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Locking up 'secure' browsers?
self | 20 sept 2013 | self

Posted on 09/20/2013 5:51:21 PM PDT by maine-iac7

Anyone having trouble using 'secure' web browsers?

I have been using Ixqick for some time now, hoping to by-pass snooping and tracking. (As an old great-granny, I'm not 'up to much the gov't should be interested in, except of curse being a conservative - high on 'enemies of the state' list, I guess.) However, I'm a stubborn old crone and don't want to think about someone leering over my shoulder every time I email a grandkid or whatever. It's MY DAMN business. I was raised when America was America.

So - For about a week, when I tried to bring up my email box, I'd get a pop up saying "Your favorites [I wasn't trying to get to favorites] are unavailable at this time, try later" but a side box would allow me to click on 'mailbox' and it would populate. But...


TOPICS: Conspiracy
KEYWORDS: browsers; conspiracy; email; privacy
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...yesterday, I was totally locked out - couldn't even get into mail box with IE. (This came after I had written an email that had links about "Pooty" In Russia - and that email did not want to send, had a hard time getting it sent - then almost immediately, the shut out.) - I called Yahoo!. the rep explained Yahoo! had been doing 'updates' and had taken Ixquick out of the loop - that I would have to use another browser that they still support - like "Google" and "Google Chrome" I told him, politely of course, that I wouldn't. He said I'd have to use IE or Firefox "you know, the one with the little red WOLF." After explaining to him it was a "little red FOX" - ergo the NAME - we continued, but without a lot of confidence on my end. Now I can get to my mailbox thru' FireFox - AND, once again, thru Ixquick, BUT I notice when I open a browser with Ixquick, the red box with "FireFox" shows at the top. SO - ??? - NSA's listening? Does anyone know of any other good email providers - NOT Gmail! - that I could use 'in private"?

- AND - has anyone else had this or similar problems?

1 posted on 09/20/2013 5:51:21 PM PDT by maine-iac7
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To: maine-iac7

You’re pretty savvy.

But I don’t use browsers to read or send email.

What you should do is download a free email client, like Thunderbird, and then use encryption on your email. It’s still not foolproof, but it makes it considerably harder to crack your correspondence.


2 posted on 09/20/2013 6:03:45 PM PDT by Westbrook (Children do not divide your love, they multiply it.)
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To: maine-iac7

I don’t know if it’s Firefox or what, but traveling on the net has become pretty bumpy of late. I have to shut down my browser and re-start it at least five times a day because it locks up and won’t load pages.

Yahoo mail has also been a bit hinky in the last month or so.


3 posted on 09/20/2013 6:03:59 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Westbrook

Thank you , “West” - I’ll into that!


4 posted on 09/20/2013 6:07:24 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
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To: maine-iac7

I’m getting sick of the internet.

Javascript yanking your chain. Flash is always busted. HTML5, Firefox generating new releases about every half hour.

And lately more and more stuff getting geared towards mobile devices, as if desktop/laptop users are just old fashioned and don’t deserve any support...


5 posted on 09/20/2013 6:09:51 PM PDT by djf (Global warming is turning out to be a bunch of hot air!!)
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To: maine-iac7

Short answer, yes, of course the NSA is watching everything you do on the Net. What exactly do you think it is they DO?

Long answer... well, for the long answer, you’re going to have to leave your cable box on 24/7 and move the flower vase closer when you talk, for one thing...

Look, you’re on Free Republic. ‘Nuff said.


6 posted on 09/20/2013 6:22:30 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: Windflier
I don’t know if it’s Firefox or what,

I had FireFox a couple years ago and had NOTHING bu trouble with it!

But I figured if I couldn't use Ixquick, I'd try FF again in preference to IE - and will NOT us GOOGLE nor CHROME.

Wish me luck

Another glitch. After downloading FF - my toolbars with links were gone - even with my IE and Ixquick - tooka lot of time to get them back up - but still haven't gotten back my "file - tools" etc bar.

Also changed a lot of other things - lost my icon for enlarging - at my age, the dang print is often to small to read...found another way tho.

However, my biggest irritation is that the right click - or any other - no longer gives me the choice to 'send to desktop' - and I LIVE with parking icons on my desktop for easy access! I do not like bookmarking.

I'm wondering if a restore would give that back - or if it might wipe everything back to square one and I'd have to start all over with installing FF and getting tool-bars back and loaded? (My had is spinning so now that if anyone asked me real fast what my name was, I'd be stuck for an answer.)

I did get one new bonus - automatic spell check here and in FB ;o)

In the middle of all this, I stupidly signed on for a 'free' cleaner (PC) - they ran a scan and said I had some 50,000 (!) 'problems detected!' and did I want them deleted? Hey, for free? Sure.

They deleted about 400 and said I'd need to sign on for a $29.99 deal to take care of the rest. Bait 'n switch. I don't play that. So I tried to uninstall - still trying. It doesn't want to go anywhere AND every time I try - a "WARNING Trojan" box for 2 Trojans pops up! from my SuperAntiSpyware. (Haven't had any warning like that for over a year.) I did a full scan with them -and nothing showed? I did a full scan with AVG - nothing. Now doing scan with Malware - I think this old gal needs a drink! I'm too old for this... ...Anyone have any advice?

7 posted on 09/20/2013 6:28:27 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
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To: maine-iac7
You need to understand that the main lines for the Internet are routed right into the NSA data centers on the coasts and now in Las Vegas.

There is no "hiding" on the internet especially if you pay for your connection.

If you hack your way on using open wifi hubs or a hacked phone you can be somewhat anon BUT if you do so in the range of surveillance cameras then you can be sussed out if Big Brother wants to.

8 posted on 09/20/2013 6:30:34 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: maine-iac7
I stupidly signed on for a 'free' cleaner (PC) - they ran a scan and said I had some 50,000 (!) 'problems detected!' and did I want them deleted? Hey, for free? Sure.

They deleted about 400 and said I'd need to sign on for a $29.99 deal to take care of the rest. Bait 'n switch. I don't play that. So I tried to uninstall - still trying. It doesn't want to go anywhere...

Aw geeez.....not that crap. You'll have to do a search on the name of that program and find instructions on how to delete it. If there's a fix, lots of tech blogs and forums will have it posted. That's been my route when I've done the same thing in the past.

Oh, and I highly doubt that it found and cleaned 400 malware items out of your computer. Didn't happen. Just part of the hype designed to get you to purchase their 'ransomware'.

9 posted on 09/20/2013 6:34:13 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: maine-iac7
What operating system are you using (xp, win 7, win 8).

If you're using any version of windows, you can do a system restore.

Go here to read all about it:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/What-is-System-Restore

10 posted on 09/20/2013 6:40:27 PM PDT by Col Freeper (FR: A smorgasbord of Conservative Mindfood - dig in and enjoy it!)
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To: djf
And lately more and more stuff getting geared towards mobile devices, as if desktop/laptop users are just old fashioned and don’t deserve any support...

I don't like being forced into a box. I refuse to register my cell on any sites - even the bank, for example.

I refuse to upgrade from a 'regular' cell to a 'smart phone' or any others. (I have CAMERA for a camera and a PC for the Internet. All I want my phone to be is a PHONE.)

I tell my 15 grandkids I 'don't know how' to text because their phones are glued onto their hands and I don't have time for that!

If my kids and 'grands' were not spread all over to heck and gone - coast to coast and north to south and Alaska - and if I didn't have to have the PC for my editor - I seriously think I'd shut down the dang thing...and go back to snail mail. (I have steadfastly refused to get rid of my land line - it's a safety issue, beside a stubborn issue)

11 posted on 09/20/2013 6:41:27 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
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To: maine-iac7

Revo Uninstaller Freeware version is really handy for getting at the whole annoying program you want to remove. Even goes into the Registry to get it all.


12 posted on 09/20/2013 6:44:05 PM PDT by gbs
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To: maine-iac7
Does anyone know of any other good email providers - NOT Gmail! - that I could use 'in private"?

I've seen some online posts by privacy-conscious hackers claiming to have deserted Gmail in favor of FastMail. FastMail is an Australian company (but the servers are in New York) founded in 1999 and acquired in 2010 by Opera Software, the Norwegian company that puts out the web browser of the same name.

For about 10 years, I've had a free account with FastMail that I rarely use. I've noticed considerable improvements in their UI since the acquisition. I don't think they give free accounts anymore (I got grandfathered, apparently). But $4.95/year gets 100mb of storage, and $39.95/yr gets 10gb and the ability to use your own domain name. 60-day no-credit-card free trial. And no ads, not even on my free account.

13 posted on 09/20/2013 6:52:19 PM PDT by cynwoody
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To: maine-iac7

“If my kids and ‘grands’ were not spread all over to heck and gone - coast to coast and north to south and Alaska - and if I didn’t have to have the PC for my editor - I seriously think I’d shut down the dang thing...and go back to snail mail.”

You should write to them in cursive. They will probably think it’s some kinda code or sumpthin.


14 posted on 09/20/2013 6:53:22 PM PDT by Lurkina.n.Learnin (If global warming exists I hope it is strong enough to reverse the Big Government snowball)
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To: Talisker
Look, you’re on Free Republic. ‘Nuff said.

I know - I'm just left over from a different world - one where America was free. It's hard to digest.

Just tried to get to my photobucket to put on an icon - and IT, for the first time in all these years says "Sorry - we're doing some maintenance now but don't worry...we'll be back"

Oh well, I must be keeping one agent employed/

15 posted on 09/20/2013 6:58:59 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
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To: Col Freeper

I have Vista - and I’m about to do a restore - once Malware deep sixes all the “malicious software’ they found. Hadn’t run Malware for many months - Guess I’d better make it a regular practice.


16 posted on 09/20/2013 7:03:02 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
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To: Talisker
Long answer... well, for the long answer, you’re going to have to leave your cable box on 24/7 and move the flower vase closer when you talk, for one thing...

deep sixed cable almost 5 years ago ;o)

thinking about getting a donkey for traveling, let them track that. ;o)

17 posted on 09/20/2013 7:04:55 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (Christian is as Christian does - by their fruits)
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To: maine-iac7

Online storage of your pictures,mail, or anything else is a disaster in the waiting.Anything important to you ought to be
stored on a drive you have right there.And make copies. Always run some firewall,anti-virus,and malware fighter.

Any program that promises to fix your computer for free is suspect.


18 posted on 09/20/2013 7:07:40 PM PDT by hoosierham (Freedom isn't free)
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To: maine-iac7

Yahoo turned to crapware.

I tried several times to log into my email I have had there for years. It would not accept the user ID/password. When I would try to bypass and go to the ‘help’, it allowed me to set up a new account.

I didn’t want a new account. I want to get to the old email box, because it has registration emails, etc.

I can access the old account through a 3rd party email reader, but I cannot access it via mail.yahoo.com.

Some how, Google is now associated with Yahoo. That could be part of the problem.


19 posted on 09/20/2013 7:08:44 PM PDT by TomGuy (.)
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To: maine-iac7
They deleted about 400 and said I'd need to sign on for a $29.99 deal to take care of the rest. Bait 'n switch. I don't play that. So I tried to uninstall - still trying. It doesn't want to go anywhere AND every time I try - a "WARNING Trojan" box for 2 Trojans pops up! from my SuperAntiSpyware. (Haven't had any warning like that for over a year.) I did a full scan with them -and nothing showed? I did a full scan with AVG - nothing. Now doing scan with Malware - I think this old gal needs a drink! I'm too old for this... ...Anyone have any advice?

If I did that, I'd:

  1. Backup all my personal stuff on a thumb drive or DVD(s).
  2. Make a list of all my apps and how to reinstall them.
  3. Wipe the hard drive.
  4. Reinstall the operating system.
  5. Reinstall my apps (or such of them as I actually use).
  6. Restore my backed up files.

You can try to remove the malware, and you may succeed, but it's hard to verify that you got everything.

In general never install any app you downloaded off the internet without first doing a reputation check on Google. If you don't find anything, don't install. If all you find is people liking it or complaining about non-malware bugs or feature lacks, or how to use it to do X, then install. If it's malware and has been out there long enough to get noticed, you will see complaints, instructions for removal, etc.

20 posted on 09/20/2013 7:09:02 PM PDT by cynwoody
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