ProxyHam’s early demise gives way to new and improved privacy devices by Dan Goodin.
From the post:
Privacy advocates disappointed about the sudden and unexplained demise of the ProxyHam device for connecting to the Internet have reason to cheer up: there are two similarly low-cost boxes that do the same thing or even better.
The more impressive of the two is the ProxyGambit, a $235 device that allows people to access an Internet connection from anywhere in the world without revealing their true location or IP address. One-upping the ProxyHam, its radio link can offer a range of up to six miles, more than double the 2.5 miles of the ProxyHam. More significantly, it can use a reverse-tunneled GSM bridge that connects to the Internet and exits through a wireless network anywhere in the world, a capability that provides even greater range.
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A bit pricey and 2.5 miles doesn’t sound like a lot to me.
Using Charter Communications as my cable provider, my location is shown by router to be twenty (20) miles from my physical location. Which makes for odd results when sites try to show a store “nearest to” my physical location.
Of course, Charter knows the actual service address and I have no illusions about my cable provider throwing themselves on a grenade to save me. Or a national security letter.
With a little investigation you can get distance from your physical location for free in some instances, bearing in mind that if anyone knows where you are, physically, then you can be found.
Think of security as a continuum that runs from being broadcast live at a public event to lesser degrees of openness. The question always is how much privacy is useful to you at what cost?