does anyone use or have used privoxy and tor proxy servers?

thomo

does anyone use or have used privoxy and tor proxy servers? im having trouble using them and would like some advice. im not sure if a post like this is allowed on boards so apologies if it isnt suitable. if its ok to do so could someone please get back to me. i would like some advice on the following Questions. does using a registered mobile broadband service defeat the point of using tor in the first place? why cant i sign up to webmail services when privoxy is on. i keep getting a message saying the server im using is not secure.

Cantab.

thomo wrote: »

does anyone use or have used privoxy and tor proxy servers? im having trouble using them and would like some advice. im not sure if a post like this is allowed on boards so apologies if it isnt suitable. if its ok to do so could someone please get back to me. i would like some advice on the following Questions. does using a registered mobile broadband service defeat the point of using tor in the first place? why cant i sign up to webmail services when privoxy is on. i keep getting a message saying the server im using is not secure.

Yep.

All the time.

Install privoxy and run it in the background (a little blue icon should appear in your system tray).

The firefox Tor button is class and makes life a walk in the park.

thomo

i cant sign up to webmail on it. i keep getting a message saying the server im using is not secure. has this happened to you. the tor site also recommends disabling java,javascript and flash players but this stops a lot of sites from working and therefore the point of using tor seems pointless unless its just to browse the web. can you help with any of this and do you know of any good forums specifically for tor and privoxy users. i find the info on their sites not very helpful, especially the privoxy site which is very technical and not suitable for a newbie

thomo

This is the message "Retrieval of secure URLs through a non-secure proxy is forbidden. This proxy is running on a non-secure server, which means that retrieval of pages from secure servers is not permitted. The danger is that the user and the end server may believe they have a secure connection between them, while in fact the link between the user and this proxy is insecure and eavesdropping may occur. That's why we have secure servers, after all. This proxy must run on a secure server before being allowed to retrieve pages from other secure servers. "

thomo

thats another problem i have with tor. if i use gmail dont cookies have to be allowed? this goes against tors advice. if gmails cookies are allowed they will log your ip address. therefore this defeats the point of using tor as you are then no longer anonymous

thomo

ok, does gmail only log your tor ip address then? i would use gmail if i knew it didnt log my proper ip. how do i use cookies correctly with tor. do you have any tips? ive been looking at the tor mailing list but first i need to set up an anonymous email address to use with it. also specific info is quite hard to find. its like looking for a needle in a haystack

thomo

thanks for the help. whats the difference between the zero and vidalia bundles by the way apart from the hassle of install. do you know if tor can run on a mobile phone or is it just compatible for a usb device. after installing does it matter which i open first. i have been opening firefox first and deleting any cookies on the machine and then connecting to privoxy and tor. should i do it the other way around. in general what are the dos and donts of using tor/privoxy? for example i was told not to online bank on it or use identifiable email adresses. are there other things to avoid. i also think its difficult to download or watch media while using it, any solutions or ways round this?

thomo

ive tried setting up a gmail account but i got this message on the registration page "We're sorry... ... but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. To protect our users, we can't process your request right now. We'll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, if you suspect that your computer or network has been infected, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your systems are free of viruses and other spurious software. We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we'll see you again on Google. " whats the reason for this, has it happened to anyone on here. i have java, javascript and cookies disabled in the firefox browser if that makes any difference

thomo

can you recommend a webmail service that works with tor

Black Swan

Haven't used Tor in some time. When I did, there seemed to be peaks and valleys in terms of people accessing it. During peak use times it was slow, sometimes so slow that I was timed out of some sites. In terms of security, assume that you are vulnerable. If you're trying to hide, there are several better ways.