About TinHat

TinHat was originally created to provide useful privacy and security information to Internet and mobile phone users, with the minimum of jargon. Later it branched out into other areas where humans and computers come into conflict.

My name is Andrew Starling and I'm editor of the site. In the past I've been editor of European Semiconductor magazine (about microchips), technology editor of the UK's Internet Magazine, and managing editor of the Web Developer's Journal for internet.com.

I'm also a qualified engineer. I've written database code, plenty of JavaScript, ASP, and professionally tested ISP performance. (Ever had 140 ISP accounts? It's fun.) Under contract I've worked for BT and the Telecommunications Managers Association.

I got the idea for TinHat when I was researching an article on Internet shopping for Internet Magazine. I registered at amazon.com and bought a CD. Then I wanted to register at the same site as a different user.

Boy, did that upset amazon. Time after time I was reminded that I wasn't a different person, I was Andrew Starling of such and such an email address and why was I trying to pretend I was somebody else? Some of the messages were quite forceful.

It struck me that a little bit of me had got stuck inside the amazon system and I didn't have much control over it. All I wanted to do was buy music, but I'd finished up with a little version of me in the amazon databank, whether I liked it or not.

It also struck me that I'd left equally large footprints elsewhere on the Internet. My Internet Service Provider, in particular, has a very large profile of me from all the sites I've visited. It's unlikely they bother to look at it, but in theory they could.

As the Internet takes over more and more of our lives, our personal details are being held in more and more computers. This is quite a big change in the way we live.

The information isn't usually abused, so maybe it's OK, but on the other hand maybe it's not. I believe that more people should be aware of their personalities spreading electronically. Governments aren't going to do much about it, because they have so little control over the Internet. It's down to you as an individual if you want any kind of control over your privacy.

So that's the basis of TinHat. I've also added lots of information about viruses and computer bugs and other technical stuff because I couldn't find a site on the Internet where it was all explained in simple language.

Do enjoy the site, and feel free to get in touch with your requests and recommendations.

Andrew