After highlighting what you can do to protect the momentum of a message against site bans and service outages, now I want to talk about how you can protect yourself online. Just a year after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg insinuated that privacy was irrelevant, several Mexican bloggers posting anonymous tips on Narco drug activity were found decapitated after their identities were revealed. The dire truth is that when powerful messages and movement can’t be suppressed, organizers often are.

Common methods of tracking content owners include tracing credit cards, tracking browser activity, tracking IP addresses and subpoenaing web hosts for information. There are a number of identity and location cloaking measures you can use to protect yourself including:

  1. Writing under a pseudonym;
  2. Paying for a related site service with a pre-paid temporary credit card;
  3. Using an anonymous browser like Tor to avoid exposing identifying cookies and applications;
  4. Using an anonymous proxy service like Privoxy to disguise your IP address and thus your location; and finally,
  5. Choosing the right web host.

That final point is a particularly important one. Web hosts least their server space to you and depending on their policies, are logging your activity, identity and file uploads. If you don’t have the right host, you may find your files hacked or your identity willingly released in compliance with a Doe subpoena without even knowing it.

There are a couple precautions you can take with your web host in order to ensure your anonymity:

  1. Choose Hosts that Alert You To Subpoenas: In the US, ISP’s are not required to alert you to a request for your identifying information. That being said, the good ones will send you a note warning you about the request and you then have a minimum of 7 days to file an appeal. Really good ISPs actually report the frequency of requests. Google reports the number of personal data requests by country here. More on subpoenas is available on the CyberSlapp site.
  2. Choose Hosts that Support the Rewriting of the Electronic Privacy Communications Act: The Electronic Privacy Communications Act (ECPA) has come under a great deal of scrutiny due to the fact that it was written in 1986 with little insight into today’s tech reality. These companies support revisions while others may state support on their corporate websites.
  3. Host Offshore and Above the Law: Some ISPs like PRQ (created by the founders of Pirate Bay) refuse to adhere to Doe subpoenas simply because US laws hold no jurisdiction in Sweden. Labeling itself as “refugee hosting” the service promise reads, “Our boundless commitment to free speech has been tested and proven over and over again. If it is legal in Sweden, we will host it, and will keep it up regardless of any pressure to take it down.”

NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING…Ninety percent of my free time on the computer is spent messaging friends, uploading food pics and viewing cat videos. I hardly think that’s grounds for a raid or retaliation. Still isn’t it your First Amendment right to have the option to speak out without retribution? As a cat watching, food photographing nerd, I can get behind that.

Whether you’re Left-Wing, Right-Wing, Religious, Atheist, Blue or Green — some of the best ways to maintain your online Freedom of Speech are to protect against Site Bans, Service Outages and Identity Tracking.

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED…
If the revolution is televised it’ll be 3 days behind Twitter and the blogs. Regardless of how the political pendulum swings, if you’re a part of the online debate, it’s best to protect yourself and your ideas.