Last week, Congress once again called for increased sanctions for Internet retailers and web hosts that don't allow browsers a way to opt out of advertisers tracking their movements online. With private browsing under scrutiny and legislators calling members of Amazon, Google, Apple and other top companies before its mighty panels, it further illustrates the need for VPN services.
A virtual privacy network allows you to run your browser activity through a private server so it cannot be read by outside interlopers. This means that, regardless of what network you are on, which website you visit or who is trying to track your data, you are invisible. With services like dummy e-mail accounts, free proxy sites and services to hide your IP, you won't have to wait for a congressional panel to protect your information.
"I want ordinary consumers to know what is being done with their personal information, and I want to give them the power to do something about it," Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller, D-W. Va., said at a recent hearing.
But while congresspeople beat their chests about a solution to the tracking and spying by advertisers, technology experts are skeptical. After all, companies that operate online rely on tracking to lead consumers to their products. It is a huge money-maker for them.
"Right now we have a lawful system for tracking all of our movements online," says Christopher Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "And not only is it legal. It's the business model."
The Federal Trade Commission proposal is for the industry to develop a button or a list that allows consumers to opt out of this type of over-the-shoulder advertising. But while some companies like Microsoft and Mozilla have instituted Do-Not-Track features, a more industry-wide solution for truly private browsing is not on the horizon. For now, you are better off contacting GoTrusted.com for your own VPN account today!
