On today's web it is really difficult to set foot without leaving an impression of oneself, without therefore attracting trackers and control elements that are automatically injected into the computers of those who visit each website. These trackers are used by websites both to count the visit that is made with an indication of the country of origin and the computer used, and to record user preferences, starting from their browsing history or analyzing the searches made (such as Google) or the clicks made on the site itself (as Facebook does). Furthermore, while surfing the internet anyone could theoretically intercept the connection and therefore know which sites we go to and what type of information we share on the internet.
In order not to leave traces on the internet, not to leave traces on the computer in use and to remember the sites visited in the history and to make sure that the sites and connections that are established via the web are made impossible to intercept, recognize, locate and identify ( for example from the company or employer, from his wife or mom, from hackers, from the postal police, from the FBI, from the CIA, from the internet provider and from the government of any country), there are several tools that I already have spoken in the past, but that it is important to understand, above all, what differences there are.
1) The best and easiest way to not leave traces of the use of the internet and the sites visited on your computer is the incognito mode .
As already explained in the guide on how to navigate incognito and when to do it, with this special function that all browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari etc.) have, it is ensured that the history of visits made and searches does not remain on the computer .
By opening a site in incognito mode, this has no possibility of storing the cookie on the computer.
In this way, the sites will open as if we had never opened them before and in the case of sites like Facebook, Google, it is also possible to log in with a different account, without however that the browser can memorize login and password.
Incognito mode is very useful if you are using another person's PC, in order not to leave traces.
Cookies and other types of tracking data are deleted as soon as the site is closed.
As explained, however, in the guide on how to protect online privacy, the incognito mode does not keep the connection anonymous so the sites visited will absolutely know where we connect from and with which computer, while any malware, hackers, internet suppliers and government agencies they will still be able to intercept the connection and know what we are looking at.
2) To make the connection private and avoid any possibility of intrusion into internet traffic (i.e. to make sure that nobody can intercept what we do on the internet) you must use a VPN or Virtual Private Network program .
The VPN connection allows you to keep the internet connection disguised, with falsified localization and inability to recognize who we are for the sites visited and the connections open from the computer to the outside (therefore not only the web but also chat programs or other).
Using a VPN is particularly useful both when you have to access a blocked site in a country, and when you are inside a network that we don't manage, so every time we connect from outside the home, (from the office or other places), because it encrypts the data traffic entering and leaving the computer, making it impossible for the network administrator to spy on it.
Regarding the VPNs there are free and paid programs .
free VPN programs are good for occasional use in public wifi networks and to camouflage the connection and simulate a different location.
Usually, however, they have limits in the speed of the internet and in the amount of data being downloaded, moreover their managers can use users' browsing data for advertising purposes, even if anonymously.
If you really want to be safe with an encrypted connection, keep the internet speed unchanged and have no risk that other companies can use our data, you can pay for one of the super fast, more reliable and limitless premium VPNs.
By paying an amount that can be 10 Euros or less, you get maximum online privacy and the ability to camouflage the connection without being spied on by anyone. The only one who could still keep data is the VPN provider, but only in the case it is forced by a national government and only in cases of serious computer crimes. The internet provider can see that we are online, although he may not know what sites we are visiting.
The VPN does not prevent the computer from remembering the sites visited, so if you do not want to leave traces it is still useful to use incognito browsing also with the VPN.
3) To surf completely anonymously, the best way is Tor .
TOR browser allows you to access the internet by passing through various nodes around the world, which make it impossible for anyone to trace the computer that started the connection.
TOR can be considered as a VPN without a central manager, self-powered by the same connected users (in the sense that if I connect to TOR, I can also act as a node for others and participate in the network).
Ideally, TOR should be used in conjunction with an operating system that is configured to not leak any traceable data.
The best anonymous operating systems are special Linux distributions and can be used from a USB stick on any computer, without leaving any trace in the most absolute way.
4) Use fictitious credentials
In order not to leave traces on the sites visited, when necessary to log in with an account, you can always use a false identity.
It is therefore possible to generate a false identity very easily using particular tools.
In other articles we have also seen some support programs for using the internet in private :
- Eliminate traces of what you do on your PC by deleting history and references
- Programs to check if the PC is turned on
