How to protect privacy when renting a server?

[m107]

I think LR payment will be safe

m107 Reviewed by m107 on 26th Dec 2010. How to protect privacy when renting a server? Hi! I would like to know if you guys have any tips regarding privacy: What do you think is the best way to protect privacy? Fake info - then what if they ask for ID? Real info to a trusted provider? - then how to be shure that they won't give it out? I know that giving a fake info will not make us invisible, as it will still be possible to trace me (paypal account, etc) but well, i guess it would make things a bit more complicated... Any tips? Thanks! :) Rating: 5

[Sandino]

Giving fake info is really the worst thing that you can do, if you cannot trust a host then maybe you should not be using that host.

Hosts ask for real info mostly for security. If something were to happen to your account, and you give fake info -- how can you prove it is really your account? You screw yourself over because they can just close your account.

Another thing is that, noone is untouchable -- so stop thinking you wont get caught, if a government agency really wants to find you..... THEY WILL.

Hosts usually also have a privacy statement stating that they WILL give your information to the authorities with a warrant. No host will be willing to go to court for you for only a couple hundred dollars a month. (Probably different if you pay thousands and are a good customer, but mostlikey not since legal fees can be expensive and mostlikely they'll lose the case).

So unless you're hosting **********, or email spam, the likely hood of you actually getting into trouble or the feds looking for you are very, very slim.
So chillax


Ps.... there's no such thing as "bulletproof" & with the right persuasion those hosts will take you down in a heart beat.

Also with domains, every registrar still has to be icann accredited, so your domain can be taken down at anytime by the feds, so like hosting, nowhere is "safe", there are just places where you can receive more time, hideout for a bit, etc. Again if they want you down, you will go down, no questions asked. (That's why they're trying to come up with. P2p domain)

[kolaps]

Hey, Thanks guys for your answers and ideas! For sure it's impossible to be really safe, but as far as p2p links goes, it's legal / a grey area in different countries and it is still cheaper for MPAA and the like to ask you to remove the content / links from your board than starting a court case in that country... (Some torrent sites are very big and still up - and in my case it's not a big project tho) I'm not too worried about domain names, there are a few trustable companies - as far as p2p goes - but about hosting i don't know... I was thinking that server.lu could be a good choice, but from what I read, they are cheap not not that safe (took down like 30 sites in 2009 - don't know if they gave away personal info of their customers though, and don't know either what luxembourg law says about links, copyright and p2p....). Don't really need a russian spamm-friendly host as I don't plan to do any spamm and won't mind remove a few links from my board when asked to. Sweden would probably the better place for me to be right now.. But still a bit expensive when you are only at the beginning of a project Did anybody here tried Ecatel (nl)? Sounds like even if there is BREIN links to torrents are legal in the Netherlands? Anyway, .p2p domain will be cool, but I don't expect that to be available before some time - an exiting project tough! (.p2p domain + tor onion hosting...

[kolaps]

For those interested in the server.lu case: http://www.p2pnet.net/story/22037

[so19]

Fake info and don't be a dumbass and keep the server safe. Never use real info if you are going into any grey area. Your hosts will give up your information in a heartbeat to an agency if they have proper reason. Then they can easily sue you, no matter what country you're in.

To be even more paranoid, use a proxy when logging into the customer area of your host.

[bxflow]

Fake info and don't be a dumbass and keep the server safe. Never use real info if you are going into any grey area. Your hosts will give up your information in a heartbeat to an agency if they have proper reason. Then they can easily sue you, no matter what country you're in.

To be even more paranoid, use a proxy when logging into the customer area of your host.

You can provide all fake info you want, if the gov't really wants u they will find you.

[kolaps]

Yep. And to find a trustful host anyway, at least somebody who won't care... Thanks for your advices guys

[SplitIce]

Reverse Proxy. See My sig. This is the reason I created the service

[kolaps]

Yes SplitIce, i'm thinking about it.
That's a good idea but as I want to scrape torrents etc from the server I would prefer an host that I can trust anyway.

bxflow: shure they'll find you, even if you use a VPN and stuff. Might take time but still possible, but well, we aren't criminals, hey..

The only way to be anonymous would be to host on i2p or tor network and take some precautions. The main problem with 'normal' hosting is that you have to pay, and that means that at one point or another it has to be linked to somebody (or might be a donation account created for this purpose, for example?) - wonder how much money we can have on the account before paypal ask for a verification tho...