For most people, anonymity is a very important term. But staying anonymous on the web these days seems to be a proper job. Not to mention, an almost impossible one. Why? Well, there are many reasons why you might want to cover your tracks while surfing the web as snooping seems to be coming from many different sources nowadays. From bigwig companies, such as Facebook and Amazon that have collected personal data to thousands of daily brute-force attacks, paying attention to online security is important now more than ever. So if you have been researching how to stay anonymous online after connecting your household devices to the network, your thoughts seem to be heading in the right direction.
Never forget that you are right to want to protect your privacy – even if you aren’t doing anything malicious on the web. After all, the Internet was built as a place of free speech and a place that valued privacy. You certainly deserve nothing less and now’s the time to get what you are due.
Get Your Hands on a Virtual Private Network Connection
Think about it – what would be the absolute best way to ensure that outsiders don’t have access to your personal information? It’s by pretending to be someone else while browsing the web. No, you don’t have to fake a whole new persona, but you could appear to be someone else in a country far, far away. With VPN services, you’ll be able to surf sites in countries as a native.
So how do VPN tools work and how will they help you preserve your online anonymity? The answer is simple – by creating a secure connection between you and the Internet. This way, after connecting your household devices to the Network, your IP address and location will be masked. Of course, VPN can also be used for other purposes, such as getting access to location-blocked content. But that’s not the feature we are interested in today. Today is all about hiding your digital footsteps – and one of the best ways to do that is by installing a VPN app on your devices.
Stay Anonymous Online Through Safe Surfing
The fact that browsers store data such as images, and surfing and download history should be well-known to everyone by now. But what you might not know is that every major browser gives you a chance to make your web surfing a much more secure endeavor. This is where anonymous modes enter the scene. To give you an idea of which browsers use which modes, take a look at the following list:
- Firefox – Private Browsing
- Chrome – Incognito
- Microsoft Edge – Private Browsing
So what happens when you use an anonymous mode? Essentially, this prevents the browser from storing your passwords and all that good stuff that might impair your online safety. What you do want to keep in mind is the fact that anonymous mode alone can’t keep you, well, completely anonymous. But, at least, they can prevent sites from writing info to your computer which definitely isn’t a negligible benefit.
Review all of Your App Permissions
When was the last time you questioned why an app was requesting access to your microphone? Or why it needed to know your location? And it doesn’t matter whether you are an Android or an iOS user – the fact is that mobile apps tend to request way more permissions than what they realistically need. And the worst part is that they are oftentimes transmitting that data back to the app maker in very inappropriate ways. Some of us are aware of all the vulnerabilities of apps such as Facebook Messenger that actually allow hackers to install malware and hijack your calls – but rare are those who stop to think about the dangers of simply handing out all of that information on a silver platter.
So if you have connected all of your household devices to the network and you get asked for permission in the middle of surfing, think hard before clicking Allow. You might be acting as your own worst enemy at the moment.
Have a Router with a Built-In Firewall
Considering the fact that you are reading a piece of text about staying anonymous online after connecting household devices to the network, assuming that you already have a router is a safe bet. But do you have a router on your home network with a built-in firewall? Because, as it turns out, you really need one. It’s no secret that hackers are always bombarding different IP addresses to see which systems they can get into. The aforementioned router can sometimes stop attacks and nip them in the bud by assigning an IP address to every device on your home network. The addresses are then only visible on that network.
Of course, there are always other solutions to try, such as firewall software installed directly on your PC. Nevertheless, the core message of the story remains the same – a firewall will be your best line of defense against hacker attacks. In the era when everyone is in danger of these attacks, it’s easy to see why something as simple as a firewall could turn out to be your best ally.
Where Does That Leave You?
In the days when privacy is considered a luxury, it’s very important to learn how to stay anonymous online. But the question of whether you can ever be completely anonymous while browsing the web remains. For an average person that doesn’t have any professional knowledge, competing with someone who does have experience in the matter could prove futile. But what every person can do is take the aforementioned basic steps in covering their tracks. This way, your personal device will become almost impenetrable to all those threats we face nowadays. Forget about your browser collecting data or your computer giving out your address – in the 21st century, this doesn’t have to be a part of your problems.
