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5 Ways to Ensure Complete Privacy When Browsing Online
The question of online privacy remains one of the Internets most controversial. Harkening back between crusades to stamp out user control in favour of super-corp power, to initiatives in making the internet safer for users and their children, we can see that as many people want their online privacy, many also fear what that privacy begets.
But with all of the services and websites we use in our everyday lives, to do everyday things, taking our information- the sites we visit, the things we see- and selling it – online privacy becomes something very valuable to people who want to keep their browser history to themselves.
Here are 5 platforms you can use to ensure that your time online is yours alone:
The popular web browser is amongst the very few browsers that include methods to keep people from seeing any of your information. Firefox has features in place to block 2000+ web trackers from following your online presence.
“Tracking has become an epidemic online,” says Firefox, “companies follow every move, click and purchase, collecting data to predict and influence what you’ll do next. We think that’s a gross invasion of your privacy. That’s why Firefox mobile and desktop browsers have Enhanced Tracking Protection on by default.”
Firefox also has measures to check for breaches targeting your email address or other avenues of personal information and, unless you don’t want them to, Firefox will not store any of your information by default.
Through Firefox Lockwise, all passwords and credentials saved in Firefox are encrypted on all the devices you use the service. “Not even we can see them,” says the web browser.
Their privacy offerings are exponential and they take clear pride in separating themselves from Google or Edge in this regard.
While surfing on Firefox, consider using DuckDuckGo as your go-to search engine. With over 1.1 million followers on Twitter, this company seems to be growing more popular by the moment.
DuckDuckGo offers a search engine that doesn’t track you or store or share your personal information, and it can be added to Google Chrome via an extension. The engine also doesn’t store your search history, and while you can access it, no-one else can. Meaning that the engine “therefore [has] nothing to sell to advertisers that track you across the internet.”
According to DuckDuckGo, many search engines will track your searches even in private browsing, or incognito modes – not DuckDuckGo.
“We don’t track you – period.”
1Password is a highly trusted service that allows you to access all of your personal information – email, sign-ins, etc. – via a single password that is not stored anywhere but in your mind. No more having to search through the notes in your phone to dig up ancient passkeys for websites you haven’t used in months – one password changes it all for you, quickly and easily.
“With 1Password you only ever need to memorize one password. All your other passwords and important information are protected by your Master Password, which only you know,” states their tour page.
All your logins and private documents are stored securely in a ‘password vault’, which keeps your dire information away from thieves, hackers and the general skelem.
A fast and expertly supported emailing service that makes sure information about or on your emails is never shared without your consent or knowledge to anyone for any reason.
“Free yourself from big tech and make the independent choice,” says Fastmail. Stating that internet companies use your data as a way to get rich, imploring users to “take back” their privacy and get a better email experience.
Fastmail features App support across major smartphones, as well as a quick and easy email import/export feature to save users time.
They proclaim themselves as the #1 Trusted Leader in VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN is a private network that uses a public network to connect to remote sites or other users together. These connections are “virtual” and are routed through the internet from the private network or third-party VPN service in order to encrypt your connection, making sure no-one but you can read it.
Express VPN offers “unrestricted access worldwide.” It defeats any content restrictions that you may come across. A video on Youtube is banned in your country? Not with Express VPN – social media, music, video and more, from anywhere whenever you wish.
The major feature, however, is that Express VPN hides your IP address and encrypts your network data so no-one can see what you’re doing. Utterly private and protected with one click.
This service is perfectly legal and subscription-based. However, they offer 30 days free.
By Luis Monzon
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