How to browse anonymously on the internet

Browsing anonymously is more crucial than ever, as our advancement in technology is becoming more interconnected. Anonymous browsing refers to surfing online while masking your private data. Many of your internet activities aren't as private as you may believe.

Anonymous Browsing

Nowadays, dozens of third parties are attempting to track your internet activities closely. To keep your personally identifiable information secure from websites, government agencies, and hackers, you need anonymity.

In addition to masking your IP address, you also need to disable tracking cookies and browser fingerprinting to achieve online anonymity. Apps, social media platforms, and even the websites we visit are all aware of what we're doing online to some extent.

Before we get into the details, keep in mind that there is no foolproof technique to remain anonymous online. We are here to assist in protecting you from harmful websites, privacy invasions, and scams that exist in our online world. However, you can't secure everything online.

Private Browsing

You should understand that browsing anonymously and browse privately are different concepts. If you use a browser's private mode, like Google Chrome's Incognito mode or Firefox's private windows, it is known as private browsing. Your browser will not save your search history as well as remove your cookies. When you close the window, it deletes everything, including your temporary browsing data. However, you still remain traceable and are not completely anonymous on the internet.

Ways to Anonymous Browsing

Securing your browser is the first step toward online privacy. Though it can not make you completely anonymous, it will protect you from malicious data collection.

You can keep your browsing history and personal information off the grid. In this case, security experts suggest using virtual private networks (VPNs), proxy servers, and encrypted browsers.

1.    Proxy Server

Whenever you use a proxy server, your connection is forwarded first to the proxy server, then to the website's server. It acts as a "proxy" for your internet connection.

A proxy server can deceive the receiving web server into believing your IP address and location are different. It acts as an intermediary connection point. Hence, the request appears to be from the proxy servers that locate somewhere else.

The HTTP Proxy is a content filter with great efficiency. It scans web traffic for suspicious material like spyware, malicious code, or a certain type of attack.

You need to check that the websites you visit support TLS, especially when you put sensitive data. It goes for email as well.

ProxySite is another free proxy site that keeps your internet activities anonymous. They also have buttons for the most popular social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and YouTube.

They give you a choice to eliminate scripts and objects. Furthermore, it restricts cookies while surfing a web page.

2.    VPN (Virtual Private Network)

A VPN offers advanced technology to ensure anonymity, safety, and security from any traffic generated by your device. A VPN is not only applicable to online browsers but also to the app that sends queries to a web server. At the same time, it covers apps that participate in any form of communication, such as downloading or uploading data. It is crucial to use VPN if you are using public WIFI network.

VPN delivers End-to-end encryption, which means that your data is safe and encrypted till it reaches the webserver. They are the most convenient way to change your IP address. VPNs allow you to encrypt your Internet traffic, impersonate your location, and access geo-restricted websites.

 

Tor

The Tor browser is a customized version of Firefox that allows you to connect to the Tor Network while protecting your privacy and anonymity. You have to use Tor carefully otherwise you risk jeopardizing your anonymity.  Therefore, exposing yourself to direct criminal or government surveillance.

It's nearly impossible to follow or analyze a communication because of the several hurdles and encryption.

The Tor network has 200,000 users on average, thus making it the largest anonymous network at present.

 

You can use Tor in combination with a VPN to offer an extra layer of security. Furthermore, operating the Tor network is often slower than using a simple privacy-focused browser.

 

Final Words

This article tells you different methods to stay anonymous while browsing on the internet. It also tells you the difference between anonymous browsing and private browsing.