Privacy is paramount when it comes to internet privacy. Today, we are going to look at the best tools for online privacy and anonymity. In short, think of this as a guidebook that protects your identity whether you’re online or offline.
Tails
Tails is a popular privacy-focused operating system that runs entirely from a USB stick or DVD. It’s designed to leave no traces of your activities on the computer you’re using, which makes it an excellent tool for anyone who needs to work on sensitive information while on the go. Tails comes pre-installed with a range of privacy and security tools, including the Tor Browser, which helps protect your online activities from prying eyes. Overall, Tails is an excellent choice for anyone who values their privacy and wants to keep their online activities completely private.
Signal
Signal is a secure messaging app that provides end-to-end encryption for all communications. It’s widely regarded as one of the most secure messaging apps available today, and it’s used by millions of people around the world. Signal’s encryption means that only the sender and recipient of a message can read it, making it an ideal tool for anyone who wants to keep their communications private. Signal also offers a range of other privacy and security features, including disappearing messages, screen security, and more. Whether you’re communicating with friends, family, or colleagues, Signal is an excellent choice for anyone who values their privacy and security.
Network Security
By network security, we mean strategies and tools you can use to keep your online activities private and anonymous. An unsecure network is worthless.
First, you want to protect your search history from your ISP. The last thing you want is for your ISP to see you navigate through specific websites and even spy on you. You must protect your online activity by installing VPN (Virtual Private Network) security software and a flash router to safeguard your internet connection from third parties. Both are simple and highly effective privacy tools.
Password Security
Passwords are the keys to many sites. They’re easy to forget, and yet they have to be unique enough to thwart hackers from guessing them via software.
Securing passwords is of great importance. An individual should never keep them out in the open or save them to the computer’s hard drive. Anyone is capable of stealing saved passwords from your browser. You can look into things like Dashlane, Nordpass or LastPass to manage your passwords in a secure, password-protected vault.
Browser Security
In a nutshell: the the Tor Browser. Our internet connections are also susceptible to being compromised. Tor routes your traffic through tons of relays, which break up your online activities into shards so that it’s impossible to tell who is visiting a site and where they come from.
When you’re using a clearnet browser, check out DuckDuckGo, who doesn’t track your activity. Perhaps that’s not possible when you’re at work or under different circumstances. In those instances, always keep in mind:
- Ensure that your browser’s security and privacy settings are properly configured
- You should always keep your web browser updated
- Get alerts by signing up
- Whenever you install a plug-in, be careful and read reviews first
- Your computer needs to be protected by an antivirus (windows defender is actually pretty good)
Browser security consists of privacy tools that ensure information about your web browsing activities, your history, locations, and passwords saved on your computer remain confidential.
Search Engine Privacy
We are getting tracked by our online activities, hours spent using those websites, location, and shopping preferences. Online searches are traced by the search engines we use, primarily our search queries. However, you are a privacy fanatic and don’t want anyone peeking into your stuff.
So, many of the top privacy-driven search engines won’t track you or monitor your activities.
- Internet service provider’s sponsored search engines can be tricky from a security standpoint. So, one should avoid it.
- Avoid using your search engine or other tools that require a login when you’re browsing.
- Make sure your search engine does not place cookies.
- You can use web proxies and anonymous software, like Tor, to protect your privacy.
Email, Communication, File Sharing, and Security
Sending an email isn’t just about sending and receiving files. It has become a resource for storing data. Over email, we exchange confidential documents, information, proposals, and so on. We also embed metadata in our emails, so they’re easy to track and trace.
The majority of users share private info via email. You might be astonished to know about how companies like Gmail and Yahoo utilize your information!
Better alternatives, from a security standpoint, include Proton Mail, Hushmail, and CounterMail. These all anonymize your data and do not store records.
The modern internet user needs to be proactive in any scenario, and especially when using dark web related information. Every piece of information which can be sensitive should be hidden. If we want to be safe, we need to be vigilant.