Privacy Guide – Stay Anonymous Online

If you don’t want them installed automatically (for example, you don’t have access to a fast Internet connection), that’s fine but at least enable the options so that your computers and devices let you know when updates are available so you can apply them as soon as you can.

Use Unique Strong Passwords & Passphrases

Use a Password Manager (Free)

To automatically generate good passphrases AND to keep track of all your passwords, use a trusted password management app such as those below. Both are free and easy-to-use.

• Dashlane (free) – a password manager that also lets you change one, some or all your passwords in one go (for example, in the event of a major data breach). --> see our full Dashlane review

If you want to be notified when any of your accounts are hacked (for example, the details start showing up on the dark web), sign up for a hack alert. 

Hack Alert Websites (Free) 

• HaveIBeenPwned (also check out their comprehensive list of recent password hacks)
• BreachAlarm 

Identity Theft Protection

You can also go one step further and protect yourself from identity theft using a service such as IdentityForce.

These services will detect and notify you if your personal, financial, or credit information is breached and starts to be sold online.

Enable Double-Authentication

This feature (sometimes called two-factor authentication or 2FA for short) can be activated with a single click.

Using 2FA will keep your accounts safe even if someone manages to get their hands on your password.

That’s because the hacker would also have to get their hands on your second authentication method, usually your mobile phone.

Here's where you can find the 2FA settings for Google and Facebook.

For most accounts, look for Settings > Security > Login Approvals (or similar).

Don’t be Careless with Links & Attachments

Wait!

Before you open that link or attachment, think twice.

Malicious links and attachments are used by hackers to gain access to your computer, get sensitive info about you, and more.

That goes for links and attachments sent via email, social media, chat, SMS message or any other source.

Protect Your Privacy on Social Media

We get it. It’s hard to resist using social media sites and apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like.

But if you’re going to sign up, at least be smart about it. Too many people make themselves potentially targeted through social media.

Here are some of the things you should never post on social media:

• Your full date of birth (at a minimum, leave out the year)

• Your address

• Your phone number

• Your middle name(s)

• Any similarly personally-identifiable information that could be used by someone to impersonate you online

• Any of the same information about your friends or family

Use Disposable Temporary Email to Protect your Real Email Address

To keep your primary email address out of databases and away from spammers and more dangerous adversaries, use disposable temporary email addresses as much as possible.

These are especially handy for verifying account signups or newsletter subscriptions that you may be unsure about.  

You can also use them in conjunction with Anonymous Payment Methods to keep safe your personally identifiable information when buying goods and services. 
 

Free Disposable Temporary Email Addresses

Throw-away email addresses are available at the following:

Top Tip – Make sure to enable any 'block images' option supported by your webmail provider or email app (sometimes shown as “email bug” blocking features). Otherwise, Internet marketers and other unwelcome snoops can verify that your email account is active when your email displays such images. And once your private email address is picked up by spammers, unscrupulous marketers or even hacker collectives, there is no controlling what might happen to it.

Shared Logins

Somewhat related, there are also free shared login resources that let you bypass web registration and save you from sharing your real email address:

Use your Browser’s Private Mode

Your web browser’s private mode will temporarily disable tracking cookies and suspend your browsing and search histories.

This is particularly valuable when you’re browsing sensitive information (this type of information is discussed in more detail below) because even just the names of cookies left behind on your computer or device can get you in hot water.

Plus, private browsing mode is easy to use. Chrome’s Incognito, Firefox’s Private Browsing, Internet Explorer’s InPrivate and Safari’s Private Browsing can all be activated with a single click, without any configuration or special software needed.

But don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. Private web browsing only offers a bare bones amount of protection. It’s not nearly enough to make you immune from online tracking, profiling, and other threats.

Use a Search Engine that Respects Your Privacy

Did you know that every time you use search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo, they’re collecting information about you, like your IP address, the words you searched for, the date and time of your search, the device you searched on, where you were when you did the search, etc.?

That’s right.

The information shard may seem harmless but powerful data brokers and resellers are putting all these data points together, generating dangerously detailed profiles about you and selling them to the highest bidder.

Lastly, know that search engines will also share your search histories with the government, if requested.

Fortunately, not all search engines are nearly as invasive as Google.

A few of our favorite privacy-oriented search engines, which promise NOT to track their users are below. This small step won’t make you completely private, but it’s easy and definitely a step in the right direction.
 

Best Alternate Search Engines

• Ixquick – non-USA based search engine respecting privacy (no tracking)

• DuckDuckGo – encrypted web searches that aren't tracked

• Disconnect Search – anonymizes search queries on the major search engines

• Startpage

• searx

• Qwant

Understand the Risks of Using Public WiFi

This is less of a problem than it used to be as more websites now use end-to-end encryption to protect you – these are web addresses you see starting with ‘https’ and when your browser displays a small lock icon.

But you still never know what’s lurking when you hit “connect” for the hotspot at a café, hotel, airport lounge or other public space (see next heading).

Plus, it’s all too easy to be fooled into connecting to an altogether fake login page.

It’s best to completely avoid unprotected Wi-Fi but if you find yourself in a situation with no other choice, you should definitely use something called a virtual private network or VPN for short (we’ll cover VPNs in-depth under Advanced Anonymity below).

• read more about Unsecured Wi-Fi Risks

Don't Use Shared Devices or Guest Accounts

If hotpots are sharing an Internet connection, the same tips apply for sharing physical devices.

Logging into your accounts from a computer in a hotel lobby or airport lounge or a courtesy tablet at a bar or restaurant is asking for trouble.

If you just want to browse news headlines or check sports scores that’s fine, but do not log in to any password-protected accounts or heaven forbid do any online banking!

Even if you fully trust the operators, you never know what unscrupulous guests may have bypassed security measures and installed keyloggers on the device.

Have a Privacy Disaster Plan

Should, heaven forbid, disaster strike and you get hacked or owned, you need to have a plan.

For example, some password manager apps, like already mentioned Dashlane, have a change all passwords function. With one click you can change all your passwords to prevent the hacker from going any further.

It's also a good idea to diversify your providers. If you use Google for everything and your account is breached, the hacker will have access to, well, everything.

Try Some of These Internet Privacy Checks

• Panopticlick – EFF's tool determines how unique is your browser configuration
• MyPermissions – check which websites and online apps you've granted permission to access your information
• StayInvisible – online tracking tester
• Google Account History – displays your Google-related activities including search history and location history
• YouTube video and YouTube search histories
• Facebook Activity Log
• Apply Magic Sauce (formerly YouAreWhatYouLike) – analyse your Facebook profile and likes, respectively
• Immersion – email metadata analysis
• HaveIBeenPwned – check your email against account breach databases
• ScanEye – torrent file-sharing detection and monitoring
• JustDeleteMe – comprehensive collection of direct links for deleting online accounts

Understanding the Role Your IP Address Has in Internet Privacy

If you want to be protected online, you need to know a little about IP addresses. An IP address is what allows all the different devices connected to the Internet to communicate with one another.

That means that every time you connect to the Internet, you are assigned a unique IP address.

That means every video you watch, message you send, and search you do is connected to your unique IP address assigned to you at the time.

• Proxies are another option, though they can also be slow as well as unreliable (who knows who’s operating them)
• A virtual private network, or VPN, is the easiest, fastest and safest way to disguise your IP address but they usually require a paid subscription. 

And when it comes to VPNs, NordVPN is one of our favorites. This year, we not only named them our Best VPN Overall, they were also the fastest! So whether you’re looking for all-around quality or blazing fast speeds, they’re an excellent choice.

With NordVPN, you’re getting access to over 5,500 servers across more than 59 countries.

They also keep no activity or connection logs of your activities, making it a true “logless” VPN provider.

That, together with top-notch encryption of your data, means that your privacy is always secure.

There are a few free VPNs, but it’s better to pay a few bucks a month for the added protection of a premium VPN service such as NordVPN.

Internet Privacy Browser? Use These Plug-Ins 

It’s easy enough to use your browser’s privacy mode for some basic privacy – we already covered that above. But reliable browser plug-ins offer even better protection.

Some of our favorites are below. The best part is, all of these plug-ins are completely free! Installing just a few of them will go a long way to preventing your web browsing from being tracked and keeping your personal information under wraps, safe and secure.

Best Web Browser Privacy Plug-ins & Extensions

• HTTPS Everywhere (free) – EFF's tool “enforces” secure connections and redirects you to secure SSL connections wherever possible, sending you to the HTTPS version of most websites
• Privacy Badger (free) – EFF's anti-tracking plug-in blocks the trackers that try to attach themselves to you online
• Disconnect (free) – another free, anti-tracking plug-in that blocks online tracking
• AdBlockPlus (free) – an extension that blocks ads, cookies and other tracking elements
• Ghostery (free) – an effective anti-tracking tool, but skip the “GhostRank” opt-in during installation as enabling this will send data to the developer, supposedly anonymized by why take the chance
• uBlock Origin – similar to Ghostery for Firefox and Chrome browsers
• PixelBlock (free) – a Gmail extension for Chrome that prevents tracking when you open and read emails
• Cookie AutoDelete – a Firefox add-on for cookies; this one will delete cookies each time you close a browser tab (Chrome version)

Enable 'Do Not Track' in Your Web Browser

It’s up to each website whether or not to honour your ‘do not track’ web page requests. As you can imagine, the websites you are most worried about it ignore it.

The browser plugins above are a much better way to prevent online tracking of your activities, especially when used in combination with a VPN as already touched upon.

Don’t Stay Logged into your Accounts

These days, it seems like almost every one of our online accounts pushes options like ‘Keep Me Logged In’ or ‘Remember Me’.

But while these features may save us a little time, they also make us drastically less secure in the long run.

Mobile Privacy

As we use our mobile devices more like full-fledged computers, we have to adopt the same kind of privacy measures too.

This means being aware of and, in some cases, disabling your mobile browser’s search history and your phone’s location tracking (and the apps that rely on it).

Just like with your computers and tablets, you can also use your mobile web browser’s private browsing mode.

Location tracking is a tough one because so many useful mobile features and apps rely on it. If you can’t live without location tracking, toggle it on and off as needed.

You should use a VPN or Tor on all of your devices and operating systems, whether computers, tablets or smartphones.
 

IP Address Tests & VPN Checkers

• DNS Leak and IP Leak – test your VPN or proxy for DNS leaks

• What's My IP links – collection of tools that report your IP address

• TorGuard, Upcoil, IPLeak.net – detect your IP address for torrent file-sharing

• read more about the Best VPN Services on the market today

Encrypt Your Files and Data

Use powerful file encryption apps to hide and protect the information and data on your computer and devices, whether from inadvertent disclosure (for example, through loss or theft) or from determined adversaries.

Ideally, use only trusted open source apps as there is no guarantee that proprietary apps won't have “back doors”.

Use Secure Email, not Gmail

If you are serious about Internet privacy protection, you really should ditch Gmail and all of the other mainstream email providers. 

For further details, see our secure email reviews. 

Secure Email Services 

• ProtonMail an excellent secure email provider with strong encryption and no logging. 
• HushMail (premium) – a trusted, secure email provider since 1999
• CounterMail
• FastMail – going 15 years strong; based outside the US in Australia
• GnuPG – OpenPGP standard for email [advanced users only]

Reverse Email Trace & Other Email Tools

These services have different email checks you may want to try (all free):

• EmailFinder.com
• EmailTracer
• IP-Adress.com's Trace Email
• EmailChecker – check whether an email address exists or not

Wipe Data from your Devices

Use privacy cleaning apps to clear the traces of your activities left behind on your computer and devices.

Best File & Drive Utilities

• Recuva (free) – undelete files with ease
• EnCase – professional forensic hard drive analysis software
• Fred (aka Forensic Recovery of Evidence Device) - professional forensic hard drive analysis software
• Directory Snoop – affordable “lite” forensic analysis software that analyzes storage media at the cluster level

Riskier Online Activities Need More Advanced Privacy Measures

While you should always strive to protect your privacy and anonymity online, there are certain issues that you should be especially careful with, due to their sensitivity and potential harm to you.
 

Content Streaming, Torrenting and Popcorn Time

Best Torrent File-sharing / P2P Apps & Tools

• qBittorrent (free) - an open source file-sharing client best used with one of the VPNs below
• PeerBlock (free) – IP address protection tool that shields you from connecting to “unfriendly” IPs
• Private Internet Access VPN – the best torrent VPN at the best prices (see our PIA VPN review)
• NordVPN – the most private & secure torrent VPN which is based outside the US & EU
• TorGuard, IPLeak.net & ipMagnet (all free) – confirm your true IP address is masked when torrent file-sharing

• read more about How to Download Torrents Anonymously

Researching Health and Financial Problems

You should never use the Internet as a substitute for a doctor’s opinion. That being said, it can still be a valuable tool to research symptoms, treatments, or prices for a variety of different ailments and conditions. It’s also great for finding out how to avoid bankruptcy and other financial troubles.

Just make sure you’re using a VPN (at minimum) when you’re searching, since you don’t want your searches and activity tied to your identity. If you don’t, you will start seeing related ads almost right away. But much worse, your profile could even start to have an impact on your eligibility for credit and health insurance.
 

Political Activism

It seems like everyone has a strong opinion about politics these days. Posting about it online has gotten lots of people in trouble, whether with their employer, their social circle, or worse yet, law enforcement.

So, if you insist on being politically active online, make sure to do it anonymously. You don’t have to be Edward Snowden or Julian Assange to cover your tracks.
 

Content Downloading

Online Erotica

The Internet remains as popular as ever for enjoying adult videos, images and stories. Of course, we know you’re not into that kind of thing (*wink wink*). But if you were, you’d definitely want to do your business from behind a VPN, Tor, or the like, whether you’re browsing, streaming, or downloading.

If you don’t take these measures, these activities could be associated with your profile and identity, leading to an increase in unwanted spam for dating sites, sexual enhancement products, and more. And that’s just the stuff you can see.

When your identity is invisibly linked to adult-related activities, this may come back to haunt you in all kinds of ways, now and in the future, just like with Health and Financial above.

Also remember to secure your computer or device while doing so. This includes using your browser’s private mode, making sure you are logged out of your accounts (oops, you just shared a naughty pic on Facebook) and use a cleaning app afterwards to remove any trace data.

Use a VPN Router

TAILS automatically forces all of your internet traffic through the Tor network, plus it contains encryption tools for your files, emails, and other messaging.

The best part is it’s all free – and open source.

Unfortunately, it’s a little more complicated than most people are willing to deal with, since it requires you to use a totally different operating system than the one you’re used to.

And that can cause some compatibility issues with programs, software, and files that you rely on.

Use CryptoCurrency

Even with all of your efforts to stay anonymous, there is often still a link between your identity and your online activity – and that comes from payments.

For instance, if you sign up for a VPN using PayPal or a credit card, that creates a link between you and that VPN account because the company behind the payment method you used to sign up with has your personal information on file.

And while it may not be as dangerous as some of the other threats to your privacy, it still is nonetheless.

In theory, your masked activities could still be linked back to you thanks to the payment.

A motivated-enough party, like law enforcement or a particularly malicious snoop, hacker or other adversary, could use that info to track you down and determine your identity.

That’s why people who are looking for total anonymity should consider other payment methods. Bitcoin is the most well-known.

While it and other cryptocurrencies aren’t 100% guaranteed anonymous, they’re close enough for anyone that’s not a national security risk.

However, be aware that there is a learning curve to using Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general.
 

Private Payment Methods

• Bitcoin – private peer-to-peer payments (learn more)

• Paygarden – avoid paying for products and services with your credit cards by paying with major brand gift cards. Gift card payments can be completely anonymous

• read more about Anonymous Online Payments

Use Virtual Machines

A virtual machine (or VM for short) is another expert measure that works by creating a sort of computer within a computer.

You’ll allocate a certain amount of your memory and hard drive space to the virtual machine which will then run its own operating system, programs, etc.

The reason this can be so effective for privacy and security is that the virtual machine is separately sealed off from your actual computer.

For instance, if you get a virus on your virtual machine, it won’t infect your computer. If your virtual machine gets hacked remotely, they’ll only have access to the data and programs used by the particular virtual machine.

This makes a virtual machine a good way to keep your main computer and info protected while doing sensitive tasks or accessing suspicious files.

You can even access the Internet (and download files) through the virtual machine. And the best part is, you can delete the virtual machine any time you want, or even create more than one.

Plus, you can set up multiple virtual machines on your computer. This enables you to use different virtual machines for different tasks (for example, one for general web browsing, one for online banking and another for streaming, torrent file-sharing or Usenet downloading).

Of course, most of this goes beyond the needs and wants of the average user, but virtual machines can be a valuable tool for those of you who are concerned with getting the highest level of privacy and security.

• Surveillance Self Defense – EFF's guide for those in need of ultimate anonymity such as human rights activists living under oppressive regimes
• Center for Democracy & Technology’s (CTD's) Guide to Online Privacy
• PrivacyTools.io