Tech Secrets: 21 Things 'They' Don’t Want You to Know

Eavesdropping Webcams, spying ISPs, toxic PCs, and more. Here are21 dangers that the industry is hiding from you--and what you can doabout them.

Yes, the truth is out there. But they don't want you to know about it.                Who's "they"? It could be Google or product manufacturers, your boss or your wireless carrier, Hollywood or Uncle Sam.
                Whatdon't they want you to know? That your cell phone, your Webcam, andyour employer may be spying on you. That you're probably paying toomuch for printer ink, and that your wicked-cool subsidized handset willcost you way more over time than an unsubsidized one. That your PC maybe coated with toxic flame retardants. And that's just for starters.
                Don'tdespair. For every dirty little secret revealed herein, we describe afix or a way to work around it (if any exists). You don't have to be avictim, if you know what to do.
                Just remember: You've been warned.
                Your ISP Is a Copyright Cop                TheRIAA and the MPAA may have a new ally. The next people who bust you forillegally swapping music and movies could be the folks you pay forInternet access.

The recording and film industries are seeking to manipulate upcoming net neutrality legislation to allow ISPs to scan the bits passing through their networks and to block any that may violate copyrights--similar to Comcast's notorious attempts to throttle BitTorrentconnections in 2007. The Federal Communications Commission'srecommended rule changes already contain an exception for "reasonablenetwork management," which could include sniffing for copyrightedcontent, says Jennifer Granick, civil liberties director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.               
Meanwhile, according to leaked reports,the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) now beingnegotiated in private sessions contains provisions requiring ISPs topolice their own networks for copyright scofflaws. Critics of theproposed treaty fear that copyright holders will insert a"three-strikes" policy, under which users could have their Internetaccess revoked if they're caught exchanging copyrighted content morethan twice.
                "It's dangerous giving so much power to copyright claims," says Wendy Seltzer, project leader for the Chilling Effects Clearinghouseand a Fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society."Imagine someone telling you, 'If you violate our copyrights, we canterminate your Net connection, not just your blog.'"
                Withsuch a powerful new partner playing the role of both investigator andenforcer, might copyright holders be emboldened to pursue moreconsumers suspected of violating copyrights? And what protections willconsumers have against false claims of infringement?
You're Spending Too Much on Printer Ink

If there was ever a business built around scare tactics, it's the business of selling inkjet printers.Try using a refurbished or refilled cartridge, and the printer makermay warn you that you're voiding your service warranty, putting yourprinter at risk of damage, or possibly ruining your printouts.
Google Could Rat You Out

，I  have seen ！