With recent revelations about the NSA spying, more and more people are getting concerned about making their online data secure. The problem is, that data security is such a big topic to dive in to, most people give up on it.
Because of that, I’ve decided to make a list of powerful and effective privacy and security online measures anyone can take, so you don’t have to spend days and weeks trying to figure out ways to protect you sensitive information.
Use private search engines
Since you can’t trust any of the big tech corporations to manage your online searches, you can use search engines that respect your privacy. Their results might not be as good, but at least you wont be visited by police for what you search online.
- www.startpage.com – presents results from Google, but without collecting any user data.
- www.duckduckgo.com – uses its own search engine, and uses strong privacy policy.
Make use of proxy services
Online proxy services use their servers to retrieve webpages, and then display them for you. This makes browsing completely anonymous, and can be used to bypass country restrictions. While it’s not meant for every day use, it can be used when complete anonymity is required visiting a website. (Proxy explained)
- www.kproxy.com – the most reliable and fastest free anonymous web proxy.
- www.zend2.com – browse the internet Anonymously, and hide your real IP.
- www.hidemyass.com – surf anonymously online, hide your IP address, secure your internet connection, protect online identity.
Increase browser security
Freshly installed modern browsers are, by default, prone to tracking, and give out user information easily. However, addons can be installed, that stop user tracking and prevent browser from leaking information. You don’t have to install all of these addons, but picking a few will definitely enhance your privacy on the web.
- Adblock Plus – uses up-to-date subscription lists to blocks invasive ads, tracking cookies and social media widgets, protects against malware sites. (Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Android)
- Ghostery – uses up-to-date database to disable various types of user tracking and data collection. (Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, Internet Explorer)
- HTTPS Everywhere – forces browser to use an encrypted connection to websites, whenever its possible. (Firefox, Chrome)
- MaskMe – allows you not to share your real email when registering on websites, and instead uses a proxy email.
Disable 3rd party cookies in your browser
3rd party cookies are pieces of information that are stored on your computer by advertising companies to track you. You can disable that.
Firefox: Options – Privacy – Use custom settings – Untick “Accept Third Party Cookies” (Or “Never”).
Chrome: Settings – Content Settings – Tick “Ignore exceptions and block third-party cookies from being set”
Internet Explorer: Settings – Privacy – Advanced – Tick “Block” on Third-Party cookies.
If you care about your online privacy, you should at least spend 5 minutes to do any of the things mentioned above – it costs nothing and makes you more anonymous on the web.