How to protect your anonymity online

Who's watching what you're doing online? Photo: CORBIS

The revelations by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013 about the mass surveillance programmes organised by the US and other governments still cast a long shadow.

Many people feel that anonymity is no longer possible online, and that anything that they say or do is being monitored – not just by governments but by big companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft, which collect data in order to serve up targeted advertising.

But there are some measures that web users can take to protect their anonymity, and minimise the risk of spying and targeted advertising. While none of these are a silver bullet, they can go some way to making online surveillance more difficult.

VPN

A VPN(virtual private network) acts as an intermediary between your device and the internet server, routing all your activity through your own little loop of the internet that is encrypted, meaning an intruder would find it very difficult to sniff out your information or know what you're doing, whether this is on a mobile, tablet or computer.

Proxy server

Proxy servers are tools that have their own IP addresses, so instead of your IP address showing up when you go to a website, the proxy server's IP address will appear instead. However, this isn't a foolproof method for staying anonymous online. If you commit illegal or immoral acts, the proxy server will surrender your real IP address.

Virtual machines

If you are worried about hackers or government entities seeing what you're reading online, one option is to download your files onto a virtual machine and then shut off that machine's access to the internet. You can then open the the files, read them and make notes in private, safe in the knowledge that no one is peeking over your virtual shoulder.

Tor

Most people use Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Apple Safari to browse the web, but if anonymity is what you're after, The Onion Router (Tor) is what you need. It uses a vast network of computers to route your web traffic through a number of encrypted layers to obscure the origin of the traffic.

IP blocker

There are some programs that block other IP addresses from accessing your computer. These won't keep your IP address anonymous per se, but it will prevent people from tracing you by looking into your internet activities. The disadvantage to this approach is that blocking IP addresses limits your ability to access the internet.

Block cookies

Third-party cookies are one of the most common methods that advertisers use to track people's browsing habits. However, every major web browser now offers the ability to block cookies, and all websites in the EU allow users to opt out, making it much harder for advertisers to monitor which pages you visit.

Password manager

It can be tempting to use the same password for multiple sites, but this is a massive security risk, because if one website is hacked, every site that you useis also in jeopardy.

A password manager will remember the passwords for each site you visit so you don't have to, allowing you to create strong and even random passwords for each one.Source.How to protect your anonymity online - Telegraph

The ultimate guide to staying anonymous and protecting your privacy online




Ghostery browser extension

If you’re serious about protecting your privacy, consider installing Ghostery in Firefox, Chrome, Opera, or Safari. This adorable little browser extension allows you to block trackers from all over the web in one place. Better yet, it displays just exactly which tracking services are being used on your favorite websites, and allows you to dynamically enable or disable tracking as you see fit. Can’t live without the Facebook widget on your favorite blogs? Just whitelist it. It’s simple to use, and extremely customizable. If you hate the idea of being spied on by advertisers, this is exactly the extension you’re looking for.

SRWare Iron

If you love Chrome, but fear Google, give SRWare Iron a spin. Much of the built-in communication between the browser and the Google servers is cut out completely, but the core functionality remains largely in tact. Many of the same benefits can be gained by simply turning off these services in Chrome’s privacy settings, but Iron is definitely preferred by those who fundamentally distrust Google as a company.

Panopticlick

How easy is it for web servers to identify you by your browser? It all depends on how your browser is configured. To see just how much identifying information your browser is giving away, head on over to Panopticlick. This handy little tool, owned and operated by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, quickly tells you just exactly what your browser is broadcasting to the world. The more information given away, the easier it will be to identify you. If you want to improve your Panopticlick score, take a moment to read Peter Eckersley’s article on the matter, and adjust your configurations as you see fit.

JavaScript blocking

JavaScript is an incredibly powerful language, but it also has the capability of leaking out identifying information. By design, it can deliver detailed information to any web server about your setup. What plug-ins do you have enabled? What size screen are you using? Those small pieces of information can add up, and make tracking your usage profile easier for advertisers and governments. Worse, unpatched JavaScript exploits could potentially be used to trick your browser into giving up even more identifying information.
If you want to be truly anonymous, you’re going to need to disable JavaScript. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Many websites rely on JavaScript for core functionality, so you’d be effectively knee-capping your web browser. Thankfully, there is a way to have your cake and eat it too. By using a browser extension like NoScript or ScriptSafe, you can personally manage which domains are given permission to run JavaScript in your browser. This way, you can whitelist domains and webpages that you trust, but you can bypass all of the baggage that comes along with running any ol’ JavaScript that comes along on the web.

User-Agent spoofing

If you’re using a rare or specialty browser, your user-agent string can easily be used to help identify which pages you’re visiting. Instead of allowing your browser to identify as an oddball one-off variant of Chrome or Firefox, you can choose to identify your browser as something more mainstream. If you’d like to quickly switch your user-agent string, look into using an extension like User-Agent Switcher or User Agent Overrider. This method can’t stop more nuanced techniques of browser detection, but at least your browser won’t stick out like a sore thumb in the server logs.

HTTPS Everywhere browser extension

In spite of the infamous Heartbleed vulnerability, SSL is still your best bet for keeping your web traffic private. If you want to keep nosy packet sniffers out of your business, your web traffic should always be going through SSL connections. Sadly, not every website supports SSL. Even worse, many websites that do support SSL still default to unencrypted connections — and the Electronic Frontier Foundation wants to change that. The HTTPS Everywhere browser extension, provided for free by the EFF, forces SSL connections on countless websites. Chrome, Firefox, and Opera users can all take advantage of this wonderful extension, and keep important web traffic private and secure.

The Onion Router (Tor)

If anonymity is what you’re after, The Onion Router (Tor) is what you need. It uses a vast network of computers to route your web traffic through a number of encrypted layers to obscure the origin of the traffic. Tor is a vital tool for political dissidents and whistle blowers to anonymously share information, and you can just as easily use it to protect your privacy.
Without a doubt, the easiest way to get started is by downloading the Tor Browser Bundle. This customized branch of Firefox automatically connects to the Tor network, and includes HTTPS Everywhere and NoSript by default. That package has everything you need to use Tor successfully, but you’ll also need to change your web surfing behavior to remain anonymous. You need to make sure to abide by the Tor Warnings, and use everything you’ve learned in this post. For more information, we have a story on installing and using Tor.

VPN

If you’re very serious about your anonymity, consider investing in a VPN solution likeTorGuard or Private Internet Access. These services will allow you to browse, download, and upload completely anonymously. Your real IP address will be hidden to the world, and your traffic will remain indecipherable to nosy ISPs or governments.
Even if your government is actively on the lookout for VPN traffic, you can still benefit from so-called “Stealth VPNs.” TorGuard offers its Invisible VPN service at no additional cost, and it will make government detection and interference much harder to accomplish. For those of you being held hostage by your government, VPNs are your best bet for bypassing any censorship or snooping.

Virtual machines

Keep in mind, your browser isn’t the only vector for third parties to invade your privacy. PDFs and other seemingly harmless files can serve as homing beacons, and potentially alert government entities when you’re viewing planted contraband. To prevent any sort of unintended breach of privacy, you should open suspect files inside of a virtual machine.
Load up your favorite Linux distribution inside of VirtualBox, configure it to taste, and save a snapshot of your VM. Next, download your desired file (using the protections illuminated in this article), and then shut off your virtual machine’s access to the internet. Once you’re sure that the VM is cut off completely from the network, you can now open the file safely. Read what you need to read, make notes, and then shut down the virtual machine. Next time you need to view a file inside a VM, you’ll have your snapshot ready to go.

Justified paranoia

Online privacy is more important than ever. Some of these recommendations may seem a little extreme, but it’s clear that advertisers will stop at nothing to track your every move. Even worse, governments around the world have been caught performing mass surveillance on their own citizens. Whether or not you think you have anything to hide, now is most certainly the time to stand up, and demand that your privacy be taken seriously.

Thread title na baadhi ya content zimenishtua kidogo..
Title inazungumzia Anonymity afu nakuta maambo ya password manager tena.

By the way incase of cookies Browser zinatumia pia flash cookies (Local Shared Object's)ambazo zinakua stored na huwezi kuzifuta kwakutumia njia iliyozoeleka ya Cntrl + Shift + Delete Local shared object - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Binafsi napendelea Better privacy Addon on firefox kuclear those cookies.

binafsi incase of privacy on PC natumia Proxychain pamoja Tor, japokua Chain imekua limited in some fore and back aspects its only work with Command line uzuri haislow down connection japokua inaallow kuchange DNS resolver naku allow mtu ku interact with remote system without worrying of being identified and you can proxy your own Application traffics

kama natumia Firefox i can set it to use Tor kama socks proxy. Kwasabu Firefox nayo ina dns settings in about:config such as 'network.dns.disableprefetch=true' and 'network.proxy.remote_ dns=true'
ambazo zinafanya firefox itumie your proxy for dns requests or responses.
To change which dns server unaeza modify network interface's dns settings. Firefox ita push request zote tor mpaka the specified dns server.

Ila in reality mtu kama anataka kustay anonymous asitumie google.
My take