Concerns about internet privacy are no longer just the realm of child pornographers, terrorists, and hackers: a compromised internet identity makes you a prime target for identity theft, and other illegal activity. Some people are also worried about staying safe from their own governments (and reasonably so!). If you want to keep yourself safe in this digital age, you can do so by taking some basic precautions which serve to hide or disguise your identity.
Steps
- Get a good firewall. One of the most basic things you can do to protect yourself is set up a good firewall.[1] A firewall is a piece of software which screens out suspicious traffic. Windows comes pre-packaged with a firewall program but if you want to stay very safe you'll want to use something else. You can try free firewalls like ZoneAlarm or you can pay for something with a little more punch.
- Use a VPN. A VPN, or virtual private network, reroutes your traffic to another location before heading on to its final destination, masking your identity. Importantly, VPNs also encrypt your data while making these transfers, making them very secure and going a long way to keep you safe from hackers and identity thieves.
- Private Internet Access and TorGuard are good VPNs which do not keep user records (helping to protect you from government requests).
- VPNs work great for masking your location as well, helping you to take advantage of things like your Netflix subscription, even when you're traveling overseas.
- Use a proxy. Proxies are similar to VPNs but do not encrypt traffic. They are less secure but work great for basic browsing. Notably, they are also more often free or cheap, as opposed to VPNs (which usually cost money). FoxyProxy is a common, usually reliable proxy.
- Keep in mind that both VPNs and proxies will slow down your traffic, since the data has to travel much further than normal.
- Use TOR. Though it's had NSA problems, TOR is still one of the most reliable ways to keep yourself anonymous and secure online. But what is it? TOR is a software which funnels your internet traffic through a series of relays, making it extremely difficult to get any information about users. Despite the problems, as long as it's used correctly it is one of the best ways to stay anonymous online. [2]
- Add an S. Have you ever noticed that sometimes an internet address says http and sometimes says https? That "s" means that the website traffic is encrypted with the SSL protocol, making the traffic more secure. Though not all websites are https capable, many are but simply don't take advantage of the extra security. One way to make sure that you get SSL encryption as often as possible is to use a browser extension called "HTTPS Everywhere".[3]
- Delete tracking data regularly. Your browser keeps track of where you go, what you type, and any other data it can capture about you. A basic security measure is to regularly delete this data. The cache and cookies are the major culprits, but you'll have to decide for yourself how far you want to go.
- Change your browser settings. You can also change the settings in your browser to make yourself more secure. The privacy and security settings can usually be found under the options menu for most browsers. Do things like automatically telling websites not to track you, or whatever other options are available through your browser.
- Change which search engine you use. Google and other major search engines track what you search, as well as other information that they can gather about you. Use search engines that don't do this, like DuckDuckGo.
- Consider an OS change. Some operating systems are way more insecure than others. Windows, for example, is notoriously unsafe and Microsoft is very willing to help out Big Brother. Linux is generally considered to be one of the most secure operating systems but it has a slight learning curve.
- Take precautions with your email. Use secure email services when you can. Use a dummy email address when emailing people you do not trust and make sure that that dummy email is not attached to any of your real information (use a fake name, age, etc). You can also set up emails to reroute, so that you can receive them at your normal address. Just make sure that you reply from the dummy account! This is not particularly secure against government agencies but it is fairly secure against hackers.
- Use Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a largely untraceable form of currency which has gained a lot of attention in the last year or two. Not every website accepts it, but for the websites that do, this can be a great way to help protect your identity when making purchases.
- Use prepaid VISA cards. Another way to protect your identity when making purchases is to use a prepaid VISA card. These can be used on any site that accepts VISA payments and the cards themselves can be purchased with cash from most major grocery stores (in the US).
- Practice safe internet. As always, you should make sure to practice safe internet (like practicing safe sex!). Some of the things you can do include:
- Use secure passwords which use at least 8 characters, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and characters. Never use dictionary words in your password, either.
- Do use different passwords for every site you have an account with, if possible.
- Change your passwords frequently.
- Don't go to untrustworthy sites or click on emails from unknown addresses.
- Be wary of porn sites. These are notoriously infected. Also filesharing sites.
- Just stop putting all your information out there! Another thing about internet anonymity to keep in mind is that if you want to stay anonymous, you should really just stop putting so much info about yourself on the internet. Facebook culture has made us very loose with our personal privacy. A good way to protect your information from getting out there is to never put it on the internet to begin with.
Tips
- Learn more about anonymity if you really need to be anonymous. Read details about cookies, proxies, the user agent, browser variables and the Internet protocol. This topic is not simple, if you really rely on anonymity you should get an expert! Many countries hit hard on bloggers, journalists, or even surfers looking for a piece of erotic. If you live in a country where death is a possible end to a man or woman looking for a bit of freedom in the Internet then please inform yourself before using a cheap proxy.
Warnings
- Web proxies will log your passwords and can change the website content; keep that in mind when using them.
- Know what you are doing; 3rd world states or repressive states like China are experts in breaking your anonymity. Become an expert yourself!
- Private proxies are often operated on bot networks; if a private proxy providers offers thousands of proxies, avoid him!
- Open proxies can be evil. The EU Cybercrime Convention from 2001, as well as the U.S. Computer Fraud & Abuse Act both define that entering a proxy or computer without permission is a crime!
Related wikiHows
- How to Surf the Web Anonymously with Proxies
- How to Download Anonymously
- How to Be Safe in the Chat Rooms
- How to Stay off the Government's Grid
Sources and Citations
- http://ift.tt/dLNJbq The Tor Project
- http://ift.tt/1CA1odg A proxy and anonymity analyzer
- http://ift.tt/18IyjjJ Anonymous proxy List refreshed by users
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source How to of the Day http://ift.tt/1CA1odh
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