The internet may be a nightmare if you’re not vigilant enough. Your private life can be in front of millions if you do not take due care and precaution. The reports of government snooping on your online life has made netizens paranoid more than ever. Further, hacking attacks on many well-known web services like Snapchat and Apple Cloud servers have made every question about our safety and privacy online.
Luckily for you, there are tools which may help in keeping your privacy intact the next time you visit the web. In this article, we have arranged a list of top 5 privacy tools for 2016 for keeping all your privacy and anonymity concerns at bay!
Here’s the list!
1The TOR Browser
The TOR Browser
Using TOR to browse the internet is the one of the most effective ways of keeping your privacy and anonymity intact. TOR or The Onion Router uses a series of servers connected to each other. Any request made by the user on it is routed through a series of “tunnels”, keeping you anonymous throughout.
TOR was funded and created by the US Government is used by millions of netizens each day. The strong encryption used on TOR keeps you protected from the prying eyes of hackers and the likes.
2Qubes Operating System
Qubes Operating System
When it comes to the privacy and security of your whole device, then Qubes is the ultimate choice. Using a secure operating system gained traction after Edward Snowden endorsed Tails, in order to maintain users’ anonymity and privacy.
What separated Qubes from other Operating systems is its ability to segregate various components of the computer. This segregation makes it extremely difficult for the hackers to gain full access to your computer. This is the reason why Qubes is the preferred choice for security professionals, journalists, and other professionals.
3Ad blocks
Ad blocks
One of the greatest dangers to your online anonymity is the banner ads present on different websites. Such ads are capable of installing malicious software on your system which is capable of giving real-time information about your activities to the hackers. Ad blocks generally come in the form of browser integration and are very effective in hiding and disabling ad services on different websites.
Not only do you get relieved of the annoyance but also of any security threats to your system. You can give Ad Block Plus (ABP) if you use Google Chrome web browser. In the case of any other web browsers, use Ad Fender, which is equally capable of getting rid of those annoying ads.
4Use a VPN
Use a VPN
VPN services mask your IP address with that of another located at a place far-far away (not in another galaxy, though!). This is the reason that you remain anonymous upon using a VPN service for browsing the internet. Also, all the data sent by you on such servers are fully encrypted which it makes almost impossible for anyone to extract.
VPNs, though not as anonymous as TOR, is decently fast to carry out all your activities. However, make sure that your VPN service provider doesn’t keep a log of your information. There has been a dramatic rise in the number of VPN Services largely because of revelation by Edward Snowden. Choosing the right VPN service provider is the key.
5Use Eraser, a secure file delete
Use Eraser, a secure file delete
Whenever you delete any data from your computer, the chances are that a part of them is still there on your hardware. Such parts can prove costly and are under danger of being accessed by hackers using appropriate tools. This is while you should use secure file delete, like Eraser, to delete all your sensitive data from your hard drive securely. The program is free and is an open source tool which can be used easily by anyone.
Endnote
You privacy and anonymity can be compromised in the blink of your eyes if your system isn’t secure enough. However, you must not worry! Using our list of top 5 privacy tools, you can easily keep all your data secure and away from the prying eyes of NSA, snoopers, or even your government agencies! This way you can always maintain a peace of mind while browsing the internet for any reason you wish!
