Government Surveillance.
Upon looking on a Mozilla Firefox browser...they had posted this on their main browser page..
Not sure if this is genuine or a set up by the Govt that maybe misleading...
Get Smart On the Web
The SmartOn Series is like your Internet owner's manual: the place to learn the most useful intel and tips from Mozilla policy peeps and programmers.
1. Ask
2. Know
3. Do
4. Chat
Ask yourself
If you're not under investigation, should the government be able to:
monitor your phone calls?
read your emails and view the photos I send?
see what you search for on the Web?
Government surveillance explained
Stakeouts have always been an essential tool for law enforcement and national security. The difference now is that they've moved beyond binoculars, bugs and bad guys: surveillance has gone digital. All that data we generate through our daily activities online allows governments to keep an eye on lots of people at once, in hopes of catching the ones who are up to no good. It's like grabbing a giant haystack just in case there might be a needle inside.
Stored info is vulnerable info
In order to tailor personal experiences for you, virtually every technology company you interact with collects and stores some amount of your personal information. Under certain circumstances, those companies can be forced to turn over your information to governments.
So what should companies do? They can be proactive about protecting users' information by limiting data collection to what's needed, making data anonymous where possible, and deleting data when it's no longer necessary. This is what we practice at Mozilla.
The solution: Safeguards
When surveillance is too broad or lacks key safeguards – like getting a warrant from a judge – it can be abused, either accidentally or on purpose. And our personal privacy is what's at stake. In order to protect our personal liberties and maintain our trust in the Internet, Mozilla's policy team proposes that government surveillance must follow three fundamental principles:
Minimal impact
Efforts should be made to collect only the information that's needed, without compromising Internet infrastructure, technology companies' data systems, or users' trust.
Accountability
Governments should be held accountable. This means being transparent and specific about information collection, and answering to independent oversight and to the public.
User security
Strong encryption and security keep us safe from many kinds of criminals. Governments shouldn't weaken the security of all in the name of spying on a few.
"Some amount of surveillance for law enforcement and intelligence, properly designed, is valuable to keep us safe. But when it's too broad, it violates the privacy rights of millions of innocent people, and can even undermine our security."
— Chris Riley, Head of Public Policy, Mozilla
61%
61% of Internet users are concerned with the police or other government agencies from their country secretly monitoring their online activities
(CIGI IPSOS, November 2014)
Act before you react
We all have the right to live a full online life without fear of surveillance. Rather than give up your freedom, take back your control.
Take a stand
The first thing we can all do is keep our eyes and ears out – and make our voices heard.
Get informed
Start with a simple online search to learn about your government's stance on surveillance, so you can make informed decisions about your privacy.
Stay updated
Sign up for the Mozilla newsletter (English only). We actively track issues of mass surveillance and other threats to the Web, so we'll let you know about opportunities to speak out.
Close your blinds
These quick steps can help protect you from overreaching surveillance practices.
Browse carefully
Always look for the padlock in your browser's address bar. Find out more.
Cap your camera
Put a sticker in front of your web cam when you're not using it.
Watch the Wi-Fi
Be careful when using a public Wi-Fi network. Find out more.
Change your locks
Passwords are an essential tool for shielding information from prying eyes.
Choose strong PINs and passwords.
Here are some Mozilla tips for creating a strong password for every device and account. And get in the habit of changing your passwords once a year.
Don't use a single password everywhere.
Would you use the same key for your front door, your car, and your safety deposit box? Probably not. Keep track with a password manager instead. See instructions for Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera.
Do the two-step
For the best protection, take advantage of 2-step authentication wherever it's offered. Find out more.
Try encryption
Encryption is a bit like scrambling a frequency: it turns information into codes that can only be read if you have the right keys.
No software provides perfect protection from spying, but Mozilla programmers recommend these easy encryption tools to take your online security beyond basic.
Phone apps
These apps use encryption to secure your phone calls, texts, picture and video communications.
Android
Signal
iOS
Signal
Device encryption
Use these on your devices to make sure the only eyes that see your personal information are the ones you authorise.
Mac
FileVault — a free and built-in way to encrypt your Mac's startup disk
Windows
Use BitLocker (Windows Pro)
You can use BitLocker Drive Encryption to help protect your files on an entire drive. BitLocker can help block hackers from accessing the system files they rely on to discover your password, or from accessing your drive by physically removing it from your PC and installing it in a different one. You can still sign in to Windows and use your files as you normally would.
Note
BitLocker Drive Encryption is only available in Windows 8.1 Pro and Windows 8.1 Enterprise editions. For additional info, see What are the BitLocker hardware and software requirements?
Show all
To turn on BitLocker
To turn off or temporarily suspend BitLocker
What happens if I add more files to an encrypted drive?
New files are automatically encrypted when you add them to a drive that uses BitLocker. However, if you copy these files to another drive or a different PC, they're automatically decrypted.
Where can I use BitLocker?
BitLocker can encrypt the drive Windows is installed on (the operating system drive) as well as fixed data drives (such as internal hard drives). You can also use BitLocker To Go to help protect all files stored on a removable data drive (such as an external hard drive or USB flash drive).
Show all
If you encrypt the operating system drive
If you encrypt a data drive
or a free program called Diskcryptor (standard Windows versions).
Linux
Full-disk encryption is usually offered when you set up your system (it's called LUKS).
Android
See instructions here for your Android device.
iOS
Have an iPhone, iPad or iPod? See instructions here.
Blast your surveillance smarts
Now that you have tools to help protect yourself, spread the word to friends. The only way we'll get a handle on this fundamental issue of technology is if we keep the conversation going.
Which would you be more comfortable sharing with the government: your bank account or your DNA profile? Tweet this
If you had a digital lockbox that no one could see but you, what would you put in it? Tweet this
Have you stopped sharing certain things online since you found out about mass government surveillance? Tweet this
Connect with your community to explore topics related to privacy and tracking by joining or starting a Mozilla Club.
Are you a teacher? Give your students a simple lesson on government surveillance.
https://www.mozilla.org/en-GB/teach/smarton/surveillance/?utm_source=desktop-snippet&utm_medium=snippet&utm_content=smarton&utm_term=5440&utm_campaign=smarton&sample_rate=0.1&snippet_name=5440