Gut feeling I have no proof and I know nothing about Chromebooks but it has memory be it flash memory or as you mentioned an encrypted SSD, I guess the SSD is for the OS but where do they cache intermediate data and where are the encryption keys stored, I have for many years owned forensic level data recovery tools, I once had to recover a corrupted camera memory card and I bought the best tools available from my perspective as a programmer you can inspect a hell of a lot on a computer. So my question would be can you be sure that nothing is persisted in the local memory of the Chromebook and if anything is stored in local memory where are the keys that decrypt it, the processor needs those keys to allow you to use the machine moment to moment and for all you know they are maybe cached locally?
We certainly did have a similar conversation about encryption and plausible deniability before - long before I got a Chromebook. It has taken me a long time, in my old age, to improve security on what is already the most secure laptop available. As we discussed earlier, I am now using a VPN. I actually did 5 speed tests both with and without VPN a couple of days ago and the VPN connection was only 4.8% slower. That was a server in London which is a bit further away than any non-VPN server I get assigned to. I think that is pretty impressive. That was download speed only, for which I got pretty consistent speed on all 10 tests. I think I am pretty happy with Chromebook security now and immunity from exploits etc (Chromebooks don't have viruses yet) Did you know that there is a commercial alternative to TOR, called JondoNym? I did try it a few weeks ago but, in my old age, cannot remember much! The advantage is you know who is operating the final exit node, which you don't with TOR. Of course they do claim a few advantages over TOR, one of which is a stateless connection, but I don't really know what that means. I also looked at an anonymous proxy called Proxify. That is interesting as it changes IP address constantly. I was also amazed to find out what Java and Flash can determine about they system you use and these can easily be exploited by websites you visit to possibly determine you uniquely from any other internet surfer. You really need to disable those when browsing securely. I am, again, unable to log into this site when my using my VPN, so have to use a web-based anonymous proxy to log-in if I don't want to turn off the VPN. It has some quirks - On British Filipino I get three boxes for login - username, password and another box which I don't why it is there.
As far as I know, the encryption keys are store in the TPM chip, which I think are pretty secure unless you can dissolve the chip away with acid and put in probes. I understand it has been done but requires high level of expertise and when I read about it, it had only be done on a chip from one manufacturer. I don't really understand enough to answer your other questions. But my belief is that the SSD is for file storage. I think there is ROM storage for the OS and two furthe copis of the OS in another type of memory. At boot up, Chromebook verifies one OS copy and uses that if it can, otherwise it uses the second copy. Failing that, it copies it from ROM. Google updates the OS about every six weeks and it happens completely silently. There are developer, beta and stable release versions available. I try to read a lot of the stuff about it but it is way over my head!
As a for instance, I have been browsing material on Croatia on the internet using Google Chrome. Low and behold, since then, adverts about Croatia have been populating the screen when using British Filipino or other websites. It would seem that Google and not British Filipino, is behind this.
Yeah it is, but I missed Howerd's point, even though few people would see it he was just warning not to click on it for the odd few people that might see it.
Those who have visited other sites looking for visas and then coming to this site looking for the same will almost certainly be targeted with Visa adverts. If they choose UK Immigration Barristers they could lose their documents for months based on what I read. Three persons behind UK Immigration Barristers have worked for three solicitors firms. All three firms were closed down, solicitors were struck off or suspended. Those non-solicitors working for those three firms are barred from working with solicitors, so they joined forces with two barristers who set up Kings Court Chambers in Birmingham - based in the same building as UK Immigration Barristers. There are no barristers in the employ of UK Immigration Barristers but 'barristers' is not a protected term so the Bar Standards Board can do nothing. When working at the solicitors firms, these three non-solicitors were running the show. Stamp Duty Land Tax was unaccounted for, by lying to HMRC on the purchase price, bringing it below SDLT thresholds. Purchasers are having to fork out monies now for SDLT that should have been paid 3+ years ago. At best, their involvement in visa applications is incompetent, at worst it is tantamount to an advance fee fraud. The QC at Kings Court Chambers resigned on Tuesday, this was one day after I made contact with the clerk at another chambers where the QC is actually based, detailing the scam to her. Maybe coincidence, I don't know. Just be aware that these guys seem to have the clout in getting solicitors and barristers to bow to their wishes, bringing in teams of marketing experts who employ sales staff who will stop at nothing to get a sale. They use SEOs to create press releases, review websites and also fake reviews on unprecedented scales. They use fake addresses on websites to give the impression of presence around the world when, in reality, they operate only from Birmingham using a number of virtual phone numbers (probably over VOIP). They are masters at what they do and clearly have some knowledge of immigration but have no interest in proving a proper service, they just want your money. And what is the OISC and Bar Standards Board doing about this? Twiddling its thumbs it seems. http://betterthanimbd.wordpress.com/2012/08/29/uk-immigration-barristers-scam/ http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=62129039
