My Apartment Managers just sent out an announcement they will be monitoring tenants

[ComputerQuestio]

I'm just curious what I can do for added security and reasonable privacy? In the last month, my apartment Internet has been mostly down. Now the apartment management just got all new routers and sent out a note to each door saying that they'll be randomly monitoring all the tenants Internet activity to make sure we don't do anything bad.

Personally, I'm not going to do anything bad on the Internet, but feel violated having someone monitoring me saying "Hmmm, this tenant is going to this one online banking website and so he must have an account with them.... Hmmm, he just went to Amazon.com, was looking at digital cameras, and then signed into a secure connection for buying things. He most likely just bought such and such digital camera." Even when people aren't doing anything bad, they still feel uneasy with the thought of someone watching them. When you're at a public computer, library, or university, you reasonably expect that the organization may be monitoring you. However, when you're at your apartment on your private personal computer connected to a security-enabled Internet connection, it's reasonable to expect some sort of privacy. On the contract for rent, it said that we'd be provided with Internet, but didn't say that we were going to be randomly monitored.

I was wondering if there's any way to make it so that as long as I don't do anything bad, they can't see what I do onlin? I don't care if I have to pay for the service. I don't think it's any of their business knowing what specific companies I bank with or what I buy online, even if they can't get certain information after I enter the encrypted connection stage of buying/banking. Would anonymizers help? I don't care about hiding my IP address from anyone, just having some reasonable privacy. I'm wondering if there's some sort of anonymizer where instead of pulling up an Internet screen, you click on a desktop icon and then it brings up some sort of client box, which you then sign onto which connects you to a place outside of the apartment area and then connects you with your Internet sites, so that others before that don't see what specific sites you connect to. Then you don't have to go to the anonymizer website each time you bring up a new Internet window. Being able to connect an Instant Messenger service through something like that would be great too. Does some sort of service like that, or kind of like that, exist?

Thanks for any advice any of you may have

[ComputerQuestio]

If they monitor me and see that I'm connecting through something like that and don't like it, I don't really see legally what they could do. The contract says that if I pay a certain amount of rent and abide by specified terms, then they will lease the place to me for eight months and provide certain services (Internet listed on list). Finding a way to avoid being seen on the Internet isn't a condition mentioned in the contract, and so if I fulfill my part of the contract they need to fulfill there's (Internet, place to stay, the services of a landlord mentioned).

[mjc]

That is just about the craziest thing I've ever heard of...

I know that you can and should expect to be monitored if you surf at work or school, but in an apartment? I guess that they are providing the network, so they set the terms...but still.

Can you get some sort of other service, like cable?

If it were me, I would tell them to take their network, wi-fi and all and stick it somewhere that doesn't get any sunshine...

But to answer your basic question...yes there are services available, but I don't know how effective they will be considering, that you want to become anonymous to what basically amounts to your 'gateway'. I think the best way to prevent their spying is to dump their service.

[PrntRhd]

If you agree to the apartment's terms of Internet use, you have to abide with the terms. If you are using their system, they get to make the rules.

Their likely concerns may be no child porn, no spamming...etc. Some of those rules might be reasonable, or they might be intrusive. I am not a lawyer and not intimately familiar with the laws of your location.

I won't give you ways to subvert their rules but will explain that VPN might get you some privacy where required for your financial security.

If the rules are too onerous, look for another apartment where you can get your own Internet.

[ComputerQuestio]

Their Internet rules weren't listed in the contract. I've heard that the legal relationship between landlord and tenant aren't "You're a guest on my property and so you do what I say", but rather it's a contract where both of you made the agreement that if you pay a certain rent and follow certain rules, you'll be leased the apartment area and receive certain services. The contract didn't say that we will be randomly monitored, and so if I find ways to evade their monitoring I wouldn't be breaking the contract. What if after the contract was signed they then made a rule that there will be no TVs allowed in the apartments? Since that's not included in the contract and it specifies you'll have a place to stay and certain services if you do this and that, would a rule like no TVs really be enforceable?

I've heard of VPN clients, but don't know too much about them. I have some sort of VPN program on my computer for connecting to the University's library services when you're not on one of their Internet connections. What are some trustworthy sources to look at for the the type of VPN that would be useful to me?

Thanks

[Whyzman]

Now the apartment management just got all new routers and sent out a note to each door saying that they'll be randomly monitoring all the tenants Internet activity to make sure we don't do anything bad.I would suggest asking your management company for something in writing outlining what they deem "bad," so you can stay on their good side...

Right now, it appears there are some assumptions on your part relating to undisclosed guidelines by management and privacy. What are those guidelines???

[YODA74]

Their Internet rules weren't listed in the contract.

Is this your computer?
Is the connection you have free with the rental or do you pay extra?

Do you have a copy of the origonal contract that you signed? If so take it to a lawyer that does contract law and have him look at it and show him the letter that the apartment management sent to you about the monitoring...I can almost smell an invasion of privacy law suit

The question I would be looking at is who is the actual ISP If the management is Not the isp they have no legal right to monitor what your surfing.. This is your home not a work place nor is it a school. Nor is the apartment under Sharia Law. You rent a dwelling and have the right to privacy It's just like owning your own home They do not have the right to even go into your home (even being a rental) with out your permission, They cannot monitor your phone calles nor can they set up a camera inside your dwelling nor tell you how you will live inside the apartment..

[FrankSG]

That is just about the craziest thing I've ever heard of...


If it were me, I would tell them to take their network, wi-fi and all and stick it somewhere that doesn't get any sunshine...


Yes, I would do the same thing. I would probably even mention the place that doesn't get any sunshine.:p

[yawningdog]

To quote Nickolas Cage in "Con Air"...
I trust two people in this world. One of em' is me, and the other one ain't you.
They can monitor their own network for content all they want, but I would never trust them with my info. If it's me, I'm outta there.

[Sylvander]

If you discover that your telephone calls on a private phone system have been intercepted without your consent or without notification that such interception might take place, then you may be able to claim against the person who intercepted them. (http://www.yourrights.org.uk/your-rights/chapters/the-right-to-privacy/telephone-tapping-and-interception-of-communications/other_forms_of_acceptable_inte.shtml)

Communications data is a statutory term which covers a variety of information likely to be held by, or be available to, a communications service provider such as a telephone company, postal company or internet service provider....
...for an ISP it will include details of the websites visited. Whilst access to this information will not involve intercepting a communication, it can still involve a substantial interference with a person's right to privacy. (http://www.yourrights.org.uk/your-rights/chapters/the-right-to-privacy/obtaining-and-disclosing-communications-data/index.shtml)

[ComputerQuestio]

Yoda,

I know that the ISP that they use is Quest MSN. Then they hire some networking guy from some networking company to set up the networks. The wireless networks are non-broadcast, security-enabled with a password connection. There's one non-broadcast router per two apartments, so you reasonable expect that there's going to be some sort of privacy since their protected with a password and no one else can see the SSID that you use on their wireless connection list since it's non-broadcast. Of course in this case the managers know it's their.

I tried connecting to my university's library using the library's special "VPN Client", and it looks like management or their network guy has blocked that, so now I can't look at the school's library online, even though before I could.

[ComputerQuestio]

Sylvander,

Do you know if the same laws that you posted would apply to the United States?

[Sylvander]

"Do you know if the same laws that you posted would apply to the United States?"
Unfortunately I don't.
When I do searches from here in the UK the sites brought up are almost always UK related.
I believe US law was originally based on old English law...
And anyway, all law tends to be the same or similar because justice is universal in nature.
Hence when the US enacts the freedom of information act, the UK follows suit soon after.
The right to privacy is so fundamental that all nations AUGHT to be in agreement.
Whether they are I don't know.

Here's some US Law...
The Fourth Amendment specifically mentions "houses" as a place where person have a right "to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures."...
Justice Scalia's opinion for the Court in Kyllo found thermal imager scans of a home to be "a search" that violated the homeowner's reasonable expectation of privacy: when it comes to information about the home, said Justice Scalia, "all details are intimate details, because the entire area is held safe from prying government eyes." (http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/homeiscastle.htm)

[Whyzman]

Again, I would ask for in writing the guide lines for using their internet service, and how they will be enforced.

Once you have these in writing, you can contact the Attorney General's office in the state in which you live and ask to speak to someone there to determine if what they are doing violates state law.

[johnny_quest]

just call the darn lawyer, they'll give you a free consultation and tell you if you have a case...

[classicsoftware]

On a scale from 1-10 your chance of having a case is -100000000. They are paying for a service. As part of paying for the service, they are responsible for what you do with the service. They are NOT invading your home. They are availing themselves of technology to make sure you are not downloading copyrighted material or any other illegal activity for which they would be held responsible. Since you have no relationship with the ISP, they have all of the culpability.

I would get off of their network and get on my own private DSL or cable account.

As long as you are using their service, you have to play by their rules....

[ComputerQuestio]

I was reading on my state court's .gov website that when a landlord leases an apartment, he/she gives up their right of access to that apartment for the lease/rent period. Other websites say that that translates to "a tenant has the same privacy rights as someone living in their own home".

I think maybe I'll just resort to anonymizers or VPN clients. That will be a lot cheaper than setting up a whole new service just for me. Hopefully they haven't blocked all VPN's out there, if that's possible.

[Sylvander]

Some quotes from my books:

Readers Digest DIY Manual; section on law for householders:
LEASES
...A means by which the owner of a property...gives...the tenant a right to exclusive possession for a fixed period.
[The landlord temporarily hands over his rights to the tenant in return for payment]
Leases of 3 years or longer must be made by a deed setting out the contract [see Covenants]...
In Scotland a lease of over 1 year must be in writing.
Where possession is not exclusive a tenant has...a licence to occupy, but the owner has the right to enter it.
A landlord is entitled to end a tenancy before the expiry date if the tenant breaks a covenant.
However, he must give 6 months' notice to a yearly tenant, a calendar month to a monthly tenant, and 4 weeks to a weekly tenant.
PRIVACY
The law recognises no general right to privacy.
Unless a [person] can prove persistent spying amounting to nuisance, there is no legal action he can take.

Good Housekeeping: Your Home and the law
Difficult to quote because so diffuse.
General idea is...
Although there is no general right to privacy, there are other possible remedies.
e.g. Committing a "Legal Wrong" [see Theories of Tort Law (http://www.seop.leeds.ac.uk/archives/spr2004/entries/tort-theories/)].
You might consider this a form of harassment by your landlord.
You might consider it constitutes a significant breach of your online security that interferes with the lawful exercise of your human rights.
Can the landlord be trusted with such information?
Does he breach the data protection act?
Is he holding/processing data with respect to identified/named individuals?
"The harassers behaviour must be seen by the court as intending to cause considerable inconvenience to you or your family".
You say his actions are preventing you gaining access to your university library online. That's a significant interference.
"Tenants have protection from harassment by their landlords."
e.g. Where he is...
"Creating difficult circumstances for the tenant to live in""

Tenant's right to quiet enjoyment of the lease
This is a right often inserted as a clause in written leases.
It is a criminal offence for a landlord to attempt to evict a tenant...
By harassing him.
Or trying to make the tenants life difficult, by...
Doing things that the court believes had as its basis a motive by the landlord to persuade the tenant to give up his right to occupy.

[PrntRhd]

As Variable pointed out in the other thread you started,
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=59525

a VPN gets you one secure connection to one site or PC.
The anonymizers could be an alternative for the whole web, however the local packets might still be able to be monitored on the apartment's network.

[mjc]

As Variable pointed out in the other thread you started,
http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=59525

a VPN gets you one secure connection to one site or PC.
The anonymizers could be an alternative for the whole web, however the local packets might still be able to be monitored on the apartment's network.

Didn't I say that in the beginning of this thing?


But to answer your basic question...yes there are services available, but I don't know how effective they will be considering, that you want to become anonymous to what basically amounts to your 'gateway'. I think the best way to prevent their spying is to dump their service.

Basically, you CAN'T be anonymous to your router/modem/gateway...

[PrntRhd]

Didn't I say that in the beginning of this thing?
Yes you did.
:)

[ComputerQuestio]

I'm exploring various anomizers to see what's good. Some of them will only let you connect during non peak hours and won't let you check email, unless you subscribe to their services. But $5 a month for some of them doesn't seem that bad.

Now apartment management is doing more to our Internet. A hear a lot of people complaining that both MSN and AOL Instant Messengers won't work. One guy said that it's because they've closed off some ports and they told him they wanted to prevent illegal file sharing and so that the Internet won't be slowed down for others by non-browsing activities (including gaming). Our connection speed is 3-4 Mbps anyway, so I don't really know if that would slow down our regular browsing speed? However, my Instant Messengers still work. I should make sure management doesn't find out that my AOL and MSN messengers work, or else that ability may be taken away from me also.

However, I found that I can't connect to the University's online library that you connect to with a password; the apartment router has blocked that off. It's kind of ironic because when a reasonable person signs up for a place that advertizes themselves as off-campus housing meant for University students and as having Internet, most people would assume that you would be able to connect to University resources. I also was having trouble with my Norton Internet Security the other day and their tech support gave me a ftp link to fix the problem. I found out that I couldn't connect to it because it was blocked off. I had to drive around until I found a church parking lot with Internet that wasn't security enabled, in order to download the file from Symantec Norton Internet Security. Then later I had trouble uploading some of my digital pictures to the Internet, so I went to that same church parking lot at 2 in the morning. A police officer knocked on my car window saying that it was kind of suspicious that I was sitting alone in a church parking lot at 2 in the morning. I told the officer that my apartment Internet was having issues and so I had to go elsewhere. The officer said "Oh" and then left me alone.

[yawningdog]

Be careful about using anonymizer proxies. They will mask your IP address and MAC address, but your IP packets are still unencrypted. In other words, your data is still as readable as if you sent it straight from your own machine, it just looks like it came from somewhere else.

If you're gaming, then you've no real need for any unusual security configuration. Same thing if you're just surfing the net. If you really are truly worried about getting hacked, nothing beats the good ol' sneaker net for secure file transfer.

[ComputerQuestio]

I'm not so concerned about privacy when gaming or downloading through ftp (I care about browsing privacy), but the fact that apartment management has gaming and ftp blocked because they're afraid someone will do something illegal. So now I can't do a lot of Internet activities that are perfectly legal.

[ComputerQuestio]

I downloaded iPig to my computer and signed up for their free server (where you get 10MB to try out free, or increments of 30GB of Internet traffic if you pay $30). If I go to a random parking lot and pick up a weak Wi-Fi signal, iPig will work. However, if I try to use it at my apartment, it'll try to connect and then say "Disconnected (host name, port it's set up to)", then it'll try again and never work. I think apartment management is blocking it, because the Cisco VPN client I use to connect to the University's library won't work either unless I go anywhere else. All ftps won't work here either, but they will if I drive around and find a random Wi-Fi signal.

If I were to some how convince apartment management to open up a port or something, what would I need them to open up to allow a VPN client like iPig to connect to the outside server that can tunnel all of my Internet activity?

If I got iPig VPN client to work, could I turn it on and route all ftps through it, or would ftp activity still be blocked? I use ftp to install freeware programs and to use tech support tools from Symantec for Norton Internet Security.

[classicsoftware]

This is truly amazing. You will NOT be able to defeat this. Not with a VPN and not with anonymizers. You have two choices:


Live with it as it is.
Purchase your own DSL or cable account


If you choose option 2, you can ask the landlord about getting a reduction if you do not use their service.

You can whine and complain all you want, but the fact is, they are paying for the service and they have control over the service.

[mjc]

As to your options, if you finally do decide on getting your own service...check around. Depending on your location, you maybe able to get phone/high speed internet bundled (or TV/internet/phone) together for a cheaper rate than the individual services...

[ComputerQuestio]

I understand, I'm not going to find a way to break through. However, that doesn't mean that I can't request that we be allowed to connect to the University's library. When you sign up for a place that advertises themselves as "off-campus student housing" and as "Internet included in the rent", it's not unreasonable to assume that you'll be able to connect to the University's resources. Most of the reason why people signed up for this place was because Internet is included in the rent and they wouldn't have signed for the 8 month lease if it wasn't.

If you go to a car rental place and their advertisement says that you can rent such and such cars for this amount of money, you would reasonable assume that the car you rent will start up and run, even if the advertisement doesn't say "All cars will start up and run." They're also the ones that paid for the cars so they can do whatever they want with them. However, that doesn't mean that customers wouldn't have the right to complain and request a car that runs, because a reasonable and prudent customer would assume under these circumstances that the car will run. Likewise, when a reasonable and prudent person signs up for a place that advertises themselves as "off-campus student housing" and "Internet included in rent", he/she reasonable assumes they won't be blocked from the University's online library journals. So I can always request that we be allowed to connect to the University's library, can't I? Isn't it worth a shot.

I'm just wondering what I need to request them to open up to allow Cisco VPN to connect to the University's library? I'm not so much worried about privacy anymore because I've found a bunch of free anonymizers online. They don't work for my online banking so I can just type https:// before to make it encrypted from them before I even start for my privacy (at least I think adding the s will do that?). I'm mostly worried about connecting to the University's library and using Symantec's website's tools. Would it be possible for them to block everything else, but to allow VPN access to the library and ftps to symantec.com? Maybe ftp to softpedia.com would be nice also, but that may be going to far because they don't want us doing illegal things.

[classicsoftware]

I'm not so much worried about privacy anymore because I've found a bunch of free anonymizers online.

Purge these from your mind. They have no effect on what your landlord sees.


They are the gateway.


Your PC--->Gateway--->Anonymzier. They see everything. Other people might not, but your gateway sees all.....

[Sylvander]

If I were in your position here in Scotland I'd phone the "Citizens Advice Bureau", and if they had no lawyer on hand, they'd advise me to contact any local lawyer for a free 30 minute consultation. [I did that recently]

My home contents insurance also includes cover for the cost of legal fees, but it would probably never come to that.
Would you be covered by your parents home insurance?

What you were saying in post #28 is spot on in my view.
"No taxation without representation".
Your landlord should not be making himself a reseller of internet services, but partially disabling the service.
You never agreed to accept these disablements.
I'd expect you could legally demand full/unaltered service or else...
Or else you'd purchase direct and withhold the cost of those full services from the rent you pay.
But you should first check your legal entitlements.

It may be assumed in law that if you fail to promptly object to his actions that your consent is implied.

[classicsoftware]

Sylvander, you are spot off. This has nothing to do with taxation without representation. This is not a tax. The Government levies taxes.

The landlord buys the internet. They are responsible for what happens with the Internet. If you download music illegally, they are responsible as they will not be able to tell who did it.

Their solution is stupid in my opinion, but it is legal and is designed to protect them from liability, which could he huge if you run afoul of the RIAA.

We can talk about this from now until the cows come home, but the answer is what I posted above, live with it or buy your own service....

[Whyzman]

What was stipulated in your rental agreement? In other words, what did you sign and agree to? There are laws governing landlords and renters both federal, state, and local. If the rental agreement violates the law it is considered a criminal matter. If you believe it does, you can contact the State District Attorney's Office and file a complaint.

If they have broken a law, the courts will enforce a remedy. If you believe you have been "damaged" due to their violation of a law you may initiate a tort action to recover your damages. Say, you incurred moving expenses, emotional pain and suffering, etc.,...to move to this complex because you thought you were getting free internet access.

If, for example, they say internet access is provided as part of your rental/lease agreement, and neglect to spell out that this access can only take place between the hours of 2-3 AM...it is possible they might have broken a law. There are certain expectations that might be covered by law...

classic brings up a good point in this regard, that the limitiations on your internet usage through the landlord might be covered by federal, state, or local laws, and the onus might not be the landlord's to spell those out to the tenants...again, depends on the laws that be. It would, even if covered by law, be a good public relations move to cover this sort of thing with prospective tenants by the landlord.

My suggestion is that if you believe there was "deception" on the landlord's part and they may have broken the law, to approach the District Attorney's Office and ask them to look into the matter. If they've broken a law...you may have recourse either through the State, and/or, a civil suit if you've suffered damages.

[ComputerQuestio]

Thanks for the help everyone