Am I paranoid? Maybe, but I don't think so

[Cheyenne]

I was catching up on my reading while watching the Olympics and read an article that caught my attention, to say the least. It was about tracking software called Spector. See the site: http://www.spectorsoft.com/products/

Excerpts from the article:
"...the program originally was developed for companies to monitor employees and for parents to watch their children, but significant-other spying has been the most popular use so far."
"When Spector is running in stealth mode, it doesn't put an icon in the system tray on the Windows desktop, it doesn't show up in the Windows task manager program and it's not in the "add/remove" menu, where programs can be uninstalled. The program is accessed by hitting a series of keys and can be password-protected just in case those under surveillance figure out what is going on."

Now, I may be paranoid, but I don't want my computer monitored at work. And I definitely don't want it monitored at home. Anyone know how to check if Spector is on our computers? What are those "series of keys" to hit?

Other similar type items mentioned in the article:
http://www.iambigbrother.com
http://www.icusurf.com

Calling all you techies out there- help the rest of us. What do we look for to find this stuff?







[Edited by Cheyenne on 09-17-2000 at 07:11 AM]

 

[sallygirl]

Wow, that's really scary. If I'm being monitored, I want to know about it! I think there should be some indication that it's there, even if there's no way I can turn it off. Fair warning, and all that.

 

[MADDOG]

I'm not computer expert so I could be wrong, but it has to be visible somwhere. In C drive somewhere? Unless it is a hidden file, there must be some folder (maybe program files) which contains the information.

But I can't help you with the keys. Sorry.

MADDOG

 

[Bobtoad777]

If you really want to find an authority on how to find out what security methods are running on your computer check out most any hack/security site out there, they are dedicated to this sort of thing.

Usually if you are running a windows based product and it isn't showing up in system tray or the start menu or the add/remove menu try hitting ctrl-alt-del only once{twice and you reboot the computer} this brings up the shut down of individual programs that are running, this shows about 98% of any programs even background programs such as this, and you can shut them down individually.

Hope this helps but if you want more info on this program specifically and there is enough interest I will do some digging with my frineds and see what can be found on it.

 

[Cheyenne]

Doesn't this scare any of you even a little?

I can't really be one of the only ones on the board that thinks this is scary shit? Here's an example of one of the testimonials:

"I wanted to let you know that I have had your product for a year now. It is the best money I have ever spent. Spector is easy to install, HIDE, and use. I am not really computer literate when it comes to using and installing programs but this one is easy. You can monitor anyone who uses the computer and play it back just like a video tape. It really takes a picture of any screen they are on from start up to sign off. IM's, chat rooms, web sites, letters, even if they run scan disk or something. I highly recommend this product especially if you have children on the web."

Are none of the rest of you worried that your employer could put such a thing on your computer at work? I have no one at home to try to check me with this software, but what about the rest of you? Would you want your husband, wife, or significant other to have a play by play view of every single screen from your start to sign off? (The exceptions being the Wizzies/Skittens and other couples on the board together, maybe.) How many of you visit LIT without your partner knowing you come here? How many of you have cyber partners your RL partner knows nothing about? Email buddies? Picture exchanges?

 

[Juliangel]

There are several things you can do. At work ask the Human Resource Department what kind of surveillance is taking place. Remeber to clear you cache and history files every day. Delete your cookies too. There are sites that will let you surf anonymously. Try SILENTSURF.com or ANONYMIZER.com. At JUNKBUSTERS.com you can block banner ads that leave cookies.
I think the invasion into my computer that scares me the most is the fact that while you are connected to the internet people can access your harddrive and you will never know it. GRC.com will test your computer and tell you how secure it is and they offer software to make it safer.

The October issue of Yahoo Internet Life magazine has several articles about privacy. If is one the news stands now. You should pick it up.

 

[Bushido71XS]

1984 was a misprint

If you think that's scary, check this out:

http://www.fas.org/irp/program/process/echelon.htm


Project Echelon is designed to snoop anywhere, on anything, it has over 56,000 recognized keywords, and scares the daylights out of me.

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: 1984 was a misprint

Bushido, I'd actually heard of Project Eschelon before and while it bothers me, it doesn't scare me nearly as much as the thought of my employer or someone close to me snooping on my pc.

I'll pick up the October issue of Yahoo Internet Life when I go shopping this afternoon. Thanks, Juliangel. I'm thinking that surfing anonymously won't do a bit of good though if the software is on the pc to track every screen. Surfing anonymously would keep your personal info from being on the Net, but it wouldn't stop the recording of every screen that the spectorsoft products does. In that case, the enemy is already internal on your pc, not out on the Net.

 

[SeXy ReDHeD]

I agree with Cheyenne

Actually that does scare the shit out of me... but I can see it from an employer's point of view.

It could/should be used in the way that most drug testing is used nowadays... only when there is a reason to believe it should be used. In most companies, all the computers are hooked up to a server or something that can download programs into the network, and so every computer or just one, and no one ever knows. I think that is the only way it should be used. After all, if I owned a company I don't think I'd want my employees having cybersex while I'm paying them good money to do a job...

As from a lover's POV... I don't know. If you can't trust your partner to be faithful to you on a COMPUTER for Christ's sakes, then you need help anyway.

 

[sallygirl]

After all, if I owned a company I don't think I'd want my employees having cybersex while I'm paying them good money to do a job...

Sure, I can understand a boss using such software to make sure employees don't abuse their Internet connection. They should not be surfing porn sites and writing a lot of personal e-mail at work. HOWEVER, like I said earlier, I think it is essential that the employees are warned that they're being tracked. Otherwise, surely it violates some privacy/code of ethics law... don't you think?

 

[SeXy ReDHeD]

Yes I do.

But most companies will do as they do with drug testing... they will make you sign a consent form before you ever get hired so that should your internet usage come into question, a webwatcher device can be used to track you without, but with, your consent.


If a company does it any other way, then I'm sure they are in violation of some law.

 

[ShyGuy68]

On a side note I can tell you that just by surfing the net you also give out some informations that you might not know. On my site I have a counter that can tell me following information for the last 50 visitors:

What time the visit was
The IP address the visitor had
Who owns that IP address
Where the visitor came from
The operating system and
The browser used

 

[Cheyenne]

Hmmm.... don't want to give the wrong impression. No cybersex at work (a big ewwwww just at the thought), no porn sites, try not to even do Lit email account at work, but yes to personal emails on personal email account on Internet. Not my company email account, I try to keep personal items out of there. I see personal email during the day as no different than personal phone calls of other people, as long as they are short and there aren't a million of them.
Yes, I do understand the employer point of view since I am in senior management (obviously not in MIS area though). But we are generally flexible with personal calls, personal appointments, shopping or surfing on the web before or after regular work hours or at lunch, etc. I'm in an office with many professionals. No one works just a 40 hour week. A 50 hour or more would be normal for many of us, and 60 isn't unheard of. The company is not paying for time not worked. I also realize that some consideration is given here that may not be usual for an office of hourly workers.
I still don't like the idea of anyone having the ability to track even my keystrokes. Work related or non-work related. Same objection in either case. Give me a job to do and get out of my way, don't make me feel like Big Brother is watching every minute detail. I don't treat my employees that way in my department. I don't want the company treating any of us that way as far as computer
usage.

As for personal usage at home and not being able to trust a partner to be faithful on a computer, Redhead, check out some of the old threads on this board about cybering - whether it is considered "cheating" or not. And how many husbands or wives might consider the innocent flirting at Lit to be a problem, if they knew about it?

 

[Sonora]

I have little doubt that my internet access at work is monitored. When I arrive in the morning and sign on there is a message that I have to OK that says that it could be monitored. With the large number of employees we have (30,000 worldwide and 1,500 at my location alone) I doubt that they look at every visit, but they probably scan for inapporpriate visits. There was one office that had a shared PC that had it's internet access taken away because of XXX visits.

We just recently had to intsall some kind of proxy that caused me to lose access to my home email. Everyone witht his particular ISP lost access while people with the other local sevice did not. Doesn't seem fair to me. ;( I have no idea what the proxy was for and the IT department wouldn't tell me. All I got was a shrug of the shoulders and the reply that 'it was a corporate thing'.

 

[SeXy ReDHeD]

Cheyenne...

I believe I saw that thread.

I do understand that internet relationships can become very serious and even develop into love (I have experienced this). But honestly, if you are a person involved in a serious, loving, committed relationsip IRL, then you shouldn't be looking for love on the internet. And if your partner suspects that that's what you are doing on the internet, then something is wrong. As far as cybersex... what's the difference between cybering and going to a strip club? Either way, it's pretty much a fantasy. In both cases you are more than likely never going to meet the other person.

If you are one of those people that is just against any kind of porn, strip clubs or cyber, for moral reasons, I can't answer to that because I just don't understand. I am unable to empathize.

Sorry if this went a little off topic!

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: Cheyenne...

I believe I saw that thread.

I do understand that internet relationships can become very serious and even develop into love (I have experienced this). But honestly, if you are a person involved in a serious, loving, committed relationsip IRL, then you shouldn't be looking for love on the internet. And if your partner suspects that that's what you are doing on the internet, then something is wrong. As far as cybersex... what's the difference between cybering and going to a strip club? Either way, it's pretty much a fantasy. In both cases you are more than likely never going to meet the other person.

If you are one of those people that is just against any kind of porn, strip clubs or cyber, for moral reasons, I can't answer to that because I just don't understand. I am unable to empathize.

I'm not sure if the "you" in the above was meant for me specifically or as a general third party "you". Just in case it was for me specifically, the answer is that I'm not in a serious RL relationship. And I'm not against porn in general, strip clubs (although they aren't personally my cup of tea) or cybering. Not quite sure where that impression would have come from, that's why I think you meant it as a general third party "you".

I know we're off topic, but it's my topic, so it's allowed I think. I do think there is a difference between the fantasy of cybering and going to a strip club. A big difference. With a strip club, you may physically be there, but there isn't going to be any emotional connection with a dancer you see for all of 3 minutes. With cybering, you physically are not there, but the emotional connection is much easier to make, whether intended originally or not. And I wouldn't be too sure about it being more than likely that you'll never meet your cyber partner. There's a much greater chance of that meeting being arranged than of ever hooking up with the stripper who is just doing her job. There was another thread awhile back that asked about people having actually met their cyberpartner- it isn't that uncommon.

 

[SeXy ReDHeD]

Re: Re: Cheyenne...

I did mean it as a general third party "you." Sorry for the confusion!

I am talking about random chat room cybering where you type "Hey anyone wanna fuck?" and you reply and do your thing and be done with it. I do not think that cybering with someone that you meet and talk with first is included in this category. Indeed, I think if you meet and talk with someone, and that relationship eventually leads to cybering, then then you are definitely cheating on your IRL partner.

In my life, I try to look at my relationships this way:

Whether the "cheating" be a strip club, a peep show, a magazine, or some random person on the 'net, it is fulfilling some sort of need for my partner that I invariably can't. So, I tell my partner to feel free to do those things--as long as IRL he comes back to me at the end... both physically and emotionally.

Some will argue that he actually IS cheating because he might not be THINKING of me when he comes home. But you know what? I'm not always thinking of him.

I may fantasize about other men (or women), but I know that I have made a commitment to my partner, and as much as my mind my wander, my heart and my body may not.

I hope this makes sense!

[Edited by SeXy ReDHeD on 09-17-2000 at 02:51 PM]

 

[Bigdog]

Cheyenne

Since you are in senior management, you should have a feel for the concerns of the company. Does the company feel that there is a problem with employees abusing Internet access? Unless they do, it is doubtful any monitoring is going on. The software is available and not very expensive, but someone has to actually look at what is being monitored and that would tie up a lot of personnel hours. It wouldn't be cost effective to spend 10 times more hours monitoring the employees than could be wasted by personal Internet use. Add in the possible entrapment legal issues and it becomes even more unlikely that you are being watched.

Unless you count that spy camera under your desk.

 

[Cheyenne]

Re: Cheyenne

Sorry, this one was an "OOPS"

[Edited by Cheyenne on 09-17-2000 at 09:24 PM]

 

[Cheyenne]

Damn cheap hotel connection

I'm not on my home pc- I'm on what must be theworst connection ever in ahotel room on the tv- I'm traveling tonight and found the hotel had "high speed internet connection". Only if you are a snail. and the keyboard is TERRIBLE.

anyway, to answer bigdog. the concern is more for hourly people in other locations, I think. altough i haveheard the MIS head say 'there are still some porn sites being visiting on the network" so they must be monitoring somehow. i think he gets a printout of all sites visited and maybe the number of times? I don't know for sure.

Thanks for pointing out that it would take a lot of manpower to review details. That does make me feel a little better because MIS is definitely not overstaffed and looking for work.

I will check under my desk fo that camera though. that one could be more dangerous than youknow. Got i hate this keyboard. I want my real pc!

 

[Sonora]

From the Indy Star

This is only the first part of the story, but there was no mention on how the infraction was discovered.

FISHERS, Ind. -- Robert Herrold resigned Monday after only 11 weeks as superintendent of Hamilton Southeastern Schools, and the district said he had violated its policy for use of the Internet on school property.

Mike Peterson, president of the School Board, said Herrold had committed an Internet policy infraction on school time.

Peterson emphasized that Herrold, 52, broke no laws. Herrold could not be reached for comment.

"This is a very sad day for the school district -- the worst day in the history of the school corporation," Peterson said.

Herrold was the first new superintendent in 16 years at the state's fastest-growing school district. Peterson said there are roughly 8,800 students enrolled, up about 800 from the past academic year.

The board president declined to be more specific about Herrold's policy violation.

The school's Internet-use policy prohibits access of, uploading, downloading or distribution of pornographic, obscene or sexually explicit material; vandalizing or damaging property of others; accessing another's materials without permission; or violating copyright laws.

 

[wolfie69]

YIKES~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK it is official "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank goodness I don't use a computer other than my own.....