AMERICA ONLINE
AnswerMan Conference, July 28, 1996, 6 P.M. ET.
Host: Kevin Savetz (Netanswers)
Topic: Internet Privacy
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OnlineHost: Your host is Norma (AOLiveMC13)!

AOLiveMC13: AOL Live welcomes Answerman discussing  Privacy on the Internet!

Netanswers: Hi Norma, hi all!

AOLiveMC13: Welcome Netanswers!

Netanswers: So, tonight's topic is Internet privacy. Who is reading youre-mail? What can Internet users learn about you and your personal life? Are your computer files safe from crackers on the Net? Just about everyone who has used the Internet has asked one of those questions. 

AOLiveMC13: Here is our first question:

Question: Who does read the e-mail?

Netanswers: Well. Its POSSIBLE, technically, for the system administrators to read your e-mail, but they do not. It's severely against policy. Now, ifthe FBI comes a-knockin' with a subpeona to read your e-mail, which has happened, AOL will share it. Otherwise, I believe your e-mail is safe. And if the FBI wants you, you have bigger problems :) If you send steamy e-mail to someone, can it be intercepted? Let's look at the bigger picture.

Netanswers: If your mail is to someone on AOL, the answer is no, except for the FBI thing that I mentioned. Now, 
if the recipient is on the Internet, the message passes unencrypted over the Net, which is more of a privacy threat. You should think of the e-mail that you send as written on a post card, as opposed to sealed in an envelope.

Netanswers: The chances that the *government* are snooping in your e-mail are, in my opinion, very very very low. (The government can barely afford to do what it is supposed to be doing. :) Any real threat to the privacy of your message comes from system administrators of other Internet hosts. You see, as your message gets from "here" to "there," it may pass through a couple, or a couple dozen, other computers along the way. Anyone with system administration access on any of the intermediate (or destination)computers could potentially read your mail.

Netanswers: Don't worry too much--despite this, I believe that your e-mail is safe. Most system administrators know that reading others' mail is wrong. (And most simply don't have the time to go snooping through strangers' mail.) Still, if you want to be positive that your message is 100% private, encrypt it.

Question: So others have access to your computer while in the chat areas?

Netanswers: Good question. No, not at all. The only access anyone has to your computer when you are in a chat area, is the ability to send you annoying messages. :) Chat areas are not much of a privacy threat themselves. In chat rooms, the biggest fear is that folks might misrepresent themselves, then use the information that you GIVE them against you.

AOLiveMC13: Could you tell us how to encrypt?

Netanswers: Sure -- there are several programs available for encrypting your email and other private data. The standard is "PGP." PGP stands for Pretty Good Privacy. It is a program that uses "public key encryption" to encrypt your e-mail so that no one other than its intended recipient can read it. They need PGP too, to decrypt the message. PGP is very secure and very trusted by folks who need or want strong encryption. There are some excellent Web pages with info about PGP, but I don't have their URL's handy. Do a Yahoo search and you will find one :)

Question: And how safe are my computer files?

Netanswers: The first question to ask yourself is, how safe is my computer? If your machine is in a highly-trafficked office, your files probably have a bigger threat from people around it then from the Internet or an online service. As long as your computer is not an Internet server, (e.g., you are not running your vown Web site) you can consider yourself safe from online intruders. (You should still worry about viruses destroying your data, but I wouldn't worry about outsiders stealing it.)

Question: In the paper today there was an article saying anytime you send an email anyone can see it. ?? is this correct?

Netanswers: Well, that's a broad statement. As I said, when you send e-mail, it travels unencrypted over the Internet. There certainly are some folks who know how to intercept that information, but it is rather difficult. I wauld not say that ANYONE can read your e-mail. Although SOMEONE probably can.

Question: Is it possible for someone to find out what sites on the InternetI've visited?

Netanswers: There's been some discussion about this lately. My opinion haschanged about this. It is possible for your service provider (be in AOL or Netcom or whoever) to tell what Web sites you visit, although in my opinion, very difficult. Harder that reading someone's e-mail. After all, your Web surfing data must travel through their computer beforereaching yours, so there is technically a chance that they could keep tabs. Now, I can confidently say that they don't. First of all, AOL and ISP's don't CARE :) and secondly, we all assume that most users Netanswers: are getting porn on the Web, so they don't need to verify it :) (Just joking. There goes my job :)

Question: What about credit card numbers?  Like when you're orderingsomething via a Web page and such. Is there any way to be sure that it's not picked up along the way?

Netanswers: I've sent CC#s over the  Net, unencrypted, many times. Now, a lot of people think this is a foolish thing to do, after all, all it takes is a "packet-sniffing" cracker to grab the CC#. But credit card companies limit your liability, and frankly if you're gonna steal credit cards, its a whole lot easier to go down to a restaurant and steal carbons, than to get 'em from the Internet. Many Web pages offer "secure" ordering from ttheir Web sites, and if your browser does, (the AOL 3.0 browser does) it's certainly a lot safer than doing it unencrypted. But in general, I feel the fear has been blown out of proportion.

Question: How can I stop others from knowing which room I am in with the"buddies" thing?

Netanswers: If you go to keyword BUDDY LIST you can stop *certain people* or *everyone* from knowing when you are online, etc. (This works for Mac users too, even though they can't SEE Buddy Lists yet.)

Question: Who has access to Instant Messages?

Netanswers: This is one of those what's probable vs. what happens things. It's POSSIBLE that AOL COULD log IMs, but they don't. That would be immoral and illegal. But as with many other elements that technology has brought to our lives, it brings the added worry that someone could be looking over our shoulders. I don't believe they are. Your IM's are safe.

Question: If I call AOL, what information does the tech have access toconcerning me?

Netanswers: Good question. They probbaly have your name and perhaps youraddress, but not your credit info. They have a file of your previous contacts with them -- e.g., if you have had an ongoing problem, they can have a tracking list of the problem and things they have suggested you try to fix the problem -- pretty standard in tech support. If you have ever received a TOS (terms of service) violation, that's in your record too.

Question: Would America Online give my password to other members of myhousehold?

Netanswers: Nope -- they are really good about that. They try to verify that you're really you before handing out a password when they get a "I lost mypassword" call. AOL tries to protect you and the policy is NOT to give out your password to ANYONE. Speaking of that, you really should change your password often -- like once a month. That is your best defense against others snooping in your mail, etc.

Question: I recived a so-called mail bomb. What do I do about it? It is in my mailbox and I can't get rid of it. My email is not safe.

Netanswers: Mail bomb is a figure of speech. Although a mail bomb may be annoying, by filling up your mailbox, it CAN'T hurt your computer or your account. Just "ignore" or "delete" it, and you will be perfectly safe.

Question: Someone on a Newsgroup sent me threatening e-mail, because of posts I left.  These are not really bothering me, but where does freedom of speech, etc. fit in?

Netanswers: If it is from another AOL user, FORWARD the message to TOSEMAIL1 and they will handle it. If it is from a non-AOL user, you're a bit more on your own. You should start by forwarding the message and explaining the situation to the "postmaster" at the site of the person who is bothering you. If his address is "user1234@northcoast.com", send your complaint to "postmaster@northcoast.com" --  the postmaster is in charge and should hopefully advocate for you.  Freedom of speech does not extend to threats.

AOLiveMC13: We have time for one final question.

Question: Someone told me they could just send me a virus. As long as Idon't download, I can't get the virus. Right?

Netanswers: Right. If you get e-mail with an attachment, that ATTACHMENTcould give your computer a virus IF you download and run the program. E-mail on its own can NOT give your computer a virus. Viruses are a whole different bag of worms. I suggest going to Keyword: AMCHAT, and pressing WHAT WEVE TALKED ABOUT, and grab the transcript of our session about viruses.

Netanswers: Well, I guess we are about out of time and questions. :) If you have more questions about the Internet, go to Keyword: ANSWERMAN and  you'll be able to get your answers there.

Netanswers: Thanks for your help, Norma!

AOLiveMC13: Many thanks for a very informative session, Mr Netanswers!  Thanks for being with us this evening and asking such great questions. Good Evening!

Netanswers: Have a great week, see you next Sunday :)

Copyright 1996 America Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved.