Asset Protection BLOG - Mark Nestmann

What Your PC Knows About You

If someone could secretly stand behind you and monitor everything you've done on your PC, what would they discover about you that you would prefer to keep private?  Thanks to new technologies that secretly track everywhere you go on the Internet, that's an appropriate comparison of the threat you face unless you take advance precautions.

Perhaps you've never visited a Web site you wouldn't want your spouse, your children, your neighbors, or the FBI to know about.  Perhaps you really do have "nothing to hide."  But if you do, you'll want to understand the threat to your privacy—and what you can do to protect yourself.

The centerpiece of this threat is a tracking technology that records what Web sites you visit, what links you click on, and what types of search engine questions you ask.  If you've entered personal information into applications that use these technologies, that data is stored as well.  All of it is written to hidden directories on your hard disk.  And there it stays—permanently—unless you know how to delete it.

Usually what's recorded is innocuous.  You might not mind that your hard disk has a record of the movies you've rented, the fact that you're interested in photography, or that you want to take pilot lessons.  And you might not object to the fact that the companies that create these hidden directories sell the information.  For instance, a company selling photographic supplies would surely be interested in presenting an advertisement for its services to someone with a proven interest in photography.

However, perhaps your interests are a bit more controversial.  Or even if they're not, perhaps someone with access to your PC has less conventional preferences than you.  In that event, the data in the hidden directories could possibly come back to haunt you, should your PC ever be compromised—or searched by law enforcement.

Say, for instance, that you—or someone with access to your PC—watch a controversial video on the Internet.  Guess what?  The Web site serving up the video to your browser most likely plants a tracking beacon on your hard drive, where it stays—potentially, forever.  Erasing "cookies" in your browser will NOT delete these beacons!

The largest offender in this regard is probably a program called Adobe Flash Player (AFP).  Many Web sites use AFP to deliver audio and visual content.  But AFP also creates a hidden directory on your hard disk to track the Web sites you visit, especially those with interactive or multimedia features.  Companies that plant the beacons use them to personalize your browsing experience, and also sell the data they contain to direct marketing companies. 

Since you can't delete these files from your browser, the most practical way to deal with them is to install a browser add-on program to manage and delete them.  One such program is "Better Privacy," an add-on for Firefox.  You can download it at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6623/.  I've configured Better Privacy to delete all AFP beacons when I shut down my browser.

I also suggest that you configure AFP to minimize tracking altogether.  You can adjust its settings using a virtual control panel at: http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/help09.html. 

I've adjusted the settings on my PC to always deny access to my PC's camera or microphone, never storing any content, and deleting all records of Web sites I've visited that use AFP.  Those settings, together with the Better Privacy add-on, seem to have rid my PC of "beacons"—at least those from AFP.  These settings limit functionality on some Web sites, but so long as you configure AFP to allow programs to ask you for permission to store content, you can control which ones have access to your PC.  When you exit your browser, Better Privacy deletes them.

Incidentally, none of AFP's tracking software violates any U.S. law; at least none of which I'm aware.  And don't look to the government for help—law enforcement agencies surely find beacons on your PC a highly informative tool to track your Web browsing behavior.

With big business and big government collaborating to invade your online privacy, you have only one resource to depend upon—yourself.  So if you don't want permanent records of your online life residing on your hard drive, don't call your Congressman for help.  You alone must take responsibility for protecting your online privacy.

Copyright © 2010 by Mark Nestmann

Dominica Airport Certified for Night Landings

By P. T. Freeman

The Commonwealth of Dominica isn't easy to reach from most parts of North America.  Unless you book a red-eye flight into the Caribbean, or live near the east coast, you must overnight in Barbados, Antigua, St. Maarten or San Juan.  Melville Hall, the main airport, and also tiny Canefield airport, close at evening civil twilight.

That's about to change, thanks to a recently completed upgrade to Melville Hall. Renovations included lengthening the runway, and installing landing lights, an instrument approach, along with other navigational facilities.  The immigration/customs hall and departure lounge were also refurbished.  

International air regulatory agencies have certified the renovations, and the carrier responsible for most flights into Melville Hill, LIAT, recently completed a successful landing at night.  LIAT and other Caribbean carriers can now offer arrivals and departures to and from Dominica after nightfall.  This ends the need for an overnight stay to reach Dominica from many parts of North America.  

It's hard to overstate the importance of this development to the development of Dominica's eco-tourism industry, a major source of foreign exchange. Keep an eye on the coming few months for the schedule changes on LIAT: http://www.liatairline.com/.

U.S. and Canadian visitors to Dominica enter visa free on their respective passports.  Visitors with Dominica passports—such as those who have acquired "economic citizenship" there—should present their Dominican passports upon entry.  

(The Commonwealth of Dominica is one of a handful of countries that offer citizenship and passport in exchange for an economic contribution.  It has the most affordable program, with total costs for a single applicant around US$100,000.  The government of Dominica lists The Nestmann Group, Ltd. as an officially recognized consultant for economic citizenship in Dominica.  For more information on how you can obtain economic citizenship in Dominica, contact info@nestmann.com.)

How Many Laws Have You Broken Today?

If you're like most Americans, you violate numerous laws each day, probably without even knowing it.

As I wrote in a blog entry nearly three years ago, in New Jersey, you can be arrested for driving by your own home.  In Florida, a man was sentenced to six years in prison for carrying cash.  In Pennsylvania, a woman faces prison for yelling obscenities at her clogged toilet. You can even be imprisoned for the crime of withdrawing lawfully earned currency from your own bank account.

Over the past three years, the trend toward what I call "criminalization" of everyday conduct has only intensified.  (Criminalization is the conversion of conduct that was once considered a contractual dispute, or merely socially stigmatized, into a criminal offense.)

Now, according to federal prosecutors in New Jersey, violating a Web site's "terms of service" constitutes a crime. Under this interpretation, if you disregard—or simply fail to read (or understand) the lengthy and legalistic service agreement of any Web site, you risk imprisonment!

The defendants in this case purchased tickets in bulk from an online ticket reselling business, Wiseguy Tickets.  They stand accused of reselling the tickets at a higher price, in violation of Wiseguy's terms of service.  Prosecutors also brought hacking charges against the defendants for bypassing technical measures to prevent bulk purchases.  But it's the criminalization of violating a Web site's terms of service that concerns me the most.

Most Web sites say they can change their terms of service anytime. To avoid prosecution under this theory, you'd need to read a multiple pages of legalese every time you log in to your favorite Web site.  Even entering a fake name on a social networking Web site may be a crime!  Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles indicted a woman because she violated a social network's terms of service.  Fortunately, the trial judge threw out the case.

And there's no reason why this trend is limited to the online world. Imagine that you purchase a new car from your local dealer.  You drive it for a few months, never bothering to read the terms of service in the back of the manual.  One day you get pulled over for a traffic ticket.  The cop asks you where you buy your gas.  "From wherever it's cheapest," you reply.  "Wrong answer," says the cop, as he puts you in handcuffs.  It turns out that the terms of service stipulate that you must purchase all your gas from a specific gas station recommended by the dealer.  If you don't, under the DOJ's latest pet theory of criminalization, you'd be committing a crime.

Naturally, there's no way that police can arrest you every time you knowingly or unknowingly violate the terms of service for an online—or offline—product or service.  But the potential for arrest is always there, giving prosecutors wide discretion in pursuing the most visible—or more likely, the most politically viable—of such "crimes." 

The trend won't reverse itself until we convince lawmakers that criminal sanctions aren't necessarily the best way to deal with moral, social, or political problems and disputes.  Let's hope that time comes soon—although I'm not holding my breath!

Copyright © 2010 by Mark Nestmann

The Luggage Cart "Police" Arrive in Cancun

By P. T. Freeman

Returning to the Caribbean after a trip to South East Asia, I had an overnight connection in Cancun, Mexico.  After going through passport control (Migracion) and customs (Aduana) I exited the customs facility with a luggage cart that had my bags on it.  Immediately after that, I encountered a sign stating "No Luggage Carts Beyond This Point."   Just beyond that was an army of porters blocking the passageway.  

Evidently, the porters were strategically positioned to enforce the "no luggage cart" rule.  Most passengers complied, but others, including myself, did not.  Obviously, this is a racket designed to create work for the porters so they could earn tips.

While I appreciate the challenges of living and working in a country like Mexico, I strongly object to "make work" policies that exist at the expense of airline passengers.  Why should passengers should be required to remove their bags from a cart and forced to hire a porter to carry them approximately 30 remaining meters?

Faced with this situation, I followed the path of non-compliance, and retained my baggage cart.  Four porters immediately confronted me.  They demanded that I remove my baggage from the cart.  When I refused, two porters became confrontational and I became confrontational in return.  I retained my cart as long as possible and refused to allow the porters to transport my bags.  They cursed at me as I was leaving, to which I responded with a big smile.

The point of this story is that when you arrive in Cancun or any other airport, you shouldn't be forced to use porter services.  While I use porters on occasion, this should be optional, not required.  Incidentally when I voluntarily use porter services, I tip generously.

Perhaps if enough people follow the practice that I did, eventually the airport authority will prohibit such strong-arm tactics!

(P.T. Freeman is a pseudonym for a friend and business associate who is a former U.S. citizen.)

What's Your Identity Worth?

Identity theft has met the law of supply and demand.  The law of supply and demand won.

Yes, identity theft is now so pervasive that the value of individual identities has fallen sharply.  What's more, a wealthy person's identity, with perfect credit, isn't worth much more than a deadbeat's identity.

That value, by the way, is about $10, perhaps a little more.  Just a few years ago, the black-market price for a pilfered identity was $100 or more.  But today, hackers are stealing so many more identities, that the value of each one has sharply declined.  

Indeed, about 11 million Americans suffered some form of data compromise in 2009.  Many of these victims suffered nothing worse than fraudulent charges on a credit card, but identity theft is a crime with the potential to turn your life upside down.  (If you have any doubt, read these horror stories).

Most identity theft stems from lax security at department stores, credit card processing centers, hotels, the military, and universities.  

If you serve in the military or attend a university, you can't do much to prevent identity theft stemming from lax security at these institutions.  Pay cash at department stores and hotels to prevent hackers from picking your credit card number out of a poorly secured data stream.  At hotels, though, you'll probably need a credit card to check in.  Pay cash in advance, and ask the hotel clerk not to authorize any payment on it unless there's an outstanding balance.

An increasing number of hackers target individual victims over the Internet.  Identity thieves may pose as your friend on Facebook, and then steal whatever personal information you reveal.  They can also trick you into visiting a fraudulent Web site posing as a legitimate one.  This is common with online banking scams, where identity thieves drain your account after stealing your log-on password.  Then they try to steal enough personal information to apply for credit in your name.  

The antidote for dealing with online identity theft is to be skeptical.  Do you really need 14 million friends?  That's the approximate number of friends Lady Gaga now has on Facebook.  Ask strangers who want to be your friend, "How do you know me?" If your new "friend" tells you that another friend referred them to you, ask that friend for confirmation.

A common ruse on or off social networking Web sites is an e-mail with an infected file attachment.  If you click on the attachment, a remote administration "Trojan Horse" program may take over your PC.  From that point forward, the Trojan may send everything you type or view to points unknown.

Another common scam is a bogus email, allegedly from a bank or online merchant.  The message contains a link routing you to an authentic-looking, but phony, Web site.  There, you're prompted to enter sensitive information such as your password, your Social Security number, etc.  A hacker may even plant malicious software in the servers that direct traffic on the Internet.  Even if you type in the correct address of a website (e.g., of a bank), the software sends you to a bogus one, where thieves can steal your personal information.  

Protect yourself by never clicking on unfamiliar attachments or entering personal information into an online form in response to an unsolicited e-mail message.  If you're not sure, call the company sending you the e-mail.  Don't call any number listed in the message, either.  It's probably a fake listing.  Instead, call the number on any statement the company has sent you, or look it up.  

Fortunately, it's difficult even for the best hackers to duplicate the "look and feel" of a commercial website.  Also, be alert to misspellings.  Another tip-off is if the website doesn't display the "lock" icon at the bottom of your screen.  If you have any suspicion the website isn't real, again, call the company.  

More advanced "spyware" installs itself on your PC as soon as you view an infected Web page in your browser or e-mail reader.  Protect yourself against this attack by using a free program called No-Script.  It's available for Firefox, and it preemptively blocks all potentially dangerous content from being loaded into your browser.  You can authorize individual components of the Web page to load by right clicking on the No-Script icon.  For Web sites you trust completely, instruct No-Script to load the entire page.

Identity theft is big business.  It's not going away anytime soon, either, because both online marketing companies and the government find the data you leave behind very useful.  So don't rely on the government to come up with a "solution" to identity theft.  Rely on yourself.

Copyright © 2010 by Mark Nestmann

RFID Tags on Your Underwear: No Reason to Panic

Lots of things concern me.  Wal-Mart's recent announcement that it would begin inserting radio-frequency identification devices (RFIDs) to tag certain clothing items isn't one of them.

Perhaps it was an unfortunate choice that Wal-Mart decided it would begin inserting what it calls "smart tags" on underwear.  What, exactly, does Wal-Mart want to track in your pants?  Nothing at all, it turns out.  All that it plans to do with the tags is keep better control over its inventory. 

Some privacy advocates have expressed concern that the tags "can't be turned off" and that they're "trackable."  Well, if the tags could be turned off in the store, and weren't trackable, they wouldn't help Wal-Mart manage their inventory. 

Fortunately, you can take off the tag without damaging your new pair of underwear.  But that leads to a new concern from some privacy advocates, who fear that marketing companies will begin scanning your garbage to track what you've purchased by the RFID tags you've discarded.

Well, maybe.  But I think the concerns about RFID tags are misplaced.  The real threat RFID poses, as I've written previously, is their use in identity documents.

Researchers have shown it's relatively easy to read data on RFID chips from a considerable distance.  One researcher recently read an RFID tag from over 200 feet away.  It's also possible to clone the new RFID chips used in supposedly "ultra-secure" passports.  One researcher even succeeded in replacing his own photo in an RFID-equipped U.K. passport with one of Elvis Presley, and even got a boarding pass for "Elvis"—30 years after his death.

And here's where the Wal-Mart initiative gets a little scary.  Once Wal-Mart and other stores apply RFID tags to their entire inventory, they could surreptitiously scan visitors to the store to instantly identify that person from whatever RFID-equipped identification document they're carrying.  They could then custom-tailor offers for the visitor based on past purchasing patterns.

Again, I'm less concerned by this privacy intrusion particular application than with others.  What happens if you're in an airport and terrorists who want to kidnap Americans begin surreptitiously reading RFID-equipped identification documents to identify U.S. citizens or residents?  Or if an enterprising identity thief figures out a way to match the data on your identification documents with your credit card numbers, Social Security number, etc.?

To protect yourself, consider the following precautions:

• If you carry any identification document with an RFID chip, keep it wrapped in foil except when you need to use it.  That makes it less vulnerable to remote cloning.
• When you check into a hotel, rent a vehicle, or carry out any other transaction abroad that requires you to present this document, don't let it out of your sight. 

Unfortunately, I can't recommend the most effective self-defense mechanism: to put your RFID passport in a microwave oven and switch it on for a few seconds.  That will destroy the RFID chip, but tampering with a passport is punishable by 25 years in prison.  Compared to that, identity theft is a small price to pay.

Copyright © 2010 by Mark Nestmann

The Second Amendment Doesn't Apply Outside U.S. Borders

U.S. citizens have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms.  The scope of that right is a source of constant debate, but the Supreme Court recently affirmed the right of individuals to own firearms.  Cities, states, and the federal government are free to regulate firearms sales, transport, and ownership, but America's highest court has made it clear that the government can't ban firearms ownership altogether.

When you leave the United States, however, the laws are very different—and generally, much more restrictive. 

Mexico, for instance, also guarantees the right of its citizens to possess firearms. But in practice, it's difficult to legally own a firearm larger than .22 caliber.  All guns must be registered. And if you're visiting Mexico, forget about bringing in a gun without first obtaining permission from the government.  If police or border agents discover unregistered firearms—or even ammunition—in your vehicle or on your person, you may face up to a 30-year prison term.  Even possession of a pocketknife is punishable by a five-year prison sentence!

Canadian law is more reasonable.  You can import most semi-automatic rifles and shotguns with a barrel length of 18.5 inches or longer simply by making a declaration at the border.  Most handguns are restricted and require transport authorization.  You must transport restricted firearms in a locked case and equip them with locked safety devices to prevent firing.

Gun laws in the Caribbean are very strict.  In the Dutch territories, for instance, to import a firearm you must file a petition with the Minister of Justice requesting an importation permit.  If the permit is granted, you must deliver the firearm into police custody.  You then file another petition with the Minister of Justice requesting permission to possess the firearm, even if you simply with to keep it at home for self-protection.  The Minister forwards the petition to the police, who often require a psychological test as well as a firearms proficiency test.  At least 80% of the time, the petition is denied.  This entire process is repeated annually, as weapon permits are only valid one year at a time.  Possessing a firearm without a permit issued by the Minister of Justice is a criminal offense, which carries a term of four years imprisonment.  However, the permit allows you to carry the firearm as well as keep it at home--it doesn't differentiate between the two. 

Panama, in contrast, makes it relatively easy for residents to own and import firearms.  After qualifying for Panamanian residence, you visit a gun store, consent to a police background check, and submit a blood and urine sample.  Several months later you will receive a permit, which allows you to purchase a registered firearm at a gun store.  Residents may also import firearms, but only after police have taken a ballistic sample.  One you own a registered firearm, you can carry it with you, either openly or concealed.

European laws are generally quite strict when it comes to gun ownership.  Luxembourg bans ordinary citizens from owning any firearm.  France, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom permit private ownership of firearms, but only with severe restrictions.  U.K. law, for instance, requires you to apply for permission to own a firearm and list a reason why you need it.  Self-defense is not considered a valid reason.  However, some European countries have more liberal firearms laws.  In Austria and Switzerland, every law-abiding citizen has a legal right to buy handguns, although you must first obtain a license.  Numerous Swiss cantons permit anyone possessing a firearms license to carry a concealed handgun.

As you can see, the situation relating to firearms laws throughout the world is complex.  If you plan on taking a firearm to another country, research the law before you leave.  Don't assume the Second Amendment extends beyond U.S. borders—it doesn't!

Copyright © 2010 by Mark Nestmann

Traveling to Myanmar on a Dominican Passport

By P. T. Freeman

I'm in Yangon, Myanmar after a long airplane ride across the Pacific from Canada and an overnight layover in Thailand. 

Entering Myanmar on my Commonwealth of Dominica passport was uneventful, as it has been for most other countries I have entered using it.  Since Dominica is a small, peaceful country, it doesn't draw undue attention—or hostility—as the U.S. passport I once carried does.  I find I'm much more free and inconspicuous while traveling on a Dominica passport. 

I landed at the Yangon airport, went down the escalator at the new terminal and went to the desk marked "Visa on Arrival".  The uniformed officer behind the desk gave me a one-page application to complete.  I also needed to provide a passport-size photograph.  I've learned to carry several of these with me when I travel internationally.

A few minutes after I submitted the form with my passport and photo, the officer instructed me to pay $30.  When I did so, he returned the passport to me with a Myanmar visa stamp.  Once I gave him my Disembarkation Card, I was admitted to Myanmar.  Next, I went to Passport Control where my particulars were entered into a computer and another photo taken.  Finally, I reclaimed my luggage at Baggage Claim, cleared Customs, and finally exited the terminal.

Many countries have a visa on arrival system.  While you will have a short wait at the visa desk, the system is convenient and relatively hassle-free.  Since border authorities now have the ability to check computer databases within seconds, look for this system to expand. 

Since I obtained citizenship-for-life in Dominica 11 years ago, I have traveled around the world on my Dominican passport.  I've only been questioned about it once, at London's Gatwick Airport, where the immigration officer asked if I still carried my U.S. passport.  After telling him "no," I was admitted into the UK without further delay. Also, on a trip to Switzerland, when I arrived in Geneva, the immigration officer had never heard of Dominica before!  He consulted a manual, verified that Dominica is a sovereign nation, and admitted me immediately.

And Myanmar?  While Thailand calls itself the "Land of Smiles," I find it applies more in Myanmar than in Thailand.  Most people are poor and obedient, but that doesn't take from the friendliness that I encountered.  Very few tourists visit Myanmar, so the people are very solicitous to those who come.  

Until my next post, I wish you pleasant journeys on your Dominican passport!

(P.T. Freeman is a pseudonym for a friend and business associate.  A former U.S. citizen, P.T. now travels on a Dominican passport.  To learn how you can obtain a Dominican passport, contact info@nestmann.com.)