“Privacy is not an option, and it shouldn’t be the price we accept for just getting on the Internet.” — Gary Kovacs
We spend a lot of time on our smartphones, be it on shopping sites, gaming, or even scrolling memes before bedtime. In fact, the amount is so shocking that according to a recent estimate, people are spending about 4.8 hours a day on their smartphones.
And, in this process of being digitally connected, we’re leaving some huge information footprints that can be vulnerable to organizations and hackers.
If you’re anything like me, who just doesn’t want large corporations to use your data for their personal benefits, there is a combination of tools and techniques that you can try to mask your online identity.
So, this read will be diving deep into the ins and outs of using VPNs, Tor, and Proxies to enhance your online anonymity.
Let’s start!
What Is The Difference Between Privacy & Anonymity?
Privacy and anonymity are the two terms that can often confuse users, especially when they are looking to enhance their online privacy. So, are they the same or is there any distinguishing factor between the two?
Well, privacy means you’re choosing to keep things for yourself that you just want your data to be hidden or protected. On the other hand, being anonymous means you don’t want people to know what you’re doing online, you just want your thoughts and opinions to be heard without even disclosing your identity.
Here’s an example to help you understand the difference between both. As an internet user, you want privacy for your web searches and online activities. In contrast, whistleblowers, on the other hand, share a variety of sensitive data but want their identities to remain hidden. They’d like to stay anonymous.
What Are The Risks Of Not Having Online Privacy?
Not maintaining online privacy can be risky, especially in the current scenarios, where cyberbullies often come up with some new way to exploit the system.
Sponsors and third parties can also track your data without any of your consent and share it with others. Social media giants like Meta have become well-known in recent years for harvesting the user’s data without their knowledge or permission and selling it to anonymous third parties.
So, these are some reasons, you must work on enhancing your online privacy because not doing so can result in some serious consequences such as:
Cyberbullies and hackers can use the data you’ve shared online for identity theft. They can also accumulate your financial information and use it further to perform some fraudulent activities under your name.
Without online privacy and security, malicious actors can carry out malware attacks and engage in social engineering tactics like phishing scams to earn your trust and then steal sensitive data. Securing your online presence allows you to prevent these situations from happening.
Do You Know?
According to a survey, conducted by Statista, 60% of the respondents say that it’s nearly impossible to protect their privacy.
The Most Effective Ways To Stay Anonymous Online?
Now that you know the major significance of maintaining online privacy, what is the best way to make sure that no one’s prying over your sensitive information?
Well, here are some of the most effective tips and tricks to secure your online presence and to ensure that you stay ahead of the malicious actors, who are always on your data.
1) Use A VPN
VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) help in masking your IP address and make sure that no one can intercept or decipher your confidential information. You can stay anonymous with AstrillVPN, as it has all the security features you’ll need to secure your online presence.
It ensures that all your data gets routed through a secure and encrypted VPN tunnel and offers a Kill Switch, Smart Mode, AES 256 encryption, and robust encryption protocols like StealthVPN, OpenVPN, and Wireguard. It also includes a No Logs Policy. These features are essential to take your online privacy and security to the next level.
VPNs also offer protection when you’re using a public network. Since public networks are the most prone to being penetrated by the online culprits. A VPN allows you to connect to a different server, which ensures that your data stays safe even if you’re on a public network.
Do You Know?
Around ⅓ of internet users worldwide use VPNs regularly. And it becomes 47% when travelling abroad.
2) Use A Proxy Server
A proxy server is another effective way to secure your online presence and stay anonymous. This is like an intermediary server that separates the end users from the website they are accessing.
The internet traffic gets routed through the proxy before it reaches its final destination. However, unlike VPNs, proxy servers will only encrypt your device’s IP address and not your web traffic.
3) Use The Tor Browser
The Tor browser is designed in a way to keep the user’s online anonymity. It does it by anonymizing internet traffic as it routes it through a series of volunteer-run nodes, making it challenging to trace your online activities and digital footprint back to you.
However, while the Tor browser is great for helping to keep you anonymous online and conceal your online activity, it tends to be slower than your regular browser because of its multiple encryption layers.
4) Use Encrypted Messaging Apps
The text messages we send our friends and family have highly confidential and sensitive details, giving us deep insights into our daily lives. And, this is why if hackers and malicious actors get their hands on your conversations, they can easily compromise your data.
That’s why you must use messaging apps that support end-to-end encryption. These messaging apps include WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram. Since all of these apps support open-source technology, they won’t be able to see your texts.
5) Check For HTTPS
When checking websites, ensure their URLs start with “HTTPS” rather than “HTTP. “HTTPS means that the websites are secure and use SSL/TLS to authenticate all the information exchanged between you and the website you’re visiting, while websites with HTTP don’t.
Can You Truly Stay Anonymous Online In 2024?
While it’s possible to stay a little anonymous online, it’s still not possible to stay completely invisible from the internet. It’s probably impossible to use the internet without leaving some digital footprints behind.
However, if you take the steps set forth in this read, you can ensure that your data stays protected from the prying eyes.
Conclusion
In brief, enhancing your digital presence is the need of the hour. However, it’s also crucial to take care of the digital footprints you leave on the internet, as it can be used against you. You need to take specific steps to protect your data from malicious actors, allow yourself to use the internet, and remain anonymous without worrying about your identity getting compromised. All you have to do is follow all the steps outlined in this guide, and you’re all set.
