JJ Luna

Questions & Comments

There are 7,116 questions at JJLuna.com.
#6338 08/25/09 Amazon.com Public Profiles
I urge all Amazon.com customers to go and check your public Amazon profile right now. Apparently by default Amazon sets a public profile that shares a lot of information about you, including prior purchases, name, email address, etc.


To verfiy that this information isn't being shared publicly, login to your Amazon account, click the "Your Account" link, then "Your Public Profile".


You have to contact Amazon by phone or email to have your profile removed (no way to do it online). Alternatively, you can just change the information to whatever you like, including setting up a pen name instead of your real name.
URL #1: http://www.amazon.com

Mike, ,      Age: 30


#6337 08/24/09 Offshore Hosting
Wendy, thank you for your most recent post regarding privacy that was a response to a few others' posts. Would you mind letting us know which offshore countries are best for offshore hosting? From my own research, it seemed overall like the Netherlands or New Zealand might be good, and Panama, Costa Rica, or Hong Kong. It seems a bit more expensive to opt for offshore hosting for a VPS in order to have hundreds of websites as the companies just seem to provide alot less RAM and space, so I'm curious to hear what country for hosting you opted for. Quality is often on level with price, of course. Thank you...

Abagail, ,      Age: 30

#6334 08/23/09 Re: Bartering Silver Coins
Mike,



My suggestion for you is to look into what's called "junk" silver. These are pre-1965 silver U.S. coins that look much like the "silver" coins we have today in circulation. They are 90% silver, commonly accepted and much cheaper than a lot of the bullion coins being traded today.



I'd stay away from 1 oz. American Silver Eagles. I bought them when they were like $2 over silver's spot price and now they are trading for what is like double the price of silver. They've become more like collector coins than investment bullion.



I strongly suggest you get a good mixture of silver bars and coins. Get not just junk silver coins but some silver bullion bars. Get the 10 oz. type of bars because those over 10 oz. are hard to trade and those under 10 oz. have too high a mark-up per ounce.

Watch the gold to silver ratio. Right now it's 1 to 67. If it dips below 80, trade all of your gold for silver and if it rises above 1 to 40, trade some of your silver for gold. Some analysts are saying that eventually this gap will close somewhere near to 1 to 16, because that's historically where it's been. In the meantime, you can trade metal-for-metal with your dealer and slowing but safely increase the amount of metal you have with the market's moves.



George, ,      Age: 26

I agree with you that at the present time it is better to invest in silver bullion than in gold.

#6333 08/23/09 Drake, #6283; Mike, #6285; Dan, #6310
Hello All,

Long time no post; I hope you are all well and your privacy efforts going along swimmingly. I've been keeping a low profile to maintain my privacy but I saw a few posts here to which I really wanted to respond.



Drake and others, this issue of being "outed" online is primarily a US/UK issue (and a few other English-speaking countries); in the EU and other countries, the people despise such policies and many governments refuse to capitulate to police-like authorities, especially in the US and UK, that practice these and other privacy-invading/destroying practices. I mean, only HERE have I found that every rinky dink company wants private data to do business with us. And, they're collecting it either because the feds require them to or because they want to sell it the feds. Revealing the individual behind blog posts, etc., is the next logical step in that process.



NOW, that said, folks, listen, free speech ain't free. For one thing, too many of our young folks are dying overseas so you can be free to say what you want to say. For another, freedom of any kind comes with responsibility. Yes, you're free to say whatever you'd like about me in any venue choose but, um, I'M free to respond how I wish based on what you say. If you defame or libel me or terrorize or stalk me online, I'm FREE to pursue legal action against you and the courts will take a very dim view on what you've said and sanction or punish you! Don't take it for granted you can say whatever you want online and anonymously and, in doing so, harm someone else (or threaten government officials!) with no consequences and, for the most part, you won't be outed! NO amount of privacy protection can (or should) protect irresponsibility.



Mike, here's what we did to make certain I had a right to my Dad's house after he died or if something happened to him. Keep in mind that you're talking about combining asset protection and privacy when dealing with real property. That's very difficult to do, though it's doable but, it requires some legal understanding or professional help and clever but legal planning. First, we created a "Real Estate Power of Attorney". While you don't have to, we DID file this with the county where his home is located but I don't live there so I really don't care. (That I don't live there is, in part, why we did this; it was a judgment call.) Moreover, this county doesn't have its records online so, bon chance to those looking for the document to locate me. And, even if you do find the document with my name on it, the document contains a ghost address in a faraway state and no phone number. Second, we did a will BUT wrapped that in a trust, which will be registered in a DAPT state under a name other than my father's and where his legal rights will be protected. (These trusts, "Domestic Asset Protection Trusts", is, again, more about asset protection than privacy but can achieve both, done correctly. That means this isn't a "will kit" will and trust. (The trust, alone is a nearly 50 page document, in fact). The state where we're registering the trust specializes in this kind of trust. Done right, even a statutory trust can protect privacy BUT the trust documents are like any other trust--only a court of competent jurisdiction can force open the trust, revealing its terms. And, I wish anyone going up against us and our attorneys some serious luck because they're gonna need that and much more money. Third, we created a few "internal" documents that are notarized (by notaries within our own close circle of private friends) that give me right and title to that house and which are NOT filed with any state agency. This last tactic will work for you and your wife because such documents, correctly drafted, are Constitutionally and legally valid and will hold up in court. MAKE SURE you have your Health Care Directives and Powers-of-Attorney documents in order, along with the will and trust (which does NOT have to filed with any state agency; we're only doing it because of my Dad's asset situation; it's smart for us but not necessary for most people)If you do these things and keep them up to date, something too many people fail to do and find they are not as legally sound as when they were drafted because the laws have changed but their documents haven't, you'll be fine.



Dan, here's where I disagree with JJL, at least partially. He's right, DON'T do it--on U.S. shores. If you really feel called to say whatever it is you're going to, just say "no" to U.S. datacenters for your webservers. I'll use my family as an example: We have a very unique family history that has been known to cause controversy among those who experience serious discomfort with the idea that people who "look" like us could be related to certain historical figures. We have lots of certified proof, though, going back hundreds of years and for reasons I can only attribute to God, many of us still uncannily resemble those ancestors. But, lots of folks hate us for who we are. (And, no, I won't say who we are.)



To complement a book a distant cousin of ours "across the pond" wrote nearly a decade ago about our family history (and BOY was he hated for that book, most of which was proven true), I'd like to write about our history/launch a website about our family and debunk a ton of historical myths about folks who are held in very high esteem but are thought to 'be' or 'have been' other than who they actually were. (Those of more recent vintage--those who've lived in the last 200-300 years--have been romanticized/'heroized'; those who lived before that who had mere feet of clay, deified--few were viewed realistically.) We'll be truthful and, because we're not angry with them or anything, aren't going to engage in historical revisionism--except to revise some revisionism that's already occurred--honoring and respectful. These are, after all, truly our loved ones. We come from these people so to 'hate' them would be to 'hate' ourselves. We ARE, however, going to be honest because we think it's important. This will go over like a lead balloon hovering over a 4th of July concert and some folks will seek to silence us. Our solution has been to take our servers offshore, completely, AFTER researching which countries will ACTUALLY be able and willing to protect our right to free speech.



What's rather ironic to us is, we're noticing a NUMBER of both US government and large multinationals that are US-based taking THEIR servers offshore, too! Why? Because they don't want to be beholden to US anti-privacy (and pro silly litigation) laws anymore than we do. Legally, there's nothing wrong with doing this unless you ignore what I stated in my first paragraph OR unless you go offshore specifically to commit acts illegal in the US while your "body" remains physically located here. (Non-US citizens have been busted when getting off planes on US shores after committing internet crimes with US citizens or using US servers.) So, if "controversial" really means "illegal" or "grey-area", JJL is right. Forget it because they won't fly anyplace on the planet. If it's a truly legitimate (legal, non-defamatory/libelous content) issue, and you REALLY must say whatever it is you intend to say, take it offshore.



But, do your research first and get your privacy issues on US shores straight before you go offshore. Lease your own servers; don't use a web-hosting company. Receive and send ALL of your email (personal and business) from those servers and use as many non-US (non UK) service-providers for any other communications services you need. Also, a Linux-based server is better than Windows because open-source is legally safer than proprietary software--and most of it is free.



Make sure what you're doing/saying is legal in the jurisdiction where the server is located and make sure NONE of your DNS servers (nameservers) terminate on US (or even UK/Canadian) shores. Write under the name of a pseudonym ("pen name") AND conduct business in the name of a nominee formed entity and learn which kind of entity is acceptable where you want to do business but that won't get you flagged on US soil.



Finally, if you want to do this thing right--staying within both US and offshore jurisdictional laws and maintaining your privacy--expect it to take MONTHS to get your project up online. It can be done but it's getting harder and harder to do so, like everything else privacy related, do it now while you still can. If you're truly called to say what you want to say, this is the way to honor that calling.



Wendy, ,      Age: 45


#6332 08/23/09 Homeland security & post office box ID
Hi!We received a notice in post office box & this is what it says:

We are required to update our Post Office Box records. The office of HOMELAND SECURITY has mandated that all post office boxes have current records on all box holders. We started to do this BEFORE the mandate. Some of you may have been asked to provide ID. If you are being asked again,it is because we are also required to have used a more recent application form. We apologize profusely for your inconvenience. We are on a deadline , so please stop within 10 days of this notice or we will be forced to hold your mail at the counter until the necessary information & signatures are obtained.


I checked the homeland security site & couldn't find out much, but think this is something to do with the real id trying to make national.Have you heard of this anyplace else ? I know they are going to want to see my driver's license & other form of Id for every person receiving mail at box & you have to bring a piece utility bill with the mailing address ^ can't be p.o. box , but physical address. Can you address this issue please& any laws that may be on it. I'm going to ask to see the homeland security laws that require this. Kay

kay, ,      Age: 45


#6331 08/22/09 Palm tracking location of users
If you use a Palm Pre, Palm is keeping track of your location August 9th Article
see the link below
URL #1: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/081309-palm-pre-debacle-highlights-location.html

tom, ,      Age: 64

#6330 08/22/09 cell phone privacy
They are now advertising software that allow anyone to spy on the use of family and employee cell phones. Monitor location, messages, and calls.

see site below Mobile spy


URL #1: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/05/29/mobile-spy-30-for-iphone-allowing-users-to-track-gps-locations-sms-and-calls/

Tom, ,      Age: 64

#6329 08/22/09 PRIVATE wedding
Come to Colorado, or any other state that recognizes "common law" marriage, "represent" yourselves as being married to a third person (including, alarmingly, registering in a motel under "Mr. & Ms. Smith") and you're legally married, and this marriage is legally recognized in all 50 states.


If you wish to document the marriage, then get a lawyer to draft a private contract of marriage which you both sign, and you can have it notarized, or you can file a copy with the County Clerk somewhere.


Filing a document with a county clerk or recorder does not get into the county searchable databases per se as a "marriage license," particularly if you title it something like "Domestic habitation contract."


It will be public record, but the chances of someone finding it is small unless they know the specific clerk's office to query. Your names may end up in the recordation database, so someone specifically looking for you could find this clerk's office and search for your name and ultimately find the contract.


But if you want to "be married" and have it completely confidential, but still legal and provable if necessary, just go to a common law state, eschew the license (which is NOT required) and sign a private contract that you have notarized during the ceremony (in duplicate or triplicate) and just keep the contract in your safe deposit box.


If it ever occurs that you have to prove marriage (which is infrequent to nonexistent these days) the contract is sufficient proof.

Seth, ,      Age: 50

Note to Mike from JJL:

In my ever-so-humble opinion, I think you will be happier with a 100 percent legal marriage. If this can be done in Canada, that would be the best.

Second choice would be to get married in some state far from Ohio, such as Alaska, and use a local one-time ghost address there. (Not sure if you can get by with just first and last names.)

Your names will be on record that way, but so what? Your real address will not.


#6327 08/22/09 STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS!
Don't stop, don't think. Run to the nearest ACLU branch near you. If you are a minority, contact the NAACP or MALDEF.

Also (as Jack said), contact the media. Tell them that you were placed under false arrest in your own home on a bogus charge, that the officer violated your 4th Amendment rights by entering your house without a warrant and clearly despite your objections.

Who cares what Georgia law is, this is a FEDERAL matter because they entered your home, which is the most constitutionally protected area according to the U.S. Supreme Court. Regardless of what state law says, police are not exempt from federal law.



Perhaps the attorneys didn't return your call because you didn't get the right type. What you need is a civil rights attorney.

If this happened to me, I would have these guys all over the news, and I wouldn't be settling for a cold beer with Obama either! Cops have been fired and suspended for less serious stuff and if what you tell me is true, this is very serious.

Time will pass and people who watch the news most likely won't remember your name, but they'll definitely remember the names of these officers who harassed you when they are brought into court and sued along with the city.



I think you also made a mistake of giving them your driver's license. If it were me, I would have given them my passport. They don't need to see my driver's license unless I'm operating a motor vehicle at the time.

George, ,      Age: 26


#6326 08/22/09 Georgia police have the right to enter your home whenever they want?
First I'd like to say that i'm 61, have never been arrested, and haven't had a traffic ticket in 40 years.



I recently purchased a house in georgia (atlanta metro area). The house needs a new driveway. Before putting the driveway in, I needed to remove a large dead oak tree that's next to the driveway. I contracted with a tree service to remove it. They cut a few few limbs and neatly piled them on the side of the road (not blocking the road at all) and had to leave to get the chipper from another job.

In about 20 minutes the neighbor came over to complain, I told her that they would soon return , to chip the branches, she said she was going to call the city, I said go ahead.( I wasn't nasty or no profanity was used) She called the police instead.

At that point I was in the basement talking to a friend when there was a knock on the door, my friend, thinking it was the neighbor, went to answer the door, and saw the police running around the side of the house, where the officer asked for my ID. When I asked what they were doing on my property, they just laughed, and would say nothing . I told the officer my ID was upstairs, she then followed me upstairs, and as I closed the door, the cop was trying to force her way into the house!

I was immediately terrified and through sheer instinctive impulses to protect life and property I succeeded in closing and latching the door and slid to the floor with my heart pounding and my left leg asleep from the waist down (due to spinal deformities for which I've been under a doctor's care for four years). When sensation returned to my leg and I was able to stand (sometimes minutes, sometimes hours pass before standing is possible), I got my license from the cabinet but was not sure what to do. (After I had collapsed against the door, I pulled myself out of the way because I thought she might try to kick in the door.)

For what seemed like an eternity, I was standing in the kitchen trying to figure out what to do. I went to the window next to the door that I had locked to see if she was standing there. When I saw she was not there, I
opened the door and walked down the stairs to the back yard. She was talking to my friend and I handed her my license. She then walked me around to the front of the house and handcuffed me in front of the neighbor. I finally knew why she had come to my house. I could feel her pushing on the door to get it. I locked the door got my ID and went back outside where I was promptly arrested. I later learned That I was charged with obstructing an officer.



I still dont know what I did wrong except that I did not let the police in my house. I contacted 4 lawyers and only one has returned my call, He acted like the whole thing was my fault.



Please any help ?? I feel like my rights have been violated. I'd like to fix up my house, but looks like I wont be able to with this neigbor

Robert, ,      Age: 61

Well, Robert, I wish you were just renting (so you could move), but it appears you own the house. I know that some PIs, law officers, and attorneys follow this forum. Might one of you men or women be able to offer Robert some advice?

If this had happened to me, and the facts were as you state them, I would contact newspaper and TV reporters. They're always looking for a good story!


#6325 08/22/09 cell phone privacy
I have been looking up info on the internet to find out how to know when a cell phone is being tracked, etc.

The advice some of the sites gave specified to have cell phones that do not provide internet access.

But is this a guarantee? I was under the impression that any cell phone could be tracked, conversations listened in on, etc.

Can someone please clarify this for me?

Thank you

mary, ,      Age: 54
Any cell phone can be tracked, unless you remove the battery.

#6323 08/22/09 Mike's Marriage Question
Mike
I think whether it will be considered "legal" or not will depend on what it is and how you use it. In my case when I got married I owned a home and a business outright. My future wife owned nothing. We had a prenup drawn up which stated that I would always own 100% of these items. On the advice of my attorney we did not have it recorded. In my case the advantage of not recording it is that if I am sued and lose they can only take 50% if they don't see the prenup. A few years ago she was in a traffic accident with a professional victim (dozens of cases).They wanted millions but the insurance company offered $50000. When the plaintiffs attorney saw the prenup they dropped the suit and settled in less than 1 day. I'm sure there are some things that can't be handled without the papers being filed but maybe not enough to worry about. Perhaps a marriage in another country and then file the papers here if and when you really need to. As for me the marriage with the minister is the one that counts.

Marc, ,      Age: 52

#6322 08/22/09 Bartering Silver Coins
Jack made a very good point about purchasing small (1 ounce) silver rounds, because they would be easier to barter with in a TEOTWAWKI situation (the end of the world as we know it).


Can anyone out there give their opinion as to which coin is the best to purchase? There are American Eagles, Canadian Maples, Austrian Philharmonics, etc. I would imagine that in a long term barter scenario, we could eventually see a rise of fake silver coins or bars, which could cause certain coins to be preferred more than others.


From what I have seen, the vast majority of people are purchasing American Eagles, so I could easily see that particular coin becoming a preferred barter currency.


I know that Gold American Eagles have traditionally been more popular (and have thus sold for a little more) with purchasers because they are 22K gold, which is little more durable than 24K Canadian Maples. With silver, that isn't an issue.


Any thoughts???

Mike, ,      Age: 30


#6321 08/22/09 6316 - PRIVATE Marriage
I don't think it exists. We got married in Nevada specifically for the "Confidential Marriage" option Nevada advertises. Recently I looked up my name on Ancestry [dot] com... the first record is my marriage location and my spouse's full legal name. I have never added anything to Ancestry [dot] com, and we don't have an account there. Nevada probably sold or gave their records to the site. So much for confidentiality.

Nona, ,      Age: 44

#6320 08/22/09 Credit Checks - Mark #6311
The simple act of a credit check itself doesn't communicate that you actually decided to accept the lease (make sure the apartment complex did not put a record of your lease on your credit reports)

Credit reports show recent requests. Requests. That's enough. In conjunction with the electric company (which would probably also show as a one of the most recent requests) you have Jon's address.

Drake, ,      Age: 34

#6319 08/22/09 6318
Thanks, Marc. And yes, we are looking for a legal marriage in that we would be recognized as a married couple for all insurance purposes, among other things.

From what I am gathering most things that are considered legal only after filing with the appropriate government channels such as property with the county auditor and marriage with the clerk of courts, CAN still be recognized as legal if an attorney drafts the proper legal documents. Is this right? Has anybody out there had any success or difficulty achiiving and maintaining these layers of privacy?

Mike, ,      Age: 36


#6318 08/22/09 Mikes wedding question (6316)
Handle it like a gay couple does. Have a lawyer draw up a legal agreement that is the equivalent of a marriage. You don't have to file it for it to be legal, just keep copies in a safe place. Then have a minister do a religious wedding. When you explain why you will have no problem finding one. If you want you can still have the big church wedding since no one but the minister will need to know and he can be bound to confidentiality.

Marc, ,      Age: 52
Mike wants a legal marriage, Marc. The above does not do it.

#6317 08/21/09 Obamacare
Jack,

... In your opinion, with the proposed intrusions into all financial accounts in the Obamacare plan, do you think large amounts of people/businesses will switch to bartering and a cash economy (i.e. avoid using banks) to protect their finances from ever increasing government intrusion? Might be a good time to start researching a quality made safe for the home to keep valuables/money in and construction of a "safe room" to conceal it in. What do you think?

John , ,      Age: 39
We built a home fortress with a safe room many years ago. A fireproof safe is good but it should be hidden in, for example, an "invisible" closet. The way money is being speny by this present government leads me to believe it's not a bad idea to stock up on both euros and Canadian dollars, and perhaps pick up some silver rounds (each contains one ounce of .999 silver).

Stick to bullion and buy just a bit over spot. I prefer silver to gold because a silver round (similar to a silver dollar in size), worth about $14.50, will be easier to barter with than a gold coin worth almost a thousand dollars.

However, I would not go overboard with this. There are more important things in life than accumulating silver and gold.


#6316 08/21/09 PRIVATE wedding
I am curious if anybody knows how one would go about getting married privately as well as legally? Private in that record of marriage can not be found through normal database searches at state and local courthouses here in the United States and legal in that we will be legally married? Would a marriage ceremony outside of the United States suffice?

Mike, ,      Age: 36

#6314 08/21/09 Twitter to post your location
You will be able to opt out - they say - but Twitter knows where you are when you 'tweet' and will be posting this information with your message as a "dateline".
URL #1: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/tweets-will-soon-come-with-a-dateline/?th&emc=th

Drake, ,      Age: 34

#6312 08/21/09 Certification
I'm interested in getting certified in certain areas in computing (e.g Network+, CCNA, etc). I was wondering if anyone here would know what are the privacy implications (e.g Is my name on some central database of certified persons with my picture, etc) in doing so and/or ways to better protect my privacy.

John, ,      Age: 21

#6311 08/21/09 #6291 - Location Revealed
Jon, ask your apartment complex if they distribute any of your personal information to the white pages or any other venues. Find out if they keep your lease private.


A question is whether one can rent an apartment (without having a credit check run) in one's own name and have that info dissemenated. The simple act of a credit check itself doesn't communicate that you actually decided to accept the lease (make sure the apartment complex did not put a record of your lease on your credit reports).

This might help you eliminate the apartment as the leak and direct you to look at the electricity.

Mark, ,      Age: 39


#6310 08/21/09 staying anonymous on the internet
how can i start a blog about a really controversial subject and keep my identity secret? especially don't want anyone from my company to know who i am. thanks in advance. great forum!
URL #1: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/21/outing.anonymous.bloggers/index.html

dan, ,      Age: 23
Don't do it. Period.

Note to readers:

The URL below was entered by me, not by Dan. It's a news item on CNN titled, "The coming-out stories of anonymous bloggers." As you will see, they were not so anonymous after all.


#6309 08/21/09 Obomacare v/s Americans right to financial privacy
Buried in the 1,017 pages of the House Democrats’ health-care bill is a little-noticed provision that for the first time could give the government access to the checking or credit-card information of every American.

Under section 163, which is entitled “Administrative Simplification,” the bill sets new “standards” for electronic transactions between individuals and their health-care providers.


According to section 163, the standards will “enable the real-time (or near real-time) determination of an individual’s financial responsibility at the point of service . . . ” In addition, they will “enable electronic funds transfers, in order to allow automated reconciliation with related health care payment and remittance advice.”

URL #1: http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ODg4Y2FkYmFlZmQ4NGJkYjZhZTA2YjZkZTMwN2YzNTg=

Stan, ,      Age: 44


#6307 08/20/09 6306 - Jon's Location
They did do a credit check on me only. How would this alert the police to my wherabouts?
I didn't want to pry earlier, but most of the pertinent questions can be covered by the answer 'databases'. Your marriage is in the records. If you've been married long enough to have filed taxes, your SSN's are linked. If you've shared anything else, like utilities, you co-signed for the car, your previous residence, etc. you're linked to her. When the apartment complex did a credit check they entered your SSN. What came back was everything of a financial nature you've done alone and everything you've done with her.

Even if you didn't co-sign for this auto, aren't one of its registered owners, haven't been linked to it in the past by getting another ticket, your wife's info is linked to you in the databases.

PROBABLY: The photo was taken, the databases interrogated for ownership information, the most recent address was listed as the new apartment, the bill was sent.


If questions persist, I can pry more. Other as yet unknown details may change the answer.

Drake, ,      Age: 34

#6306 08/20/09 Re Drake #6291 - Location
Drake - They did do a credit check on me only. How would this alert the police to my wherabouts?

I may make some phone calls as suggested.

This apartment is destined to be a ghost address for a po box I am setting up so I am not real concerned about privacy here - but still shocked that this data was so quickly and easily made available.

jon, ,      Age: 36

#6305 08/20/09 Reply to #6292 - Arizona DMV
Jimbo, a few years ago I a had very similar experience to yours with AZ DMV. New address, new insurance, smog test, drivers license and car registration. I was heading out of town by 1:00 pm. They even loaned me a screwdriver to put on new plates. This office was a main one in the Phoenix area. After dealing with California's DMV for many years, I could not believe the great treatment! I drove away with both AZ & CA drivers license!!!!!!

Ed , ,      Age: 69

#6304 08/20/09 PO Box application
I am a just-transferred college student here in Ann Arbor. I use my parents' address as a ghost address. It is on my driver license, my credit reports, my voter registration, everything. Today, I tried to get a PO Box here in Ann Arbor.

I was unable to heed JJL's advice to deal with a postal clerk of the opposite sex. Instead, I dealt with the only clerk at the counter: an older gentleman who was being difficult with every request given to him by all the customers preceding me.

I told him that I would like to apply for a PO Box, and after he asked for ID, I put my passport and driver license on the table.

But then he asked me if I had "proof of your local address here in Ann Arbor." I replied that I did not have a local address here, that I was a college student and still looking for a place. Then I mentioned that my driver license had my "permanent address" on it, "where my parents live." He said, "As soon as you get a local address, you MUST [he emphasized "must"] come back here and update this form with your local address." But after that, it was smooth sailing and I quickly had the box keys. He did not again mention his command to later update my local address, and it did not seem he made any note anywhere of it. I will see if my box gets closed anytime in the future over the issue.

I relate this story in case anyone else comes up against a postal clerk who demands "a local address." If your ghost address is far away, as mine is, figure out a reason why it is so far away and you do not have a local address. For young people with out-of-state ghost addresses who attempt to get a PO Box in an area with a university, "I am a college student" (or "I am a grad student" if you are slightly older) may suffice. But if you are much older, perhaps you just moved to the area for a job, and do not have a local address yet? Perhaps you are opening up another office of your existing business in this region and found a great deal on office space but will not be able to move in for a few months? Do some thinking!

All that said, you may not experience a hassle with your clerk: the last time I got a PO Box, the female postal clerk took my IDs and my filled-out PS-1093 and gave me my box number and keys pretty much without any questions - perhaps this was because I was in the the Postal Service facility in downtown Detroit that processes and distributes all the mail for the metro area where they handle a lot of customers, and do not have the time or desire to scrutinize every PO Box applicant. Hopefully, it will be that easy for you!

Jack, ,      Age: 21


#6299 08/20/09 Re: #6285
To ensure that assets (house, LLC, etc) are transferred to the person you want them to go to after you die, you should prepare a will.



This can be a private document, as it is only filed with the probate court after death. But don't keep the will in a bank safe deposit box, as these are sealed upon the death of the box holder, even if there is a co-renter who is still living. And, when it is opened, a person from the local auditor's office will be there to document the contents of the box.

Susan, ,      Age: 53


#6298 08/20/09 Speed cameras
There was an article in the Houston paper recently about red light cameras. Someone was fighting a ticket and made a FOI request for the names of others who received red light violations. He was given personal information of over 10,000 people who had paid with a check,the bank name, account number,address, etc. There never was an explaination of why the city retained this information after the ticket was paid. A city employee "resigned" shortly thereafter. The lesson is always pay this type of thing with cash or a money order.

Roger, ,      Age: 59

#6297 08/20/09 #6291 - location revealed
Jon, I urge you to study the ticket and find some phone numbers to call. Ask them why they did not mail the ticket to the address on the car registration and how exactly they acquired your apartment mailing address. Ask them why the apartment address "superseded" the registration address (was it because of locality)?



Please post again with the answers they give you so we can all learn something!



Brian, ,      Age: 21


#6294 08/20/09 6291 - Location revealed
Jon, several questions come to mind about the situation you described. But without prying further, here are some things to think about:
Both of your (real) names are found at the electricity provider. This pollutes your compartmentalization efforts.
When you rented this apartment, did they run a credit check?This links you to the new address and becomes a data point that bridges the updated address to everything in your past. It especially points the way to the electricity company.

The most likely culprit is the new apartment.

Drake, ,      Age: 34

#6293 08/20/09 Speed sprays, plate covers, etc
There was a Mythbusters special that completely debunked the use of sprays on license plates, plate covers, etc

Mark, ,      Age: 35

#6292 08/20/09 reply to #6146, re: AZ DMV
Regarding working with the DMV in Arizona, some states are responsive to the local cultural ideals of individual freedoms and privacy and AZ seems to be that way. They make no effort to tie your registration to a license number, whereas California seems to insist on it. (Although I am curious what they would do if you had no license)

I have had good relations with the AZ DMV folks and good luck with privacy concerns. Only one issue ever came up, and that was with a mailbox address that was flagged on their computer as a common one for illegal aliens. It turns out the only thing that they were worried about was keeping out our neighbors from the south. If you read the paper you know this is a hot button there. However on that visit 5 years ago, and on another 3 years ago, I was able to drive to a UPS office a few blocks away, get a box, drive one more block to an insurance office, buy liability insurance (cheap), and go to dmv pay very low fees, and get registered. Remember to get the TWO year registration to save a trip back. Also no smog in most areas(only in Tuscon or Pheonix). The first time you register there you have to go around back for a VIN inspection. At no time was my license ever mentioned at DMV, but of course the insurance people wanted it (out of state OK with them, as I was just arriving), and a social.
best regards
Jimbo

Jimbo, ,      Age: 50

#6291 08/19/09 Location revealed - how?
Within 1 month of moving to Springfield I ran a red light and was caught on camera and received a ticket mailed to the apartment I am renting (in Springfield). My question is this: since my car was registered only under my wife's name in a different state, how and why was the ticket mailed to her here in Springfield? The apartment is under my name, cable is under my name and electricity is under both our names. Who is the most likely culprit for providing this info to police? No postal forwarding was ever provided for this address. Thanks

jon, ,      Age: 36

#6290 08/19/09 Life lessons
A coworker had a live-in girlfriend and he discovered that she was fooling around. He broke up with her and asked her to move out. He changed the locks. She went to the police and showed them received mail with her name and his address on the envelopes. She convinced them that the BF didn't go through the proper eviction procedures and had no right to lock her out of the house. The police went with her to the house and watched while she broke in. The BF showed up. He ended up writing her a large check on the spot to get her to go away.

Mark, ,      Age: 35

#6286 08/19/09 Adventures in password-land
I'm writing this to give readers a little food for thought on choosing passwords and general file security. Recently, I came across an old Excel file that I wanted to update but could not for the life of me remember the password I used to protect it from opening. After searching around, I found that there are several programs and even services that will use various methods to get you back into an Excel file. Some are free to demo, most have some kind of charge.


Anyway, I started with a service that claimed they could decrypt the protected file without knowing the password. They would decrypt a small part of the file for fre as a demo. Following their instructions, about 2 minutes later I then had an accurately decrypted version of the first 5 or so lines of the file. For about $25 they would decrypt the whole file. Not entirely unreasonable, but I wanted to see what else was out there.


After that, I found various programs that would use various approaches to trying numerous passwords, one after the other, until the file password was found. I downloaded a demo version of one of these because I knew that if it found the password, it would show the first 2 characters. At first, I just let the program run to see what would happen. It tried about 400,000 passwords PER SECOND and estimated that at the worst case it would take 3 days to find the password. However, the program also had a feature where if you knew anything at all about the password, it would start with that and then move on. I was pretty sure that the password was all lower case, somewhere between 5 and 10 characters, and that part of it was probably a dictionary word. (Yeah, I know, not a great password.) I started the program up again. The password was found in - get this - 43 seconds.


My point is simple. No matter what password you choose, there's a tool out there that will bypass it for peanuts. I do realize that the Microsoft suite has never been considered paarticularly secure, but the fact that files can be read even without knowing the password is pretty scary. Encryption and physical separation will go a lot farther than a simple password any day.


And as for me, once I saw the 2 characters of the password, I knew what the full password was. I had chosen a password that no one would ever guess, but clearly that no longer matters!

Mike, ,      Age: 49


#6285 08/19/09 Property Auditor Website
My fiancee and I have recently purchased a home however she does not share all of my views regarding privacy. We have been able to reach a healthy compromise on most all things private. Her name is on the deed and the mortgage is in her name. My challenge and question is how do I get legal documentation showing that I am entitled to the house should something happen to her and keep my name off of and out of public databases and websites pertaining to this property? If I purchase a New Mexico LLC would I then be able to add that name to the deed along with the lender and my fiancee's name? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Mike, ,      Age: 36
1. The obvious first step is to get married.


2. Then transfer the house to the NM LLC.


3. Have a lawyer draw up an operating agreement according to the wishes of you both.


Oh-oh, wait. Did you mention "lender?" If you didn't pay cash, this will complicate things no end. Here is some advice you won't follow, but perhaps other still-single readers will benefit from it:


1. Never buy a house unless you can pay cash.

2. Even then, do not buy a house with anyone other than your legal mate.


#6284 08/19/09 Newlyweds
Hello Mr Luna and all, TY for the great book(HTBI)! I have a question, my fiancee and I are getting married soon, and in regards to her taking my last name, if a hyphenated maiden-married name is filed with SS, banks, etc, can't she legally use either? What are the best procedures for a newlywed woman to follow when it comes to maiden-married names? Both of us are new to that game. Thanks!

Will, ,      Age: 34
I'm not sure if using the hyphenated name will be the best choice for privacy. If she keeps her maiden name, that might work better.

Perhaps some reader can add to this?


#6283 08/18/09 Anonymity threatened by Justice Dept.
Anonymous entries on blogs is a mythical belief. A crack in the Justice System has opened in NY and the practice of unmasking anonymous contributors may soon be a regular occurrence.
URL #1: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6801213.ece

Drake, ,      Age: 34

#6280 08/18/09 Make your license plate invisible
You can make your license plate invisible to cameras with this spray which is applied to your license plate. Please see this web site below.


... Apparently this is currently legal in most, if not all, states. However, if it becomes a problem, expect new laws to prohibit it.
*******
Sorry to disagree Jack, but it's not legal in any state to obscure or attempt to obscure your license plate, and in some states (like Colorado) its specifically illegal to use any device or substance to deliberately attempt to obscure your plate, and it's a separate offense they can charge you with if they discover a cover or spray on your plate.


The Uniform Traffic Code, which has been adopted by all states, generally provides that a license plate must be "clearly visible from a distance of 50 feet." Even snow or mud on your plate is a violation.


Most importantly, the sprays DO NOT WORK, even if they were legal to use. All it is is a clear lacquer you spray on on the premise that it cause the "flashes" from the cameras to bounce back and cause the image to flare out in the camera lens. Problem is, physics does not agree. As a professional photographer who deals with light and reflection all the time, allow me to explain.


Note that in the photo on the website, the before-and-after photos are taken from directly behind the vehicle, and the "after" image is simply Photoshopped to wash out the plate, which is illuminated from directly over the shoulder of the photographer. Note the light flare on the bumper immediately above the plate.


What this illustrates is that the "shiny surface" effect they claim ONLY OCCURS when the angle of reflection of light illuminating the plate, which is by physical law equal to the angle of incidence, coincides with the lens of the camera or the eye of the observer. In other words, it ONLY works when, from the observer's point of view (be it a person or camera) the light is being reflected DIRECTLY BACK to the light source, and the observer (camera) happens to be in line or nearly in line with that illumination.

It's no different than looking in a mirror. The sun may be illuminating the surface the mirror, and it's reflection will appear somewhere, but unless your eye is within the zone of reflectance of the sun, you won't be dazzled by it.


Now, one might think that the illustration of the photo radar camera, with the strobe right by the lens, would cause this to occur, but there is one more element involved, which is that the reflecting surface (the plate with the spray on it) must be "normal" or perpendicular to the incoming light rays if the light is to be reflected back to the source. If the plate is angled at all, up, down, or to either side, the angle of incidence is changed and the "reflection" that's supposed to obscure the plate moves off at an angle equal to the angle that the light strikes the plate from.


Therefore, if the photographer in the "demo" photo had moved even a foot to one side, he would have been out of the zone of reflection and the plate would become clearly visible.


And, as it happens, all photo radar installations are placed to one side of the roadway and higher than the vehicles, which means that the angle of incidence against the plate from the strobe is quite oblique, which makes the zone of reflection appear on the opposite side of the vehicle, on the ground, at equal angles both horizontally and vertically from the camera, and the photo of the plate is perfectly clear and readable.


In short, this plate spray is a well-known and long-debunked scam and complete waste of money. Cops love it because it a) gives them probable cause to stop your (obscuring/tampering with license plate) and it leads people to think, wrongly, that they can speed with impunity, which garners a hefty fine that usually goes right back to the police department.


Don't fall for this scam!

Seth, ,      Age: 50


#6279 08/18/09 Land
I currently have a piece of land in New Mexico, that someday I want to build a home on. But currently it is in my real name. How can I retain the piece of land and make it invisible with no association with my real name?

Michael, ,      Age: 50
Sell it to a NM LLC and pay the normal taxes and/or transfer fees.

#6278 08/18/09 Make your license plate invisible
You can make your license plate invisible to cameras with this spray which is applied to your license plate. Please see this web site below.
URL #1: http://www.phantomplate.com

David, ,      Age: 44
Apparently this is currently legal in most, if not all, states. However, if it becomes a problem, expect new laws to prohibit it.

#6276 08/17/09 Re: Full Disk Encryption & Hidden Operating System
Thank you for the informative post, Seth. I’d like to present some counterarguments…


First, remember that they key concept of a decoy operating system is to minimize the risk of appearing suspicious. If you decline to provide an encryption password, you will appear suspicious. If you provide a password that appears to boot a system, you are far less likely to turn heads, and 99.9% of the time you will pass through customs without incident (see below).


Second, I understand that there will be instances in which one may be subject to a "random search", or various threat levels will be high enough to increase the scrutiny of customs agents. In those scenarios, a smart individual will pre-ship their laptop/data to their destination ahead of time, or simply leave it at home. I’ve dealt with “random searches” during 6 of the 10 times I’ve traveled to/from Australia over the last decade, and 5 were on the Australian side of the fence.


Third, I don’t consider TrueCrypt to be an “over the counter” or “off the shelf” product, nor do most IT security experts. In fact, after dealing with most of the closed source full disk encryption programs over the last few years (SafeGuard, Pointsec, SafeBoot, GuardianEdge, Bit-Locker, etc), I have far more faith in an open source project that is scrutinized by many expert programmers and encryption experts in the industry.


Fourth, you are correct that a seized laptop will be imaged, and the image will be attacked with multiple vectors. However, AES-256 encryption has yet to be broken. Period. If a higher level of encryption is desired, cascading encryption can be implemented with TrueCrypt (at a performance decrease, of course). I quote from Wikipedia:


-------------
Until May 2009, the only successful published attacks against the full AES were side-channel attacks on specific implementations. The National Security Agency (NSA) reviewed all the AES finalists, including Rijndael, and stated that all of them were secure enough for US Government non-classified data. In June 2003, the US Government announced that AES may be used to protect classified information:


“The design and strength of all key lengths of the AES algorithm (i.e., 128, 192 and 256) are sufficient to protect classified information up to the SECRET level. TOP SECRET information will require use of either the 192 or 256 key lengths. The implementation of AES in products intended to protect national security systems and/or information must be reviewed and certified by NSA prior to their acquisition and use."
-------------


I don’t know about you, but if AES is good enough for TOP SECRET status, I feel pretty comfortable using it. To say that every single encryption program on the market can cracked by the NSA is simply naïve.


Fifth, I manage over 200 Pointsec full disk encrypted employee laptops for a Bank, and those employees frequently travel all over the world. I have yet to encounter even ONE seized laptop after the encryption password was provided to customs agents to boot the system. How would TrueCrypt be any different? If you are honest and give them the password, why would they question otherwise? It’s not a question of trying to hide the fact that the system is encrypted. It’s announcing it, and complying with their wishes for you to show that you have nothing to hide. Do you honestly believe that customs agents don’t deal with hundreds (or even thousands) of fully encrypted laptops on a daily basis, ESPECIALLY when it is (just short of) mandatory per FFIEC financial institution guidelines?


Sixth, I seriously doubt every single packet on the Internet is logged. While there may be large monitoring programs like Eschelon in place, the Internet was never designed for privacy. I would hope most individuals are cautious about what they send/receive to/from the Internet, and have long since migrated to VPN tunnels, proxies, and SSL-driven websites. Do you HONESTLY believe that there are individuals gathering, decrypting, and reading every single encrypted packet that crosses the Internet? I hope not, because it simply isn’t happening. Unencrypted data, maybe. Encrypted data, fat chance.


Seventh, are you SERIOUSLY recommending that people put data on an Iron Key and place it in their rectum? You don’t think this will show up in a full body X-Ray scan (soon to be EXTREMELY common place). Boy, wouldn’t that make someone look REALLY suspicious. And don’t you think most governments know about the 10 failed password self-destruct mechanism? They’d torture the password out of anyone within a day. I promise.


Eight, you’ve missed the whole concept of a hollow coin, which is to mix it in with a handful of change. I have NEVER seen a customs agent sift through anyone’s change for fake coins. Last I checked, X-Rays don’t travel too well through metal. If your nickel is mixed in with a handful of change, it’s very unlikely that it will be noticed on the X-Ray monitor. Let’s say they do find the coin, and examine the contents of the memory card. They will see a randomly named file (if you were smart and renamed the TrueCrypt volume). If they DO happen to determine what kind of file it is, why not comply and give them the outer volume password with your decoy files and satisfy their curiosity. Last I checked, the Iron Key didn’t have a decoy feature.


Ninth, you suggest that an individual email their sensitive data to a friend ahead of time, but previously state that the “three letter agencies” monitor every Internet transmission and specifically look for encrypted data as a red flag. Which advice am I supposed to take?


Tenth, I appreciate your advice on selecting passwords. With over 12 years of IT security experience and CISSP , CCSP, CCNP, CEH, and MCPIP Security certifications, I am well aware of the various techniques that can be used to make passwords hard to find and/or use. I noticed that your passwords only utilize two of the four common complexity requirements. I recommend that all individuals not only set passwords at the maximum limit supported by the system (within reason), but that lower case letters, uppercase letters, numbers, AND symbols all be utilized. Multifactor authentication (tokens, biometrics, one-time PINS, etc) should also be utilized if available. I also recommend that everyone keep their passwords memorized, or at a minimum encrypted with a VERY long passphrase (try using a very long sentence, complete with punctuation)


So to sum it up, here is what I was able to gather from your posting:


1. I should hide an Iron Key in my rectum and hope no one finds it.


2. The government can make an image of my laptop and rip the encryption apart with their supercomputers, even though they themselves recommend AES-256 encryption for their TOP SECRET data.


3. The government scans every single packet of data that crosses the Internet (and specifically looks for encrypted data), but it is a good idea for me to use an off the shelf product to encrypt my data and email it to my friend before my trip.


4. I should select a password that is easily crackable by only utilizing two of the four common complexity requirements (lower case letters, upper case letters, numbers, and symbols).


Mike, ,      Age: 30


#6274 08/17/09 A new wrinkle on SSN as an identifier
Your SSN may match the SSN of someone in another country...
URL #1: http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/dpg_Some_Social_Security_Numbers_Duplicated_mb_08162009_2983646

Mike, ,      Age: 49

#6273 08/17/09 6258 - Refusal to provide SSN
Nona, the link below is a PDF of the form where your spouse's employer found the wording for their request.

Fill out Section V on Pages 4-5 and hope for the best.

PrivacyRights[dot]org explains the situation in Fact Sheet 10: "MediCal and Medicare are government health plans and can require a Social Security number. Most insurers providing individual insurance policies cannot require your Social Security number. However, they might refuse to issue a policy if you don’t provide your Social Security number.

A new Mandatory Insurer Reporting Law (Section 111 of Public Law 110-173) requires group health plan insurers to report SSNs in order for Medicare to coordinate payments with other insurance benefits. The law was enacted in late 2007 but became effective on January 1, 2009. As a subscriber (or spouse or family member of a subscriber) to a group health plan arrangement, your SSN will likely be requested in order to meet the requirements of this law if this information is not already on file with your insurer. Similarly, individuals who receive ongoing reimbursement for medical care through no-fault insurance or workers’ compensation or who receive a settlement, judgment or award from liability insurance (including self-insurance), no-fault insurance, or workers’ compensation will be asked to furnish information concerning their SSN."

Unfortunately, the fact your spouse belongs to a group plan is the main barrier. Who knows though, maybe they will accept the reasons you provide in Section V.
URL #1: http://www.ncas.com/UserFiles/file/forms/Members/SSN-Refusal%20to%20Provide.pdf

Drake, ,      Age: 34

#6272 08/17/09 Full Disk Encryption & Hidden Operating System
Re: Post 6268


Mike: While TruCrypt is a useful program to avoid thieves and civilian snoops from accessing sensitive information, the problem with trying to pull the wool over the eyes of US Customs is that they are way smarter, in aggregate, than your average computer user.


While a TruCrypt false-flag OS may satisfy them if they have no reason to be suspicious of you, if they DO have reason to be, or become suspicious of you they will simply seize your computer and subject it to high-level, government-grade forensic analysis and it is probably not wise to depend on any over-the-counter system to secure files against such an attack because they will clone your drive in its entirety, using hardware cloning devices that allow them to make unlimited identical copies of your disk drive, so if they burn one copy up trying to access it, they can always make another. Your actual hard drive is only referenced, like a Photoshop file, never actually diddled with.


They will keep your computer for as long as it takes them to be convinced that you're not hiding anything from them, which means forever if necessary.


Should they find evidence of a TruCrypt partition (and I'd be skeptical that they can't) it will simply guarantee seizure of your computer and an intense interest in you and your activities from other 3 letter agencies.


As Jack says, it's much better simply to sterilize your computer before you get to Customs. If you're just worried about non-specific government snooping, keep in mind that they already scan every incoming and outgoing packet on the Internet using Eschelon and other NSA-level monitoring programs, and they really don't care about your pictures of the Louvre or your e-mails to Aunt Tillie about your European trip.


What they DO care about are encrypted or apparently "nonsense" transmissions that might be concealing encrypted information. Customs particularly cares about anything that someone tries to hide from them, and if they smell a rat, you can cool your heels in a holding area for a good long time.


My plans include simply moving any sensitive material to an IronKey secure USB flash drive and literally putting it where the sun don't shine if I ever find a need to smuggle data that I don't want anybody to know about. But all this requires practice and confidence, because Customs officers are exceedingly well trained at profiling and detecting the signs of nervousness in people who are hiding something from them. And if you look nervous to them, they can even chain you to a toilet for as long as it takes for you to clear your bowels or subject you to an X-ray exam to make sure you haven't swallowed something to conceal it.


My purpose of evasion however has nothing to do with US Customs, it has to do with crossing borders in other parts of the world. As a journalist and photojournalist, I occasionally write or take photos of things that are unflattering to a particular country I may be visiting, or that in their socialist paranoia they may consider to be sensitive or secret information. So my concern is being able to transfer photos and text, and even sound files, to a device that will allow me to cross out of an unfriendly country without having incriminating or illegal photos or documents on my computer where they can be easily found. The IronKey device is quite secure, and has a feature that literally fries the chip and all the data if the password is entered incorrectly 10 times in a row, in order to frustrate brute-force attacks. I've also asked them to program in a "duress password" that, when entered, instantly fries the data. They are considering this feature, but it's not yet part of the offered features.


Used with a "charger," which is a case that can be inserted rectally that can contain anything from drugs to money to an encrypted USB drive, it can allow me to get critically important journalistic materials out of places where they routinely seize cameras and memory cards from journalists.


But learning to do this without betraying the fact that you have concealed something somewhere unpleasant is an acquired skill and not for the faint-hearted or the amateur, because unless it's a perfectly routine thing to do and you simply forget that it's there most of the time, you will inevitably look suspicious to border cops, and they are well aware of the places one can hide things, having dealt with innumerable drug smugglers who do the exact same thing every day.


Exactly the same sort of "guilty knowledge"occurs when you try to pass a computer that has hidden information on it. You might think you're not showing signs, but you are, and they are good at detecting such signs.


Therefore, unless you have extensive training in controlling these "tells", usually obtained at 3 letter agency training facilities, the chances that you will rat yourself out and spend rather a long and uncomfortable time being questioned by Customs (who don't have to respect your 5th Amendment rights and can put you on a plane back where you came from if they don't like your answers) about your activities and intentions.


As for the fake coins, I've seen those as well, and yes, they are interesting covers. A couple of points about such concealment devices. First, Customs is well aware of these devices, and they WILL be detected by X-ray. Notice sometime that when you put your pocket items into the bin at the airport, the bin goes through the x-ray machine. There's a reason for this; they know that weapons and other contraband can be concealed inside of commonplace items like cell phones, computers, and coins. If they see a bogus coin with a chip in it at customs, you're guaranteed an orifice inspection someplace cold with bad fluorescent lighting and humorless federal agents in attendence. Moreover, even a cursory inspection of such coins will reveal their nature. In the old days, when gold and silver coins were in circulation, merchants became adept at bouncing a coin off the hard surface of the counter and listening for the "ring" of a genuine silver or gold coin. That's where the phrase "It rings hollow," and "it rings false," comes from. Bounce one of these fake coins on a hard surface and you can tell immediately that it's not a real coin. Even the weight is wrong because it's been hollowed out.


The technique of detecting a slug is quite sophisticated in fact. Every coin-operated vending machine uses the same mechanical technique to determine if a coin is real: the coin rolls down an incline and hits a peg and bounces. The receptacle for the incoming coin is set at a precise distance from the peg, and since a slug or even a foreign coin in some cases will not bounce precisely correctly, fakes miss the receptacle and are rejected. The coin then enters a sophisticated weighing system that uses a carefully balanced trough that the coin rolls through to determine it's precise weight and reject slugs or foreign coins that do not weigh properly. As you can see, the technology for determining if a coin is genuine is well-known and quite sophisticated, which makes it difficult to pass counterfeits.


Now, the hollowed-out coins are legitimate currency before modification, but they won't pass the simplest of counterfeit detection tests because they no longer have all the proper characteristics of a real coin, specifically weight and density. So, they are easily detected by trained personnel using X-ray or through manual inspection.


The other problem is avoiding spending your chip-containing coin. A minor problem, but one that needs consideration nonetheless. One can get a half-dollar coin in this configuration and plausibly make the argument that it's your "lucky coin" that you use for flipping, but that only works until someone inspects it or steals it.


These coins are useful only for OBFUSCATING the existence of a data chip, not for concealing it from a concerted search, and they are also useful for DISPOSING of incriminating evidence innocuously by simply using it to pay a bill or tossing it in a wishing well or suchlike.


But, as pointed out before, if you're not an expert in covering up the fact that you are hiding something, they are useless for trying to smuggle something past a customs official.


The only plausible method I can think of for using such a coin is to conceal the chip in the coin and then somehow secrete the coin on a traveling companion from whom you can later retrieve the coin if it makes it through customs, which is more likely since the person actually carrying the contraband has no "guilty knowledge" and therefore is less likely to be closely inspected. But because all the dangers of x-ray or physical inspection of HIS pocket change remain, it would be highly unethical and immoral to subject HIM to possible arrest by planting incriminating evidence on him.


As Jack says, for those of us who are simply trying to maintain privacy, not smuggle nuclear secrets or terrorist operating plans into the country, sterilizing the computer before reaching Customs is the obvious and easiest thing to do.


One can recover things like passwords and email addresses and other personal information one does not want them to have in other ways, like by sending a file containing all the data to a trusted friend via e-mail before departing the foreign country for the US, and asking them to email it back to you once you've cleared customs. You can safely encrypt this file using an off the shelf program to protect it even from your friend's eyes, and the NSA will be unlikely to care, since all commercial encryption programs can be cracked by the NSA supercomputers anyway, and as soon as they see it's not terrorist attack plans or suchlike, the programs will most likely just discard the message.


When you construct this file, use obfuscation to destroy the ability of anyone who might intercept it from actually using it.


For example, never identify the actual bank that is connected with a numerical on-line banking ID and password, and obfuscate the password (which you have previously selected so as to be able to obfuscate it easily).


Let's say your Obama National Bank login ID is "330588" and your password is "68chevycamero" after the first car you ever owned. This is not a particularly robust password, but it's better than your birthday.


You'd obfuscate this this way:


330588carfave


You'd have to remember which bank this applies to, or if you have real memory problems, you simply have a text file on your computer that says "ONBcarfave"


This reminds you that the password and ID associated with "carfave," which is a link to the actual password of "68chevycamero," goes to the Obama National Bank.


If someone gains access to the obfuscated login and password on your computer (or even your smart cellphone, like my Blackberry), the data is utterly useless to them because they may recognize it as a login and password, but they have no idea what it goes to, and they cannot deduce the actual password without having intimate knowledge of your past, and if you're up against folks who are willing to go that far, best of luck to you.
URL #1: https://www.ironkey.com/

Seth, ,      Age: 50

I will let Seth and Mark slug this one out (at least temporarily). IMHO, the best way to travel is with a clean netbook or laptop. Keep your secrets on a different machine and never take it with you. You'll sleep better on the nights when you are away from home.

#6271 08/17/09 address for preshelf LLC's
I am wondering. If I request a pre-shelf LLC with a Spain address how do I receive my mailings for my automobile if I use a different addres. I know the answer is a simple one I think I am missing something in the translation.

Thank You,

Katy


URL #1: http://canaryislandspress.com/index.cfm/fa/submitquestion

kaitlin harrison, ,      Age: 40
The address shown in the Articles is NOT a remailing address. (However, Rosie Enriguez can furnish an address in the islands IF you wish to use it.)

You just give whatever ghost address you normally use, to the DMV. No problem whatsoever.


#6270 08/17/09 Pipl.com and Isearch.com glitches??
Pipl.com: How do they go about assigning links on their people searches? My ex has a music video posted under her name on Pipl.com, but how does Pipl.com know it belongs to her and not everybody else with that same first and last name?? The lyrics do not mention her city and state either. There is also an inaccurate link on her site belonging to a different person with her same first and last name.

Isearch.com: They have a new address for an old friend, but Intelius and USsearch.com both don't yet show it. Are they slow in updating new addresses?? Is Iseach.com accurate???

Thanks Much.

Tommy, ,      Age: 52

#6269 08/17/09 Question: Renting Apartment and LLC
Can I use my LLC to rent an apartment for me?

Paul, ,      Age: 55
There is no way to answer that, Paul, because each landlord has his or her own rules to follow. Working with a private owner is often the easiest. My guess is that, IN GENERAL, you will still be asked for your SSN because they want to check your credit. (One thing that might help is to offer to pay a year in advance.)

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