How do you layoff this from happening?
First of all, it is gettable to surf the web anonymously and thereby blockade leaving a trail for others to find. Note that this is not fool-proof, but it makes it much harder for sharks to know who you are. There are products called anonymous proxy servers that help to shade you. The anonymous proxy server replaces your Internet address for its own. This has the reaction of hiding your IP address and making it much harder for con artists to track you.

How do I get an anonymous proxy server?
There are many reputable vendors who sell anonymous proxy servers. Such products offer differing services for anonymous and safe access to the web. Most of them even provide anti-censorship solutions that enable Chinese citizens safely access the entire Internet filter-free.
Does an anonymous proxy server make you 100% protected?
No. Still, you are much better off if you use such technology.
What other things should I be concerned about when trying to keep my private knowledge private?
Three other items come to mind when trying to keep your information private. First, you can use an encrypted connection to hide your surfing. This article does not go into detail on this, but search the web and you will find a lot of information on this. Secondly, delete suspicious cookies after each session (use antispyware cleaner). Third, you can configure your browser to remove JavaScript, Java, and active content. This actually leads to limitations, so you need to think about the cost/benefit of this course of action.
Also there are simple rules for the riskless internet surfing:

Be wary of unsolicited offers by sellers. The Internet National Fraud Information Center Watch reported that email, as a method of contact by Internet scammers is constantly growing. While the offer may be legitimate, spammers like to use this tactic to side-step reputable sites.
Be wary of suspicious websites and offers that just sound too good to be true. The Internet is littered with get rich quick scams and false advertising claims. Try to collect information about a website you are expecting to visit.

So who are all these spies and why are they spying?

Remember internet crime is extremely big, we don’t have any exact totals but be assured they are truly astronomical figures in billions of dollars worldwide. Many cyber based crimes are not reported, listed or recorded and sometimes not even noticed. We can only deal in estimates and approximation

All over the internet major crime syndicates are moving or expanding into cyber crime. In places like Brazil, China and Eastern Europe, sophisticated criminal networks have an enormous amount of infratructure in place to support their cyber crime. Engaging in crime on the internet has a couple of huge advantages, very big rewards and very low risk.

Computer hackers or identity thieves will often target the average internet surfer. The professional and sophisticated gangs will also be very careful about HOW they steal from you. Once they have your information, your details then there are literally hundreds of ways to use this. The mad spending spree on a debit card or bank account is easily detectable but how about credit applied for in your name, how about the inoffensive looking direct debit for $30 which is removed every month.

Some of these criminals have gone to incredible lengths to steal your data and information. I have seen a copy of Windows XP from Eastern Europe that looked 100% legitimate, shrink wrapped, certificate of authenticity all included, the only problem was this version of XP was preloaded with trojans, viruses and keyloggers ready to start stealing your details from the first install. As soon as you connected to the internet your passwords and accounts would be mailed to a server on the internet…ouch.

So just as you would lock your doors at home, many are beginning to do the same online. I personally want internet privacy protection because I use the internet to pay bills, do my banking, and lots of other activities which involve both my financial and personal details. Do I really want all these details logged on the internet, and at my ISP for example, well no not really.

You see it’s not exactly hard to steal these personal details online. Yes a gang of cyber criminals based in Rio de Janerio can steal from you, even though you’ve never been to Brazil. When you discover your bank account emptied, what can you do? In reality very little but attempt to get yoru money refunded from your bank or credit card company, either way the criminal himself is very unlikely to pay for his crimes.

Privacy Policies.
Many companies will prominently post their privacy policies, where they state that they don’t share your information with others. If a company Web site does not make mention of this kind of secure online shopping, avoid providing them with your personal information. There’s no guarantee that a company with a privacy policy will honor it, but you stand a better shot of safeguarding your info with one that claims to.

Online Promotions.
Dozens of surveys, promotions, contests and opinion polls ask you to sign up online at any given point, but think twice about distributing your personal information to such businesses. Most of these are set up primarily to retrieve your contact information. To avoid having your information in the hands of companies you don’t even know, resist the urge to complete the forms.

Security Measures.
Look for symbols on the Web site that ensure security for your payment information. While they are never 100 percent secure, a strong payment security system makes it extremely difficult for hackers to access your financial information, such as credit card numbers and bank accounts. Consider using a payment service, such as PayPal, where you transfer money into the online payment service from your bank account. The online retailer gets only your PayPal information, not the bank info.

E-Mail Addresses.
Avoid making it easy for spammers to get your e-mail address. Clever programs scour the Web searching for valid e-mail addresses, so don’t put your actual e-mail address in your e-mail signature. Also, change the address just enough when posting on a forum or message board so that it’s easy for readers to e-mail you, but the harvesting programs will be confused.

Online Communities.
With message boards, community profiles and personal pages such as MySpace and Facebook, you can reveal as much or as little about yourself as you want. Err on the side of caution and keep relevant and identifying information private. Avoid listing such seemingly innocent information such as your phone number, address, school or work name, hobbies and even the names of family members.

There are many rules and laws that govern the fair and appropriate use of public record information. This was not always the case; with the increase of online searching about individuals, the appropriate usage and privacy regulations regarding the use and sale of public record data was previously very poorly defined.

Here are some of the bodies and legislation that have had a significant impact on the background check industry.

IRSG
IN 1997 a voluntary and self-regulating group of companies came together to form the Individual References Services Group (IRSG). Their pledge (they were all industry insiders) was to define and adopt a set of self-regulatory principles that governed the dissemination of private or personal data.

Eleven principles were defined; these included Education, Accuracy, Limitations on distributing Non-Public information, Privacy and Protection for Minors.

The IRSG disbanded in 2001 as stricter enforceable legislation was enacted.

FCRA
While the IRSG, were a self-governing and organization, The Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA) is legislation that has very specific language about the use of public record information for making decisions about employment or tenancy. The FCRA defines a background check report (and a credit report for that matter) as a “consumer report” and places a number of limitations on the aging and usage of public record data. Here’s a good reference for more information on the FCRA legislation surrounding employment background checks.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley

On November 12, 1999 congress enacted the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act. While this broad bill covered many other issues it also created very specific legislation about the usage of Financial Privacy Data. The reason this is relevant is that much of the public record data distributed in the form of a background check was sourced from the data obtained from credit bureaus such as Trams Union, Equifax and Experian.

You probably are not surprised to learn that lying in your privacy policy can get you into trouble. You will definitely be surprised to learn, however, that your competitors could be the parties suing you. Even worse, they could sue you for millions and win! How could this be? It all boils down to competition. In this case, claims of unfair competition.

The Lanham Act is a federal law that established rules related to unfair competition. Part of the language of the Act prohibits businesses from using false statements that a consumer may use in deciding to use the business instead of a competitor. This can include your privacy policy. If you state in your privacy policy that you do not share visitor information with third parties, but then do so, you are making the false statement called for in the Lanham Act.

For this to get you in trouble, however, the false statement must give you an advantage over competitors, to wit, your competitors admit they give visitor information to others. Making the determination in court is a question of fact, which means a jury will decide. Regardless, it is a risky proposition.

Getting rid of the technical legal jargon, the use of the Lanham Act in relation to privacy policies on sites is all about privacy. Between phishing, email and other online scams, many people are nervous about providing their personal information to sites. Along with this heightened public awareness comes a new unique selling position for sites � assuring privacy! Simply put, more people are likely to use a site that does not share their information with third parties than one that admits it does. If false assurances are given, the advantage is gained without merit, which is where a claim under the Lanham Act comes in.

Ultimately, you need to have a privacy policy on your site. Make sure it is accurate and updated as required so that you do not run into a situation where a competitor actually sues you.

The bottom line is that the Terms of Use Agreement is a contract that your website users agree to by visiting and using your website. In addition to a Terms of Use Agreement, a typical website should also have a Privacy Policy and a Disclaimer. In this blog, I’ll be discussing some of the more obvious things that will be contained in a Terms of Use Template / Agreement.

Introduction

First, the Terms of Use Agreement should specify that the user’s use of the website is governed by the Terms of Use Agreement, Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and any other relevant terms and conditions, policies, and notices which apply to the website or a specific section or module of the website. You may also want to identify the website and the party which owns/operates the website. Make these terms defined so that you can refer to them throughout the rest of your Terms of Use Agreement.

Accepting the Terms of Use

Second, the Terms of Use Agreement should specify that, by using the website, the user is agreeing to the Terms of Use (and if they don’t, they should not be using the website anymore).

Revisions

Third, there should be some acknowledgment that users agree to any and all modifications, alterations, and updates of the Terms of Use (which become effective upon being posted on the website).

Trademark/Copyright

Fourth, if there are logos/designs which have been trademarked, there should be a provision in the Terms of Use agreement which makes note of this and warns of unauthorized uses. Same goes for copyright.

Website Use/Restrictions

Fifth, the user will acknowledge that they are responsible to protect their IDs and passwords (if applicable) and also that any compromises should be reported immediately. With respect to restrictions, users are generally prohibited from doing things like: posting or transmitting harmful or illegal content, interfering with the website’s operation, trying to hack into pass-word protected areas, and taking actions that will create an unreasonably large load on the web site’s infrastructure.

Depending on what your website does (e.g. does it have a forum? does it allow users to e-mail other users? does it allow users to post comments on blogs? does it allow users to submit content through articles? etc.), your restrictions on terms of use will need to take into account these specifics. That’s where a standard terms of use template may not be sufficient. It may not anticipate everything you and your website need to be protected.

General

Finally, comes the general terms that typically are part of most contracts. These terms will include things like:

(1) The governing law for the interpretation, application, and enforcement of the Terms of Use is the jurisdiction of XXX,

(2) This is the entire agreement in respect of this subject matter,

(3) If any provision is severed, the rest of the Terms of Use Agreement survives, and

(4) The effective date.

Please note that the information provided herein is not legal advice and is provided for informational and educational purposes only (and is current to te time this article was written). If you need legal advice with respect to drafting from a Terms of Use Template, you should seek professional assistance.