Last Updated on August 10, 2023 by sourav sahu
Virtual privacy is not meant for only those with evil dealings but for every online user. If you are trying to preserve your online reputation or shield yourself from online attackers, considering ways to spike your anonymity online will be a top priority.
It is important to keep our online obscurity intact not only because of attackers but also against tech companies who often use users’ data to target adverts.
Regardless of intents, we all want to surf the web without leaving traces or being trailed. Hacking, scamming, and other devious online practices has been existing for a long, but in recent times, there has been an upsurge in the number of online attackers. This avails us with motives for preserving our anonymity on the internet.
Fortunately, we can go around tackling this menace in a number of ways which we will be discussing in the following part of this piece.
HOW DO I FULLY REMAIN ANONYMOUS WHILE SURFING THE NET?
For beginners, browsing and shielding your privacy might pose some technicalities. Ranging from targeted adverts used for promotions by brands to cybercriminals looking for means to defraud you, it is worth the stress of ensuring our safety while on the net.
In the best interest of our followers, we have researched and found the best solution for you as regards your online privacy and safety. Here are the 7 best way-out you should keep at the front of your mind always to aid your virtual privacy.
1. USE A VPN
Adopting the use of Virtual Private Networks is indeed the greatest decision you will make in ensuring your anonymity online. VPNs anonymize your online IDs by masking your IP address to erase your digital footprints while surfing the net.
To get acquainted with further VPN meaning, click on the inserted link. Several tons of VPNs are available on the net, however, not everything floating in the river can be termed fish. We have dug deep and recommended VPN. Its great features will surely get you amazed.
2. AVOID SOCIAL ACCOUNTS LINKAGE
When setting up accounts on a new site, most of these sites offer an option to create an account using an existing social account such as Gmail or Yahoo.
Countless users like to explore this option due to its simplicity and ease to set up forgetting its long-run implications. This technique can be simple but, it’s a great way to get you exposed to the virtual world negatively.
It is even riskier when your User IDs are the same across all platforms. It is ideal to create new profiles for all sites.
Most people opt to link their social accounts because of the complexities of remembering long passwords but, you don’t need to worry as a good password manager does the job of keeping all your passwords across all platforms in one place.
3. SURF THE NET USING TOR BROWSER
The onion router, popularly known as TOR is the best companion for browsing privacy. In contrast to most common web navigating software packages, the Tor browser adopts an onion routing technique through a series of encryption phases before loading a web page.
It allows users to surf the net without leaving trails. Even though its page loading connections are slower, you are guaranteed of surfing the net and Instagram anonymously.
4. USE A SAFER SEARCH ENGINE
Most Common search engines trail users’ online footprints to display tailored adverts. Hence, it becomes imperative to switch to a safer search engine if you must go private while surfing the net.
From our benchmark test, DuckDuckGo scored a higher point in keeping users’ identities private. It also has lots of handy tools to ease your experience when making research online such as location-based search results among other amazing features you can bank with.
5. DISABLE YOUR DEVICE LOCATION
Most advertising companies use data gotten from your location history to target ads to users. Hence, to avoid disclosing such info to them, it is essential to turn off our device location.
For Windows users, you can get this done by navigating to your device settings or pressing Win + I on your keyboard, looking for privacy, and selecting the location under it to toggle it off. Also, ensure to clear the location history data under to keep you fully protected.
6. STORE PASSWORDS IN PASSWORD MANAGERS
Originally, all browsing software programs automatically save users browsing history and other info about their online presence that may threaten users’ privacy.
Consequently, you should make use of password managers to store all your passcodes instead of storing them directly on the browser. Using a reliable password manager that does not just store passwords but can as well generate and remember difficult passcodes is highly recommended.
7. SURFING THE NET IN GHOST MODE
Surfing the net in ghost mode is a way of browsing online without leaving footprints. Instagram is one of the most used social media, so you can stay anonymous.
Most sites collect all your online activity data and use it to tailor targeted ads to you. For instance, when you search for an iPhone X online using a search engine, your search history which accumulates in the form of cookies can be used to show you ads that are related to the iPhone X you previously searched for.
To get over this, simply switch to safe or incognito browsing mode depending on the tag your browser uses. Safe mode allows you to surf the net anonymously by leaving your service provider with doubt about your real location and the kind of device you’re using to browse.
Even though this method does not completely erase your digital footprints, it is surely the simplest way to anonymize your online ID.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are several steps that can be taken to remain anonymous and secure online. These include using a VPN, choosing strong passwords and regularly changing them, avoiding sharing personal information, using two-factor authentication, and all the ways we have mentioned above.
By following these steps, you can protect your privacy and keep your personal information safe from potential hackers and other online threats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a way to be completely anonymous on the internet?
The thing is you can increase your anonymity on the internet to some extent only. And you can’t stay completely anonymous. I am saying this because whatever activities you do online, you share some level of personal information with browsers and ISps. There are also many websites that store cookies, login details, your IP, your internet service provider names, and many more such sensitive information. In fact, many free VPNs store your information and they can share the data with anybody they want. However, if you use advanced browsers like TOR, and use premium paid VPNs you can increase the anonymity to some level
What are the risks of being anonymous online?
There are many risks of being anonymous online. You can be a target for cyberbullying or other online abuse. And in the worst situation, if your identity is stolen, it could be used to do fraud online by using your name. And lastly, your ideas to stay anonymous could trigger a sense of doubt by investigation authorities if any crime is committed in your locality
