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How I get to FreeRepublic on the web (Vanity.. Question to Fellow FReepers)

Posted on 05/25/2010 10:22:04 AM PDT by Celerity

Hello everyone !

I'm an independent consultant, meaning I work at several different locations throughout the day, week or month.

At some of these locations I have an office, or at least a server room with a console. I check Free Republic while at those consoles.

One of my clients is an enemy of the american way. I am there now.

So to keep this site off my "obvious" history and avoid questions, I'll browse to Free Republic via Google:

Go to www.google.com In the search field I type "freerep". This will fill in the rest in the field below (FreeRepublic) At this point, I click that link and it takes me directly there. This is a commonly used feature of Google. This keeps the direct entry out of my "drop down" list on the browser, and the query itself out of my recent searches.

Today that's changed. It's no longer displaying a direct link to Free Republic. Instead it takes me to a usual google search for it - where I have to click on the first link in the list (Which happens to be Free Republic). It's added it to my recent searches list. (awwwww.... It's not important)

I am aware of how popular web tools are politically charged, but is what I'm seeing another attention-getter to Google to attempt to push FreeRepublic off of it's results ?

Any thoughts ?


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: freerepublic; google; web
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1 posted on 05/25/2010 10:22:06 AM PDT by Celerity
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To: Celerity

How about you skip all that nonsense, hit CTRL-SHIFT-P which puts both Mozilla and IE into private browsing? Then you can just type in www.freerepublic.com and leave no trace.


2 posted on 05/25/2010 10:24:03 AM PDT by Melas
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To: Celerity

Take a laptop along on your jobs. Problem ended!


3 posted on 05/25/2010 10:24:05 AM PDT by JennysCool (My hypocrisy goes only so far)
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To: Celerity

recent versions of browsers have the option to open a window or tab for private browsing. see if you can do that. This option leaves no history, cookies, etc.


4 posted on 05/25/2010 10:24:53 AM PDT by ilgipper
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To: Celerity
So you work for un-American clients and you web surf during their time. How about either not working for them or doing some actual work?

Ha! Just messing with ya.

5 posted on 05/25/2010 10:25:25 AM PDT by thefactor (yes, as a matter of fact, i DID only read the excerpt)
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To: Celerity

You hit the WHITEWATER link on Drudge...

(showing my age, there...)


6 posted on 05/25/2010 10:26:42 AM PDT by Haiku Guy (Gov. Chris Christie (R) won the NJ-6 held by Rep. Frank Pallone (D) by a 15.5% margin!)
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To: thefactor

Yeah, 86 the lib.


7 posted on 05/25/2010 10:28:55 AM PDT by skimbell (A vote for a democrat is a vote against America.)
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To: Celerity

Been in the same situation, I used a live linux cd with a proxy server over a ssh tunnel that was used with a firewall puncher.

The only thing they could see is that it was suspicious activity and they sent me an email to make sure my computer wasn’t compromised. But I used it for weeks before that happened.

I don’t think they check their logs regularly.

Even if they check, as long as the activity isn’t currently occurring and you are already gone, likely they will never know what you did. Due to the nature of your work, maybe it isn’t even suspicous.

Oprea Browser has a surf private which keeps no session info.

Also, you can use a linux thumbdrive and use the browser through the virtual system. I always keep one of these in my briefcase.


8 posted on 05/25/2010 10:30:07 AM PDT by dila813
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To: Celerity

I like skweezer.com

good for low bandwidth situations and
also is good method to see if the internet can see your web site.

http://skweezer.com/s.aspx?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freerepublic.com


9 posted on 05/25/2010 10:32:23 AM PDT by updatedscreenname
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To: Celerity
Try this in the Google search box:
10 posted on 05/25/2010 10:33:04 AM PDT by TomGuy
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To: Celerity

Can’t you use your phone to check up on FR?


11 posted on 05/25/2010 10:33:31 AM PDT by ReneeLynn (Socialism is SO yesterday. Fascism, it*s the new black. Mmm Mmm Mmm.)
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To: JennysCool
Take a laptop along on your jobs. Problem ended!

Only if his laptop can get on the internet independently, e.g., by a MiFi.

12 posted on 05/25/2010 10:34:33 AM PDT by Defiant (Obama hawking Special K-- www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rDJdHQspuI)
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To: Celerity
I like the grape flavored ones the best.

Oh, wait....what?

13 posted on 05/25/2010 10:34:41 AM PDT by Allegra (Pablo is very wily.)
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To: updatedscreenname

Great Tip, Thank you!


14 posted on 05/25/2010 10:35:45 AM PDT by dila813
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To: Celerity
Be aware that you aren't effectively hiding your access to freerepublic.com, unless you are also controlling your DNS server access.

In order to find freerepublic.com, your desktop must do a lookup to get the IP address. That lookup is usually handled by a local DNS server, which only goes to the larger Internet root DNS servers if necessary.

Those lookups can be logged, including the requesting IP address.

Also, it isn't unusual for a company to install a transparent proxy server that intercepts every HTTP request that goes outside their firewall and check to see if the page is in cache. That can log everything as well.

15 posted on 05/25/2010 10:38:02 AM PDT by justlurking (The only remedy for a bad guy with a gun is a good WOMAN (Sgt. Kimberly Munley) with a gun)
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To: dila813

At the end of your session, you could go into Tools, then Internet Options and delete your history. You just have to remember to do it.


16 posted on 05/25/2010 10:38:20 AM PDT by mommyq
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To: justlurking; All

Thanks for the inputs - But I have no problem masking my activities here.

The question was really about how Google is now handling the request.


17 posted on 05/25/2010 10:46:21 AM PDT by Celerity
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To: Celerity

Carry your Firefox on your pen-drive.

http://portableapps.com/


18 posted on 05/25/2010 10:47:44 AM PDT by FLAMING DEATH (Are you better off than you were $4 trillion ago?)
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To: ilgipper

Danger Will Robinson! Private Browsing is not what you think it is! The browser may not keep a history but:
Bottom line is that you must assume that EVERY packet
you send is public information.

A router may be logging each local and remote ip/name pair

A lan based web sniffer may be logging every packet (think
of AT&T, Sprint, and others that have little rooms connected
to the internet backbone routers. (do a traceroute sometime)

A DNS server may be logging each DNS request

WiFi air capture can log and reconstitute all browsing, files downloaded, email, chat

If you have Satellite based ISP skygrabber can reconstitute all browsing, files downloaded, email, chat


19 posted on 05/25/2010 10:48:27 AM PDT by updatedscreenname
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To: Celerity

I also have this. Relatively cheap for surfing if you don’t do a lot of multimedia. Works great too, anywhere there’s Sprint cellular service.

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband


20 posted on 05/25/2010 10:54:35 AM PDT by FLAMING DEATH (Are you better off than you were $4 trillion ago?)
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