am I beng overly concerned...??

Each Post Office has a physical street address. Each box has a number. Here is a completely valid and legal way to refer to a post office box.

Before

P.O. Box 234
Anytown, Anystate 12345

After:

1 Main Street #234
Anytown, Anystate 12345

I have used this technique for years. What's interesting is to see the variation of addresses that people "assume", such as "1 Main St. Apt. 234", etc

All mail has been delivered.

Good luck!

And, yes, it's far more expensive to use an offshore provider; how much more depends on whether you use simply hosting services, virtual private servers or dedicated servers. It also depends on whether you use Windows or Linux, what your level of technical skill is (can you manage your own servers or do you need management?) and how much data you use per month. Different configurations of packages cost different prices. Some providers use US servers to provide services, which, if you're trying to be entirely offshore, you should avoid.

You costs can be driven up, too, based on how you pay. If you use your business' or personal bank account, that's traceable back to you. If you'd prefer not to, you'll have to investigate alternate payment methods. (Some providers won't accept any but those payment services that offer the most privacy.)

Also, if you're trying to be totally offshore with your servers, make sure your provider has no servers in the US, has no other nexus to the US other than clients and respects privacy. Be absolute sure that you trace the DNS server/NS that the provider uses to make sure it doesn't terminate on US shores. Use a proxy server and/or VPN to access your servers, not your own ISPs servers. Remember to send your mail from offshore servers, too, and have mail related to your relationship with your provider sent to an offshore mailbox.

The US, we're finding, is even more of a surveillance society than it was a few years ago. Keep in mind that you can expect US citizens in particular to object to your quest for offshore privacy. Most don't understand it; others say they do but wonder why you can't be private here in the US. You will be accused of nefarious intent and all manner of other fraud as you attempt to protect your privacy both here and offshore. Ignore that. As long as what you're doing is legal, it's a violation of the Commerce Clause of the US constitution to prevent you from doing business where ever you want.

Finally, remember, privacy is NOT cheap but it's always worthwhile. If you want to go to this level of privacy, be prepared to pay for it. BUT, do your research and start only slightly outside your comfort zone.

Oh, yeah. Avoid PayPal like the plague it is. The company wants to be Google and is doing some serious data grabs to amass a database of personal information (including on business account owners) that rivals any other. Even though now located in Luxembourg, if YOU do business offshore, expect your accounts to be blocked for fraud and your money held hostage by the money service business monster monopoly.

To verfiy that this information isn't being shared publicly, login to your Amazon account, click the "Your Account" link, then "Your Public Profile".

You have to contact Amazon by phone or email to have your profile removed (no way to do it online). Alternatively, you can just change the information to whatever you like, including setting up a pen name instead of your real name.

Submitted Link #1: http://www.amazon.com...

My suggestion for you is to look into what's called "junk" silver. These are pre-1965 silver U.S. coins that look much like the "silver" coins we have today in circulation. They are 90% silver, commonly accepted and much cheaper than a lot of the bullion coins being traded today.

I'd stay away from 1 oz. American Silver Eagles. I bought them when they were like $2 over silver's spot price and now they are trading for what is like double the price of silver. They've become more like collector coins than investment bullion.

I strongly suggest you get a good mixture of silver bars and coins. Get not just junk silver coins but some silver bullion bars. Get the 10 oz. type of bars because those over 10 oz. are hard to trade and those under 10 oz. have too high a mark-up per ounce. Watch the gold to silver ratio. Right now it's 1 to 67. If it dips below 80, trade all of your gold for silver and if it rises above 1 to 40, trade some of your silver for gold. Some analysts are saying that eventually this gap will close somewhere near to 1 to 16, because that's historically where it's been. In the meantime, you can trade metal-for-metal with your dealer and slowing but safely increase the amount of metal you have with the market's moves.

... I agree with you that at the present time it is better to invest in silver bullion than in gold.

Drake and others, this issue of being "outed" online is primarily a US/UK issue (and a few other English-speaking countries); in the EU and other countries, the people despise such policies and many governments refuse to capitulate to police-like authorities, especially in the US and UK, that practice these and other privacy-invading/destroying practices. I mean, only HERE have I found that every rinky dink company wants private data to do business with us. And, they're collecting it either because the feds require them to or because they want to sell it the feds. Revealing the individual behind blog posts, etc., is the next logical step in that process.

NOW, that said, folks, listen, free speech ain't free. For one thing, too many of our young folks are dying overseas so you can be free to say what you want to say. For another, freedom of any kind comes with responsibility. Yes, you're free to say whatever you'd like about me in any venue choose but, um, I'M free to respond how I wish based on what you say. If you defame or libel me or terrorize or stalk me online, I'm FREE to pursue legal action against you and the courts will take a very dim view on what you've said and sanction or punish you! Don't take it for granted you can say whatever you want online and anonymously and, in doing so, harm someone else (or threaten government officials!) with no consequences and, for the most part, you won't be outed! NO amount of privacy protection can (or should) protect irresponsibility.

Mike, here's what we did to make certain I had a right to my Dad's house after he died or if something happened to him. Keep in mind that you're talking about combining asset protection and privacy when dealing with real property. That's very difficult to do, though it's doable but, it requires some legal understanding or professional help and clever but legal planning. First, we created a "Real Estate Power of Attorney". While you don't have to, we DID file this with the county where his home is located but I don't live there so I really don't care. (That I don't live there is, in part, why we did this; it was a judgment call.) Moreover, this county doesn't have its records online so, bon chance to those looking for the document to locate me. And, even if you do find the document with my name on it, the document contains a ghost address in a faraway state and no phone number. Second, we did a will BUT wrapped that in a trust, which will be registered in a DAPT state under a name other than my father's and where his legal rights will be protected. (These trusts, "Domestic Asset Protection Trusts", is, again, more about asset protection than privacy but can achieve both, done correctly. That means this isn't a "will kit" will and trust. (The trust, alone is a nearly 50 page document, in fact). The state where we're registering the trust specializes in this kind of trust. Done right, even a statutory trust can protect privacy BUT the trust documents are like any other trust--only a court of competent jurisdiction can force open the trust, revealing its terms. And, I wish anyone going up against us and our attorneys some serious luck because they're gonna need that and much more money. Third, we created a few "internal" documents that are notarized (by notaries within our own close circle of private friends) that give me right and title to that house and which are NOT filed with any state agency. This last tactic will work for you and your wife because such documents, correctly drafted, are Constitutionally and legally valid and will hold up in court. MAKE SURE you have your Health Care Directives and Powers-of-Attorney documents in order, along with the will and trust (which does NOT have to filed with any state agency; we're only doing it because of my Dad's asset situation; it's smart for us but not necessary for most people)If you do these things and keep them up to date, something too many people fail to do and find they are not as legally sound as when they were drafted because the laws have changed but their documents haven't, you'll be fine.

Dan, here's where I disagree with JJL, at least partially. He's right, DON'T do it--on U.S. shores. If you really feel called to say whatever it is you're going to, just say "no" to U.S. datacenters for your webservers. I'll use my family as an example: We have a very unique family history that has been known to cause controversy among those who experience serious discomfort with the idea that people who "look" like us could be related to certain historical figures. We have lots of certified proof, though, going back hundreds of years and for reasons I can only attribute to God, many of us still uncannily resemble those ancestors. But, lots of folks hate us for who we are. (And, no, I won't say who we are.)

To complement a book a distant cousin of ours "across the pond" wrote nearly a decade ago about our family history (and BOY was he hated for that book, most of which was proven true), I'd like to write about our history/launch a website about our family and debunk a ton of historical myths about folks who are held in very high esteem but are thought to 'be' or 'have been' other than who they actually were. (Those of more recent vintage--those who've lived in the last 200-300 years--have been romanticized/'heroized'; those who lived before that who had mere feet of clay, deified--few were viewed realistically.) We'll be truthful and, because we're not angry with them or anything, aren't going to engage in historical revisionism--except to revise some revisionism that's already occurred--honoring and respectful. These are, after all, truly our loved ones. We come from these people so to 'hate' them would be to 'hate' ourselves. We ARE, however, going to be honest because we think it's important. This will go over like a lead balloon hovering over a 4th of July concert and some folks will seek to silence us. Our solution has been to take our servers offshore, completely, AFTER researching which countries will ACTUALLY be able and willing to protect our right to free speech.

What's rather ironic to us is, we're noticing a NUMBER of both US government and large multinationals that are US-based taking THEIR servers offshore, too! Why? Because they don't want to be beholden to US anti-privacy (and pro silly litigation) laws anymore than we do. Legally, there's nothing wrong with doing this unless you ignore what I stated in my first paragraph OR unless you go offshore specifically to commit acts illegal in the US while your "body" remains physically located here. (Non-US citizens have been busted when getting off planes on US shores after committing internet crimes with US citizens or using US servers.) So, if "controversial" really means "illegal" or "grey-area", JJL is right. Forget it because they won't fly anyplace on the planet. If it's a truly legitimate (legal, non-defamatory/libelous content) issue, and you REALLY must say whatever it is you intend to say, take it offshore.

But, do your research first and get your privacy issues on US shores straight before you go offshore. Lease your own servers; don't use a web-hosting company. Receive and send ALL of your email (personal and business) from those servers and use as many non-US (non UK) service-providers for any other communications services you need. Also, a Linux-based server is better than Windows because open-source is legally safer than proprietary software--and most of it is free.

Make sure what you're doing/saying is legal in the jurisdiction where the server is located and make sure NONE of your DNS servers (nameservers) terminate on US (or even UK/Canadian) shores. Write under the name of a pseudonym ("pen name") AND conduct business in the name of a nominee formed entity and learn which kind of entity is acceptable where you want to do business but that won't get you flagged on US soil.

Finally, if you want to do this thing right--staying within both US and offshore jurisdictional laws and maintaining your privacy--expect it to take MONTHS to get your project up online. It can be done but it's getting harder and harder to do so, like everything else privacy related, do it now while you still can. If you're truly called to say what you want to say, this is the way to honor that calling.

We are required to update our Post Office Box records. The office of HOMELAND SECURITY has mandated that all post office boxes have current records on all box holders. We started to do this BEFORE the mandate. Some of you may have been asked to provide ID. If you are being asked again,it is because we are also required to have used a more recent application form. We apologize profusely for your inconvenience. We are on a deadline , so please stop within 10 days of this notice or we will be forced to hold your mail at the counter until the necessary information & signatures are obtained.

I checked the homeland security site & couldn't find out much, but think this is something to do with the real id trying to make national.Have you heard of this anyplace else ? I know they are going to want to see my driver's license & other form of Id for every person receiving mail at box & you have to bring a piece utility bill with the mailing address ^ can't be p.o. box , but physical address. Can you address this issue please& any laws that may be on it. I'm going to ask to see the homeland security laws that require this. Kay