Morris' Daily Share

Facebook's next step to world domination is the Internet of Things

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 21:04:00 +0000

Facebook announced a new software development kit (SDK) on Wednesday to support the growing influx of web-connected devices for the home, like smart garage door openers and refrigerators.

The company will be opening its mobile app building suite, Parse, to web-connected devices to support the Internet of Things.

The Internet of Things refers to products — and, well, things — that are connected to the web. This includes everything from smart thermostats and garage doors to toothbrushes, tennis racquets and even your bed. They collect data about your usage patterns and habits, and typically connect to an app that offers feedback to improve your lifestyle (or your racquet swing, for example).

Eventually, these products will work together and form what the industry is calling "smart home."

Earlier on Wednesday, Facebook accidentally leaked news that it was going to reveal "Parse for IoT" via its official F8 conference app.

It's unclear as of now how exactly Facebook will want to incorporate Internet of Things technology into its platform, but perhaps dimming the lights at night or opening your garage door could one day all be possible from directly within the social network.

Embedding Facebook Videos on Websites is Now Possible

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 20:45:00 +0000

You can finally force even more people to watch that video of your cute baby or adorable cat.

Deborah Liu, Facebook's manager of product marketing, announced the launch of the Facebook's embedded video player, a way for users to, well, embed videos uploaded to Facebook across the web.

"Every single day, people are viewing more than 3 billion videos on Facebook," Liu said at Facebook's F8 developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday.

It sounds odd that Facebook's video player didn't previously have a way to embed videos, given how popular YouTube embeds are

It sounds odd that Facebook's video player didn't previously have a way to embed videos, given how popular YouTube embeds are, but it's here at last.

Facebook's embedded video player launches for all users on Wednesday.

Along with the new embeddable video feature, Liu announced an updated plugin for Facebook comments. With the new comments feature, users will be able to log in with their Facebook accounts and comment on a website; that same comment will be duplicated on the official Facebook-shared story.

This way, Liu says, the discussion will be accessible in two places at the same time and more people will be able to join in.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

12 Tricks You Probably Don’t Know About iPhone 6

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 20:26:00 +0000

With the iPhone 6 firmly established as the must have smartphone this winter, you will most likely be looking to purchase one in time for Christmas. If this is the case, however, you should learn as much as you can about the new handset and the iOS 8 as this will help you to enjoy the most beneficial user experience possible. Here are some of the top tricks and tips for getting the most from your brand new iPhone and iOS 8 software:

Securing your iPhone

1. Disable Control Center Access when Using iOS 7

Security is a huge issue for any smartphone user, especially when you consider the rising prominence of m-commerce and contactless payment solutions. From a total online spend of £24.2 billion between May and July, a staggering £8.7 million was spent through smartphones and tablet devices, and this makes it imperative that you operate safely when browsing through a mobile interface. Users of iOS 7 software must be particularly careful, as it was recently revealed that a flaw in this platform means that the trademark iPhone lock screen can be bypassed in seconds. There is a trick to avoid this, however, as users are most vulnerable if access to the Control Center is enabled from the lock screen. By accessing ‘Settings’ and disabling Control Center access, you can safeguard your handset until you upgrade to the iOS 8 platform.

2. Turn on the Accessibility Feature if you have Young Children

For anyone with young children or nephews, it will come as no surprise that youngsters love nothing better than playing with iPhones. This can be problematic, however, especially if your child accesses your phone and accidentally deletes an invaluable piece of data or contact information. To avoid this, simply access your settings and click on the ‘General’ tab. Then select ‘Accessibility’ and enable ‘Guided Access’ on your device. This is a little known feature, but once that can prevent your phone from accidental harm when in the hands of infants and children.

3. Enable Longer and More Complex Passcodes

Following the recent breach of iCloud security, there is a growing emphasis on the importance of protecting your most sensitive data as an Apple customer. One of the best but most underrated ways of protecting your iPhone is to create a longer, alpha-numeric passcode that is far more difficult to bypass. All that you are required to do it disable the default ‘Simple Passcode’ setting, which restricts you to a basic four number sequence. This feature can be accessed through ‘Settings’ and clicking on ‘General’, before accessing ‘Passcode Lock’ and making your change.

Using Siri

4. Guide Siri on how to Pronounce Certain Words

Siri has emerged as a key feature of the iOS 7 and iOS 8 software, as it is a smart personal assistant and knowledge navigator that can answer user questions in real-time. While it utilizes a natural language user interface to answer verbal queries, however, it occasionally mispronounces words or misunderstands to original question. You can help to negate this with a little known trick, simply by saying, ‘That is not how you pronounce’ a specific word after Siri has responded to a question. This will correct the error and reveal a list of alternative words for you to select from.

5. Use Siri as a Central Entertainment Platform

While Siri is revered as an intelligent, personal assistant, it is also connected to a host of additional online services. This means that it can be effectively used as a centrally accessible entertainment platform, from which you can check the latest sports scores, access real-time cinema listings and even source local restaurants to book a romantic dinner. As many of these requests require your iPhone to recognition its precise geographical location, however, you will need to enable ‘Location Services’ by accessing your settings and clicking on ‘Privacy’. The default setting for this feature is off, but this is the only way to activate a GPS signal.

6. Use Siri to Establish Relationships with your Connections

Perception can often be misleading and Apple’ Siri feature provides a relevant case in point. While many users are aware of the fact that it can respond to questions, for example, fewer individuals have explored its capacity for establishing relationships between connections. By activating Siri and verbally explaining the unique relationships the relationships that you have with selected individuals (while also taking care to pronounce each name exactly as it appears in your contact screen) you can establish replicate real-world connections on your iPhone. Once you have instructed Siri, simply say ‘Yes’ when prompted by the program and the relationship will be confirmed.

Operation and Functionality

7. Charge your iPhone Quicker Using an iPad adaptor

It is easy to lose track of the remaining charge on your iPhone battery, so there may be occasions where you need to power your device as quickly as possible. There is a trick to achieve this with the iPhone 6, however, as a typical iPad adaptor can be used to deliver a quicker and more efficient charge. According to an article in iLounge, research found that both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were able to effectively use 2.1 Amp power under certain circumstances. So long as you commit to charging your iPhone in short and sharp bursts with the more powerful adapter, you can get it working quickly without damaging its long-term performance.

8. Access the Battery Usage Feature that is New to the iOS 8

Battery life is certainly a significant selling point for contemporary smartphones, while this was also an area where the iPhone series was considered inferior to Samsung’s Galaxy range of handsets. The iOS 8 has been designed with a brand new feature to counter this, however, as the Battery Usage tool offers a clear and concise breakdown of which apps consume the majority of your power on a daily basis. Although it is a relatively simple and functional feature, it has huge value and can help you to optimize your battery life and save energy. Simply access your setting and click on ‘General’, before opening the ‘Usage’ page and selecting ‘Battery Usage’. You can review your daily activity and close the apps that are draining your power!

9. Access your Email Drafts and Composes Messages Quicker

Many of the improvements made in the iOS 8 have been subtle and yet significant, especially when it comes the creation and composition of emails. To begin with, there is a new ‘Undo’ feature available on the iPhone 6 that enables you to redress and error made when typing a new message. Simply shake your iPhone and this option will appear on-screen. In addition to this, you can now access every single draft message stored in your email account by holding down the ‘Compose’ icon for a period of at least three seconds. This will present messages in a list format and negate the need to move in and out of separate folders and compositions.

Getting the Most from your Camera, Video and Online Streaming

10. Holding down the Capture Button will Take a Series of Images Simultaneously

The iPhone 6 has an excellent camera app, which has subsequently been embellished with a number of additional features. There is now the opportunity to take multiple photographs simultaneously, for example, simply by accessing the camera app and holding down the ‘Capture’ icon when framing the image. In theory, this feature is ideal for keen photographers and should enable you to capture the perfect shot within the series of images that you take.

11. Access the New iOS 8 Time Lapse Guide

On a similar note, the iOS 8 and iPhone 6 also boast a brand new feature called the ‘Time Lapse Guide’. This also enables you to capture a series of images with the click of a single icon, but the difference is that each shot can be snapped at specific intervals to suit your purpose. It is ideal for capturing a scene with movement, as these individually taken images can then be combined and edited to showcase something in motion. To utilize this feature, simply swipe left along the tabs at the bottom of the camera app until your arrive at ‘Time Lapse’. You can then use the presented clock dial to set the intervals at which the camera will capture images before initiating the process.

12. Adjust the Scrubbing Rate when Streaming Videos

Thanks to the improved performance of the iPhone 6 and the larger screen of the iPhone 6 Plus, streaming audio visual material should be a more enjoyable experience than ever before as an Apple customer. Streaming videos through your iPhone 6 has also been made more enjoyable with the integration of a new feature that allows you to adjust the scrubbing rate when viewing content, simply by moving your finger up and down the screen as required. This effectively means that you can skip through advertisements and selected sections of the video up to four times quicker than usual, or much slower if you want to revisit a particular moment.

11 Best Ways to Protect Your Privacy Online

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 19:07:00 +0000

Protecting your privacy online is harder now than ever. Whether it is “Big Brother” or “Big Data,” it seems everyone wants to collect as much data as possible on every human on Earth. We are all being tracked all the time. For some, this may seem like an inevitable fact of digital life. However, there are steps you can take to protect yourself online and at the very least become much less of a target for cyber criminals and marauding bands of internet marketers.

1. Lock down your social media.

Most people signup for a Facebook account and just start using it. When someone invites them to play a game or join a group, they just click the button to give those apps authorization to access and use their account information, their list of friends, etc. This data is later used by companies to create network graphs of all of the relationships a person has with others.

Our suggestions:

Use privacy controls in your Facebook settings.
Pay close attention to which “apps” you give permission to use your information.
Read through the many settings and options. It is worth taking 10 minutes to read each one on Facebook.
Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIN and others all have privacy and security settings. Take advantage of them.

2. Use a secure browser.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has consistently shown that it is a favorite target of hackers. Use an alternative browser to Internet Explorer. Safari, Firefox, and Google Chrome are all better choices. Whichever browser you are using, also look into its security menu, extensions and privacy (in Safari) and set the security choices you are comfortable with.

Our suggestions:

Block pop-up windows by default.
Warn when visiting fraudulent websites.
Block cookies and website data from third parties and advertisers.
“Do Not Track” should be selected.

Remember, this will NOT protect you from all of the techniques that are used to track you with a web browser, but it is MUCH better than letting even the sloppiest of advertisers and companies track your every move.

3. Protect the data on your mobile phone.

If you want full protection, choose an iPhone from Apple. 99% of all mobile malware is on the Android platform. 92% of all Android phones are susceptible to known attacks. The Apps marketplaces for Android are wide open and filled with malware, spyware and viruses. Apple has been criticized for being very strict in their review and quality control of Apps that are allowed to be installed on an iPhone, but this has created the safest mobile environment that exists.

Additionally, Apple just announced even more privacy features in iOS 8 due out this fall. This includes a security tool that stops Apps from tracking your GPS location unless you are actively using the App. Their iMessages App is extremely secure. Even the NSA doesn’t like it. Also, they have deployed the first, highly reliable, and very secure biometric thumbprint scanner. This last week they also announced they would allow developers to start implementing using your thumbprint for authentication of various secure logins and more.

4. Be cautious of the word “FREE” in software, apps, and services.

Like your momma told you, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. People have clamored to get their hands on many “free” online tools and services without asking a simple question, “If this is ‘free,’ how do they pay for all the people and computers that make this service work?” The answer is that they are most likely selling YOU. Unfortunately, there is no simple way to easily tell which apps are tracking everything you do on your mobile device or computer. The best advice is to delete apps you don’t really use regularly and ALWAYS read the warnings that ask for your permission to let the software do something.

Recently, Google and Facebook both added features to let them use your microphone and camera on your computer or mobile device. While they could use your mic and camera for only legitimate reasons, consider turning off their access when you don’t absolutely need those apps to have it. For example, you can easily allows/disallow access to your “Location Services” on an iPhone or iPad, quickly turning it on for the Maps app when you need directions.

5. Develop a password strategy.

Passwords have become a pain in the butt for many people. Forgetting a password when you need to get into something is a serious inconvenience, especially when so many different password policies exist. One simple solution is to come up with a PHRASE instead of a word or character string. Instead of “Bobby1989″ try using “Bobby was born in 1989!” These will often be easier to remember and much harder to crack. Note that it even uses a special character “!”, upper case letters, lower case letters and numbers.

An additional strategy is to develop some system for using a slightly different variation of your main password on every site you use it on. For example, you could use the same phrase, “Bobby was born in 1989!” on Hotmail.com and count the number of characters in the website domain name (7) and choose the first and last letters of the name (HL) and append that to your phrase “Bobby was born in 1989!7HL” On Chase.com that would be “Bobby was born in 1989!5CE”.

An attacker would need to gain access to several of your different passwords to figure out what additional pattern you use to change it from site to site.

A tool to check the strength of your passwords is at:http://www.passwordmeter.com

6. Change your IP address with a tool like ICLOAK™ Stik.

ICLOAK Stik is a USB device that renders your web browsing sessions invisible to everyone on the Internet. The same device also automatically spoofs your Machine Address Code (MAC) of the computer you are using ICLOAK on so that it doesn’t broadcast this identifier to every website you visit. You can learn more at https://icloak.org

7. Use a VPN service to connect to the Internet.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) can encrypt all of your web traffic from your computer to the destination site making it very unlikely for anyone to intercept your information as it will all be encrypted as soon as it leaves your browser. There are many VPN services available at a nominal cost to use them.

8. Learn about and use Crypto Currency, like Bitcoin.

Although Bitcoin is still a young technology, it has the potential to really allow individuals to make anonymous purchases online. Every time you use a credit card, there is a digital footprint made by that transaction. With crypto-currencies, they can be used anonymously.

9. Encrypt your email and files that you send across the Internet with GnuPG.

GnuPG is the GNU project’s complete and free implementation of the OpenPGP standard. You can find more information including free software tools here:https://www.gnupg.org/related_software/frontends.html

10. Pay in cash more often.

We have all become accustomed to the convenience of paying with plastic. However, this is becoming more and more dangerous as card thieves have discovered ingenious ways to get and use your cards. Alternatively, use the features provided by some major banks that will issue temporary, unique Credit Card numbers for a single online transaction. At Chase they are called Single Use Accounts.

You can learn more here:

Chase Bank

https://www.chase.com/commercial-bank/treasury-management/single-use-accounts

Bank of America

https://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/accounts-cards/shopsafe.go

Citi

https://www.citibank.com/us/cards/gen-content/messages/van/index.htm

11. Keep your antivirus software updated.

The Internet’s viruses are similar to real viruses in that they are always changing and adapting. The best thing that you can do to prevent an attack on your computer is to keep your antivirus software updated. There are several free antivirus solutions available; however, the one I have found most recommended by IT pro’s like Eric B. Delisle is the antivirus solution produced by Kaspersky Labs. You can find more about them at:http://usa.kaspersky.com

As a final note, there are passionate people working every day to guard against ever encroaching government and business interests into our personal lives. However, their jobs are made harder by ordinary people who are just too lazy to bother doing even the simplest things to keep themselves safe. Don’t be an easy victim of anyone who would ignore your right to your own data and your own privacy by ignoring these great tips. Instead, commit to giving yourself 30 minutes each day for a week to implement some of these suggestions and at the end of one week, you will be infinitely safer.

It is a known fact that by simply placing a FAKE “This property is protected by a monitored alarm system” sticker on your window or one of those Brinks signs in your yard, that the average, neighborhood burglar will simply skip your house and go to your neighbor who didn’t bother to do something so simple as put a sticker on their window.

You have been warned. Good luck.

Featured photo credit: Flickr via flickr.com

credit: lifehack.org

8 Tools to Start an Online Business without Ruining Your Budget

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 15:26:00 +0000

Deep down, you know you want this. You want to taste the freedom that other entrepreneurs have. You want to follow your passion and hopefully also make a living at it. You want to…start an online business.

But here’s the thing: Instead of jumping on the bandwagon to start an online business, make sure you do your homework first. Most people launch a product and market it later. Big mistake!

You want to do the opposite – study the market first, launch next. How? Since it’s going to be an online business, start looking at online forums, comment sections of your competitor sites and what people are searching in Google (using Google Keyword Tool).

Once you pass stage one successfully, you can think about launching a website/product/service. That’s where the real magic happens.

Here’s what comes next:
Writing content
Starting a blog
Having a presence on social media
Establishing an expert status for yourself
Email marketing
Outsourcing tasks you don’t have the time or inclination for
Following influencers closely
Launching a product or paid service

The list is unending.

It’s easy to get burned out in the sea of tasks and strategies when starting an online business. Thankfully, there are tools available to help you get off the hamster wheel and launch a successful online business.

The best part? You don’t have to spend a fortune on these tools. Here are eight tools to start an online business without breaking the bank:

1. Hostt

An online business needs a website domain name and space to “host it”. Hosting is an ongoing expense for your business and it usually incurs a monthly cost with an option to pay it upfront on a yearly basis.

And that’s where Hostt.com is revolutionizing the hosting world. What I love about Hostt is that it offers free hosting for all your websites. They also have a 24/7 tech support and a cpanel that makes website management quick and painless.

There is no catch – no ads. The hosting is 100% free. They only ask you to have one domain name with them (which costs $13.95 a year).

2. WordPress/Shopify

Once your website is set up and hosted, you’re ready to install a CMS or a platform on which your web pages and content will sit.

WordPress, originally a blogging platform, is the most popular solution in existence today. Most top bloggers use and recommend WordPress. The best part? It’s free to use.

Once you have your website hosted (see #1 above), your hosting company’s cpanel should let you install WordPress using the “1-click install” functionality.

WordPress is great for any type of website; but, if you want to create mainly an e-commerce store (in other words, an online store with a checkout shopping cart), you have better options out there.

Although WordPress is pretty flexible and a full-blown CMS now, it was originally built for blogging, not for e-commerce purposes. If you predict having a large product catalog and lots of e-commerce relevant features, try a service such as Shopify.

Most e-commerce experts will advise you against WordPress for an online store. Shopify is highly customizable, robust and affordable for a professional shopping cart. There are other alternatives available in the marker too, so make sure you do your research before launching a web-store.
3. BuzzSumo

Once you have a platform ready, you need content. And not just any content but good, solid content one that your readers find educative, interesting and engaging.

BuzzSumo is a neat little tool that analyzes what works for your readers. It helps you find content and topics that will do best for your type of audience.

Just open their webpage and enter your main keywords in the top search bar. You can also add a domain name to see what’s working well for them.

BuzzSumo returns a list of articles with the number of shares (so you know what is popular and can get ideas from those topics for your own website).

Super-helpful from SEO perspective also. So go on, give it a try!

4. MailChimp

But you can’t just stop after creating juicy content. The next step in line is to promote your content and one of the best ways to do it is email marketing.

Mailchimp is an email newsletter service that is used by more than 7 million people. You can get started with their “free forever” plan if you have fewer than 2,000 subscribers and send less than 12,000 emails per month (which is very likely when you’re starting out).

To get add-ons such as autoresponders and delivery by time zones, you can upgrade for as little as $10 per month. I’ve been using MailChimp for years now for my own websites and that of my clients, and have no regrets.

5. Buffer

Apart from promoting content and educating your readers via email, you can also use social media to share and push your new posts out there.

Buffer is a nice little tool to schedule all your posts across different social media. The clean and easy to use interface is one of the reasons it’s so popular. What I personally love is their “Suggestions” tab on the dashboard.

Buffer scours the web for best posts on other websites that you can instantly use to share with your own followers. When I’m low on the shareable content reserve, this feature is super-handy – all I have to do is read the suggested article and (if I like it) click the link to share or schedule it for my own channels.

6. ClickMeeting

If you are in a freelance/service-provider business model like I am, you have a constant need to communicate with your clients or collaborate with your team all over the world.

ClickMeeting is a platform to meet and record audio and video conferencing with your clients (for up to 25 participants). It’s perfect for briefing and presentation purposes. You can also brand all your meetings and impress your clients like a pro. Plus, they have a translation service if you’re exploring international markets.

They also offer a sister-product called ClickWebinar to conduct virtual trainings (for up to 1,000 participants) and webinars with your audience.

7. FancyHands

Let’s face it – despite all the tools in the world, you will still need external help. That’s where services such as FancyHands come into picture.

FancyHands brings you a team of virtual assistants who can do a lot of things at less than $1 a day, if you’re using their basic plan that costs $29.99/mo.

Here are some services for which people have requested in the past (as per the company’s website):

My co-worker is in the hospital after a bad car accident. Can you call the gift shop there and ask them if they sell fun things to do to pass the time that they could send in a gift basket type of thing to him? Crossword puzzles, trashy magazines, stuff like that. I’d like to spend about $50. If they don’t do that sort of thing, please find a place that can.

Please make a lunch reservation at Barolo under my name for Friday at 1pm and call Jennifer Wilson’s office and let her know that the meeting is confirmed. Please add it to my schedule as well.

Please fill me in on the top 5 trending topics on Twitter today, both worldwide and locally in Los Angeles.

A fun way to get your time back, right?

8. Xoom

I saved the best for last – getting paid. Xoom is a perfect alternative to Paypal. Where Paypal is notorious for charging hefty transaction fees (try this calculator to find how much you’re being charged), Xoom charges a flat fee of $4.99 for up to $2,999.

With their 24/7 customer support and faster money transfers, Xoom is one of the easiest ways to send money.
Your Turn

Are you starting an online business? Which one of the above tools is your favorite? Would you like to add more? Tells us your thoughts in the comments below!

credit: lifehack.org

Which Programming Language Should I Learn First?

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 14:57:00 +0000

I’ve always wanted to learn a programming language, but have never had the time. If I ever did get a respite from my busy daily life, I’d use this infographic as a starting off point, and I’d suggest you do so too if you are looking at getting into coding.

To get an idea of what learning how to program a computer is like, imagine putting together a novel or academic book, or building a small motorboat with your bare hands and a basic set of instructions. Nether of which are easy tasks, and thus, it’s easy to see why so many shy away from learning the intricacies of the mathematical engines that drive our computers.

My advice would be to take it slow. While I haven’t learned a programming language to any respectable extent, I havetaken courses about how they work, and am familiar with basic coding concepts. So, before you even choose a language to learn in the infographic below, read up on the history of coding and how it works to make pieces of silicon perform calculations that can manipulate the pixels on your screen.

With that knowledge, you’ll be more than ready to slowly chip away at one of the programming languages below. Good luck. For any of you who took courses on how to code, or do it as a profession, feel free to share your experiences in the comments below!

Top 20 Website Mistakes To Avoid

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 14:35:00 +0000

There are some areas of life where mistakes should best be avoided, and this is true when it comes to operating a website. You can certainly learn from your mistakes when you have a website, but if you take the time to do your homework, you can avoid making mistakes altogether. So what are some of the most common website mistakes, and how can you deftly sidestep them?

1. Don’t Under-Plan Your Website

You wouldn’t open a restaurant without first exhaustively creating a business plan. From its very inception, to its target market, promotion, launch and ongoing growth, you would certainly research each and every conceivable stage of operations. It needs to be the same when you start a website.

Perhaps the single most component of successfully growing a website is content marketing. Original quality content is key for building awareness of your page, establishing your credibility and authority in your chosen area, as well as improving your search engine rankings. Quality content is king, and marketing is a proven way of establishing dominance.

2. Don’t Assume that Longer Pages are Better

The rest of the internet, with its cute kitten videos and celebrity gossip, is just one short click away. It’s important not to demand too much concentration from your audience, and pages that are too long can be a definite turn off. A long page with a huge amount of text can be too much effort, meaning that you’ll simply be unable to hold your audience’s attention for long enough to deliver your intended message.

Your text should be well-written, and displayed in easy to digest chunks. You may even benefit from breaking up the content into appropriate sub groupings, which can then be allocated their own pages. It’s important to understand that many readers will ultimately just skim the page, so don’t underestimate the importance of subheadings and bullet points.

3. Don’t Exclusively Focus on Your Products or Services

Yes, the likelihood is that your website exists solely to sell a product or service, which makes it like countless other websites in your area of expertise. What makes you different? A straightforward website that simply offers the product or service in question will fail to differentiate itself from its competitors. What makes your website (and by extension, you and/or your company) unique?

Pay attention to branding, and don’t be afraid to inject your personality into your web based enterprise. Do you have a company or personal philosophy, or a particular reason why you decided to start offering the product or service? Personalisation makes for a far more unique experience for the consumer.

4. Don’t Forget That You Need a Clear Call to Action

Users have found your website, and the heartiest of congratulations to you, but the battle is far from over. What do you want from them now? Whether it’s a purchase, a lead, or a subscription, you need to clearly nudge them in the direction of the next step. The design and content of your website will have hooked their interest if they’ve made it this far, and yet you need to add a progression to the next level of interaction by including a decisive call to action – a simple and straightforward next step for your relationship with the user.
5. Don’t Use Slideshows If You Want Your Homepage to Work

Slideshows might be aesthetically pleasing, but that’s about it. In terms of delivering a message, they’re inefficient. The information is certainly there, but don’t assume that a viewer will be looking at the slideshow from the moment the page loads. They might glance at it and begin to read it, only to have the slideshow move to the next segment. It’s far from a certainty that the viewer will attempt to go back and read the item, so it’s best to do without this method of displaying information. They look pretty, but they’re pretty useless, and they can diffuse your ultimate message. Your website can do without them.

6. Don’t Write for All 100% of Your Website Traffic

Well crafted copy should be aimed at a specific market, so attempting to write something that is aimed at 100% of all users who arrive at your website can result in a message that is unfocused and bland. Write content specifically for the smaller number of visitors who are likely to be conversions. A message that is targeted at your niche group is far more likely to result in a higher conversion rate.
7. Don’t Forget That Your NAP (Name, Address, Telephone Number) Needs to Be up to Date

It’s a fairly simple step, and yet it can be easily overlooked. Has your company or any internal departments undergone a change of name? Have you moved to a new location or changed phone numbers? Your NAP needs to be clearly displayed and updated as needed, since it’s so easy to lose a customer forever should they be directed to an incorrect location, or are unable to contact you via a method of their choosing.

8. Don’t Overlook the Importance of Your Site’s Blog

Your website’s blog is an integral part of your overall success. A blog is where you can personalise your site, and therefore, differentiate yourself from your competitors. It’s where you can add fresh and interesting content that engages with your potential conversions in the way that a straightforward ecommerce platform cannot. Your blog should have regular scheduled updates, with content that is relevant and well-written.

A blog is an aspect of operations that many websites outsource, and if you’re incapable of producing an interesting blog, then you should certainly consider farming the task out to a professional writer. A good writer will be able to create engaging headlines and titles, with an article that is written utilising SEO, and yet is still personable and promotional (but not too promotional – a blog is different from an advertorial).

9. Don’t Forget About Your Internal Pages

It’s not all about the homepage! Do your internal pages contain titles and content that is relevant? Internal pages need to be rich with information, as these individual pages can actually figure into your search engine rankings. With a lack of usable information, these internal pages are essentially dead weight. Make these pages work for you by including the relevant information about your product or service that would be expected on a specifically titled internal page.

10. Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Mobile Traffic

It’s amazing how many people are glued to their smartphones while out and about. You might see a group of people at a bar, totally ignoring each other as they intently tap away at their phone. They might be shopping for a new product or service, but are you prepared to receive them? Your website needs to be responsive to smartphone based web browsers, meaning it needs to be configured to load quickly and display quickly on a screen of any size. If your page cannot be adequately navigated using a smartphone, then you could potentially be missing out on a significant amount of traffic and conversions.

11. Don’t Fall Victim to the Poor Navigation Trap

Having a website that is difficult to navigate is like inviting guests to your home, letting them get lost, become bored, and leave – never to return. Your website design needs to allow for quick and simplistic navigation, meaning that a user should never become lost. If a user becomes lost, you’re bound to lose them as a potential customer, and this is simply unacceptable. A clearly visible navigation bar needs to be present, prominently placed so that it can be seen on a screen of any size. Don’t forget the sitemap either – this should allow users to quickly and easily jump to any page within your site.

12. Don’t Use Poor Quality Photos and Images

Your website might be the first introduction a potential customer has to your company, and so any imagery used on your website needs to be top quality. Ensure that photos and images are crisp, and anything that is blurry or pixelated should not be used. If you need original photos to illustrate a product on offer, ensure that the subsequent images are of the highest quality – even if it means you’ll need the services of a professional photographer. For other images, you can utilise many of the free online databases that provide stock photos that are free of copyright. Don’t simply “borrow” images freely from the internet, as this is not only illegal, but it can make you look unprofessional.

13. Don’t Use Videos That Are Too Long

Well-made videos that are on-message can certainly enhance your website. The video can be redundant if it’s too long, no matter how well-made it might be. The video exists to engage your audience, not to test their patience. If you have a long message that you feel needs to be conveyed to your audience, consider breaking it into shorter videos of an episodic nature. Videos that follow a logical narrative structure, such as an instructional video, can comfortably be a few minutes in length. Anything else should only run for around 60 to 90 seconds.

14. Don’t Even Think About Starting a Website Without SEO

Your website looks great, is easy to navigate and makes for a highly pleasurable browsing experience. If you haven’t considered SEO in your website design, then your beautiful website is likely to become adrift in the vast seas of the internet. SEO needs to be factored into website design from the very beginning. A SEO expert will be able to help you with the discoverability of your website, and build this into its very design. Think of SEO as being the foundation of your website, and not its roof.

15. Don’t Forget That Users Value the Need for Speed

How quickly does your page load? If It’s more than a few seconds, there’s a strong possibility that your users won’t wait, and they will in fact become your competitor’s users. A few factors are out of your hands, such as the device being used to access your page, as well as the speed of their internet connection. You need to make it as quick and easy as possible for your users to get to the content they need, and as such, some redesign might be necessary. Does your homepage need quite so much imagery or that introductory flash animation? A page that loads slowly is a page that can be a major hinderance.

16. Don’t Be Tempted by Keyword Over-Optimization

Imagine a group of primitive villagers living in the shadow of a volcano. The volcano erupts and the villagers are terrified. What have they done? How can they appease the angry volcano spirits? If you go down the road of keyword over-optimization, you’re one of the villagers, and you might end up feeling the wrath of the angry volcano spirits, also known as Google.

A sacrifice is in order, and the sacrifice is generally the offending website. Keyword stuffing seems almost logical, but is best avoided. Do not stuff a page with keywords in order to achieve a higher page ranking. Google’s algorithm is highly effective at identifying pages that add extraneous keywords to content, and in some cases, it can lead to the page being removed from Google search results.

17. Don’t Include Unnatural Links

Buying links is not a great way to boost your page’s ranking. The quality of inbound links can play a significant role in increasing your ranking, and yet these purchased links are not of sufficient quality to be of use, and can in fact be highly detrimental. Google views these purchased links as “unnatural” and in a similar fashion to the way they deal with pages who indulge in keyword stuffing, they can remove pages from their search results if the page has blatantly built unnatural links via purchase. Focus on natural, Google-friendly link building through methods such as guest blogging.

18. Don’t Forget About Google Analytics

Google Analytics are free to use, and yet the tool perhaps has a tendency to fade into the background. It’s there, it’s free, it’s a very recognizable brand, and yet it’s easy to forget that it’s available. It’s a vital, ever-present tool that can be your best friend when it comes to gauging success and seeing where you need work. If you don’t know so much about analytics, then Google is a great place to start. It’s user friendly and customizable, and the data can be as exhaustive as you want.
19. Don’t Be Anti Social When It Comes to Social Media

If your website was a person at a party, would it be meeting new people and networking, or would it be lurking in the corner (wishing it was at home eating chips on the sofa)? You need to unlock the potential of social media by being… well, sociable. If you’re not active on social media, then you’re missing out on potential traffic.

Your website needs a well-maintained social media presence; one that links to your website. Social media is a vital way to reach new customers, many of whom might not otherwise find your page via a traditional search. You can advertise your page with paid advertisement but there are many ways and tricks on how to promote your blog or website for free

20. Don’t Use Headlines That Directly Talk About Your Product or Service

Users generally visit your website looking to solve a problem. If you’re selling a piece of exercise equipment, then the headline needs to be alluring, so “Here’s how you can be trim and toned in just 5 minutes per day” works far better than something like, “Acme Ab Master 5000.” It’s really that simple.

There you have it! Make sure you follow these simply tips when you work on your own or on your client’s website and you won’t have problems. Do you have questions? Leave a comment below.

credit: lifehack.org/

Five Cyberlocker Operators Jailed For Spreading “Depraved Culture’’

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 13:42:00 +0000

Five key operators of the cyberlocker site Ryushare.com have this week been jailed for spreading "depraved content". After making available masses of pornographic videos the popular file-hosting site is said to have illegally generated close to $7m in profits. Site founder Nguyen Duc Nhat was sentenced to 3.5 years behind bars.

Three years ago file-hosting site Ryushare was a rising star in the so-called cyberlocker scene. Operating healthy affiliate and rewards schemes the site became a magnet for those looking to upload popular content.

After mere months online the site was already pressing the market leaders and by early 2013 was looking to break into the Alexa 500. Progress continued for another year but in April 2014 the site suddenly disappeared without explanation.

Rumors began to circulate that the site’s operators had been arrested but it took weeks for the arrival of an official announcement. The Vietnamese government eventually delivered the news that Ryushare had been closed down following the arrest of site owner Nguyen Duc Nhat plus three of his associates. Cars, motorcycles, and around $350,000 were seized.

While arrests are not a particularly unusual development in file-sharing cases, copyright issues weren’t at the heart of the site’s problems. It transpired that the authorities had taken offense at the huge amounts of “depraved content” being made available via the site.

Following the arrest of another individual, five men stood trial in Vietnam this month for their crimes.

THE RYUSHARE DEFENDANTS ON TRIAL

The court heard that the vast majority of the site’s 803,000 users didn’t pay a cent to access Ryushare, but around 77,500 VIP members paid between 10 euros per month and 60 euros per year for special access to the service. And it paid to introduce new VIP members to the site, with up to 60% of the sign up fee paid back to referrers.

The authorities claim that this system of commissions, VIP accounts and access to free (largely pornographic) content was the driving force behind the operation and the reason that people took the time to upload so much to the site. And it was profitable to do so, the prosecution said.

The Court was told that since Ryushare’s inception in 2012, 32-year-old site creator Nguyen Duc Nhat generated profits of around $7m, collected via payment processing company OnePAY. Around $230,000 was paid out to four individuals who uploaded around 18,000 porn titles to the site.

The numbers aren’t particularly surprising considering the size of the Ryushare operation. According to a local report the site hosted more than 11.3 million files hosted on 700 servers hired from companies located in France and the Netherlands.

This Monday the five defendants – Nguyen Duc Nhat, 32, Huu Hieu Le, 29, Ty Le Van, 27, Vu Ich Nguyen, 30, and Vinh Quoc Doan Van, 32 – were found guilty and handed custodial sentences ranging from nine months to three and half years. The five also received relatively small fines totaling a few thousand dollars.

But while the original Ryushare operators are now behind bars, the site itself returned several months ago and remains online today. While it hasn’t yet retained its former standing in terms of traffic, its business model appears untouched and currently charges exactly the same rates for premium membership.

credit: torrentfreak.com

Best Way To Write a Blog Post in 30 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 13:28:00 +0000

So how can we write a blog post in 30 minutes?

1. List points and concepts

When you have an idea, scribble onto a notebook, pronto. Don't delay doing this. You have to capture the moment right when the idea hits you; that way, you won't lose any of your good ideas. When you're ready, pick one topic and write. Convenient, right? Efficient, too.

2. Open your first paragraph based on points you've saved

This is the best way to introduce your topic. By doing this, your audience will be properly guided on what you will tackle in the particular post they are reading. Most bloggers who are considered authorities in the blogosphere all agree on this specific principle: The way you introduce your post has a heavy bearing on the overall impact of your blog post. So do it with utmost care.

3. Write Using Key Points

Bullet points make your writing easy to organize. I'll let you in a little revelation; Carol Tice, one of the most respected bloggers today admitted that she prefers reading blog posts formatted with bullet points. And the reason why? She likes scanning through the post. ;) It helps her to read in an easier manner. If seasoned bloggers like her fancy doing this, how much more ordinary readers who, like you, always have to skim through articles because they want to move on to other tasks.

Whether you love bullet points or loathe them, they keep people reading your content like nothing…

4. Pre-edit Before You Start (What's that?)

You have loads of ideas; I don't know about you, but that's fast becoming the standard scene in my work area. If that's the same in yours, be brutal. Edit out all ideas that don't fit the main topic. Remember, we're talking about how to craft a post in 30 minutes, not a comprehensive report.

5. Keep It Short (That's how to do it, baby!)

If you want to complete an article in 30 minutes, keep it under 600 words. Don't skimp on quality, though, and aim to be informative even with a short post. If it's at all possible, pack everything in a small package. Need I say more?

6. Knock It Out Fast And Return Later

Here's my strategy. (And you can emulate it if it fits your style)—Just bleed pen to paper. In case, you're stuck, don't force the words. Save your piece and focus on other tasks. When you're ready, go back to the blog post.

Be guided accordingly. Follow these steps and you'll be on your way to becoming a blitzkrieg blog post writer; ready to produce posts to spice up your blog or other people's blogs.

4 Things To Do Before You Quit Your Job

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 13:01:00 +0000

Are you thinking of making the switch from a big company to starting your own business? Even while you’re still working, there’s a lot you can do to prepare yourself for the jump.

Here are four tips:

1. Never eat lunch alone

One of the best assets you have from your time at a big firm is an extensive network of professionals who (hopefully) think well of your work. In your final months in the corporate world, you should invest in tending your current relationships and even building some new ones.

A strong network can provide leads for new clients, employees or service providers. Plus, you may never again have access to such a large group of people who are free to dine with you, only a three-minute walk from where you are sitting.

2. Learn new skills

At a big company, even as an executive, you probably have a specialized role in one functional area. But in your own company, you will need to be a “jack of all trades” -- so use your remaining time at a big company to learn a new trade, on the company’s dime. You can join a cross-functional project that will increase your exposure to a new area, or take advantage of training and development classes.

For example, my old employer offered a day-long introductory course in Agile Development open to anyone, regardless of job function. This would be a valuable investment of time for any budding technology entrepreneur.

3. Ask for advice on functions you don’t know about

Don’t know anything about marketing? You’d think it would be a smart move to meet with a senior marketing leader at your company for a few tips as you start your new venture but you’d be wrong.

When you are starting out, what you really need is practical advice. The responsibilities of a VP of marketing at a Fortune 500 company are completely different from what you’ll be doing marketing your small business. She won’t personally use any of the software tools you’ll need, and the agencies she would recommend are likely to be well out of your price range. Plus, the right marketing for an unknown startup is vastly different than for a well-known industry leader.

So what do you do instead? Seek out co-workers who used to be entrepreneurs themselves, and ask them about how they did everything. What services did they use? How much did they pay consultants? What functions did they do themselves that they now regret not outsourcing? And what turned out to be easier than they thought? You’d be surprised about how readily people will share this information, and it will be practical advice you can use.

4. Take advantage of your big company benefits

One thing that’s vastly different when you start your own business is the loss of corporate benefits. As an entrepreneur, you’ll need to have medical and dental, but your plans might not be as comprehensive -- and all other benefits go out the window.

So in your last few months, schedule that elective surgery you’ve been putting off, max out your 401K contribution, take that class using tuition assistance or make those contributions to your alma mater while you can apply for company matching funds. There’s nothing unethical about taking advantage of all your benefits as long as you are employed there.

Making the jump from the corporate world to starting your own firm can be scary, but it is worth taking the plunge.

credit: entrepreneur.com

Uk Blocking More Than 100 Pirate Sites After New Court Order

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 12:39:00 +0000

Major UK Internet providers must now block more than 100 piracy related websites after a new High Court order. The latest blocking round was issued on behalf of the major record labels and targets several MP3 download sites such as stafaband.info, rnbxclusive.se and plixid.com, as well as a search engine for the cloud hosting service Mega.co.nz.

Following a series of High Court orders six UK ISPs are required to block subscriber access to many of the largest pirate sites.

The efforts started in 2012 and the list continued to grow in the years that followed.

In a new wave the BPI, which represents the major record labels, has teamed up with music licensing outfit Phonographic Performance Limited to obtain an order targeting a series of MP3 download sites.

This latest round expands the UK blocklist by 17 MP3 download sites, including stafaband.info, rnbxclusive.se, plixid.com and mp3.li. It brings the total number of blocked sites over a hundred, 110 to be precise.

Nearly all of the newly blocked sites are so-called MP3 search engines. However, the list also includes megasearch.co, a website that allows users to find files on the Mega cloud storage service founded by Kim Dotcom.

Plixid

A few days ago several providers including Sky, BT and Virgin implemented the new changes, making it harder for their subscribers to reach these sites. The other ISPs are expected to follow suit during the days to come.

Thus far the sealed Court order hasn’t been released to the public but the list of 17 sites was confirmed to TorrentFreak by one of the major ISPs, which preferred not to comment on the latest blocking round.

Because the ISPs have given up on defending their position in court, it is now a mere formality for copyright holders to have a pirate site banned. However, the blocking efforts are not without cost.

Leaked information previously revealed that even an unopposed application for a blocking order costs copyright holders around £14,000 per website. This brings the total costs of the requesting parties well over a million pounds.

TF approached the BPI for a comment on the latest blocking efforts, but we have yet to hear back.

—-

The full list of sites that are currently blocked in the UK is as follows:

—

New: Bursalagu, Fullsongs, Mega-Search, Mp3 Monkey, Mp3.li, Mp3Bear, MP3Boo, Mp3Clan, Mp3Olimp, MP3s.pl, Mp3soup, Mp3Truck, Musicaddict, My Free MP3, Plixid, RnBXclusive and STAFA Band.

Previously blocked: watchseries.lt, Stream TV, Watchseries-online, Cucirca, Movie25, watchseries.to, Iwannawatch, Warez BB, Ice Films, Tehparadox, Heroturko, Scene Source,, Rapid Moviez, Iwatchonline, Los Movies, Isohunt, Torrentz.pro, Torrentbutler, IP Torrents, Sumotorrent, Torrent Day, Torrenting, BitSoup, TorrentBytes, Seventorrents, Torrents.fm, Yourbittorrent, Tor Movies , Demonoid, torrent.cd, Vertor, Rar BG, bittorrent.am, btdigg.org, btloft.com, bts.to, limetorrents.com, nowtorrents.com, picktorrent.com, seedpeer.me, torlock.com, torrentbit.net, torrentdb.li, torrentdownload.ws, torrentexpress.net, torrentfunk.com, torrentproject.com, torrentroom.com, torrents.net, torrentus.eu, torrentz.cd, torrentzap.com, vitorrent.org.Megashare, Viooz, Watch32, Zmovie, Solarmovie, Tubeplus, Primewire, Vodly, Watchfreemovies, Project-Free TV, Yify-Torrents, 1337x, Bitsnoop, Extratorrent, Monova, Torrentcrazy, Torrentdownloads, Torrentreactor, Torrentz, Ambp3, Beemp3, Bomb-mp3, Eemp3world, Filecrop, Filestube, Mp3juices, Mp3lemon, Mp3raid, Mp3skull, Newalbumreleases, Rapidlibrary, EZTV, FirstRowSports, Download4all, Movie2K, KickAssTorrents, Fenopy, H33T and The Pirate Bay.

credit: torrentfreak.com

10 Wonderful Things You Should Know About Your Vagina

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 17:46:00 +0000

You probably already know your vagina is seriously impressive. This amazing body part can bring about intense pleasure, annoying pain, and even another tiny human being. In short, it's pretty awe-inspiring. That's why we think it's crucial to stay on top of everything going on below the belt. Need a primer? Read on for all the fascinating facts:

1 It can handle a pretty intense workout.

"The muscular tone of the vagina is so strong," says Alyssa Dweck, M.D., co-author of V is For Vagina. On a related note, kegels are seriously effective at strengthening the surrounding pelvic floor muscles for more intense orgasms. Could there be any better reason to exercise?

2 Your diet may affect how things smell down there.

While there hasn't been much research on the topic, anecdotal evidence suggests that your scent can vary during ovulation and even when you eat something pungent like garlic, says Dweck.

3 The clitoris has more nerve endings than anywhere else on the body

, says Dweck. No wonder it's like the control center of your orgasm!

4 Your vagina actually expands during sex.

Ever wonder how it can seem pretty shallow when you're putting in a tampon but can also accommodate even a well-endowed guy? It's called vaginal tenting, says Dweck, and it's when the inner two-thirds of your vagina increase in length and width when you're aroused. Seriously, vagina, you never fail to impress us.

5 Not all lady parts are created equal

in fact, some clitorises may be a little closer to or farther from the vaginal opening. A brand-new study found that women whose clitorises were farther away from the vaginal opening were more likely to have trouble orgasming (probably due to decreased stimulation).

6 It tells you when it's baby-making time.

"It's incredibly cool that your vagina will let you know when it's the optimal time to get pregnant," says Dweck. "The cervical mucus during ovulation is clear, rubbery, and stretchy." If you're not taking oral contraceptives (which interfere with this process), watch out for this pretty cool sign from below.

7 It allows for so many different types of pleasure.

All those pleasure-packed areas in the vagina mean you can havefour different kinds of orgasms (clitoral, vaginal, blended, and multiple). Correct us if we're wrong, but can't guys only have one kind of orgasm? Yeah, thought so.

8 One word: childbirth.

"It's an unbelievable fact that the vagina can allow a 10-plus-pound baby to come through it and still come back to a normal size," says Dweck. The healing process generally takes about six months post-baby, but that's still pretty impressive considering what the body part went through. And because we know you're wondering,

9 There's no such thing as a "normal" vagina.

From the vulva to the labia, they come in all shapes and sizes, so don't fret about being perfect below the belt.

10 Your hoo-ha is so self-sufficient,

it even cleans itself.In fact, many intravaginal products and washes can increase your risk of bacterial and yeast infections by throwing your pH levels out of whack. So stick to regular soap and water, and let your lady parts do their own thing. There are probably more bacteria in your mouth than in your vagina, says Dweck.

MORE : read at womenshealthmag.com

How Your Food Impacts Your Vagina

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 16:52:00 +0000

Ever nosh on asparagus to have your hoo-ha—and we're not just talking your pee—smell funny? Well, that's one way to think about that whole "you are what you eat" connection. And it turns out, for women, it's a pretty important one.

Healthy vaginas have a naturally acidic pH, as well as a host of healthy bacteria that ward off infections and keep everything humming along as designed, says Mary Rosser, M.D., Ph.D., ob-gyn at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

But the foods you eat can influence that pH, changing the way your nether region smells (and even tastes). For instance, spices, onions, garlic, red meat, dairy, asparagus, broccoli, and alcohol can all affect the natural balance you’ve got going on, while fruits and fruit juices may turn things especially sweet, Rosser says. But whatever the effect, it will only last for two to three days after you eat your fill.

So when it comes to eating for two (you and your vagina, that is), she suggests filling up on fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, and plenty of water. And if you like Greek yogurt, all the better. "Yogurt with live and active cultures are probiotics and may be involved in helping the vagina maintain a healthy acidic pH and balance," she says.

And finally, you may want to cut back on sugar for your vagina's sake: Women with uncontrolled high blood sugar due to diabetes may be at an increased risk for yeast infections, says Rosser.

credit: womenshealthmag.com

15 Vpn Services Take Your Anonymity Seriously? 2015 Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 16:24:00 +0000

VPN services have become an important tool to counter the growing threat of Internet surveillance, but unfortunately not all VPNs are as anonymous as one might hope. In fact, some VPN services log users' IP-addresses and other private info for months. To find out how anonymous VPNs really are, TF asked the leading providers about their logging practices and other privacy sensitive policies.

By now most Internet users are well aware of the fact that pretty much every step they take on the Internet is logged or monitored.

To prevent their IP-addresses from being visible to the rest of the Internet, millions of people have signed up to a VPN service. Using a VPN allows users to use the Internet anonymously and prevent snooping.

Unfortunately, not all VPN services are as anonymous as they claim, as several incidents have shown in the past.

By popular demand we now present the fourth iteration of our VPN services “logging” review. In addition to questions about logging practices, we also asked VPN providers about other privacy sensitive policies, so prospective users can make an informed decision.

—

1. Do you keep ANY logs which would allow you to match an IP-address and a time stamp to a user of your service? If so, exactly what information do you hold and for how long?

2. Under what jurisdiction(s) does your company operate?

3. What tools are used to monitor and mitigate abuse of your service?

4. Do you use any external email providers (e.g. Google Apps) or support tools ( e.g Live support, Zendesk) that hold information provided by users?

5. In the event you receive a DMCA takedown notice or European equivalent, how are these handled?

6. What steps are taken when a valid court order requires your company to identify an active user of your service? Has this ever happened?

7. Does your company have a warrant canary or a similar solution to alert customers to gag orders?

8. Is BitTorrent and other file-sharing traffic allowed on all servers? If not, why?

9. Which payment systems do you use and how are these linked to individual user accounts?

10. What is the most secure VPN connection and encryption algorithm you would recommend to your users? Do you provide tools such as “kill switches” if a connection drops and DNS leak protection?

11. Do you use your own DNS servers? (if not, which servers do you use?)

12. Do you have physical control over your VPN servers and network or are they outsourced and hosted by a third party (if so, which ones)? Where are your servers located?

—

Below is the list of responses we received from various VPN providers, in their own words. In some cases we asked for further clarification. VPN providers who keep logs for longer than 7 days were excluded, and others who simply failed to respond.

Please note that several VPN companies listed here do log to some extent. We therefore divided the responses into a category of providers who keep no logs(page 1/2) and one for who keep usage and/or session logs (page 3). The order of the VPNs within each category holds no value.

We are also working on a convenient overview page as well as dedicated review pages for all providers, with the option for users to rate theirs and add a custom review. These will be added in the near future.
VPNS THAT KEEP NO LOGS
PRIVATE INTERNET ACCESS

1. We do not log, period. This includes, but is not limited to, any traffic data, DNS data or meta (session) data. Privacy IS our policy.

2. We choose to operate in the US in order to provide no logging service, as there is no mandatory data retention law in the US. Additionally, our beloved clients are given access to some of the strongest consumer protection laws, and thus, are able to purchase with confidence.

3. We do not monitor our users, period. That said, we have a proprietary system in place to help mitigate abuse.

4. We utilize SendGrid as an external mailing system and encourage users to create an anonymous e-mail when signing up depending on their adversarial risk level. Our support system is in-house as we utilize Kayako.

5. We have a proprietary system in place that allows us to comply in full with DMCA takedown notices without disrupting our users’ privacy. Because we do not log our users’ activities in order to protect and respect their privacy, we are unable to identify particular users that may be infringing the lawful copyrights of others.

6. We do not log and therefore are unable to provide information about any users of our service. We have not, to date, been served with a valid court order that has required us to provide something we do not have.

7. We do not have a warrant canary in place at this time as the concept of a warrant canary is, in fact, flawed at this time, or in other words, is “security theater.”

8. We do not attempt to filter, monitor, censor or interfere in our users’ activity in any way, shape or form. BitTorrent is, by definition, allowed.

9. We utilize a variety of payment systems including, but not limited to, PayPal, Stripe, Amazon, Google, Bitcoin, Stellar, CashU, Ripple, Most Major Store Bought Gift card, PIA Gift cards (available in retail stores for “cash”), and more. We utilize a hashing system to keep track of payments and credit them properly while ensuring the strongest levels of privacy for our users.

10. The most secure VPN connection and encryption algorithm that we would recommend to our users would be our suite of AES-256, RSA 4096 and SHA1 or 256. However, AES-128 should still be considered quite safe. For users of Private Internet Access specifically, we offer addon tools to help ensure our beloved clients’ privacies including:

– Kill Switch : Ensures that traffic is only routed through the VPN such that if the VPN connection is unexpectedly terminated, the traffic would simply not be routed.
– IPv6 Leak Protection : Protects clients from websites which may include IPv6 embeds which could leak IPv6 IP information.
– DNS Leak Protection : This is built in and ensures that DNS requests are made through the VPN on a safe, private no-log DNS daemon.
– Shared IP System : We mix clients’ traffic with many clients’ traffic through the use of an anonymous shared-IP system ensuring that our users blend in with the crowd.

11. We are currently using our own DNS caching.

12. We utilize third party datacenters that are operated by trusted friends and, now, business partners who we have met and completed our due diligence on. Our servers are located in: USA, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Amsterdam, Sweden, Paris, Germany, Romania, Hong Kong, Israel, Australia and Japan. We have over 2,000 servers deployed at the time of writing with over 1,000 in manufacture/shipment at this time.

Private Internet Access website
TORGUARD

1. No logs are kept whatsoever. TorGuard does not store any traffic logs or user session data on our network because since day one we engineered every aspect of the operation from the ground up, permitting us full control over the smallest details. In addition to a strict no logging policy we run a shared IP configuration that provides an added layer of anonymity to all users. With hundreds of active sessions sharing a single IP address at any given time it becomes impossible to back trace usage.

2. At the time of this writing our headquarters currently operates from the United States. Due to the lack of data retention laws in the US, our legal team has determined this location to be in the best interest of privacy for the time being. Although TorGuard’s HQ is in the US, we take the commitment to user privacy seriously and will uphold this obligation at all costs, even if it means transferring services or relocating company assets.

3. Our network team uses a combination of open source monitoring apps and custom developed tools to mitigate any ongoing abuse of our services. This allows us to closely monitor server load and uptime so we can pinpoint and resolve potential problems quickly. If abuse reports are received from an upstream provider, we block them in real-time by employing various levels of firewall rules to large blocks of servers. Should these methods fail, our team is quick to recycle entire IP blocks and re-deploy new servers as a last resort.

4. For basic troubleshooting and customer service purposes we utilize Livechatinc for our chat support. TorGuard staff does make use of Google Apps for company email, however no identifying client information like passwords, or billing info is ever shared among either of these platforms. All clients retain full control over account changes in our secure member’s area without any information passing through an insecure channel.

5. Because we do not host any content it is not possible for us to remove anything from a server. In the event a DMCA notice is received it is immediately processed by our abuse team. Due to our shared network configuration we are unable to forward any requests to a single user. In order to satisfy legal requirements from bandwidth providers we may temporarily block infringing protocols, ports, or IPs.

6. If a court order is received, it is first handled by our legal team and examined for validity in our jurisdiction. Should it be deemed valid, our legal representation would be forced to further explain the nature of a shared IP configuration and the fact that we do not hold any identifying logs. No, we remain unable to identify any active user from an external IP address and time stamp.

7. No, at this time we do not have a warrant canary.

8. Yes, TorGuard was designed with the BitTorrent enthusiast in mind. P2P is allowed on all servers, although for best performance we suggest using locations that are optimized for torrents. Users can find these servers clearly labeled in our VPN software.

9. We currently accept over 200 different payment options through all forms of credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, altcoins (e.g. dogecoin, litecoin + more), Paysafecard, Alipay, CashU, Gift Cards, and many other methods. No usage can be linked back to a billing account due to the fact that we maintain zero logs across our network.

10. For best security we advise clients to use OpenVPN connections only and for encryption use AES256 with 2048bit RSA. Additionally, TorGuard VPN offers “Stealth” protection against DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) interference from a nosey ISP so you can access the open web freely even from behind the Great Firewall of China. These options are available on select locations and offer excellent security due to the cryptography techniques used to obfuscate traffic. Our VPN software uses OpenVPN exclusively and features built in DNS leak protection, an App Killswitch, and a connection Killswitch. We have also just released a built in WebRTC leak block feature for Windows Vista/7/8 users.

11. Yes, we offer private, no log DNS servers which can be obtained by contacting our support desk. By default we also use Google DNS and OpenDNS for performance reasons on select servers.

12. TorGuard currently maintains 1000+ servers in over 44 countries around the world and we continue to expand the network every month. We retain full physical control over all hardware and only seek partnerships with data centers who can meet our strict security criteria. All servers are deployed and managed exclusively by our in house networking team via a single, secure key. We have servers in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA, and Vietnam.

TorGuard website
IPVANISH

1. IPVanish has a zero-log policy. We keep NO traffic logs on any customer, ever.

2. IPVanish is headquartered in the US and thus operates under US law.

3. IPVanish monitors CPU utilization, bandwidth and connection counts. When thresholds are passed, a server may be removed from rotation as to not affect other users.

4. IPVanish does not use any external support tools that hold user information. We do, however, operate an opt-in newsletter that is hosted at Constant Contact. Customers are in no way obligated to sign up for the newsletter.

5. IPVanish keeps no logs of any user’s activity and responds accordingly.

6. IPVanish, like every other company, follows the law in order to remain in business. Only US law applies.

7. No.

8. P2P is permitted. IPVanish does not block or throttle any ports, protocols, servers or any type of traffic whatsoever.

9. Bitcoin, PayPal and all major credit cards are accepted. Payments and service use are in no way linked. User authentication and billing info are also managed on completely different and independent platforms.

10. We recommend OpenVPN with 256 bit AES as the most secure VPN connection and encryption algorithm. IPVanish’s service and software also currently provide DNS leak prevention. We are developing a kill switch in upcoming releases of our software.

11. IPVanish does use its own DNS servers. Local DNS is handled by the server a user connects to.

12. IPVanish is one of the only tier-1 VPN networks, meaning we own and operate every aspect of our VPN platform, including physical control of our VPN servers. This gives IPVanish users security and speed advantages over other VPN services. IPVanish servers can be found in over 60 countries including the US, UK, Canada, Netherlands and Australia.

IPVanish website
IVPN

1. No, this is fundamental to the service we provide. It is also in our interests not to do so as it minimizes our own liability.

2. Gibraltar. In 2014 we decided to move the company from Malta to Gibraltar in light of the new 2015 EU VAT regulations which affect all VPN service providers based in the EU. The EU VAT regulations now require companies to collect two pieces of non-conflicting evidence about the location of a customer; this would be at a minimum the customer’s physical address and IP address.

3. We have built a number of bespoke systems over the last 5 years as we’ve encountered and addressed most types of abuse. At a high level we use Zabbix, an open-source monitoring tool that alerts us to incidents. As examples we have built an anti-spam rate-limiter based on iptables so we don’t have to block any email ports and forked a tool called PSAD which allows us to detect attacks originating from our own network in real time.

4. No. We made a strategic decision from the beginning that no company or customer data would ever be stored on 3rd party systems. Our customer support software, email, web analytics (Piwik), issue tracker, monitoring servers, code repo’s, configuration management servers etc. all run on our own dedicated servers that we setup, configure and manage.

5. Our legal department sends a reply stating that we do not store content on our servers and that our VPN servers act only as a conduit for data. In addition, we never store the IP addresses of customers connected to our network nor are we legally required to do so.

6. That would depend on the information with which we were provided. If asked to identify a customer based on a timestamp and/or IP address then we would reply factually that we do not store this information, so we are unable to provide it. If they provide us with an email address and asked for the customer’s identity then we reply that we do not store any personal data, we only store a customer’s email address. If the company were served with a valid court order that did not breach the Data Protection Act 2004 we could only confirm that an email address was or was not associated with an active account at the time in question. We have never been served with a valid court order.

7. Yes absolutely, we’ve published a canary since August 2014.

8. Yes, we don’t block BitTorrent or any other protocol on any of our servers. We do kindly request that our customers use non-USA based exit servers for P2P. Any company receiving a large number of DMCA notices is exposing themselves to legal action and our upstream providers have threatened to disconnect our servers in the past.

9. We accept Bitcoin, Cash and Paypal. When using cash there is no link to a user account within our system. When using Bitcoin, we store the Bitcoin transaction ID in our system. If you wish to remain anonymous to IVPN you should take the necessary precautions when purchasing Bitcoin (See part 7 of our advanced privacy guides). With Paypal we store the subscription ID in our system so we can associate incoming subscription payments. This information is deleted immediately when an account is terminated.

10. We provide RSA-4096 / AES-256 with OpenVPN, which we believe is more than secure enough for our customers’ needs. If you are the target of a state level adversary or other such well-funded body you should be far more concerned with increasing your general opsec than worrying about 2048 vs 4096 bit keys. The IVPN client offers an advanced VPN firewall that blocks every type of IP leak possible (DNS, network failures, WebRTC STUN, IPv6 etc.). It also has an ‘always on’ mode that will be activated on boot before any process on the computer starts. This will ensure than no packets are ever able to leak outside of the VPN tunnel.

11. Yes. Once connected to the VPN all DNS requests are sent to our pool of internal recursive DNS servers. We do not use forwarding DNS servers that forward the requests to a public DNS server such as OpenDNS or Google.

12. We use dedicated servers leased from 3rd party data centers in each country where we have a presence. We employ software controls such as full disk encryption and no logging to ensure that if a server is ever seized it’s data is worthless. We also operate a multi-hop network so customers can choose an entry and exit server in different jurisdictions to make the adversaries job of correlating the traffic entering and exiting our network significantly more complicated. We have servers located in Switzerland, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Romania, France, Hong-Kong, USA, UK and Canada.

IVPN website
PRIVATEVPN

1.We don’t keep ANY logs that allow us or a 3rd party to match an IP address and a time stamp to a user of our service. The only thing we log are e-mails and user names but it’s not possible to bind an activity on the Internet to a user on PrivateVPN.

2. We operate in Swedish jurisdiction.

3. If there’s abuse, we advise that service to block our IP in the first instance, and second, we can block traffic to the abused service.

4. No. We use a service from Provide Support (ToS) for live support. They do not hold any information about the chat session. From Provide support: Chat conversation transcripts are not stored on Provide Support chat servers. They remain on the chat server for the duration of the chat session, then optionally sent by email according to the user account settings, and then destroyed.

5. This depends on the country in which we’re receiving a DMCA takedown. For example, we’ve received a DMCA takedown for UK and Finland and our response was to close P2P traffic in those countries.

6. If we get a court order to monitor a specific IP then we need to do it, and this applies to every VPN company out there.

7. We’re working on a solution where we publish a statement that we haven’t received legal process. One we receive a legal process, this canary statement is removed.

8. Yes, we allow Torrent traffic.

9. PayPal, Payson, 2Chrckout and Bitcoin. Every payment has an order number, which is linked to a user. Otherwise we wouldn’t know who has made a payment. To be clear, you can’t link a payment to an IP address you get from us.

10. OpenVPN TUN with AES-256. On top is a 2048-bit DH key. For our Windows VPN client, we have a feature called “Connection guard”, which will close a selected program(s) if the connection drop. We have no tools for DNS leak but we’re working on a protection that detects the DNS leak and fixes this by changing to a secure DNS server.

11. We use a DNS from Censurfridns.

12. We have physical control over our servers and network in Sweden. All other servers and networks are hosted by ReTN, Kaia Global Networks, Leaseweb, FDCServers, Blix, Zen systems, Wholesale Internet, Creanova, UK2, Fastweb, Server.lu, Selectel, Amanah and Netrouting. We have servers located in: Sweden, United States, Switzerland, Great Britain, France, Denmark, Luxembourg, Finland, Norway, Romania, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, Canada and Ukraine.

PrivateVPN website
PRQ

1. No

2. Swedish

3. Our own.

4. No

5. We do not care about DMCA.

6. We only require a working e-mail address to be a customer, no other information is kept.

7. No.

8. As long as the usage doesn’t violate the ToS, we do not care.

9. None of the payment methods are linked to a user.

10. OpenVPN, customers have to monitor their service/usage.

11. Yes.

12. Everything is inhouse in Sweden.

PRQ website
MULLVAD

1. No. This would make both us and our users more vulnerable so we certainly don’t. To make it harder to watch the activities of an IP address from the outside we also have many users sharing addresses, both for IPv4 and IPv6.

2. Swedish.

3. We don’t monitor our users. In the rare cases of such egregious network abuse that we can’t help but notice (such as DoS attacks) we stop it using basic network tools.

4. We do use external providers and encourage people sending us email to use PGP encryption, which is the only effective way to keep email somewhat private. The decrypted content is only available to us.

5. There is no such Swedish law that is applicable to us.

6. We get requests from governments from time to time. They never get any information about our users. We make sure not to store sensitive information that can be tied to publicly available information, so that we have nothing to give out. We believe it is not possible in Swedish law to construct a court order that would compel us to actually give out information about our users. Not that we would anyway. We started this service for political reasons and would rather discontinue it than having it work against its purpose.

7. Under current Swedish law there is no way for them to force us to secretly act against our users so a warrant canary would serve no purpose. Also, we would not continue to operate under such conditions anyway.

8. Yes.

9. Bitcoin (we were the first service to accept it), cash (in the mail), bank transfers, and PayPal / credit cards. Payments are tied to accounts but accounts are just random numbers with no personal information attached that users can create at will. With the anonymous payments possible with cash and Bitcoin it can be anonymous all the way.

10. OpenVPN (using the Mullvad client program). Regarding crypto, ideally we would recommend Ed25519 for certificates, Curve25519 for key exchange (ECDHE), and ChaCha20-Poly1305 for data streams but that suite isn’t supported by OpenVPN. We therefore recommend and by default use RSA-2048, D-H (DHE) and AES-256-CBC-SHA. We have a “kill switch,” DNS leak protection and IPv6 leak protection (and IPv6 tunnelling).

11. Yes, we use our own DNS servers.

12. We have a range of servers. From on one end servers lovingly assembled and configured by us with ambitious physical security in data centers owned and operated by people we trust personally and whose ideology we like. On the other end rented hardware in big data centers. Which to use depends on the threat model and performance requirements. Currently we have servers hosted by GleSYS Internet Services, 31173 Services and Leaseweb in Sweden, the Netherlands, USA and Germany.

Mullvad website
BOLEHVPN

1. No.

2. Malaysia. This may change in the near future and we will post an announcement when this is confirmed.

3. We do monitor general traffic patterns to see if there is any unusual activity that would warrant a further investigation.

4. We use ZenDesk and Zopim but are moving to use OSTicket which is open source. This should happen in the next 1-2 months.

5. Generally we work with the providers to resolve the issue and we have never given up any of our customer information. Generally we terminate our relationship with the provider if this is not acceptable. Our US servers under DMCA jurisdiction or UK (European equivalent) have P2P locked down.

6. This has not happened yet but we do not keep any user logs so there is not much that can be provided especially if the payment is via an anonymous channel. One of our founders is a lawyer so such requests will be examined on their validity and we will resist such requests if done without proper cause or legal backing.

7. Yes.

8. Yes it is allowed except on those marked Surfing-Streaming only which are restricted either due to the provider’s policies or limited bandwidth.

9. We use MolPay, PayPal, Coinbase, Coinpayments and direct deposits. On our system it is only marked with the Invoice ID, the account it’s for, the method of payment and whether it’s paid or not. We however of course do not have control of what is stored with the payment providers.

10. Our Cloak configurations implement 256 bit AES and a SHA-512 HMAC combined with a scrambling obfuscation layer. We do have a lock down/kill switch feature and DNS leak protection.

11. Yes we do use our own DNS servers.

12. Our VPN servers are hosted by third parties however for competitive reasons, we rather not mention our providers (not that it would be hard to find out with some digging). However none of these servers hold anything sensitive as they are authenticated purely using PKI infrastructure and as long as our users regularly update their configurations they should be fine. We do however have physical control over the servers that handle our customer’s information.

BolehVPN website
NORDVPN

1. Do we keep logs? What is that? Seriously, we have a strict no-logs policy over our customers. The only information we keep is customers’ e-mail addresses which are needed for our service registration (we keep the e-mail addresses until the customer closes the account).

2. NordVPN is based out of Panama.

3. No tools are used to monitor our customers in any case. We are only able to see the servers’ load, which helps us optimize our service and provide the best possible Internet speed to our users.

4. We use the third-party live support tool, but it is not linked to the customers’ accounts.

5. When we receive any type of legal notices, we cannot do anything more than to ignore them, simply because they have no legal bearing to us. Since we are based in Panama, all legal notices have to be dealt with according to Panamanian laws first. Luckily they are very friendly to Internet users.

6.If we receive a valid court order, firstly it would have to comply with the laws of Panama. In that case, the court settlement should happen in Panama first, however were this to happen, we would not be able to provide any information because we keep exactly nothing about our users.

7. We do not have a warrant canary or any other alert system, because as it was mentioned above, we operate under the laws of Panama and we guarantee that any information about our customers will not be distributed to any third party.

8. We do not restrict any BitTorrent or other file-sharing applications on most of our servers.

9. We accept payments via Bitcoin, Credit Card, PayPal, Banklink, Webmoney (Paysera). Bitcoin is the best payment option to maintain your anonymity as it has only the paid amount linked to the client. Users who purchase services via PayPal are linked with the usual information the seller can see about the buyer.

10. We have high anonymity solutions which we would like to recommend to everyone seeking real privacy. One of them is Double VPN. The traffic is routed through at least two hoops before it reaches the Internet. The connection is encrypted within two layers of cipher AES-256-CBC encryption. Another security solution – Tor over VPN. Firstly, the traffic is encrypted within NordVPN layer and later sent to the Tor network and exits to the Internet through one of the Tor exit relays. Both of these security solutions give a great encryption and anonymity combination. The benefit of using these solutions is that the chances of being tracked are eliminated. In addition, you are able to access .onion websites when connected to Tor over VPN. Furthermore, our regular servers have a strong encryption which is 2048bit SSL for OpenVPN protocol, AES-256bit for L2TP.

In addition to that, we have advanced security solutions, such as the “kill switch” and DNS leak protection which provide the maximum possible security level for our customers.

11. NordVPN has its own DNS servers, also our customers can use any DNS server they like.

12. Our servers are outsourced and hosted by a third parties. Currently our servers are in 26 countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Netherlands, Panama, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.

NordVPN website
TORRENTPRIVACY

1. We don’t keep any logs with IP addresses. The only information we save is an email. It’s impossible to connect specific activity to a user.

2. Our company is under Seychelles jurisdiction.

3. We do not monitor any user’s traffic or activity for any reason.

4. We use third-party solutions for user communications and emailing. Both are running on our servers.

5. We have small amount of abuses. Usually we receive them through email and all of them are bot generated. As we don’t keep any content we just answer that we don’t have anything or ignore them.

6. It has never happened for 8 years. We will ignore any requests from all jurisdiction except Seychelles. We have no information regarding our customers’ IP addresses and activity on the Internet.

7. No, we don’t bother our users.

8. Yes we support all kind of traffic on all servers.

9. We are using PayPal but payment as a fact proves nothing. Also we are going to expand our payment types for the crypto currencies in the nearest future.

10. We are recommending to use the most simple and secure way — OpenVPN with AES-256 encryption. To protect the torrent downloads we suggest to create a proxy SSH tunnel for your torrent client. In this case you are encrypting only your P2P connection when your browser or Skype uses your default connection. When using standard VPN in case of disconnection your data flows unencrypted. Implementing our SSH tunnel will save from such leaking cause traffic will be stopped.

11. Yes. We are using our own DNS servers.

12. We use third party datacenters for VPN and SSH data transmission in the USA, UK and Netherlands. The whole system is located on our own servers.

TorrentPrivacy website
PROXY.SH

1. We do not keep any log at all.

2. Republic of Seychelles. And of course, every jurisdiction where each of our servers are, for their specific cases.

3. IPtables, TCPdump and Wireshark, for which their use is always informed at least 24 hours in advance via our Network Alerts and/or Transparency Report.

4. All our emails, panels and support are in-house. We host our own WHMCS instance for billing and support. We host server details, project management and financial management on Redmine that we of course self-run. The only third-party connections we have are Google Analytics and Google Translate on our public website (not panel), for obvious convenience gains, but the data they fetch can easily be hidden or faked. We may also sometimes route email through Mandrill but never with user information. We also have our OpenVPN client’s code hosted at Github, but this is because we are preparing to open source it.

5. We block the affected port and explain to upstream provider and/or complainant that we cannot identify the user who did the infringement, and we can therefore not pass the notice on. We also publish a transparency report and send a copy to the Chilling Effects Clearinghouse. If there are too many infringements, we may block all ports and strengthen firewall rules to satisfy upstream provider, but this may lead us to simply drop the server on short-term due to it becoming unusable.

6. We first post the court order to public and inform our users through our blog, much-followed Twitter account, transparency report and/or network alert. If we are unable to do so, we use our warrant canary. Then, we would explain to the court that we have no technical capacity to identify the user and we are ready to give access to competent and legitimate forensic experts. To this date, no valid court order has been received and acknowledged by us.

7. Yes, proxy.sh/canary.

8. We do not discriminate activity across our network. We are unable to decrypt traffic to differentiate file-sharing traffic from other activities, and this would be against our ethics anyway. The use of BitTorrent and similar is solely limited to the fact you can whether open/use the ports you wish for it on a selected server.

9. We support hundreds of payment methods, from PayPal to Bitcoin through SMS to Ukash and Paysafecard. We use third-party payment providers who handle and carry themselves the payments and the associated user information needed for them (e.g. a name with a credit card). We never have access to those. When we need to identify a payment for a user, we always need to ask him or her for references (to then ask the payment provider if the payment exists) because we do not originally have them. Last but not least, we also have an option to kill accounts and turn them into completely anonymous tokens with no panel or membership link at all, for the most paranoid customers (in the positive sense of the term).

10. We currently provide Serpent in non-stable & limited beta and it is the strongest encryption algorithm we have. We also openly provide to our experienced users ECDH curve secp384r1 and curve22519 through a 4096-bit Diffie-Hellman key. We definitely recommend such a setup but it requires software compiling skills (you need OpenVPN’s master branch). This setup also allows you to enjoy OpenVPN’s XOR capacity for scrambling traffic. We also provide integration of TOR’s obfsproxy for similar ends. Finally, for more neophyte users, we provide 4096-bit RSA as default standard. It is the strongest encryption that latest stable OpenVPN provides. Cipher and hash are the strongest available and respectively 256-bit CBC/ARS and SHA512. Our custom OpenVPN client of course provides a kill switch and DNS leak protection.

11. Yes, we provide our own OpenNIC DNS servers as well as DNSCrypt capacity.

12. We use a mix of collocation (physically-owned), dedicated and virtual private servers – also known as a private/public cloud combination. All our VPN servers are running from RAM and are disintegrated on shutdown or reboot. About two-third of them are in the public cloud (especially for most exotic locations). Our network spans across more than 40 countries.

Proxy.sh website
HIDEIPVPN

1. We have revised our policy. Currently we store no logs related to any IP address. There is no way for any third-party to match user IP to any specific activity in the internet.

2. We operate under US jurisdiction.

3. We would have to get into details of each individual point of our ToS. For basics like P2P and torrent traffic on servers that do not allow for such transmissions or connecting to more than three VPN servers at the same time by the same user account. But we do not monitor users’ traffic. Also, since our users use shared IP address of VPN server, there is no way any third party could connect any online activity to a user’s IP address.

4. We are using Google apps for incoming mail and our own mail server for outgoing mail.

5. Since no information is stored on any of our servers there is nothing that we can take down. We reply to the data center or copyright holder that we do not log our users’ traffic and we use shared IP-addresses, which make impossible to track who downloaded any data from the internet using our VPN.

6. We would reply that we do not have measures that would us allow to identify a specific user. It has not happened so far.

7. Currently not. We will consider if our customers would welcome such a feature. So far we have never been asked for such information.

8. This type of traffic is welcomed on our German (DE VPN) and Dutch (NL VPN) servers. It is not allowed on US, UK and Canada servers as stated in our ToS – reason for this is our agreements with data centers. We also have a specific VPN plan for torrents.

9. Currently HideIPVPN accepts the following methods: PayPal, Bitcoin, Credit & Debit cards, AliPay, Web Money, Yandex Money, Boleto Bancario, Qiwi.

10. We would say SoftEther VPN protocol looks very promising and secure. Users can currently use our VPN applications on Windows and OSX systems. Both versions have a “kill switch” feature in case connection drops. Also, our apps are able to re-establish VPN connection and once active restart closed applications.

Currently our software does not provide DNS leak protection. However a new version of VPN client is in the works and will be updated with such a feature. We can let you know once it is out. At this time we can say it will be very soon.

11. For VPN we use Google DNS servers, and for SmartDNS we use our own DNS servers.

12. We don’t have physical control of our VPN servers. Servers are outsourced in premium datacenters with high quality tier1 networks. Countries now include – US/UK/NL/DE/CA

HideIPVPN website

1. We do not keep any logs whatsoever.

2. United States

3. Custom programs that analyze traffic on the fly and do not store logs.

4. No, all data is stored on servers we control.

5. We do not have any open incoming ports, so it’s not possible for us to “takedown” any broadcasting content.

6. We would take every step within the law to fight such an order and it has never happened.

7. No.

8. Yes, all types of traffic our allowed with our services.

9. We accept PayPal and Bitcoin. All payments are linked to users’ accounts because they have to be for disputes and refunds.

10. We recommend OpenVPN and 128-bit blowfish. We offer instructions for some third party VPN monitoring software.

11. We use our own DNS servers.

12. We have physical control over all our servers. Our servers we offer services with are located in the Netherlands, Canada, and Singapore. Our mail servers are located in Luxembourg.

SLICKVPN

1. SlickVPN does not log any traffic nor session data of any kind.

2. We operate a complex business structure with multiple layers of Offshore Holding Companies, Subsidiary Holding Companies, and finally some Operating Companies to help protect our interests. We will not disclose the exact hierarchy of our corporate structures, but will say the main marketing entity for our business is based in the United States of America and an operational entity is based out of Nevis.

3. We do not monitor any customer’s activity in any way. We have chosen to disallow outgoing SMTP which helps mitigate SPAM issues.

4. No. We do utilize third party email systems to contact clients who opt in for our newsletters.

5. If a valid DMCA complaint is received while the offending connection is still active, we stop the session and notify the active user of that session, otherwise we are unable to act on any complaint as we have no way of tracking down the user. It is important to note that we ALMOST NEVER receive a VALID DMCA complaint while a user is still in an active session.

6. Our customer’s privacy is of top most importance to us. We are required to comply with all valid court orders. We would proceed with the court order with complete transparency, but we have no data to provide any court in any jurisdiction. We would not rule out relocating our businesses to a new jurisdiction if required.

7. Yes. We maintain a passive warrant canary, updated weekly, and are investigating a way to legally provide a passive warrant canary which will be customized on a “per user” basis, allowing each user to check their account status individually. It is important to note that the person(s) responsible for updating our warrant canary are located outside of any of the countries where our servers are located.

8. Yes, all traffic is allowed.

9. We accept PayPal, Credit Cards, Bitcoin, Cash, and Money Orders. We keep user authentication and billing information on independent platforms. One platform is operated out of the United States of America and the other platform is operated out of Nevis. We offer the ability for the customer to permanently delete their payment information from our servers at any point. All customer data is automatically removed from our records shortly after the customer ceases being a paying member.

10. We recommend using OpenVPN if at all possible (available for Windows, Apple, Linux, iOS, Android) and it uses the AES-256-CBC algorithm for encryption.

Our Windows and Mac client incorporates IP and DNS leak protection which prevents DNS leaks and provides better protection than ordinary ‘kill-switches’. Our IP leak protection proactively keeps your IP from leaking to the internet. This was one of the first features we discussed internally when we were developing our network, it is a necessity for any good VPN provider.

11. Yes.

12. We run a mix. We physically control some of our server locations where we have a heavier load. Other locations are hosted with third parties until we have enough traffic in that location to justify racking our own server setup. To ensure redundancy, we host with multiple providers in each location. We have server locations in over forty countries. In all cases, our network nodes load over our encrypted network stack and run from ramdisk. Anyone taking control of the server would have no usable data on the disk. We run an algorithm to randomly reboot each server on a regular basis so we can clear the ramdisk.

SlickVPN website
OCTANEVPN

1. No. We cannot locate an individual user by IP address and timestamp. There are no logs written to disk on our gateways.

The gateway servers keep the currently authenticated customers in the server’s RAM so they can properly connect and route incoming traffic to those customers. Obviously, if a server is powered down or restarted, the contents of the RAM are lost. We keep gateway performance data such as CPU loading, I/O rates and maximum simultaneous connections so that we can manage and optimize our network.

2. We operate two independent companies with different ownership structures – a network operations company and a marketing company. The network operations company operates out of Nevis. The marketing company operates under US jurisdiction and manages the website, customer accounts and support. The US company has no access to network operations and the Nevis company has no customer account data.

3. We are not in the business of monitoring customer traffic in any way. Spam emails were our biggest issue and early on we decided to prevent outgoing SMTP. Otherwise, the only other abuse tools we use are related to counting the number of active connections authenticated on an account to control account sharing issues. We use a NAT firewall on incoming connections to our gateways to add an extra layer of security for our customers.

4. No. We do use a service to send generic emails.

5. Due to the structure of our network operations company, it is unusual that we would receive a notice. There should be no cause for the marketing company to receive a notice. If we receive a DMCA notice or its equivalent based on activity that occurred in the past, we respond that we do not host any content and have no logs.

If we receive a DMCA notice based on very recent activity and the customer’s current VPN session during which it was generated is still active on the gateway, we may put the account on hold temporarily and notify the customer. No customer data is used to respond to DMCA notices.

6. Our customers’ privacy is a top priority for us. We would proceed with a court order with complete transparency. A court order would likely be based on an issue traced to a gateway server IP address and would, therefore, be received by our our network operations company which is Nevis based. The validity of court orders from other countries would be difficult to enforce. The network company has no customer data.

Our marketing company is US based and would respond to an order issued by a court of competent jurisdiction. The marketing company does not have access to any data related to network operations or user activity, so there is not much information that a court order could reveal. This has not happened.

7. We are discussing internally and reviewing existing law related to how gag orders are issued to determine the best way to offer this measure of customer confidence.

8. Yes. We operate with network neutrality except for outgoing SMTP.

9. Bitcoin and other cryptocurriences such as Darkcoin, Credit/Debit Card, and PayPal. If complete payment anonymity is desired, we suggest using Bitcoin, DarkCoin, or a gift/disposable credit card. Methods such as PayPal or Credit/Debit card are connected to an account token so that future renewal payments can be properly processed and credited. We allow customers to edit their account information. With our US/Nevis operating structure, customer payment systems information is separate from network operations.

10. We recommend using the AES-256-CBC cipher with OpenVPN, which is used with our client. IPSec is available for native Apple device support and PPTP is offered for other legacy devices, but OpenVPN offers the best security and speed and is our recommended protocol

We provide both DNS and IP leak protection in our Windows and Mac OctaneVPN client. Our OpenVPN based client’s IP leak protection works by removing all routes except the VPN route from the device when the client has an active VPN connection. This a better option than a ‘kill switch’ because our client ensures the VPN is active before it allows any data to leave the device, whereas a ‘kill switch’ typically monitors the connection periodically, and, if it detects a drop in the VPN connection, reacts.

11. Yes and we physically control them. You can choose others if you prefer.

12. In our more active gateway locations, we colocate. In locations with lower utilization, we normally host with third parties until volume at that location justifies a physical investment there. The hosted locations may have different providers based on geography. We operate gateways in over 44 countries and 90 cities. Upon booting, all our gateways load over our encrypted network from a master node and operate from encrypted ramdisk. If an entity took physical control of a gateway server, the ramdisk is encrypted and would vanish upon powering down.

OctaneVPN website

Top 10 Most Pirated Movies Of The Week – 03/23/15

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 16:09:00 +0000

The top 10 most downloaded movies on BitTorrent are in again. 'Interstellar' tops the chart this week, followed by ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings.' 'Into The Woods' completes the top three.

This week we have four newcomers in our chart.

Interstellar is the most downloaded movie for the second week in a row.

The data for our weekly download chart is estimated by TorrentFreak, and is for informational and educational reference only. All the movies in the list are BD/DVDrips unless stated otherwise.

RSS feed for the weekly movie download chart.

Ranking	(last week)	Movie	IMDb Rating / Trailer

1	(1)	Interstellar	8.8 / trailer
2	(2)	Exodus: Gods and Kings	6.2 / trailer
3	(5)	Into The Woods	6.2 / trailer
4	(8)	Focus	6.9 / trailer
5	(…)	Wild Card	5.6 / trailer
6	(3)	Fifty Shades of Grey	3.9 / trailer
7	(…)	The Water Diviner	7.7 / trailer
8	(4)	The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies	7.6 / trailer
9	(…)	Paddington	7.4 / trailer
10	(…)	Seventh Son	5.7 / trailer

Music Group Wants ISPs To Spy On Customers To Stop Piracy

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 15:53:00 +0000

In a response to the draft code tabled to deal with the Australian online-piracy problem, some of the world's largest music publishers have presented a set of draconian measures. ISPs should not only use technology to spy on their own customers, but also to proactively block access to infringing content and websites.

Following intense pressure from the Australian government, ISPs were warned that they had to come up with a solution to online piracy or face a legislative response.

In collaboration with some rightsholders, last month a draft code was tabled by ISPs which centered on a three-strikes style system for dealing with peer-to-peer file-sharers using systems including BitTorrent.

In a response to the code just submitted by the Australasian Music Publishers Association (AMPAL) – which counts EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing and Warner/Chappell Music among its members – the companies accept that the proposals are moving in the right direction but suggest boosting them in a number of ways.

Firstly, in an attempt to plug the so-called ‘incorporation’ loophole, the publishers say that all Internet subscribers should be subjected to the graduated response scheme, not just residential customers. While that suggestion could cause all kinds of problems for businesses and providers of public wi-fi systems, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

AMPAL says it recognizes that the code requires rightsholders to do their own online monitoring of file-sharers. It’s a practice employed around the world in every jurisdiction where “strikes” systems are in place. However, the publishers would prefer it if the draft code was amped up to the next level.

“The Code does not place a general obligation on ISPs to monitor and detect online copyright infringement,” the publishers write. “AMPAL submits that ideally the Code should include such a duty using ISPs’ monitoring and filtering techniques.”

The publishers don’t elaborate on their demands but even in this form they are troubling to say the least.

While rightsholders currently monitor only file-sharers distributing content without permission, in theory and to meet AMPAL requirements ISPs may have to monitor the activity of all customers. Not only that, the ‘filtering’ aspect would mean that ISPs become much more than mere conduits of information, a real problem for those seeking to avoid being held liable for infringing activity.

But AMPAL’s plans for ISPs go further still. Not only should they be pro-active when it comes to monitoring and warning subscribers, ISPs should also use technology to actively block access to infringing content on other levels.

“The Code does not require ISPs to block access to infringing material. AMPAL submits that ideally the Code should include provisions obliging ISPs to take such action following provision of the relevant information by Rights Holders and/or following discovery of copyright infringing websites by ISPs’ monitoring and filtering techniques,” the publishers write.

Again, AMPAL provides no elaboration, but on face value these suggestions will horrify ISPs. The premise is that after being told by a rightsholder that specific content is infringing, ISPs should use filtering technology to stop its subscribers from sharing that content. Difficult – if not impossible.

Furthermore, ISPs should be both responsive to rightsholder request and pro-active when it comes to the practice of blocking ‘infringing’ websites. Who decides the criteria for such blocking isn’t detailed, but presumably AMPAL feels well placed to do so and that the ISPs should do its bidding.

When it comes to dealing with subscribers, AMPAL is also seeking penalties for those who persistently disregard infringement notices. The current proposals allow rightholders to request the details of errant subscribers after they get caught sharing content three times, smoothing the way for legal action. But AMPAL wants more.

“AMPAL submits that ideally additional options should be available to Rights Holders in the form of sanctions or mitigation procedures to be imposed on Account Holders,” the publishers write.

“Rights Holders are severely limited in the realistic damages that they can recover. Litigation in this area is costly and difficult particularly for the small to medium enterprises that make up a large proportion of all rights holders.”

Describing the draft code as “an important initial step”, AMPAL says that a revised code to incorporate its demands should be implemented in the future.

“Only with a concerted effort by ISPs, Rights Holders and government can the damaging effects of online copyright infringement be addressed,” the trade group concludes.

Finally, in its submission to the draft code the BBC expresses concern that subscribers could use VPN technology to circumvent the whole system.

“The code is ill equipped to deal with consumers who spoof or mask their IP addresses to avoid detection, behaviour that we believe will increase as a result of an introduction of a notice scheme,” the BBC said.

credit: torrentfreak.com

The U.S. Court Extends Global Shutdown Of Dvd Ripping Software

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 15:39:00 +0000

A federal court in New York has issued a paralyzing verdict against the Chinese-based DVD ripping company DVDFab. Ruling in favor of AACS, the licensing outfit founded by Warner Bros, Disney, Microsoft, Intel and others, the court has issued an updated injunction granting the seizure of several domain names belonging to the software vendor.

Last year the decryption licensing outfit AACS launched a crackdown on DRM-circumvention software.

The company sued the makers of popular DVD ripping software DVDFab. It won a preliminary injunction based on the argument that the “DVDFab Group” violates the DMCA’s anti-circumvention clause, since their software can bypass DVD encryption.

Initially DVDFab did not respond to the court, so the order was entered by default. However, after the injunction was issued the company responded in the name of Feng Tao, with a request for the court to revise its earlier judgment.

One of the counterarguments DVDFab raised was that the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provisions don’t apply worldwide, and DVDFab was promising to no longer do business with U.S. customers.

“It is well-established that the Copyright Act doesn’t apply extra-territorially,” the company argued, asking the court to quash the injunction or limit it to the United States.

AACS contested the good intentions of DVDFab and showed the court that the software was still readily available to the U.S. public. According to AACS the circumvention software was still being offered and promoted though new domains and services.

For example, new circumvention tools and services were offered from TDMore.com, BluFab.com, Boooya.org, DVDFab.de, and FabImg.net, among others. To stop DVDFab from bypassing the court order, AACS asked for an updated injunction to cover these new products and domains.

This week District Court Judge Vernon Broderick ruled on the motions from both sides with AACS the clear winner

The Judge argues that DVDFab’s explanations for the continued offering of software in the U.S. are not credible so has ordered the seizure of several new domain names.

“Tao’s explanations for his continued trafficking of infringing products into the United States—the product is not his, the product was not created ‘primarily’ for AACS circumvention, or the product was not intended for U.S. users — is simply not credible. The record overwhelmingly demonstrates these statements are not true,” Judge Broderick writes.

The injunction (pdf) bars DVDFab from distributing its software in public and allows AACS to seize seizure a wide range domain names. In addition, the company’s social media accounts are to be blocked and other services including online banks cut off as well.

While the Judge understands that the DMCA doesn’t apply in other countries he argues that, considering DVDFab’s conduct after the initial injunction, it will only be effective if it applies worldwide.

“It was not my intention to sweep within the Preliminary Injunction lawful conduct, i.e. entirely extraterritorial conduct. However, Defendant’s recalcitrant persistence in accessing the United States market makes clear to me that no more narrowly-tailored relief would be effective,” the Judge writes.

As a result DVDFab will lose control over TDMore.com, BluFab.cn, BluFab.com, Boooya.org, DVDFab.de, DVDFab.cn, FabImg.net, Woookao.cn, and Woookao.com which were found to be in violation of the DMCA. Two other domains, TDMore.cn and Boooya.com, were not added as there’s not enough evidence that they are operated by the software vendor.

There is no doubt that the broad injunction will severely impact the Chinese company. Aside from its domain names, the court also ordered payment processors to stop working with DVDFab, which will make it very hard for the company to sell its products anywhere in the world.

credit: torrentfreak.com

How to Deal With a Cheating Boyfriend

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 04:39:00 +0000

Cheating may be a deal-breaker in your relationship, or it may not, depending on the circumstances. There are lots of different factors to consider, and emotions at stake. Follow these steps to help decide how to go forward.

Method 1 of 4: How to Know He’s Cheating

1
Investigate. Play detective, and notice his suspicious mannerisms. Ask yourself the following:
Has he been less intimate with you? If you notice sex become less frequent, he might be getting something on the side.

Has he been dressing to impress? Men do this when they’re first interested in someone, but when things get serious, they tend to slack on their appearance. If he suddenly starts working out or takes an unusual interest in his looks, he’s looking good for someone else.

Is he “working late” more frequently? If “working late” becomes more regular, or if he’s spending nights away “on business,” he’s probably seeing someone else. Unless he’s been overwhelmed with work, in which case he probably tells you all about specific things he’s stressed about. If he’s vague about his late nights and business trips, and doesn’t tell you very much about them, there’s a solid chance he’s seeing someone else.

Does he check his phone a lot, and is he secretive about it? Some men are simply more private than others, but if he becomes defensive when you ask him who he’s corresponding with, he’s hiding something.
Has he become protective of his personal accounts? More so than usual? If he suddenly installs a password on his cell phone or computer, or starts intercepting the mail to open bank statements in private, he is likely having an affair.
Has he been withdrawn and distant from you lately? If he’s behaving anxious around you, there’s a chance he’s having an affair. But remember, men can be distant for many reasons, so don’t go jumping to conclusions. But if he is being unfaithful, he will most likely be nervous, whether it be out of guilt or paranoia.
Has he been snide to you in front of company? He may try to justify their infidelity by convincing himself you’re the bad guy.
Has he been mentioning a female acquaintance or colleague a lot more lately? This may mean he has a crush, whether he knows it or not. The good news is, if he still mentions her to you, he may not have acted on those feelings yet, since they’re still tantalizing him. If he did the deed already, he’d probably never mention her again.

2
Ask the woman that he’s having an affair with, if you know or suspect who she is. Most women will sympathize and tell the truth. Oftentimes, this is exactly what she wants—for you to know. She may want you to leave him, so she can have your man all to herself. Many women are offended to be somebody’s secret, or second choice.

3
Ask him. He may not answer honestly, but you can still infer by his reaction whether he is hiding something.
If he reacts defensively or nervously, and fervently denies all accusations, he's hiding something.
If he "doesn’t dignify your question with an answer," it’s usually because he doesn’t want to lie to you, but he really doesn’t want to tell the truth. If instead of answering, he asks, “How could you think that? Don’t you trust me?” he’s probably just avoiding your question.
If he comes clean, it is for one of two reasons. Either he is telling you because A) he wants to leave you, or B) the guilt of the affair is killing him. If he breaks down and cries, or keeps his head down when he tells you, it’s because he’s ashamed and he regrets his actions. Ask him what his intentions are in telling you, whether he wants to work things out with you or not.

Method 2 of 4: How to Confront Him

1
Prepare yourself for every possibility beforehand. “Cheating” isn’t always black and white. Depending on how many times he’s cheated on you, how long he’s been unfaithful, how invested he is in his affair(s) and how many women he’s been with, you may be able to salvage your relationship.
If he’s exclusive to one mistress and he sees her frequently, and buys her things, and does romantic things with her, this means he’s in love with her and your relationship is over.
If he’s slipped up several times, but always with different women who he cares nothing about and hasn’t kept in touch with, he may be fixable, because this means you still give him something other women don’t, if you’re the only one he’s with repeatedly. But you will have to make a change if you want him to change his ways, or it won’t work, and he’ll fall back into old habits.
If he only cheated once, and it was out of character, and he sincerely, utterly regrets it, he deserves a second chance.

2
Decide what you consider a deal-breaker. Where will you draw the line? When you find out how seriously he’s been cheating, at what point will you be through with him? How willing are you to forgive him and move on?

3
Realize that you may be partly to blame. Obviously, his actions are inexcusable, but they may be the result of something deeper, and you may be part of it. Ask yourself if you’ve been driving him away. Maybe you’ve been snapping at him, putting too much pressure on the relationship, getting serious too quickly, or not getting serious enough. It could be any number of things, but you may not be satisfying all his needs, and if you want to work things out, there may be aspects of yourself you have to change.

4
Confront him calmly. If you approach him angrily, he will immediately be on the defensive, and he won’t be rational or honest with you.
Be as understanding as possible. Let him be heard. Listening to him may relieve some of the tension that led him to betray you in the first place.

5
Ask him specifically how much he cheated.
How many times?
How many women?
How frequently?
How long has it been going on?
Has he cheated in past relationships?
How serious is he about these women/this woman?

6
Ask him what his intentions are with you. Does he want to stay with you? Or was cheating his easy way out of this relationship? Is he in love with someone else?

7
Decide if you are willing to work through this, or if you're through. Should you stay or should you go?
If in your heart, you can't fully forgive him, and you don't think you'll be happy if you stay with him, it isn't worth your misery to try to work through it, no matter how much you wish you could.
If you believe in him and trust him to stay faithful from hereon, you should give him a second chance.

Method 3 of 4: If You Stay Together

1
Tell him what he needs to do to earn your trust back.
You may feel it's necessary for him to stop going on facebook or remove some of his female contacts from his phone.
Be careful of forbidding him from speaking to someone entirely, because this may drive him to want to do it.
You are fully justified in asking him to remove his password from his phone. If you feel it's necessary, you may ask him to disclose his Facebook password, or for access to his personal email, but like I said, this may lead him to feel trapped and cheat again.

2
Ask him what he needs from you. Something may have been missing from your relationship that drove him to pull away from you.

3
Communicate. From hereon out , it's clear you can't let tensions escalate. Trust is built on openness and honesty.

Method 4 of 4: What Drives Men to Cheat

Cheating can be avoided altogether if you know what causes it. Avoid doing the following:
1
Give him space. Don't smother him. If you're clingy or possessive over him, he may push you away. If he feels trapped with you, he may resort to cheating as a means of freeing himself.

2
Satisfy him sexually. If he doesn't feel his needs are being met, he will find a way to meet them, and if you can't satisfy those needs, he'll find someone else who will.
Be adventurous in bed and open to do the things he wants to do, as long as his demands are reasonable.
Boring or repetitive sex can drive him to find somebody else to satisfy his urges.
Genuinely enjoying sex makes all the difference. If he thinks he isn't satisfying you, this may cause him to reassure his ego that he is good in bed by satisfying someone else.

3
Be careful not to play the blame game with him. Blaming and accusing him for every little thing will push him to seek acceptance elsewhere, not just sexual acceptance, but emotional as well.

4
Don't partake in power struggles. Love is not a competition, so don't try to win. Dismissing everything he says or being condescending with him will cause him to retaliate.

5 Signs Your Partner Is Facebook-Cheating

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 04:13:00 +0000

Whether someone's actually having sex outside of the relationship or not, here are 6 signs that a partner's online activity is threatening to your relationship. (I use the he pronoun here, but of course, infidelity crosses gender and sexual orientation.)

1 - He is often lost in thought within his texting conversations and never shares what they're about.

Compulsive smartphone use can be a constant source of friction within romantic relationships, as one partner feels cut off from the person who is more engaged with a device than with the in-person conversation they're supposed to be having. When your partner is chuckling or otherwise responding emotionally to his device, yet not making any effort to let you in on what's going on in his mind at the moment, it creates a thick wall between you. No, you shouldn't expect anyone to be an open book about every single thing they're doing online—boundaries, and a certain amount of privacy, have an important place in any healthy relationship. But if his digital conversations are frequently taking him away from being present with you, and he makes no effort to bridge that gap, then his attentions, and priorities, may well lie elsewhere.

2 - He gets texts at all hours, including late at night.

Twenty years ago, if a friend or coworker called your partner at 11 p.m. while the two of you were winding down for bed, you'd probably have been taken aback. But smartphones have changed all that, and it's gradually grown more acceptable to text someone—and even to expect a response–long into traditionally intimate, late-night hours. A wayward text from friends late at night is not necessarily a cause for concern, and some couples actually choose to wind down on their devices, side-by-side. But when his online conversations start regularly making their unwanted way into your bedroom late at night, whether by his initiation or the other person's, then you may already be playing second fiddle to another relationship.

3 - You've awakened to see him on Facebook or on his phone, but he's quick to put it away when he sees you.

With more and more people sleeping with their smartphones—which evidence shows(link is external) does not exactly foster healthy sleep patterns—the likelihood of someone having private online communiqués grows as well. It's one thing for him to be idly surfing Facebook at 3 a.m.—but if he's trying desperately to hide it from you when you happen to wake up, you have to wonder why.

4 - He is very physically possessive of his phone, iPad or Laptop.

People who are behaving inappropriately and trying to hide it often have a heightened vigilance against getting caught, and you can see this in their automatic physical behavior. If he seems to be almost compulsive in protecting his phone, closing out browser windows or shielding you from even glimpsing any of his communication, he also gets defensive about how much time he spends on his phone, or even tries to accuse you of bad behavior, chances are high that he's desperate to keep you from seeing it—probably for a reason. This might show in an increased startle response, or irritability if you idly pick up his phone for innocent reasons.

5 - You see people commenting on his Facebook wall and sharing inside jokes, yet you have no idea who they are.

Many people can't even recognize all of their own Facebook friends, let alone their partner's. We all may have coworkers, friends of friends, and random people from our middle-school debate team on our friend lists that our partner wouldn't be able to pick out of a lineup. But if someone is all over your partner's wall, and seems to show a level of intimacy and humor with him that you're not privy to, the fact that he has not talked about this person could be a sign that there's really something to hide.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

3 Women Used Social Media To Reclaim Their Bodies

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 23:05:00 +0000

Sukki Singapora is the kind of person who electrifies the Internet.

Her bright blue hair falls in waves around her neckline as she discusses, over Skype from London, her passion and art form: burlesque dancing. She talks eagerly about confronting the patriarchy of her native home Singapore with a simple desire to express her sexuality.

Even in pixels, Singapora’s charisma is contagious.

Being armed with a digital megaphone is clearly the life for which Singapora was destined, though it began by accident. As a teenager, she discovered burlesque dancing on the Internet and was intrigued by the style of strip-tease, often performed for audiences of women.

Yet, she couldn’t attend any classes or dare to dance in public because burlesque was outlawed in Singapore. She instead turned to the Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr accounts of burlesque stars, and used YouTube videos to teach herself. What began in 2011 as a hobby soon turned into both a fledgling career and a years-long battle as an activist to legalize burlesque performance in Singapore.

“I chose burlesque, but I’m not encouraging everyone to start strip-teasing,” she says. “My message is that you should be empowered to do whatever you want as a woman.”

This can be a dangerous message on the Internet. It can inspire some to harass and hunt a woman down, online or in real life.

In February, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo wrote in an internal memo admitting that "we suck at dealing with abuse and trolls." The recent death and rape threats made against feminist cultural critic Anita Sarkeesian, and the mob mentality of Gamergate, among other prominent intimidation campaigns, have made the Internet and social media seem wholly unwelcome to women with an opinion.

And yet, the opposite is also true. Digital connectivity provides women with a very public way to assert their identities, build a supportive private or public community, and by some measure, liberate their bodies from injustice or oppressive societal norms.

“We often look at the Internet as one dark long alley in which women are consistently and only unsafe,” Carol Stabile, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon, tells Mashable.

Stabile, who also teaches in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, points to the way campus sexual assault survivors have used social media, particularly Twitter hashtags, as an example of how women communicate with each other as a form of empowerment online.

“There’s this way in which you can connect the dots and see the patterns because of those amplifications of voices,” she says.

Sukki Singapora, once alone in her curiosity about burlesque, created a private Facebook group for other women in Singapore to talk about it openly. That group now has 120 members and Singapora’s own page has received 24,000 likes.

At the time, burlesque was illegal. In order to teach classes, Singapora says she had to present them as yoga workshops and hire a bouncer to guard the door. The government, she says, warned clubs against hosting performances, and dancers feared arrest.

In January 2015, Sukki Singapora became the first woman to perform burlesque legally in Singapore.

IMAGE: PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADRIAN THOO

“It was like a legal safe space where you could share ideas and not fear repercussion,” she says of the private Facebook Group.

Though not all of the members wanted to become burlesque dancers, they no longer worry about what might happen if they did. Burlesque dancing became legal in January, and Singapora, whose stage name recognizes her native roots, was the first woman in her country to give a public performance.

“I did something that was not accepted by my culture, and was not seen as the norm, and I did it anyway," she says. “It encouraged other women to do the same; that is true empowerment.”

A whimsical photo posted on Facebook in April 2014 had a similar effect for Masih Alinejad, an Iranian parliamentary journalist known for confronting the government with evidence of corruption.

Upset by how her Facebook newsfeed was “full of news and pictures of suffering” in Iran, Alinejad uploaded a photo of herself — without a traditional headscarf, or hijab — dancing beneath blossoming trees in London. Appearing in public without a hijab in Iran is a punishable offense.

Users flooded the post with wishful comments, hoping that one day they might be able to do the same thing in Iran,

She posted a second photo of herself driving without a headscarf. The image was a celebration of what Alinejad calls the “guilty pleasure” of removing one’s hijab to feel an uncommon “moment of freedom.”

It didn’t take long, Alinejad says, before she was bombarded by photos of women in Iran capturing the same clandestine moment. The Facebook Page My Stealthy Freedom, which now has more than a quarter million likes, was born. It is a visual catalogue of women defying their country’s law and custom.

Like Singapora, Alinejad felt alone in her beliefs, but discovered camaraderie through social media.

“How can you describe being all alone one day,” she says, “and the next you have tens of thousands of women reaching out and wanting to be part of the movement?”

The page now hosts one thousand photos, but participating in this movement does not come without risks. Alinejad warns women that the page garners international attention; anyone who sends a photo should be prepared to be recognized.

Alinejad says she is harassed daily, from spam attacks to threats and insults. Last year, she says the Iranian state-run media falsely reported that three men raped her in public.

“These are not just personal attack [sic] but reveal a degree of hatred against women specially those who asks for their right,” she wrote. “At first I thought it was too much but I never gave up then and I am not going to give up.”

Alinejad’s protest is not against the hijab in principle, but rather the compulsory law that strips women of their autonomy. My Stealthy Freedom, she says, a platform “for voiceless people to accumulate their voices and make it louder.”

At first, Sara Bartosiewicz-Hamilton didn’t necessarily think she was voiceless.

Nearly a decade ago, Bartosiewicz-Hamilton learned she carried a gene mutation known as BRCA, which can greatly increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. Bartosiewicz-Hamilton, who lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan, opted for a preventive mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in 2007, but never felt comfortable with the results.

Sara Bartosiewicz-Hamilton, left, founded the public and private Facebook pages for Flat & Fabulous, a group for women who do not have reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy.

IMAGE: SARA BARTOSIEWICZ-HAMILTON

When she finally had her implants removed in 2012, she sought advice from women about how to wear clothes without breasts. It seemed like a simple request, but much of the conversation amongst cancer survivors focused on reconstruction. A friend, who’d also had a mastectomy, told Bartosiewicz-Hamilton that if she wanted to join a community of like-minded women, she’d have to build it herself.

Bartosiewicz-Hamilton and her friend co-founded the Flat & Fabulous private Facebook Page, which has 1,600 members. A public version of the page has nearly 3,000 likes. Bartosiewicz-Hamilton also has an intimate understanding of the role breasts play in American culture and the female identity.

Studies have shown that most women with mastectomies do not have reconstructive surgery, but Bartosiewicz-Hamilton felt she belonged to a minority. Several members even said doctors postponed their mastectomies pending a psychological assessment of their desire not to have implants.

Bartosiewicz-Hamilton says the decision liberated her from unforgiving standards of beauty and femininity.

“The moment I had my reconstruction removed, it was almost like a switch went off in my head,” she says. “I will never fit into society’s expectation of what a woman should be, and I’m free. That was so empowering.”

This is the message she imparts to members of Flat & Fabulous — that beauty does not live and die by the breast.

Not everyone agrees with Bartosiewicz-Hamilton, however. A close friend questioned her decision, and when she first blogged about her decision to undergo a mastectomy, someone harassed her anonymously online.

Though a painful lesson, she believes critics are fueled by their own inner turmoil.

“It’s almost like they’re so entrenched in trying to fit into this box called societal expectations,” she says. “It’s personally insulting to them that I would choose to live outside of that box and be happy and love myself.”

Carol Stabile, at the University of Oregon, says women like Singapora, Alinejad and Bartosiewicz-Hamilton may find empowerment through social media, but also face unintended consequences once they receive attention from a larger audience.

"They want support for their identity...but by putting it on Facebook, they also run very real risks," she says. "These are persistent virtual identities and once you go out there, you don’t have control over them. You don’t have control over the narratives in the same way."

Still, Stabile says that one of the alternatives — a "moral panic" in which women need to be protected from the vagaries of the Internet — is often a scenario in which women aren't in control, either.

"Women are out there protecting themselves," she says, "and I think that’s more interesting."

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

5 Qualities Every Woman Should Look in A Man

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 20:53:00 +0000

The bar is set high in our visually stimulating, Snapchatting, Tinder-swiping world. And because of that, we women have developed a reputation for being overly picky and uncommitted when it comes to the men we chose to tango with. The dating struggle truly is real.

But ladies, its time for us to be real. How many of us have written off a guy because of some foible (he over-references Star Wars) or a bad habit (like leaving the toilet seat up), when we didn’t even get a chance to see his quality? Little did you know that guy you dumped last week takes his grandma out for breakfast every Sunday, he tutors high-school geometry for free, and even does standup comedy on the weekends. But man, leaving the toilet seat up was a deal-breaker!

There are so many great men out there that have the qualities we really need, if only we can look past their quirks. From one imperfect and sometimes picky lady to another, these are qualities in a man you should really be looking for:

1. He is straightforward

He isn’t afraid to tell you “how it is”, and at first, this is a hard quality to come to terms with. We are so used to living in a passive-aggressive world where we shrug things off, or just say “It’s okay” and let the emotions fester. A straightforward and honest man wants to really know what’s wrong because he wants to help. Unfortunately with this comes “tough love”, because you are going to hear things that you really don’t want to here. But, in the long run its best to here it head on and deal with it.

2. He can laugh at himself

Life is tough, and it’s even tougher if you take it too seriously. That’s why it’s important to have a co-pilot who isn’t afraid to laugh at himself when things go to hell. Why? Because fit hits the shan more often than not, and would you rather be with Gordon Ramsay or Seth Rogen when you get in a fender bender on the way to your boyfriend’s promotion party?

3. He is generous with his time

It is a cliché, but we women like things—flowers, shoes, jewellery, chocolate. So when that Hallmark holiday rolls around we expect our man to give us these things and If he doesn’t deliver, he obviously doesn’t care about our relationship.

This couldn’t be further from the truth!

Men who give their time rather than money are rarities. A man who will give you his attention is more precious than that Coach bag you’ve been coveting. Contrary to popular culture, being frugal with your money is important, because if you are going to be with someone for the long haul, you want to know you will be financially set. A man who values time and memories over material things is priceless.

4. He is compassionate

One of the most powerful emotions is empathy, or the ability to comprehend and embrace someone else’s trials or jubilation. A man who can understand your sorrow but also take joy in your joy is beautiful. He always tries to put himself in other people’s shoes so he can see the world as it is, and do his best to move forth in a positive manner.

5. He learns from his mistakes

By default, we humans are all imperfect creatures and make more mistakes than we will ever admit. Given that, the best quality a man can possess is the ability to say “I was wrong” and to move forward to fix it. The greatest minds in the world and the most successful entrepreneurs have experienced failure and defeat, but instead of hiding from it, they openly embrace it. A good man will admit he is wrong, a great man will admit he is wrong and will become a better person because of it.

Important Things You Will Learn From Dating an Independent Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Morris Mshota) — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 20:26:00 +0000

A lot of people imagine that independent women are some sort of mystical creature, or maybe a goddess or even a myth. However, independent women are very real, very successful, and loads of fun to get to know. They have weaknesses and strengths just like everybody else but they are beautifully determined and unarguably have power to better the world. So, what is it like to date an independent woman?

1. She will inspire you

Independent women have the capacity to face life’s challenges with a courageous heart. They have fears of failure like everyone else, but more than anything they are afraid of going through life without fulfilling their potential. Their “I-can-do-anything” personality will sure shake your perceptions about how you may be living your own life, and inspire you to achieve your dreams.

2. She does not believe in clinginess

Want a woman that is totally obsessed with your looks and cannot help but be all over you in private and in public? Then an independent woman is not for you. Independent women know how to show their love, and the appropriate times to do so. They understand that a ‘significant other’ is a part of their lives and not their entire life. In short, they have a life outside of you.

3. She may be help-deprived

The most amazing characteristic about the independent woman is also her biggest enemy. Her independence may get in the way of asking for help. She may see asking for help as a sign of weakness or an interposition. Step in and offer to help but be sure not to overstep your boundaries. If she says “no” to your offer for help, leave it at that and wait until she changes her mind.

4. She needs a strong significant other

Independent women need someone that understands them and gives them their space. Only a significant other that has a life of their own and who values independence will be able to meet the independent woman’s needs.

5. She loves to travel alone

Independent women are not afraid to take an adventure on their own. Whether they go down to the beach or halfway around the world, they see traveling alone as the freedom they need to make the most of their traveling experience.

6. She may have few friends

Independent women can be very intimidating! For this reason, independent women tend to have a lot of acquaintances but very few close friends. Because of their I-can-do-it-on-my-own attitude, sometimes they may not be approachable. However, when you embrace their attitude of independence you will sure gain a close and loyal companion.

7. She is not afraid to be alone

No friends available Tuesday night to try out that new Thai place around the corner or to watch the latest Matthew McConaughey movie? Not a problem for the independent woman. The independent woman is not afraid of sitting alone and having a “romantic” evening where she gets to clear their thoughts and ponder new ideas. She is also not the least bit intimidated of sitting alone in a movie theater and enjoying the show.

8. She thrives on her independence

Everyone at work slacking on the latest assignment? While super frustrating, that is quite alright for the independent woman. She knows what she is capable of accomplishing and isn’t afraid to take on whatever career challenges come her way. She thrives on working alone and because she controls the outcome.

9. She loves to love

While she may seem distant at times, the independent woman loves to love. She may not be the most affectionate partner but she is stunningly thoughtful in how she displays her love.

10. She follows Shakespeare’s advice

Finally, the independent woman loves to follow Shakespeare’s advice—”To thine own self be true”—and she takes it to heart. She knows who she is and what she wants. Don’t mistake her firmness for rudeness, she just knows when to say “no” and when to move on. Don’t be afraid to embrace her self-worth and appreciate her candid take on how she should be treated.