be able to see what you've been looking at. Every agency down to traffic wardens can look. When it is hacked and uploaded for all to see - thats  a problem. Just cos you can't think of a way to use it doesn't mean another person can't.  I don't trust SKY, BT, OR talk talk to be very good at keeping my hobby safe.

Plus when some git crashes into you or something else daft - they'll take a look.

Have you read anything about who can access the info.      If you're that paranoid perhaps this hobby isn't for you.

Admin's already stated if you want to access via VPN you have to ask him and give your reason.   

[ClarkeOfTheCourse]

EU Court of Justice have just over-ridden the Snooper's Charter and the EU may be offering citizenship to Brits after Brexit so this may be a storm in a teacup.

[longitudewalk]

Lifting the restriction on using a VPN just to read the forums would be good before the bill becomes law. I can understand why a ban on actually posting via a VPN would still be needed.

[daviemac]

Lifting the restriction on using a VPN just to read the forums would be good before the bill becomes law. I can understand why a ban on actually posting via a VPN would still be needed.

The subject's been discussed before and you have to take it up with admin.   

You'll have to PM me for proxy access.

And as others will confirm as they knew them, two members on this site have lost their job because they were on this site at work, one accessed only via his personal phone but still lost his job because they had his shift history and the timestamp on each post on this site to compare, so even if you used proxy, you could still be caught out.

[bitchmofo1]

Do you really think your posting habits on here are going to be looked into that closely with all the illegal and terrorist activity to watch.   

The problem is that the range of organizations that will have access to your data is far to wide and there's no telling how it could be used against you.

Imagine you are in receipt of benefits (seeking work, disability), and they decide to use your punting habits against you?

It might sound extreme now but if you look back on the history of law you will find that the system of justice has been much more perverse. The people today are no more intelligent than those who burnt people at the stake for blasphemy or allegedy being a witch.

Most of those organizations have absolutely no need for such information and the only way they could use it is if they were using it incorrectly since there is no valid need.

So what if they said, "you claim to be disabled but seem to be a punter" or "you need help with your rent but seem to have a punting habit" before revoking your benefits.

Abuses may far exceed my examples.

[sub_marine]

Plus when some git crashes into you or something else daft - they'll take a look.

I don't punt or post that much

So basically your trolling the site while in control of a motor vehicle, I hope you do get caught before you endanger somebody

[daviemac]

The problem is that the range of organizations that will have access to your data is far to wide and there's no telling how it could be used against you.

Imagine you are in receipt of benefits (seeking work, disability), and they decide to use your punting habits against you?

It might sound extreme now but if you look back on the history of law you will find that the system of justice has been much more perverse. The people today are no more intelligent than those who burnt people at the stake for blasphemy or allegedy being a witch.

Most of those organizations have absolutely no need for such information and the only way they could use it is if they were using it incorrectly since there is no valid need.

So what if they said, "you claim to be disabled but seem to be a punter" or "you need help with your rent but seem to have a punting habit" before revoking your benefits.

Abuses may far exceed my examples.

Can I just make my thoughts on this clear, it doesn't worry me in the slightest if they want to look at my browsing / punting habits, I'm not doing anything illegal, not fiddling the benefit system or anything like that. I may have misunderstood what I read but I don't think the information can be accessed by just anyone.

This subject's been discussed before and Admin's already answered the question about VPN, if you want to use it PM him.

There's also discussion here

https://www.ukpunting.com/index.php?topic=122516.msg1392959#msg1392959

Browsing habits are already monitored, how do you think you get targeted popup ads.       

Edit
Nor do I expect to be burned as a witch for using the internet.     

[bitchmofo1]

Can I just make my thoughts on this clear, it doesn't worry me in the slightest if they want to look at my browsing / punting habits, I'm not doing anything illegal, not fiddling the benefit system or anything like that. I may have misunderstood what I read but I don't think the information can be accessed by just anyone.

This subject's been discussed before and Admin's already answered the question about VPN, if you want to use it PM him.

There's also discussion here

https://www.ukpunting.com/index.php?topic=122516.msg1392959#msg1392959

Browsing habits are already monitored, how do you think you get targeted popup ads.     

It's not that it can be accessed by "anyone," but that it can be accessed by one of many departments which have absolutely no need, therefore the only use they could ever make of it is to abuse the information.

You might not be concerned, but users may. I certainly don't feel comfortable knowing one of those departments could issue a warrant and use the information against me.

I doubt it will be an issue for at least another 10-15 years so by the time it becomes an issue VPN may already be allowed here

[daviemac]

It's not that it can be accessed by "anyone," but that it can be accessed by one of many departments which have absolutely no need, therefore the only use they could ever make of it is to abuse the information.

You might not be concerned, but users may. I certainly don't feel comfortable knowing one of those departments could issue a warrant and use the information against me.

I doubt it will be an issue for at least another 10-15 years so by the time it becomes an issue VPN may already be allowed here

If people took the time to do a quick search on the subject before posting all would be revealed.   

 https://www.ukpunting.com/index.php?topic=90004.msg1096613#msg1096613

https://www.ukpunting.com/index.php?topic=122516.msg1392959#msg1392959

[Marmalade]

If they make punting illegal you will need VPN + Tor and maybe stealth VPN. Has AW blocked VPN?

I don't know how many people use VPN regularly but it is a trade off of security vs ease of use, as with all privacy software. Most people use VPN for accessing American TV which is ready-optimised. Many VPNs will slow down your broadband and in addition some ISPs (who can detect you are using a VPN even if not what you are watching) have a policy of throttling your broadband (greatly reducing speed) when you use VPNs. Some routers are also reported to have firewall protection that also slows down a VPN connection.

VPNs are something everyone should know about but not to the point of paranoia. If you have a business or probably even a small business it is probably worth using VPN for sensitive stuff. If you are aligned with any sort of rights movement (e.g. Amnesty, Liberty, Animal Rights, even Greenpeace based on earlier released surveillance information) you should use VPN. This is not a moral judgement good or bad, just that some organisations get into a standard watchlist whether for govt policy reasons or market reasons. If Farage isn't using VPN for anything critical he's a fucking idiot (I don't think he's an idiot but it seems most of his MPs or prominent party members unfortunately are).

For people worrying about their wife or employer finding out I do wonder if they are net-savvy enough to be taking even standard precautions like private browser settings, protection against unauthorised software being installed, and not using a company computer for going on UKP. Taking unjustified precautions is in itself a slight risk as people could wonder why you are VPN-ing. Like safe sex, it's really about understanding enough to know what is appropriate for you and how it works.

[bitchmofo1]

For people worrying about their wife or employer finding out I do wonder if they are net-savvy enough to be taking even standard precautions like private browser settings, protection against unauthorised software being installed, and not using a company computer for going on UKP. Taking unjustified precautions is in itself a slight risk as people could wonder why you are VPN-ing. Like safe sex, it's really about understanding enough to know what is appropriate for you and how it works.

Agreed about that, since blindly taking a precaution means taking action blindly. That foundation of most security holes.

I am only concerned about controlling what data about me is legally accessible. The fact that a warrant could be made is enough to justify protection in my book.

Are VPNs blocked for bot protection?

[Marmalade]

Firstly I don't claim to be a complete expert but I think it's more sophisticated than that. Penetrating a person's private data, just like protecting it, is a trade-off between the level of hassle and potential reward or consequent distress.

Snowden is both a leading expert and a classic example of this inasmuch he had the highest security knowledge and was accurately able to predict how long it would take the CIA to locate him in spite of his top level precautions. In other words, if they really want to know, they will. At a basic level they can triangulate usage patterns for instance, find holes via JavaScript and Flash, and in some cases determine screen size and model number of device being used. If you block all of those, you severely limit the usefulness of your browser.

As with punting, you can't make it foolproof but you can make it harder for someone to fuck you about. The extent to which you go can rationally be decided by balancing the level of security against who might want to know and the consequences if they find out. Protecting yourself against a wife or work is fairly basic but not necessarily the same. Protecting yourself against potential harassment by police who think prossies are an easy target (or punters if local laws or local prejudice comes into play) is slightly different. If you looked at your browsing history as an outsider, what would it say about you? How does that change depending who is looking and why? What would be the repercussions? Given that, what is the appropriate type and level of security?

For many, getting a separate old-fashioned phone, switching it off completely or removing the battery when not using it, and using a separate inaccessible system to browse Adultwork are all you need. Personally I'm a great fan of pencil & paper, but that's just me. As with condoms(!) getting to know how they are used properly and appropriately and choosing the right type can be more important than 'the best brand'.

When it comes to botting (e.g. Video games) I think the expert opinion is get a VPN that is a cheap one (it's less likely to be blocked by name than one of the big ones).

[Marmalade]

Now that all out web visits are recorded, isn't it about time UKpunting lifted it's ban on VPNs a little?

I don't punt or post that much, so don't qualify for special treatment. It is a shame to have to never come back here.

In response to two newbies asking the OP question, maybe remember UKP is not some publicly funded service. There has to be a point where your wishes are balanced against your contribution and the amount of hassle that it requires of Admin.

I suggest you use a private browsing window on Firefox and memorise your password without 'saving it'.

Of course, some people would prefer to make it hard for Admin to identify fakes, previously banned members, owners of other boards that have hit UKP with DDOS attacks and so on. We don't know you from Adam and certainly not from Eve. Maybe you should let us get to know you well before you start suggesting how to run the forum.

[bitchmofo1]

Firstly I don't claim to be a complete expert but I think it's more sophisticated than that. Penetrating a person's private data, just like protecting it, is a trade-off between the level of hassle and potential reward or consequent distress.

My issue is that the snooper's charter gives direct access to a wide array of organisations without the need for any tricks. It's just a matter of filing a warrant.

It's not an immediate issue and you're unlikely to see abuses now, I am just personally uncomfortable with the fact that accessing my history is only a warrant away.



But if it's a matter of protecting the forum against DDOS and multiple registrations versus minor concerns about the snooper's charter, I can completely understand your decision.

[Marmalade]

It's not my decision. I'm just a regular member like you.

It's right to be concerned. Putting the responsibility on someone else is a different matter entirely. 

[daviemac]

Agreed about that, since blindly taking a precaution means taking action blindly. That foundation of most security holes.

I am only concerned about controlling what data about me is legally accessible. The fact that a warrant could be made is enough to justify protection in my book.

Are VPNs blocked for bot protection?

You only joined yesterday and you're trying to tell Admin how to run his site.        Admin owns and runs this site for the benefit of punters and it's paid for out of his own pocket. He sets the rules and only he decides how it operates.  I've posted links to Admin's comments on VPN's if you're really concerned all I can suggest is you stop using the site and take up knitting or something.      

[Marmalade]

Good advice. btw I see the snooper's charter is coming a bit unstuck hehe
External Link/Members Only

[bitchmofo1]

I don't recall telling anyone how to run the site. I was only discussing potential user needs for VPN.

[daviemac]

I don't recall telling anyone how to run the site. I was only discussing potential user needs for VPN.

I posted that the subject had been discussed before and I quoted Admin's take on VPN's before your first post, I then posted links that give all the information you need but this is your 5th post on this thread. Regardless of your concerns Admin runs this site as he sees fit, take it or leave it. I'm not sure what part of Admin saying

You'll have to PM me for proxy access.

  you don't understand

[dubs]

Hopefully the EU will prevent the law being passed

External Link/Members Only

[bitchmofo1]

Discussing the subject does not equal "telling the admins how to run the forum," it is only as much as I said it is, which is discussing the topic and elaborating on the motivations for using VPN.

Nothing I said ignores the admins role, nor is it dictating how to run it. It does one thing and one thing only.

[daviemac]

Discussing the subject does not equal "telling the admins how to run the forum," it is only as much as I said it is, which is discussing the topic and elaborating on the motivations for using VPN.

Nothing I said ignores the admins role, nor is it dictating how to run it. It does one thing and one thing only.

This section is - General Discussion of Punting in the UK, this has nothing directly to do with punting, it belongs in 'off topic' or some other forum.   

Or just accept that VPN's aren't allowed here and make your own judgement as to using the site or not.  I will not be making any further comment on this, you have access to all the relevant information, you know admin's thoughts on the subject and you now know this is the wrong section to be discussing these issues.