How To Remain Anonymous on The Internet?

E. KayaContent creator at Rulta8/5/21

How To Remain Anonymous on The Internet?

When it comes to anonymity on the internet, it is important that we have a basic understanding of the different processes and tools that can be used to better protect ourselves online. Many people are not even aware that their information is being tracked and stored. The following is a look at a few steps that you can take and learn how to be anonymous on the internet. 

Get an Anonymizing Operating System

Operating systems are basic software that helps your computer function better, with supportive features that make a system function in a more user-friendly way. Different operating systems can be used, depending on what a user prefers, though one of the most popular operating systems is Microsoft Windows. When it comes to anonymity on the internet, having an operating system that is able to ensure your information cannot be tracked is an important factor to consider. 

Though this operating system is the most popular, when it comes to anonymity on the internet, open-source operating systems like Linux are actually the better option! Many open-source operating systems come with a variety of privacy settings and encryption tools that can be set up to protect your name from being associated with your data. If maintaining anonymity on the internet is important to you, Linux is an operating system that has tons of tools and features that can be programmed to ensure your privacy. 

Use VPN

VPN standards for virtual private networks and it can also help you to maintain anonymity on the internet. VPNs work by encrypting all web traffic and the pages that are visited so that an ISP (internet service provider) cannot see any of the activity on your account. VPNs hide both your browser history and your IP address, ensuring that you remain anonymous and cannot be tracked through your browser searches. 

This has become incredibly important when it comes to privacy as browsers and search engines now track your location to improve search results. While this does help when it comes to finding relevant information based on what you search, without VPNs your ISP would be able to track your location based on your activity. The best VPNs are currently CyberGhost and NordVPN for those who are after a VPN to help them maintain anonymity on the internet. 

Avoid Using Plugins

While plugins are great tools that can help to make using the internet and features on different programs easier, when it comes to privacy it is best to avoid using them. Plugins often leave behind traces that can lead to the revealing of both your identity and location. There is however a way to use plugins without compromising your identity and location, ensuring that you are able to maintain anonymity on the internet. This is in the form of another plugin that is known as Privacy Badger. This plugin has been developed to prevent others from being able to track you through the plugins you use, creating a block that stops information like this from being made available. 

Use HTTPS

By ensuring that the websites you visit have HTTPS (or Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) protocols, you can further protect your privacy. This protocol was developed to authenticate and protect internet users by encryption requests with Secure Socket Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols.

 If a web page has just HTTP, it means that the information you provide online, including your name and location, can be accessed more easily. To avoid this happening, be sure that you are only using websites that have HTTPS protocols. If you are wanting to go on a site with an HTTP protocol, be sure that you have a VPN that is active to encrypt the information for you! Having anonymous websites and browsers can help to ensure that you maintain anonymity on the internet. 

Set up Anonymous Burner Accounts

Using the same email addresses and passwords across multiple websites can be dangerous when it comes to maintaining anonymity on the internet. To avoid this, those who want to keep their personal information as anonymous as possible should create a few burner accounts that they can use for different websites. 

These accounts should have the word ‘anon’ within them to let others know that they have been used for this reason. Avoiding using your name or any other identifiable trademarks (year or date of birth) within these burner accounts can help to ensure that you maintain as much privacy online as possible. This will also help when it comes to an anonymous posting on the internet, allowing for you to enquire on websites without using your actual name! 

Avoid storing data in browser

Browsers are automatically designed to save any information that you process when online. From your search history to the downloads you make online, every bit of information is stored and accessible. This can heavily compromise your privacy when it comes to staying anonymous on the internet. We recommend that you use password managers to avoid this happening on websites. password managers keep stock of your information but encrypt it, ensuring that the information that it holds cannot be accessed by anyone but yourself. 

TweakPass is one of the password managers that works really well when it comes to ensuring that your passwords and other information are protected and it also helps you to generate complex passwords that can be hard to hack! You may not even realize the information that your browser is storing and if you are doing things like banking online or looking at important confidential data, we highly recommend using this kind of tool to protect yourself. 

Share Files Anonymously

When emailing or sharing files with others, you could unknowingly be giving out your personal information without even realizing it. While services like Dropbox allow you to easily share and distribute content with others, they are not shared anonymously and anyone can track you down using these different sharing services. To avoid this, be sure to share files anonymously through open source software as this limits the features that can be tracked when you send or receive any files or information. 

Delete Cookies And Your Browsing History

Cookies can be used to track you without your knowledge, even once you have left a webpage. When it comes to sustaining anonymity on the internet, regularly clearing out cookies is always a good idea, and this disables them from being able to track you or your information. 

What are The Consequences of Being Anonymous on The Internet?

While you may not be looking to maintain your anonymity on the internet for malicious reasons, this unfortunately does not discount others from doing this. When a person is anonymous or untraceable online, it means that the things that they say or actions they do cannot be tracked. If for example, a person is threatening you while using the above tactics discussed to avoid being detected, you will more than likely never discover who he/she is unless they tell you. This can be quite dangerous as it means that the actions that certain people take and the things that they do or say may not be met with consequences. 

Along with threatening or harassment, the negative effects of anonymity on the internet also allow for criminals to be able to steal from you without being tracked or traced. Internet crimes such as the stealing of bank information from online banking transactions have risen in the last few years, mostly due to the increasing tactics that help to maintain anonymity on the internet. When a person is able to hack into your account without being traced through their IP addresses, for example, this would mean that they would ultimately get away with the crimes that they commit, because they would not be able to be tracked down. 

What are The Advantages of Being Anonymous on The Internet?

The benefits of being anonymous on the internet include hackers not being able to access any of your information since they cannot track you. If a hacker is unable to trace who you are or where you are located, they are far less likely to be able to hack into bank accounts or email addresses. Anonymity on the internet can be extremely beneficial and if you are using this anonymity for the right reasons it is perfectly okay to want to go under the radar when it comes to your internet searches and the access that others have to your information. 

The importance of anonymity on the internet and having basic privacy while online should always be maintained and using the above tactics to do this can help to ensure that you maintain your privacy and that the information you have available remains safe. When it comes to safety online, you can never be too cautious or careful, so be sure to remain vigilant about the sites you visit and how you protect yourself.