Like it or not, Big Brother is watching you… and not just you. With the advent of modern technologies in general and artificial intelligence in particular, he’s watching all of us. Some of us don’t like this, but a few are ready to take extra steps to be anonymous online.
Today, we share 11 tips that could help you stay under the radar. Some of these are hardcore and we’re sure not everyone will take them. Some other tips, on the other hand, are easy to implement and I don’t see a good reason why wouldn’t everyone implement them.
Ready? Here’s what we’ve got…
1. Get a VPN
First and foremost, get a good VPN that will keep you anonymous online while also allowing you to enjoy other services. Such a VPN is also fast, typically operating a vast network of servers around the world that lets you access your favorite streaming services such as Netflix even when you’re visiting foreign countries. Also, a good VPN will include advanced privacy features so that you can, say, download files via BitTorrent without anyone knowing anything about it. Plus, it lets you further hide your identity online. (Related: 5 Tips to Stay Anonymous Online With VPN)
2. Get an anonymous web browser
The most secure option is Tor Browser which routes all traffic through three separate servers before delivering the page back to you. It, however, is not the best solution for most users as this procedure impacts the performance and you can easily end up with a web browsing experience that is barely acceptable (if at all). The better option is to use Firefox and tweak with its advanced privacy features, such as the Enhanced Tracking Protection, which makes it more difficult for online trackers to follow your activity across the web. Other viable options include Brave and even Apple’s own Safari.
3. Or a browser add-on…
As an alternative to a new browser, you can get a plugin that works in a similar fashion and will also block all the tracking around the web. The most popular such solution comes from the nonprofit organization Electronic Frontier Foundation; its Privacy Badger sits in the background from where it learns what services and cookies are trying to track you and blocks them. Another option is uBlock Origin, and there is also NoScript, which — for what it matters — comes included with Tor Browser.
4. Use anonymous search engines
Google is notorious for watching every step you make online. Furthermore, it does that even if you’re not using it as many websites use Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, and most users rely on Google Chrome for web browsing. This gives the Mountain View-based giant an unprecedented view of users’ behavior online. The only other company with a comparable pool of user data is Facebook, while Microsoft collects your search information when you’re using Bing. You can avoid all this with an anonymous search engine like DuckDuckGo. It will not collect any of your personal information or connect your searches to form a profile on you. Other anonymous search engines to consider are Startpage and Qwant.
5. Use anonymous email
Forget about services such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo Mail — since your email address is sort of your digital passport, you may want to consider signing up for an anonymous email service. There are a few such services out there like ProtonMail (operated by ProtonVPN), TempInbox and Mailinator. Some of these services don’t require any personal information to set up an email account, which could be just the thing you’re looking for.
6. Turn off location tracking
This is especially important when you’re accessing the internet from your smartphone which can share your location information with other apps installed on your device. Most apps will ask for permission to collect your information, and some won’t even work if you don’t provide them with that access. If you still want to run that app, you can agree at first and later on – entirely disable location tracking. You can do this on your phone, tablet and even computer.
7. Avoid social networks
Facebook has been in the news for all the wrong reasons for more times than we care to count. And guess what — they are not the only ones collecting a tremendous amount of information on its users. All major ad platforms are doing it — including Google, Twitter, Amazon, Microsoft and so on. And the worse thing is that Facebook is watching you even if you’re not posting or sharing anything. The simple act of starting the Facebook app on your smartphone gives the social networking giant information on your location.
8. Share files anonymously
Instead of relying on mainstream file-sharing services like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and Box — you can use alternatives like Mega and Onion Share. The major sites are operated by large companies and they like to know every step you make on their properties. So if you want to anonymously share files, go for alternative services.
9. Get into crypto
In today’s digital age, tracking money is easy. Tracking crypto is hard if not impossible, depending on the crypto assets you’re using. Cryptocurrencies like Zcash and Monero lets users anonymously pay for stuff. The problem is that they are not accepted everywhere, though there is a growing number of websites that do accept these two cryptocurrencies. It is very hard not to use a credit or debit card if you want to buy something online, and we can’t really suggest anyone to drop its cards. They are easy to use and accepted all around the place. In contrast, cryptocurrencies are still in its infancy with many merchants refusing to have anything to do with them. Perhaps the situation will change in the future, but for the time being — I guess it is ok to use a credit card, even if you’re really worried about your privacy.
10. Use a privacy-focused OS
This is for hard-core privacy advocates – use Tails, which is the most private and anonymous solution currently available. It is to operating systems what the Tor browser is to web browsers – it leaves no trace at all, and you can use it on any computer. Or if you’re really tech-savvy, you can install Linux and set it up in a way that it doesn’t track a thing.
11. Offline matters, as well
Those looking to stay anonymous online should also take good care of their “offline data.” This means you shouldn’t be leaving your personal information just about everywhere. Some of your information may end up in public databases, like the one operated by the Department of Motor Vehicles. And if you’re extreme about your privacy, you may want to contact them to erase your data from such public databases.
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I must add that some of the advice outlined above is for true fans of privacy as relying on all of it will have a dramatic impact on your Internet experience. For instance, you may be using Google Apps or Microsoft Office 365 for work; these services do watch what you’re doing but you can still hide a bit from them with a VPN. Therefore, we’ve put it at the very top of the list.
It is up to you to decide which additional steps you want/can take to keep your identity under the radar. We don’t want to take that call — it’s your privacy after all. (and it rhymes) ????