Check Out Cogipas.com’s Privacy Book

This page is a collection of materials related to our books.

Although now long surpassed by our website, the books is what got it all started. 🙂

Press Release

The book contains over 300 pages of proven techniques and recommended software (including free software) that enables every day computer users to thwart all manner of risks – whether deterring identity thieves and cyber-criminals, preventing the tracking and profiling capabilities of search engines, social networking sites and powerful Internet players, using a proxy to hide IP addresses, or unblocking censored websites and downloads. The book is a comprehensive and easy-to-read guide with up-to-date information and screenshots that walk readers through the techniques and tools, be it for surfing the web, sharing peer-to-peer (p2p) and torrent downloads, chatting and instant messaging, accessing Usenet newsgroups, or securing information and communications with strong encryption.

Complete Guide to Internet Privacy, Anonymity & Security is currently available through Amazon (http://goo.gl/PqSV7), leading book stores, and the book’s sister website at https://www.cogipas.com. The Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cogipas supplements the book with further news and updates.

WebWireID148556

Table of Contents

Click the toggle below to see the full table of contents for the book.
 

Quick Links to Kindle ebook:

> USA  > UK  > Canada  > Germany  > France  > Netherlands  > Spain  > Italy  > Brazil  > Japan  > Australia  > Mexico  > India

Index of Book Updates

At the end of each chapter in 'Complete Guide to Internet Privacy, Anonymity & Security' are links to this site with any updated information.

To search this website, select the magnifying glass icon at upper-right in the top menu.

ch. 2 - Risks at a Glance

Search the site for risks at a glance.

ch. 3 - Importance of Good Passwords (Passphrases)

Lastpass (free) remains highly recommended for managing all your passwords, but another contender has emerged. Dashlane (free) is feature-rich password management app. It's most impressive feature is the ability to easily change one, some or even all your passwords at one time. A great comfort with growing major data breaches becoming a regular occurrence.

Make sure to enable any double-authentication features available for your accounts.

• for Google, go to https://www.google.com/landing/2step/

• for Facebook, go to Settings > Security > Login Approvals (or via https://www.cogipas.com/eb8c)

ch. 4 - Online Tracking and Profiling

Search the site for online tracking and profiling.

ch. 5 - Protecting Yourself from Malware

Search the site for malware.

ch.6 - How to Protect your Privacy on Social Media

Read all about What Not to Post on Facebook and a Detailed Walkthrough of Facebook's Privacy Settings.

You can also search the site for posts about social media.

ch. 7 - Preventing Identity Theft and Fraud

Search the site for posts about identity theft.

If you use Windows Home Premium and get this error when trying to set up a decoy “Administrator” account, instead name the decoy account “Admin” (see the next screenshots) or something similar that will lead hackers to believe that it is the Administrator account.

ch. 8 - Risks and Dangers of Using Wireless Networks and “Hotspots” (Public Wi-Fi)

Search the site for posts about Wi-Fi.

ch. 9 - Securing Your Devices

Search the site for posts about device security.

ch. 10 - Keeping Your Children Safe from Online Dangers

Children are a growing target group for hackers and marketers alike. At times the Internet can be a very bad neighborhood from which you need to steer and guide your children away.

Search the site for posts about children.

ch. 11 - How to Get Rid of Web Browser Trace Information

It's hard to go wrong with the free & open source privacy clearing tool, BleachBit.

In addition to free tools, our book also recommended premium privacy protection app, Privacy Eraser Pro.

However, recent improvements in CCleaner make it a better choice as a premium history cleaning app.  It is a solid and more user-friendly choice for clearing history, cache, cookie, MRU, temporary, log files and much more from your computer and other devices.

If your budget is stretched, don't worry as CCleaner is also available in a free version too.

ch. 12 - Anonymous Web Browsing

Search the site for related terms such as "anonymous" or "vpn".

ch. 13 - Using Tor (The Onion Router) to be Anonymous on the Web

As mentioned at the end of the book's chapter about using Tor (The Onion Router), perhaps you want to delve a little deeper into Tor or its wider community. If so, please see these Tor-related materials which cover:

1. How to Configure Relays
2. How to Access Tor if you are Blocked
3. How to Help a Blocked Friend Access Tor
4. Accessing Tor through a Proxy

More About TAILS

The TAILS (free & open source) live operating system was mentioned as in a 'Top Tip' in the chapter. TAILS represents the ultimate in online anonymity (it’s what Edward Snowden used), but it is a little complicated and for this reason is for advanced users only. A live operating system means one you can boot directly into from a computer from a USB or CD, leaving no traces of your activities behind. TAILS also forces all connections through Tor.

ch. 14 - Secure, Private and Anonymous Email

In addition to the free services offering disposable temporary email addresses, similar free services are available for bypassing website registration processes (saving you from sharing your email address). Check out BugMeNot and Login2.

Some readers have suggested that, like AnonymousSpeech and HushMail mentioned in the book, CounterMail is a good premium secure email provider.

Although instant messaging is different from email, it's worth mentioning the free app Off-the-record “OTR” should you wish to engage in any secure and anonymous real-time chatting online.

ch. 15 - Using Encryption

Search the site for posts about encryption.

ch. 16 - How to Download and Share Torrents

In addition to PIA and PureVPN as recommended torrent-friendly VPNs, IPVanish and NordVPN (see review) also cater to torrent users, boast some impressive privacy-enhancing features and are based outside of the US.

Recommended torrent file-sharing app µTorrent (free) received a beating recently from bundling some adware in its app. They quickly retreated and I believe that they learned their lesson, but if you are still leery, qBittorrent (free) is a great alternate file-sharing client app.

The book suggested TorGuard as a free resource for confirming that your IP address is masked when torrent file-sharing with your anonymizing VPN service enabled. Two additional free resources are IPLeak.net and ipMagnet.

ch. 17 - Secure, Private and Anonymous Usenet

In addition to the premium and uncensored Usenet providers mentioned in the book, we can further recommend:

• EasyNews a Usenet provider with a web browser-based interface, excellent especially for Usenet beginners. See the detailed EasyNews review.
• XLned a solid Usenet provider based outside the USA in the Netherlands

Suitable only for advanced users, SABnzbd (free) is an excellent automated Usenet app. Intermediate users should stick with the recommendations in the book, including Agent and GrabIt. Beginners may wish to use a web-based Usenet portal, such as EasyNews mentioned above, which make Usenet as easy as Google (search, preview, watch/download).

ch. 18 - Getting Rid of Trace Information Left Behind on Your Devices

Search the site for posts about trace data.

ch. 19 - Permanently Deleting (Wiping) Items and Data

Another good wiping app is CCleaner (free & premium versions).  It offers easy wiping of files, drive free space and even entire storage media.

ch. 20 - Privacy at your Workplace; Security at your Small Office / Home Office (SOHO)

At this time, there are no updates or additional information for this chapter.

Annex A - Online Privacy Checks You Should Do Right Now

See our comprehensive list of Online Privacy Checks.

Annex B - Checking Your Device Privacy

Search the site for device privacy.

Annex C - Privacy Protection (Quick Start)

See our Advanced Privacy Protection and Online Anonymity Tips.

* * *

Notes About the 1st Edition

Corrigendum

The following issues have been identified in the book.

• page 191: in the last paragraph the cross reference to "page Error! Bookmark not defined." should be instead to "page 196".

If you find more, please send an email to info "at" cogipas "dot" com.

Links

Links - A chapter-by-chapter list of all the links in the book to save you from typing them into your browser.  To access these materials you will be prompted for a username and password,

• For the username use "cogipas" (no quotes)
• For the password turn to the copyright page of the book (page 2) and use the website address that appears in the paranthesis on the second line of the page; so in the format "www.xxxxx-xxxxxx.com" (no quotes) as highlighted here.

Data Privacy Day Special: Free 250-page Kindle eBook

Data Privacy Day has to be among the lamest “international holidays” ever. To make it a little less lame, we are offering the Kindle version of our 250+ page book, ‘Complete Guide to Internet Privacy, Anonymity & Security’ absolutely free.

The book is Windows7-oriented and includes robust chapters on:

• online tracking & profiling
• social media safety
• private web browsing
• anonymous torrent-file sharing
• uncensored Usenet newsgroups
• how to keep your computer and other devices safe from snoops

The book will be free only on Data Privacy Day (January 28th) but, to cater to all time zones, also for a few hours before and after. Get your free copy today!

And remember, you do not need to have a Kindle device to read Kindle ebooks. Free Kindle reading apps are available for your Windows or Apple computer as well as for your Android or iOS tablets and smartphones.

As always, your book reviews would be much appreciated. Please consider assigning a star rating and adding a sentence or two as it really helps. Thank you!

Note: You will only see it for free by accessing the Amazon site for your country – unless using a VPN or SmartDNS 😉

Updated Kindle version Free until 29 December 2014

Complete Guide to Internet Privacy, Anonymity & Security (COGIPAS for short) was originally published almost 3 years ago and earned a 4+ star rating on Amazon in both the US and UK.  Earlier this week, a second edition was published for Kindle with a major update of materials including robust chapters on online tracking & profiling, social media, Tor (a free web anonymizing service), torrent-file sharing and Usenet newsgroups.

Over the period 25 to 29 December the Kindle ebook is being made available for FREE across all Amazon sites including US, UK, Canada, and Germany. I do this primarily to benefit existing readers (grab your free updated copy), but also to reach a new audience.

And remember, you do not need to have a Kindle device to read Kindle ebooks.  Free apps are available for your Windows or Apple computer as well as for your Android or iOS tablets and smartphones.

Your reviews would be much appreciated. Please consider assigning a star rating and adding a sentence or two as it really helps. Thank you!

Update: In the first 2 days of the 5-day promotion, over six-hundred and fifty (650) copies were downloaded, so get yours today.

Second Edition

New Edition! A fully updated and revised 2nd edition (2015) has now been released.  
 

What's Covered in the Book

Whether you want to keep your Internet and computing activities away from the prying eyes of hackers, snoops, rogue ISPs, Big Brother, spying competitors, or any other unwelcome third-parties ... or are simply interested to learn more about Internet privacy, anonymity and security ...

The book is a comprehensive and easy-to-read guide with up-to-date information and screenshots that explain to readers the latest techniques and software tools needed to effectively counter these threats, whether for surfing the web, sharing peer-to-peer (p2p) and torrent downloads, chatting and instant messaging, using Usenet newsgroups or securing data on a computer with strong encryption. For example:

• the myriad of risks to your privacy and why they are important, all set out in plain English.
• learn how to conceal your IP address while surfing the Internet and protect from being tracked and profiled.
• learn how to safely use social networking sites, like Facebook, including the information you should never post.
• download torrents using peer-to-peer (P2P) software as privately and securely as possible, including how to mask your IP address while doing so.
• passwords are dead, so learn to generate strong passphrases for your online accounts and software that will thwart would-be hackers and their brute force attacks.
• use email and webmail accounts and learn about anonymous email services and remailers.
• learn why and how to cover your tracks purging unwanted trace information left on your computer by using washing software.
• make sure to securely delete your data - including hidden data in your computer’s unused clusters, system files and directory entries - and make it unrecoverable by snoops and hackers.
• use strong encryption to keep your hard drive and downloads private and secure, including from powerful computer forensic software.
• how to disable certain risky privacy settings like your browser’s cookies, caching and history lists
• safely take part in online chatting & IRC and instant messaging, using the best software and while masking your IP address.
• participate and contribute to Usenet newsgroups ONLY after you fully understand all of the privacy risks and learn how to strip out your IP address from posts.

Special interest topics are also covered such as how to protect your children and tell if a loved one is up to no good on their computer, as well as specific tips for small office / home office (SOHO) users.

Our Mention in The European Financial Review

Cogipas.com is pleased to announce that excerpts of its leading Internet privacy book were recently published in the European Financial Review, both the glossy print magazine and website. Check it Out! #cogipas #privacy

• http://www.europeanfinancialreview.com/?p=4775

Radio Interview

Here's the audio stream of my radio interview on KUCI 88.9 FM in Irvine, California (which aired on 4 June 2012) about the book.

To play it, just click directly here (streaming audio) or on the ‘Listen to this interview‘ link at the page Privacy Piracy > Matthew Bailey. It's about 30 minutes in duration.

Book #2 on How to Torrent

Much of the information available on this important topic is vague or glosses over important details. But if you want to be anonymous while downloading torrents and file-sharing you need reliable and detailed information. Being anonymous primarily means protecting your IP address (your online digital fingerprint) from disclosure. “Use a VPN” is too often the generic advice, but this leaves out too many important details. (For those new to the concept, a VPN is a service you can use to help keep you anonymous online). Staying anonymous for torrenting takes more than this.

For example, did you know that your web browsing habits can be used to learn about your torrent activities? Similarly, you rarely see any discussion of the offline privacy risks posed by downloading torrents or how to address these risks. As you can see, staying anonymous when downloading and sharing torrents takes some additional steps to protect yourself.

It is difficult to find reliable and accurate information because many online “reviews” for anonymizing services and VPNs are biased and hiding the fact that your clicks generate commissions for them. As a result, you cannot trust a lot of the information out there about anonymizing services and VPNs.

This no-nonsense Guide will take you through the entire process, step-by-step and with helpful screenshots and recommendations along the way. This Guide’s sole focus is torrents and only torrents, so get it today and start downloading and sharing torrents anonymously in confidence.

If torrents are a new concept to you, don’t worry, they are explained in the Guide without any fluff or technobabble. At the same time, even the most advanced users will learn new tips and tricks in this Guide.

Either way, from beginner to advanced, with the help of this Guide you will be downloading torrents anonymously like a pro in no time.

Get your copy now on Kindle at

• Amazon USA
• Amazon UK
• and other Amazon country sites

Interesting Internet Privacy Reading 

If you want to further explore the topics found in our books and on our website, check out these Internet privacy books.

	Complete Guide to Internet Privacy, Anonymity & Security  Our founder's leading book has been fully updated and revised, and is available from Amazon and other leading book retailers in both Kindle and paperback (also on Amazon.co.uk and other Amazon sites).
	Hiding from the Internet: Eliminating Personal Online Information See our full review: "Worth Every Penny: provides plenty of information and practical tactics for turning the tide in the battle for privacy"
	The Smart Girl's Guide to Privacy: A Privacy Guide for the Rest of Us See our full review:"Bravo on an excellent and practical Internet privacy book relevant to everyone"
	Incognito Toolkit (subtitle: Tools, Apps, and Creative Methods for Remaining Anonymous, Private, and Secure While Communicating, Publishing, Buying, and Researching Online) See our full review: "Full of good information to put you on the path to achieving anonymity"
	How to be Anonymous Online: A Step-By-Step Manual (deals mostly with TAILS and BitCoin)
	Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World by leading Internet security author Bruce Schneier.
	Take Control of Your Online Privacy (more Mac focused)