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Dealing with the new UK 'extreme images'

legislation


The United Kingdom is in the process of passing legislation that would make possession of a whole range of images illegal. This page cannot give legal advice on what is or isn't illegal under the new legislation. That information can be found on the backlash-uk.org.uk web site.

This page attempts to help a person who would like to


If you have comments or suggestions please get in touch with us at: 


Surfing the Web anonymously

A good overview on surfing the Web anonymously is at www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012778&pageNumber=1

Your best options for surfing anonymously are

If you decide on any of these options make sure to follow all instructions with care so as not to expose yourself inadvertently.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (www.epic.org/privacy/tools.html) has a big online guide to privacy tools.

 

Backing up an image collection

Important:  first set up your anonymous connection to the Internet, as above!

Next get yourself a free Google account which includes Gmail email and an online image album. Connect to the Internet anonymously and sign up at www.gmail.com

Once you have successfully signed into your Gmail account click on 'Photos', sign in again and download Google's free Picasa software. Let Picasa search your computer for all images and upload anything you want to back up to your Google Photos albums. Make sure your albums are set to 'private', one of the options during upload. You can later share your online images by giving others the web address of your private albums.

Still in Picasa delete all images you do not want to keep on your computer. Once you are done, uninstall Picasa and permit it to delete the Picasa database as part of the uninstall process. If you like Picasa you can always install it again later.

Important:  next empty the Recycle Bin / Trash as described in the next section, then erase all the free space on your hard disk as described in the next section.

 

Securely erasing images on a computer


Windows method

When you delete files by emptying the Recycle Bin, Windows deletes the information used to access the files but doesn't actually delete the files. Although the disk space used by deleted files is marked as free space, deleted files remain intact until new data is written over them. Because of this, deleted files can be recovered.

Eraser, a free program, erases either files in your Recycle Bin or the area reported as free space by Windows by writing junk data over the deleted files or the entire free space on the disk. Eraser also has a scheduler allowing you to run Eraser automatically.

Eraser is a free downlaod from http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=37015

More information on Eraser may be found at www.heidi.ie/eraser


Mac method

When you delete files by emptying the Trash, Mac OS X deletes the information used to access the files but doesn't actually delete the files. Although the disk space used by deleted files is marked as free space, deleted files remain intact until new date is written over them. Because of this, deleted files can be recovered.

Here is how to delete everything permanently: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=DiskUtility/10.5/en/duh1010.html

 

How to avoid storing anything incriminating on a computer

Every time you surf the Web your web browser keeps a record of where you have been, what you have looked at and even copies of the images you saw -- whether you surf anonymously or not, so you need additional safeguards.

You could use either anonymizing software or even run a computer without a hard disk!


Anonymyzing software

If you decide to go with Anonymizer (www.anonymizer.com) you'll need both 'Anonymizer Anonymous Surfing' and 'Anonymizer Digital Shredder Lite' at a cost of around $35 a year. The $50 a year 'Anonymizer Safe Surfing Suite' includes both programs plus spyware protection. The $120 a year 'Anonymizer Safe Surfing Professional' attempts to hide your Web surfing even from your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

Note:  We are not resellers or affilliates of Anonymizer and do not derive any financial or other benefit from mentioning them. Full protection depends on installing and running the software as instructed by the manufacturer.


Running a computer without a hard disk

One way not to leave any traces at all on a computer is to use a computer without a hard disk. The effort involved is surprisingly small and the cost is minimal -- all you need is an old computer that can be booted from a CD.

First you need a CD with an operating system. Knoppix, a version of Linux, is designed to run from a CD and the download includes a web browser and all the drivers a typical computer needs. The only part of the computer which may not work is the WIFI card, you may have to connect to your router with a cable or use the phone modem.

Here are the steps involved:

Now that you have your Knoppix CD you can take the hard disk out of the PC you'll be using.

If you have a full size PC you should look at the manual that came with the computer or check the manuals on the manufacturer's web site. You can run two desktop computers side by side using a KVM switch which is available from computer stores and web sites.

Below are the instructions for a typical laptop. If you have a desktop PC click here to continue.


Unplug the laptop from the mains AND take out the battery!

 

Locate the hard disk tray; they are very similar on most laptops
other than ultraportables.

 

Remove the screws keeping the tray in place. In this instance there
are two screws but some laptops have just one -- or three!

 

Pull out the hard disk tray.

 

The hard disk in the tray. You can either take the hard disk out of the
tray and put the empty tray back in place or simply leave the tray
access open.

Now put the battery back in and conncet the laptop to the mains.

You should be getting a message similar to the one above.

Now put the Knoppix disk into the CD drive and turn the computer off
and back on. Many computers will start from the CD automatically
while in others you may have to change the boot order in what may
be described as Setup or Boot Setup on the screen that comes up.

More information on this should be on your computer's maker's
web site.

 

Once Knoppix has finished loading you should see the image
above (click for a larger view).


Knoppix should have installed the drivers for your modem and Ethernet cable, the cable used most commonly for broadband modems and routers so you should be ready to start surfing immediately.