You've been doing all the right things. You change passwords regularly, you clear your cookies (and not just the ones in your jar), you are very cautious about deleting your browsing history whenever you are on a shared computer, you also encrypt your mails, and you don't download software unless you're really, really sure of everything. But even with all that, aren't you forgetting something? Your ISP!

Let's face it - you can never be 100% private and secure on the internet. In fact, a judge in Ontario ruled that ‘there can be no reasonable expectation of privacy online' while dealing with a case allowing police officers to obtain any individual's name, address and other details from the IP addresses alone WITHOUT a search warrant. (So much for Data Privacy Day) but isn't it completely violating to know that your ISP will blatantly share you browsing details, and other information we keep leaving online with other companies and that there is nothing you can do to stop them, or even know if and when they collect this information? 

It's true - your ISP has complete access to everything you send or receive online. Of course, they may not be actually doing it, but potentially they form the biggest danger to internet users all over the world - this according to a Law School Prof in Colorado, Paul Ohms. According to him, "ISPs pose a much greater threat to privacy than other online entities and they even pose a greater threat than offline institutions as well, including doctors, psychiatrists, and lawyers." And there are two factors contributing to this: deep packet inspection technology and methods and increasing pressure from the companies and online marketers. 

Recall, Webwise by Phorm - the technology that offers ISPs the option of showing targeted ads to their subscribers based on their preferences (by knowing what they do online) and it's only a matter of time before sophisticated technology comes into the picture and your ISP will snoop around your private data. However, law makers are on the side of the consumers so far, with one US Court of Appeals in Columbia denying a petition by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association to override the privacy rules that they are bound by which makes it difficult for them to share subscribers personal info with third parties. Thank God for that!