Maintaining anonymity on the web
Although there is nothing foolproof, the best way to approach it is to keep up on the technology.
- Use The Onion Router (Tor)
- Use Perfect Forward Security
- Here is a “how to” guide on Perfect Forward Security
- Threema offers secure mobile messaging. It is available for iOS and Android and is based on Perfect Forward Security and whose servers and corporate base are in Switzerland, not the US.
- The easiest and most secure way to surf anonymously is to use the open source live operating system called Tails. A live operating system will start on almost any computer from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card. All connections to the Internet are forced to go through the Tor network, enabling anonymity. Once Tails is shut down, it does so without a trace and your normal operating system takes over the device.
- Forget email. It won’t be secure for some time to come yet. Pgp can make your email content secure but it is difficult at best and requires cooperation at both ends.
- When travelling, subscribe to a private commercial VPN service. It won’t protect you from the big guys but it does a good job of protecting you from local bad guys as well as your ISP. The cost can be as low as $5/month
- Learn to and get in the habit of maintaining the security of your own systems and backup your data onto disconnected storage devices.
- Avoid cloud computing
- Don’t post stupid stuff about yourself or family on social media sites.
- An Android app is being developed at Rutgers that tracks which apps are tracking you
- SecureHaze is an encrypted alternative to Skype. Skype is totally insecure, having been fully exploited by the NSA in collaboration with Microsoft.
- DarkMarket is the latest incarnation of a Silk Road type of exchange, the key difference being that it is a decentralized peer-to-peer system, rather than a single server. Thus, it cannot be seized. Not quite ready for prime-time, it is essentially still a beta release. You can read about it here and here.
- Encryption for beginners in an era of total surveillance
- Encryption Works: How to Protect Your Privacy in the Age of NSA Surveillance, published by the Freedom of the Press Foundation
- Journalism in the age of pervasive surveillance. You can never be too paranoid
- The ultimate guide to staying anonymous and protecting your privacy online. 13 things you can do to keep a low profile
- Improve your passwords, here and here and here and here
- A compilation of links to becoming anonymous online
- Open source alternatives to online services
- Darkleaks – blockchain enabled market for selling/exchanging digitized content