Ignoring cost considerations, which is more private: to join a pay-by-the-hour car-sharing program like ZipCar or Mint, to rent from a traditional car rental company like Alamo or Hertz, or own my own car with a NM LLC?

Also, does anyone know about the feasibility of using a pseudonym (or a NM or locally-based LLC) to register for a car-sharing program or to rent a car?

Borrowing or buying WiFi from a neighbor is risky !!! What if the neighbor is doing something illegal, then tries to finger you instead? What if the neighbor's cable company suddenly decides to start enforcing its terms of service? The whole point of privacy is to NOT involve third parties whenever possible!

I use the GoTrusted service to encrypt my communications to an "exit node" somewhere in the U.S. I also sometimes use the Tor-like "Secure Sessions" service provided with the Firefox Web browser on my IronKey brand secure flash drive. In either case, your cellular telephone provider will not be able to read the content of packets that you send to the exit node from which a connection is made to the Web site where you are browsing.

I'm using the GoTrusted service now. If Verizon (my cellular data modem provider) cared, they could learn the IP address of the exit node to which I am connecting, but they cannot read the data content of the packets.

If, instead, I were to use the Secure Sessions feature of my IronKey brand flash drive (see link below), Verizon could learn the IP address of the first of the three nodes through which I connect, but they would not know the IP address of the last of the three (the exit node), from which I connect to this site.

Most any e-mail provider can provide a secure socket layer (SSL) encrypted connection to their server (look for the "h t t p s" (without the spaces) in the URL). Some of them also make it easy to encrypt the messages end-to-end between your computer and your correspondent's computer, so that even while the messages are "at rest" in the e-mail provider's servers they are still encrypted. I think that previous posts have mentioned some such providers. I haven't used them - yet - so I shouldn't comment on particular ones.

Submitted Link #1: http://www.ironkey.com...

This is a router/wi-fi access point that allows you to attach your cell-phone based Broadband card, either a card type or a USB style, directly to the router, which handles all the handshaking with your wireless broadband service provider. They have set it up to work seamlessly with most of the major providers and dongles, including AT&T and Verizon. You can go to their website for a complete list. The router also has ethernet and USB connections, and you can turn off the wi-fi side. It can be used in conjunction with existing DSL service as an emergency backup that will automatically switch to the cell-phone dongle if the DSL goes out, or it can be used only with the cell-phone dongle as a dedicated broadband access point.

I connected my dongle to the router, connected the router to my Gigabit ethernet switches, connected my various computers to the CAT6 house wiring and with almost no setup at all, the unit connected to the AT&T broadband server and I got internet. I really don't need another hardware firewall because the AT&T service is pretty secure, but as soon as I unpack my Netgear VPN firewall, I'll insert it into the chain between the router and the switches.

AT&T only has my old address, which will soon be changed to my new PO box mail drop, and I use a business name for the account, so my name is only found in AT&T files. I could be triangulated by AT&T or the feds, but I'm not worried about them.

So, I have high-speed, broadband service at home, without any wires. I don't even have a phone line connected in the new house, and probably won't. And none of my providers knows my new physical location.

As a plus, I now don't waste 70 bucks a month on a dongle that's sitting in a briefcase not being used, and I don't have to pay an extra 40 bucks or so for DSL service.

As another aside, when building the house, I had a concealed compartment installed in a false wall, into which I put a fireproof media safe. I drilled a hole for a power cable and ethernet into the safe and placed my Mac Time Capsule inside the safe. The Time Capsule automatically backs up all my networked computers on a regular basis, and it's both concealed and safe from fire.

I was going to argue with her, but instead I just gave her an old phone number, now disconnected. If they call it and ask me about it, I'll tell them that I told them I didn't have a phone, and that the number I gave them was disconnected right after I gave it to them because I was moving. We'll see if they make an issue of it.

However, as a practical matter, aside from eschewing Facebook and suchlike social networking sites, another option is to configure your email service so that it doesn't track back to you directly. In order for a court to accept that a service of process has been validly made, proof must be shown that the persons named in the process have been given actual, verifiable service, which is why process servers exist, and why courts don't send process through the mail. In court, the person serving the process must be able to testify (or have his agent testify) that a particular document was physically delivered to a particular person at a particular time and place. One of the most common abuses of process is called "sewer service," where the process server simply tossed the paperwork into the sewer and then swears out a false affidavit that it was in fact served properly. This is only possible if the process server can make a credible claim to have found the person named.

However, if you use Mr. Luna's techniques, it will be very difficult for a process server to find you, and should you be the victim of "sewer service," you may be able to get the default judgment vacated (if and when you come to know about it) because of the faulty service. Of course, if you do things right, even a default judgment will be useless, as a judgment is just a judicially-approved right to collect, but the courts cannot and do not assist in the collection process. If you have covered your tracks properly, a collector, even if he finds you, will be unable to identify any assets worth collecting, and will then likely just abandon the effort as not being cost-effective. It's called being "judgment proof."

So, first, get your ISP service in the name of a New Mexico LLC. Second, don't use your real name as your email address. In fact, don't use anything that could be traced to you, like nickname or parts of a street address (pretty common). The best email address is a series of random characters, but something nemonic will also work. Third, work with a small ISP, not one of the "bigs," and find one that is willing to work with you to secure your privacy.

At one time, I was writing for an on-line journal that was critical of a particular group, and I received some death threats as a result. Fortunately, the ISP owner was fully on-board with privacy protection and had provided me with a username and account that was only linked to my actual name in his private hard-copy filing cabinet. No one in the ISP other than the owner had access to this data, and the billing department had been told to simply charge me for an additional account, but the other account name was not revealed. I had several different email addresses on this "secret" account, so I could switch addresses at will depending on who I was corresponding with and why.

Having several separate email addresses on-line but unused is very valuable, and it allows you to abandon an email address in an instant, which can give you plausible deniability if the receipt of a particular message is questioned. I have two that have been compromised by spam-bots that I've had redirected into cyber never-never land, so I never see the spam.

Even better is to set up your email using your pseudonym, again at a cooperative small ISP. If you can obtain a debit card in your pseudonym, as I outlined in another message, you can pay the ISP bill via automatic billing and never have to tell the ISP your real name at all. The only way for someone to link the ISP account to you is to first link the email address to your actual identity (easy to difficult, depending on how careful you are not to reveal personal information in emails), then find the ISP hosting the account (easy), then find out the billing information from the ISP as to who owns the email account, (easy to difficult depending on the ISP's security procedures) and then penetrate the bank's security system to link the pseudonym debit card to your real bank account (extremely difficult). The government can do this using subpoenas very quickly, so it won't help if your engaged in criminality, but it's unlikely that a private investigator would be able to do so.

And, of course, never give any email address that can be linked directly to you to anyone you don't trust implicitly.

Also, as a result of Mr. Luna's scrutiny, I must also recommend that if you have or operate a website or own a domain name, you need to go to the domain name registrar immediately and change the ownership and administration name and address data in accordance with Mr. Luna's recommendations using ghost addresses, NM LLC's and pseudonyms. He kindly informed me of a major security breach in my own on-line presence, so I thought I'd pass along the threat vector.

- Actual stories, cases, experiences,ideas, etc of people that work for themselves and make a living at it with regular income. Include income made so we all get an idea of what the earning potential for each job is.

- Living "off the grid" blog with actual experiences, suppliers, how-to stories, etc. Separate it into homestead living (houses) and mobile (RV). I have been researching full time RV living for several months and this is a great way to live low profile, see the country, and still live in a very comfortable "home" on wheels. Include a section on buying/selling land, where to find land, etc for a reasonable price to build a home or RV base.

- Simplified Living blog. Many of us, especially in todays economic and political climate, are working on "trimming down" and simplifying our lives to prepare for an uncertain future, as well as just lead a less stressful life.

... Getting readers to send me their experiences about self-employment and living off the grid has been extremely difficult, so no promises there.

... However, the "simplified living" sounds good, and that I can easily do.

... As for buying land, I am doing well at that and have been working off and on about an e-report on the subject. This is a great time to buy, for those who have cash!