# Internet-provider web tracking via air card?



## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

I recently started work with a company that issued me a laptop with an air card, so I can e-mail documents and so forth from job sites. I also might use the Internet to look up directions to job sites, client addresses and phone numbers, etc. 

However, I had the idea that I could use the air card with my _personal_ laptop (which I could also bring to work with me) during lunch breaks to check in here at Home Theater Shack, and for other web surfing.

I know that internet history can be tracked on a computer, which is why I would never use my work laptop for casual web surfing. My question: is, could my company find out about web surfing from _my own_ computer via the air card? I assume such information could only come from the internet / air card provider. Would/could they provide that info to my company, either routinely or upon request?

Regards,
Wayne


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## Zeitgeist (Apr 4, 2009)

The two ways to track internet usage (at least from a web browsing perspective) are by looking at the history of the web browser (cache files, URL history, etc) which can be cleared pretty easily... and by looking at the internet traffic itself.

Some companies use a firewall or security appliance to proxy the traffic and monitor and log what URLs are visited. Its also possible to monitor the traffic by doing a packet capture and looking at what exactly is being passed. Packet capture is less common.

Now, being your personal laptop, that should keep the browsing history completely private.... and as far as I know, providers do not usually log what sites are visited (or provide that). I could be wrong.

However, they do log amount of usage, when it was used, etc. So, even with an unlimited plan, they could probably provide a log upon request of how much data is being downloaded and when.

But then again, all that would tell them is that the card was being used... and that's all.


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## Zeitgeist (Apr 4, 2009)

OK, in talking to someone I know who works for Verizon...

They do some logging by IP address, in part so that they don't bill for DNS traffic... but they don't include that as part of usage reports.

I'm sure some that some logging is for security reasons, but they don't provide it in bills, in part because of privacy reasons.

Don't know if that helps or not.


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## Harpmaker (Oct 28, 2007)

Wayne A. Pflughaupt said:


> Would/could they provide that info to my company, either routinely or upon request?
> 
> Regards,
> Wayne


That depends on the provider. Some respect a person's private rights, others will give out detailed usage reports at the drop of a hat saying that since you are using their service, and have presumably read all the fine print about that, that you have no, or limited, privacy if such was given up in the EULA.


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## Zeitgeist (Apr 4, 2009)

Can you share who the provider is?


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Sure - AT&T. It occurs to me that the IP probably couldn’t distinguish one computer from another, so my company would assume that all Internet usage was done with their computer...

Regards,
Wayne


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## Zeitgeist (Apr 4, 2009)

Wayne A. Pflughaupt said:


> Sure - AT&T. It occurs to me that the IP probably couldn’t distinguish one computer from another, so my company would assume that all Internet usage was done with their computer...
> 
> Regards,
> Wayne


That's true...


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## Kenneth R. (Oct 20, 2010)

unless they can link it with your machine's mac address.


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