We use Internet for almost everything- from meeting new people on social media platforms to planning our vacations, and from shopping to paying our bills. The problem is, the tech giants know it, and so does the government. And neither of these care for your privacy.
The former wants to capitalize on the data collected from millions of Internet users, and the latter wants to keep an eye on the public to learn what’s going on in its country. At any rate, it’s unlikely that you are happy with sharing your browsing data with anyone. That said, there are many tools that you can use to protect your Internet privacy:
Safer Browsers
There is nothing wrong with using the standard Internet browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. These are indeed fast and simple to use. However, they won’t do as much as you would want them to do to block websites and services that track your online activities. In fact, you will be surprised to learn about the data of mine chrome sends to Google. So, what you need is an alternative browser that really respects your privacy.
For instance, SRWare Iron is a highly responsive and user-friendly web browser that’s actually built on the same code that’s used by Chrome, but it’s stripped off all the tracking code that it uses. The Tor browser is another great alternative that’s based on Mozilla Firebox but without its plugins and services that tend to pry into your privacy.
VPN
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. As the name suggests, it’s an online service that allows you to access the Internet via a remote server that hides your true identity by assigning you a different IP address than your actual one.
VPN is one of the most effective ways to safeguard your privacy when you are using the Internet. It’s also a great solution when you want to access certain websites or online content that’s blocked in your country.
The following are some of the best free VPN services that you can use:
- Windscribe
- Hotspot Shield
- Me
- TunnelBear
But if you want to invest with a paid VPN you can use one of the most popular VPN provider like HideMyAss. Here you can find a full review of what is HideMyass, prices and speed
Search Engine
Did you know that Google tracks everything you do on the Internet? In fact, other major search engines including Bing are not much different either. After all, what you search online tells a lot about your interests and lifestyle- a pot of gold for the companies.
If you want to keep the search engine trackers off your back, you need to switch to better services. For instance, DuckDuckgo is a privacy-focused search engine that doesn’t track user data. It’s light and fast and offers all kinds of features that you could be already familiar with such as autosuggest, instant answers images, etc.
Disposable Email Accounts
The websites you visit are often eager to get your contact information, especially the email address. Sometimes you yourself want to display your email address to the public, such as when using an online classified website or an online dating website.
The problem with sharing your primary email address with every website and app you use is that it can be spammed with unwanted emails. Some individuals and groups also use email extractors, i.e. programs that scan websites for the email addresses that are visible to the public so that they can sell them in bulk to the marketers.
If you don’t want to compromise your email address, you can use a disposable email address, which is exactly what it sounds like- a temporary email address that you can use for your needs and dispose of off when done. Websites like Gishpuppy, Mailinator, etc. allow you to easily create such email addresses that you can use for your short-term requirements.
You are entitled to your privacy and security when accessing the Internet. Thus, don’t let the corporate giants take advantage of your lack of awareness and take the measures shared above today itself!
