Who can access our internet data

J

Jackie D

Registered User
Messages
83
I have noticed some of my emails have been opened before I read them.. My question is.. Who has access to our internet use.. ie ISP, Web Host etc..?
Can somebody in sales at an ISP see our emails, forum posts etc.. How secure is their server?
 
I once had to get a long forgotten email password for work. So arming my self with previous bills and expecting to be interrogated for account numbers etc. I rang Eircom. It went like this:

Towger: Hi, I have forgotten my email password.
Eircom: What is your email address?
Towger: w*lly@eircom.net
Eircom: Clickedy click, Your password is abc123
Towger: Thanks.

So, does that answer your question?
 

How very helpful of them! With such delightful customer service, I will be changing forthwith!
 
Jackie D said:
... My question is.. Who has access to our internet use.. ie ISP, Web Host etc..?
Click to expand...

Unless your emails are encrypted at source and decrypted by the recipient, pretty much anyone or anything (automated bots, scavangers, etc) can open and read emails.

With regard to usage, as you move from the lap-top on your kitchen or living-room table out into the big, bad cyberworld, you leave an electronic trail, visible to anyone with the right know-how and tools.

With the growth in wireless networking, the situation is even worse.
 
Email is not secure and unless you encrypt everything other people can potentially read your email. However the question is whether or not they're going to bother
We process millions of emails every month - for someone to actually read them all would take a silly amount of time.

If you are concerned about who can see what, then maybe you should keep an eye on http://www.digitalrights.ie/
 
Thanks all.. How do you know if the email, site/forum page, is encrypted? I have friends who work for ISP's and wouldn't like them snooping.. Just wondered if they can access what we email/view/shop for online?
 
A previous poster has stated that her supervisor was accessing her emails simultaneously to her. This is a matter for individual employers and their policy vis a vis staff and emails. In general I think it is a step too far.

If the OP is referring to his private email at an ISP I would be very surprised if they were bothered to look. Could you be sharing with another family member?
 


i can second this, they gave me my password with no security check.
 

But did they just reset your password to abc123 or were they able to retrieve the one you had set?

For the OP, while I imagine it's technically possible for somebody in an ISP to view everything that you've been viewing you'd have to ask yourself why they would bother unless they actually know you. I'd say it's more likely some nosey parker has your password, I'd say try changing your password (do a google on choosing a secure password) if it still happens after that contact your ISP
 


That happened me aswell with Imagine Broadband, she rattled off the password i had for loads of things! I got her to put me through to her superiors and eat them.
 
Use something like Whisper32 to securely store and generate secure passwords. Never forget a password again and don't have "pa55w0rd" as you password any more !
 
What about using proxy servers? Dont know much about them.. They seem to be secure but slow.. Any recommendations on which one to use and would this solve the problem? How can you check if your email or webpage is encrypted?
 
Jackie D said:
Thanks all.. How do you know if the email, site/forum page, is encrypted? I have friends who work for ISP's and wouldn't like them snooping.. Just wondered if they can access what we email/view/shop for online?
Click to expand...
To be able to view what you are viewing would require quite a bit of effort and is not something that first line support / sales people would be able to do

I'd be more concerned about this:
[broken link removed]
 
Pique318 said:
Use something like Whisper32 to securely store and generate secure passwords. Never forget a password again and don't have "pa55w0rd" as you password any more !
Click to expand...

I'm interested in this but it doesn't appear on download.com and I'm wary of other sites. Any suggestions?
 
If it is at work then system admins can share your mailbox with your manager for example. Your manager can read your email and then select "mark as unread". If you are using work email for personal use you are potentially stealing from your employer - using business tools for personal purposes and also stealing the time that they pay you to be working there in the first place.
 
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