subject: Why Do I Encrypt My Surfing? [print this page] It's unfortunate but when the web was starting to get really popular in the 90s, we didn't stop to think. The success of the interent was incredible and based on one super fast efficient protocol called HTTP (Hyper Text Transport Protocol). Now HTTP is great but it does have one glaring ommission, the complete lack of any built in security. That's right I mean nothing, it is in affect a clear text protocol so all the text transported is readable by anyone alongs it's journey.
It's why when my neighbour connect to the internet on his open wifi connection, I can see what he's doing, which web sites he is visiting and pretty much all he does online. Fortunately some of his private stuff does happen over HTTPS - a slightly more secure protocol. It wasn't seen as a problem in the early days of the internet but online crime is big business nowadays and many, many people feel they have a right to spy on us online.
As you sit at home and idly browse around the web, how do you feel that someone is keeping a list of every single web site you visit. That's it a complete list of every single web site, every picture, graphic or video you download - is all in a single readable list. It's an amazing amount of information and exists for nearly everyone in the logfiles of your ISP. Governments, police and intelligence services are all interested in this information which is why there are many directives in Europe and across the world making the ISPs keep his information for a record.
In the UK there are plans to transfer all this information to a central database which would be accessible to 'selected agencies'. If this happens we can say goodbye to all privacy online, these 'agencies' will soon be checking out the web sites you visit and what you do online as a matter of routine.
I can see it now - nice interview Mr Jones, but could you explain why you downloaded two and a half hours of crossdressing videos on the night of the 22nd November last year. As our privacy is eroded, so does freedom of speech and expression. The ISP logs are already seized and monitored routinely in Europe and the USA, many less democratic countries simply run the ISPs themselves.
Nope there is a reason that I encrypt my browsing, it's because my information is private and I don't think people should be routinely monitored on the off chance that they've done something wrong.
