You don’t need to sport a tinfoil hat to have an interest in encryption and anonymity online. I mean, the internet is a scary place, right? Protecting sensitive data from “the bad guys” is paramount, even if you’ve got nothing to hide online.
Don’t assume “the bad guys” have the market cornered. The government, major corporations, your work, and even your school might be interested in your browsing habits. So what can the average person do to help keep their personal information safe?
Encrypted Browsing with HTTPS
HTTP Secure, or HTTPS for short, is a layer of security used to protect information such as passwords and credit cards while they are being passed back and forth online. Have you ever noticed the little padlock in your address bar while shopping online? HTTPS provides encryption which the standard HTTP protocol lacks. Without encryption, your data may be subject to wiretapping between your computer and the server you are connecting to.
Proxy Servers
Using a proxy server is the most basic way to connect anonymously online. Proxy servers mask your IP address by bouncing your connection through another server before reaching your intended destination. The only problem with proxy servers is that they can be slow, and the connection isn’t necessarily encrypted.
VPNs and Tunnels
VPNs and Tunnels function in a similar manner, providing some anonymity. Your connection is bounced through an additional server before reaching an intended target. The main difference is that VPNs and tunnels function at the operating system level rather than the application level. This means that EVERY connection on your computer may go through the VPN/tunnel. Applications don’t need to be configured individually.
The Tor Network
The NSA describes Tor as “the King of high secure, low latency Internet anonymity” with “no contenders for the throne in waiting”. Tor is free software you can use to utilize the highest level of anonymity online. The Tor Project is essentially a mesh of proxy servers used to hide your identity and help you to browse anonymously online.
Tor works by bouncing your traffic through several proxy nodes of their network before reaching your intended destination. Each node is only aware of the previous node and the next node in the chain. Your destination is only aware of the last node your information passed through. By using this technology your destination is never aware of where a connection originated, keeping you completely anonymous.
Bypassing Your Anonymity
Browser plug-ins such as Java and Flash may make connections directly, exposing your IP. Documents such as PDFs and Microsoft Doc files may do the same. Using browser plug-ins or opening documents while surfing the web may breach your anonymity, even if you’re using Tor.
Putting it All Together
The best way to secure your personal information and browse anonymously online is to combine all of these tactics. Always use HTTPS websites when possible, make use of the Tor network, disable plug-ins, and don’t open documents while you wish to remain anonymous.
Drawbacks
Remaining anonymous online comes at a price. Bouncing through additional connections will certainly slow you down quite a bit, especially on Tor. Dedicated VPNs/tunnels/proxies may provide better speeds, but will usually cost you a monthly fee.