How Parents Spy on Their Children
by JediMaster666 (jedimaster666@hotmail.com)
I realize that some of you out there are saying, "What the hell do kiddies know? Why even spend the time to write this?" Well, you were a kiddie once and the only way to ensure that the kiddies of tomorrow will know anything is if the asshole parents of today don't have a chance to get to the kiddies of today.
First off, I would like to say that it is best to be honest to your parents. But let's face it - they might not understand. I would like to stress that the topics contained here are a last resort. Try and explain everything to your parents. But if they still need some stick from ass removal, then try this stuff.
First, a PO Box is a good way to keep your mail from your parents. I would not recommend using friends because you are giving them the power to screw with your mail; it's pretty much giving the same power to another person. But if you are trying to keep costs down, take out a PO Box with another person and agree to only check it together. That way, the other person has money riding on it too and if something goes wrong you can just stop paying for the box. The other thing worth having is a Hotmail address. Or any free Internet e-mail so you can have an account to access anywhere without other people having access to it.
Second is hiding hard copies of evidence. You can get real creative with this one. Try keeping everything you can on disk. That way you can just say it is stuff for school. Encryption might be useful if your parents are real suspicious. Avoid obvious names for files like "hacking" and stuff like that. Try keeping a number system for your files.
Like naming them 00000001.txt or 12345678.txt. This also is good for the writing on the labels of disks. But this means you need a key to refer to in order to know what you have. I recommend keeping an entire disk for this. Show the name of the file, what disk it is on, and what is in the file in brief.
Also try renaming the extensions. Instead of .txt, name it .mmp or something. .tmp works well because most programs won't associate to it. That way there is no association for the file and I doubt your parents would systematically try applications until they found one that would read the file.
Sorry to all you Mac users, I don't know much about them so I can't tell you much.
Encryption is sometimes a bit obvious so the above could do quite nicely. Hiding physical items is a bit harder a situation. If your school is a bit lax about searching lockers, hide things there. If you do this, there is a way to test to see when and how often your lockers get searched. Put a piece of clear tape over the keyhole in the lock or on the locker itself. The school doesn't bother with having the combination; they have a key for that. Do this with ten people who share a locker near you. That way you can see how many times the tape is broken or removed. Try to develop a pattern. If you keep items in there, don't let anyone know. The school will go crying to your parents, then you are double busted.
Also, don't give anyone a reason to search your locker. Don't steal anything or sell anything the school wouldn't approve of. If the lock on the locker is independent of the actual unit, (if it is locked with a Master Lock or something) buy your own lock and put it on an empty locker. Try to make the lock blend in. With this technique, if the lockers get searched, you can't get blamed because the locker is not in your name. Papers are easier to hide. Just take all the schoolwork for one semester and get it in a big pile. Stick any docs you want in there. Try to dedicate an entire dresser drawer or a shelf. It is hard to find a needle in a haystack so try to keep some organization to it. If you don't like the other options, be creative. Put posters on your ceiling and hide what you want between the poster and the ceiling. Put things in a light fixture, remove the bulb, and use a lamp for light. Put your current issue of 2600 in the case of your computer. (Be careful there is no seal that when broken prevents warranty work.) Whatever you do make sure it blends in and doesn't interfere with normal operation. An 8.5" by 11" bulge in a poster might be suspicious.
Finally we come to how to hide things on a computer. Try making directories in your system directory, or in an application's Program Files folder. People won't suspect a thing as long as it looks good. Try using folder names like bin or dll (see the part on renaming files to make it look better). Clear your History folder in whatever web browser you use if you check hacking sites. Be sure to also empty the Temporary Internet Files. If you install programs you don't want your parents to know about, delete the shortcuts from the Desktop and Start Menu.
In conclusion, I would just like to restate that being honest with your parents is good, but if they don't understand you need to take certain measures.
If you have any question comments or need more ideas email me at: jedimaster666@hotmail.com