Freedom

It's no different than when you stand in front of a window that's lit from behind. You can see your reflection, and you take the opportunity to check your lipstick, make sure there's no food in your teeth, heck, you might even pick your nose. We often forget that because the window is backlit, the world outside can see in, VERY clearly. It's no different when you're sitting alone in your den at home and go venture onto the world wide web. Your PC is "back lit", often giving you a false sense of security.

The old adage: "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" and, "Nothing's for free", couldn't be more pertinent to us in this technology age. All those free ISP's and email accounts cost you your privacy. One company is willing to step up to the plate and help protect us, Zero Knowledge Systems, based in Montreal, Canada. Zero Knowledge launched Freedom, a software privacy package, in December of last year.

How does Freedom give you anonymous access to the Net? Freedom lets you create pseudonyms that only you know, not even the provider is aware of what you've chosen. They make encryption easy to use even for the novice PC user because it's all behind-the-scenes. They also use a networking system to act as several 'middlemen' that hand-off your information. This enables you to keep private the destination of your information, the source, and even the location of your Internet Service Provider.

Not only does this site provide you with the download, but it gives great information on why you need to be protected. They offer case studies, such as the case with Bob. From the following site: http://www.freedom.net/info/why.html : "Bob's father has just been diagnosed with cancer. In an effort to learn more about it, Bob visits cancer Web sites and posts several inquiries to a discussion group. A month later, Bob's insurance company informs him that he is no longer eligible for a certain rate given his 'condition'."

Freeom's web site also offers you more information on the following facts: Your computer leaves a digital "fingerprint" alongside all your online activities and conversations. Your messages are sent in a format that can be read by anyone, just like a postcard. You can never take back what you say online. Web site "cookies" can be used to follow you around online. Marketers use Internet security weaknesses like the ones above to build a detailed profile of you.

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