HOW TO LOOK UP YOUR IP ADDRESS AND CHECK FOR BLACKLISTING

WHAT IS AN IP ADDRESS?

An IP address is a string of numbers that is assigned by your ISP to the device you are using at the location you are using it.  

ISP stands for Internet Service Provider - it is who you pay for your internet service.


IP stands for Internet Protocol.  When you want to go on the Internet, your device and location is identified by this string of numbers. 

Most IP addresses look like this:

151.101.65.121

There are public IP addresses and private IP addresses.  



Private IP's are within your business office or your home network. An example would be internet service provided at your workplace which allows you to go on the INTERnet on a limited basis (for example real time  invoice and package tracking), but they also provide inTRA-net which is used inter-office and allows each employee to send inter-office mail to other employees in your office and create and view real time work related material because you are all on the same network.


Public IP's are assigned by your internet service provider (ISP) and are used outside of your home or business network to communicate with other devices around the world.  You need one when you want to go on websites and use programs to communicate with other people both in real time and by email. An example of speaking in real time would be using Messenger to talk with Facebook friends or typing on Facebook group walls to communicate with other group members.


 

the easy way is to type it in your browser

You can find your own IP address in two ways.  

1 - The easiest way is to type into your browser "What's my IP address?" and the first result that comes up is their website. It has alot of ads but ignore them. Don't click on them or you will end up lost and possibly download something because you think it is this site offering it to you.  


https://whatismyipaddress.com



Now that you are on their site, take a look at the tabs across the top.  The one that is intriguing is how to HIDE your IP address but as attractive as it is to be able to remain anonymous, most websites won't let you in because they can't see who you are.  So don't hide if you are surfing. If you are idle or playing a game, you can try to do it then.



The one tool we want you to investigate is on the tab titled "Blacklist Check."  This tool checks to see if your IP address has ever been blacklisted which means that it is barred from accessing certain sites. Give it a minute to work and then it will give you a list of between 10 and 80 sites. 



If you see the names of familiar sites - maybe some favorites that you used to visit but can't access anymore - then you will know the reason why is because your IP address was blacklisted. You might be able to access it from a friend's house but not your house.



The reason isn't necessarily something you did; usually the blacklisting occurred because someone who used to have that IP address was either a hacker, a scammer, sent out a lot of spam mail or was trying to cheat Google on their Adsense program by being creative to inflate the number of visitors and clicks so they get paid more money.



There are directions on how to get Un-Blacklisted if you see a site you want to go to all the trouble to file a grievance.



But the easiest way is to contact your internet provider and tell them to assign you a new IP address. Takes 30 seconds and it's free.



The next tab to take a look at is "Speed Test" 

You can do a speed test any time you want to, but this one tests the speed of your bandwidth connection.  An optimal speed would be over 150 mbps on Download and over 20 mbps on Upload.



TIP:

Whenever you see your device getting sluggish or slowing down, hanging before going to the next task, or requiring hitting certain keys more than once, it is because your speed slowed down for some reason. Reboot your device and try again. Usually a reboot (total shut down) will bring you back to optimal speed.


2- The second way you can find your IP address is on your device by going to Settings>>Network Center>>View your active networks.

On the picture below, I blocked out my IP address so I don't get hacked by a reader who thinks it's a great idea to try to hack me.  (hint: it's not a great idea)

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HOW TO REMOVE A PHOTO FROM SEARCH ENGINES

Will a search of your name turn up some of your family photos or other photos that you thought were private?

  


After you clicked on a picture that you thought was yours, did it take you to your own timeline or to stranger's timeline or website?



The first thing you need to do is to see if you were "tagged" on the photo. 

The most likely reason they tagged you on it is because they wanted you to see that they used it.  If you don't have your Facebook TAG REVIEW turned on, you will never see that tag or any others. 



Remember:  only friends can tag friends.  If they are no longer a friend, the tag won't stick - the tag is severed when they are unfriended. 


But with Google, your name will be associated with the photo until you do something about it.



Sometimes photos on other people's timelines are innocent enough. They didn't steal it outright.  They admired the photo and chose to display it on their timeline or website.  No harm, no foul.



The main thing you want to do when you find your photos in searches is to make sure someone isn't using your photos as their own family. 




If they are, click on each photo and follow the prompts to report them as stolen.



HOW TO REMOVE A PHOTO FROM GOOGLE AND OTHER SEARCH ENGINES

For a photo you have on your Facebook account that you don't want to be publicized (or one that you previously had set to ONLY ME and somehow the setting was changed), the easiest way to remove it from Google or any search engine is to totally remove it from your own Facebook account. 



If you posted it anywhere else on the web, you will need to go to each place where you posted it and delete it. 




However, once you delete it from Facebook, generally it will disappear from all of Facebook, including "shares."  




The only exception is:
If someone took a screenshot of your photo so that it becomes a new copy they are keeping for their own use, when you delete it from your account, it won't delete the screenshot. It stays in place. The only thing you can do (if you want to) is report it to Facebook or Google as stolen.




For a photo that originated on Facebook, when it shows up in search engine results and a searcher clicks on it, they will be taken to the Facebook account of the person who posted it.  That isn't always the owner of the photo, because 1) people steal and 2) photos are also linked to "sharers."  




If the photo was used multiple times, search engines will show multiple copies of it, but with a different link on each photo.






  
If the photo was yours in the first place,  when you delete it from your account or where it was posted, it cuts the link from the search engine's link on the photo back to your account.



It also deletes the photo from search engines.  



SAFEKEEPING

Don't keep the photo on your account with a setting of ONLY ME.  


You need to delete it altogether to get it out of the search engines.  


As long as you leave it at ONLY ME, when someone clicks on the photo in searches, the link will take them to your account because the "cached version" shows you as the owner.




However, the searcher won't be able to actually see the photo on your account because you have it set to ONLY ME.  But they will know that the photo is yours because the link told them it is still connected to you.  



As long as a link leads back to you, Google will keep it linked to you even if no one can see the photo.




The cached version of the photo will stay in search results - usually for up to 48 hours after you delete it - then it will be removed from searches.



HOW TO KNOW THE PHOTO WILL BE DELETED FOR SURE  

All photos are linked to something or someone, so when you click on a photo, the link will take where it was used.   



Once you remove a photo altogether (be it on Facebook or a blog or other website), it takes up to 48 hours for Google to remove it from their search results.



The only way it can be removed sooner is if someone reports it after they clicked the link and it gave them a NOT FOUND or a 404 Error Code.  




They are getting that code because the link from the photo did not take them to your account.  Your connection to the photo has now been successfully cut off.  




The 404 Error Code will bounce back to Google's robot (Googlebot) to say that the link to the photo doesn't work because the photo is no longer in a valid location.  


Then Google will pluck it out of the searches.



FYI: Google spent a few billion dollars and 5 years cleaning up error codes and after all that, they only put a small dent in the removals.  The reason there were so many was because they let the error codes pile up.   Most were from people who removed photos, those who deleted their websites and blogs, people who died and their accounts went dormant, and people who lost access to their accounts.


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WHAT IS YOUR INTERNET SPEED?

DO A MODEM TEST

You can run a test on your modem (or router) to see if you are getting the speed you are paying for. To know what that speed is, get out your internet bill and see what the number is next to Mbps.  To run the test, go to:



http://www.speedtest.net



Make sure that you are hard wired (plugged in) to your modem and that you are the only one using the internet at the time that you run your test.

This is what the test screen looks like:

You want to see a low Ping number (under 50) because that tells you how fast your device is finding a server to connect to the internet.  A low number is a fast connection; a high number is a slow connection.



The download speed should be equal or close to what you are paying for the Mbps number that is located on your bill.  This is the speed that your games rely on to perform properly and quickly. 


If you are spinning slot machines and the reels act sluggish, this speed is the reason why. The lower the number, the slower the speed and more likelihood that your games will not give you a good gaming experience.



The upload speed should be 19.00 or higher and tells how fast you put things up on the internet, like photos or videos, for example.



If your results are not close to what you are paying for, the reasons vary. Some of the obvious reasons could be:



-- your computer is too old to keep up with the speed you are paying for; (paying for the fastest internet connection will never make an old computer perform faster).



-- your modem may need a firmware update which can be done by remote when you call their office.


-- you never got an updated modem when you notified the internet provider you wanted to upgrade your speed plan



-- you truly aren't receiving  the speed from your provider that you are paying for; (your provider may be fudging on speed)



-- your browser might not be giving you good results. In this case,  open a different browser and run another test to see if you get better results.




-- your modem device needs to be changed out for a more updated model; (if you upgrade your speed but use the old router/modem, you might not be getting the speed you contracted for)




-- you are testing using wifi and not your modem (Never use wifi to test modem speed. Always plug in to your modem/router).






To see if you get better results, you can change servers to pick a location closer to your home base as shown here.  Do this first before you get on the phone to chew out your internet provider for not giving you the right speed. You will find that your speed changes with different server locations.

*********************

If you want to use a test that is specific to your provider, here are some suggestions:


AT & T
http://speedtest.att.com/speedtest/



Verizon
https://www.verizon.com/speedtest/




Spectrum
https://www.spectrum.com/internet/speed-test



Cox
https://www.cox.com/residential/support/internet/speedtest.html



Xfinity
http://speedtest.xfinity.com




For Any device, Any Provider, Anywhere
https://www.bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/



BROWSER SPEED


Browser speed is different than your modem speed.  Modem is inside your house.  Browser is inside your computer.

If you want to know how fast your browser is,  type the words speed test into your Google browser bar.


The one you want should be the first result on the list and it will look like this example. Click the blue box on your own screen that says RUN SPEED TEST.  

When you get your browser result, it will look like this but your numbers will be different. Read the text on this picture; it explains what your result means.

The test takes about 30 seconds. It figures out your internet speed by measuring how much data can move through your connection at the time you are doing the test. 


If you run the test several hours from now, you may get different results. It depends on how fast your connection is, where you do the test, which server you are using and whether your browser is updated to the latest version. 



Always do the test three times, using at least 3 different browsers to get a baseline result. Close previous browsers you had open when you run each new test.



A typical test in the USA uses 9.4 MB of data, but a test outside the U.S. uses about 4.4 MB. Mobile data charges could apply.


Sample device speed expectations:

LAPTOP EXAMPLES

MOBILE EXAMPLES

TABLET EXAMPLES

OTHER DEVICES 

MODEM PLACEMENT
Make sure you place your modem/router in a centralized spot in your home, sitting upright and out in the open. 


Avoid putting it sideways, on a slant, inside or under cabinets, in closets, and in places that may accidentally get covered up by a pillow, backpack, jacket, etc.  It needs open space to emit a good signal.



Wireless speeds are typically slower than wired connections due to wireless hardware limitations. 



As stated above, some Internet speeds are faster than many devices can handle.  If your computer is old (or you have a slow processor) and if you are trying to speed it up by buying a faster internet connection, the computer won't be able to handle the speed. 



TIP!
The way you tell if your device can handle the speed you are paying for, look at the USB port where your modem wire is connected to your computer. 


If the light around your wire part of the USB port is GREEN, then your computer can handle the speed you are paying for. 



If the light is RED, your computer is too old to keep up with the fast speed.  Save your money and don't buy the fastest speed. Call your internet provider and tell them you want to downgrade to the next lowest speed since your device can't handle the fastest one.  When you buy a new computer, then you can upgrade to the highest speed again.  


The wire you use to plug into your modem and your device should be a gray wire and that wire should say it is a  CAT 5 or higher.  You will find the CAT number imprinted directly on the gray wire closest to the plug.  


Do speed tests at least once a week and try not to do them at the busiest time of the day - like when people are getting home from work or when the wee ones go to bed and all parents have time to go on the computer.


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WHY YOU SHOULD NOT USE SOCIAL MEDIA SHARE BUTTONS TO COPY PHOTOS

If a photo is copyrighted, usually it won't have a SHARE button. 

But if the photo does have a share button, by copyright law, there is a certain amount of information that has to post when you share it. 



Examples: 
1 - author of the photo, 

2 - the copyright date, 

3 - permissions to use


If you don't want or need all of that information because of the way you want to use the photo, then don't use social media SHARE buttons.

Don't use SHARE buttons if you don't want extra info about the post 
to appear on your copy of the picture 

When you use social media SHARE buttons to put any photo on  your timeline, in a message or in a group, anyone can see the site where you got the picture, including all the original text and the comments that were on the original photo, and all the comments that appear after you shared it. 



If you don't want anyone to know where you got the photo, or if you are asking your own poll question on the photo and you don't want your commenters to blend in with the site's original commenters, then don't SHARE the picture. Copy paste it to your timeline or place of choice, then ask or post anything you want.



By doing a copy paste, you are eliminating the paper trail, so to speak.  No one will know where you got the photo and you won't have the charge-back information where your readers can continue to comment on the original site, instead of on your post. 



The SHARE button is a very good idea for websites and Pages. It is how websites track WHO shares the information on their site. Typically each site has a watcher who investigates WHERE their site was shared. If they object to what they see on your Share, they can petition to have any post removed, which can take up to 6 months. Original owners are very successful with a complaint. Share-rs, not so much. 



Recap of Reasons to NOT Use SHARE Buttons:

1 - Most sites who have SHARE buttons will state in their Terms of Service (you know, that important item that nobody reads):  "By using our site, you are allowing us to embed cookies on your device."  This is how they know where you came from and if you are a first time visitor or a repeat visitor. They also have trackers and they aren't only tracking you. They are also tracking your users who found their way to their website through your Share. Sort of like a referral system - you shared their site,  when your readers click the link to go to their site to read more, that's how the site knows that they came from you - like virtual record keeping.




2 - When you click SHARE on a photo, you are giving the website free publicity because the website's URL (link) will auto-post with the photo. You better make sure it is a site that you support their views. You may not agree with everything on that site, but by SHARING it you are saying that you agree..


3 - When you click SHARE on a photo, WHEN the site changes any of the information on their site - for example, if it originally started out posting recipes with photos and later changed over to being a political site, you won't know that unless you are a frequent visitor. By sharing any site's text or photo, you could be opening up a whole different conversation than the one you intended for your use of their photo.



4- When you click SHARE buttons, any time someone puts that site's name into a search engine, you and your site are forever linked to that website in searches.  You are listed on the list of names on the SHARE button for anyone to see.  Sort of like free advertising for your site.


5 - Finally the best reason to not use share buttons is because your readers can be redirected to THEIR site to do more exploring. And now you have lost your audience. 


Don't use SHARE buttons. Use the copy paste method outlined here:


http://2geekgirls1nerdyguy.blogspot.com/2018/08/how-to-copy-and-paste-words-text.html 

and here

http://2geekgirls1nerdyguy.blogspot.com/2018/02/how-to-copy-paste-photos-using-computer.html

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UPDATE FOR GOOGLE CHROME BROWSER

Chrome works on Windows, Mac and Linux devices.  The last update from before today was Version 69 on September 4, 2018.  Chrome usually updates in the background while you are doing other things, so just relaunch the browser to complete the install of the latest version. 

For users who want to manually update, select "About Google Chrome" from the Help menu as seen in this picture. 

When it is done updating to Version 70, refresh or relaunch browser. If you have open tabs on your Chrome when you are doing the update, you will have to refresh each open tab so the new update is applied to those sites.

If your Chrome says it is up to date AND IF it says Version 70.0.3538.67 then you are OK. 

But if your Chrome says it is up to date AND IF it says any other version number, then it will go into CHECKING mode. It should update automatically unless you have a setting that blocks it from doing so. 





In that case, you will have to update using the above directions. We recommend that you have your setting to automatic so that it updates on its own because you aren't going to remember to check it on a regular basis to see if there are any updates.





WHAT'S WITH ALL THE UPDATES?

Users speak - Google listens - then Google acts.


Shortly after the Version 69 release, users started to notice that their Chrome browser was unexpectedly signing into their Google accounts automatically. It contains the storehouse for your browser history, bookmarks, and passwords on Google’s servers - but only when the Sync feature is turned on.  For example, users were logging into their Gmail account and were also logged into their Google account when Chrome opened.  It didn't matter whether a user had accessed Gmail using Chrome or another browser, like Opera, Edge or Firefox.





Users let Google know they strongly objected because logging into a Google account also allows syncing of data, including bookmarks and passwords.  Users didn't want their data going through Google's servers. 



This is a big privacy issue.  





Google's answer was to disable the automatic sign-in with Chrome Version 70.  But it is the default, so users will have to change it if they want to allow Chrome sign-in.





To allow:
Click the 3 dots at the upper right and select "Settings" from the menu. 



Click the "Advanced" button on the Settings panel.



Go to  "Privacy and security" and select "Allow Chrome sign-in."

Relaunch Chrome if it doesn't automatically relaunch.



In the OFF position, users can sign into any Google service, like their Gmail and not have to sign into Chrome for their data to be seen and their preferences and history to follow them.   




CHROME EXTENSIONS

Some extensions on Chrome are potential security risks because ANYONE can upload extensions in Chrome's Web Store.  There's no oversee. The Store relies on users to let them know if something they downloaded was malicious or didn't work. You can check this by reading REVIEWS on each extension. 


    

However, all developers aren't legit.  Sometimes they are one shot wonders who upload One newly created extension so they can get their foot in the door for their name to be recognized on the list of developers.  After their extension gets a certain number of hits, they start to upload malicious add-ons - these are not extensions, but add-ons to extensions, which essentially hijack your account to steal your money and data.  




With Version 70, the Chrome Web Store is no longer allowing extensions that feature obfuscated code, with existing apps given 90 days to update. Chrome Extensions will be removed in early January 2019 if they are found to not be in compliance.

NOTICE: 
We admins don't think 2 step authentication alone will deter developers from uploading malicious add-ons or extensions that don't work. 




Anyone can do 2 step authentication - even you -  because all it involves is sending a code to a phone number or an email address, then typing in the code to Chrome Store's permissions screen. It is similar to the process users have to do to prove they aren't a robot.  Once the code appears to match, the Store approves them as authentic. This does nothing to prove the extension or add-on is legit or that it works. 



If 2 step authentication is coupled with another security checkpoint, it could work. 



PERMISSIONS
Previously, the permission notices on extensions allowed the extension to "automatically read and change data on websites."




Beginning with this version, Google gave users a way to limit the permissions on any extension they have already granted access to information on their account.  




That means users can restrict Chrome extensions to only run on sites that they have approved.  Users can make a customized list of sites that they don't want the extension to have access to or alter the way the user uses those sites. They can also require a click before the extension can run on the current page. 





Options include a menu that lets users determine when the browser add-on “can read and change site data.”  



Choices include 1) on the current site, and 2) “On all sites.” 

To RESTRICT any previously agreed permissions, go to the add-on's icon on your extensions menu, then right click to NEW OPTIONS, and choose your restrictions. 



NOTICE: This might not be available for up to a week after you install Version 70 update.





CONTROVERSY OVER SYMANTEC COMPANY

With Version 69 and all previous Chrome versions, any certificate issued by Symantec said it was SECURE and basically said each site was legit, that it wasn't fake and wouldn't steal user credentials, money or data. 





With Version 70: - After Google and Mozilla (the maker of Firefox)  charged Symantec and its partners with violating the rules of CA/Browser Forum (a group of browser makers and certificate authorities who decide industry standards), for improperly issuing certificates,  Symantec was proven to be untrustworthy as a site and browser authority.


HTTPS means a site is secure, and is verified by Google.




HTTP means it is not secure and is not verified by Google.


Version 70 should trigger a "not secure" warning in the browser's address bar, telling the user not to trust the site. Moving forward, Google will deem any site without certificate as "not secure."




Many websites - like us -  that had a Symantec-issued certificate have already removed it and contracted with a new company so their certificate shows them as "trusted."

The release of Chrome's next upgrade, version 71, is set for December 4.



Compiled from information found at Computerworld and Google Chrome Developers website

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