Sunday, June 30, 2013

TECH NOW: How to fly under the radar online

If the recent news about the government's ability to peek into your private data worries you, you aren't alone. According to pro-privacy search engine DuckDuckGo, site traffic has surged some 44% since news of the NSA's Prism program broke. Even if you aren't concerned, a bit of security is never a bad idea: It can help keep your information private and out of the hands of hackers, marketers and anyone else who might want to make use of it in a way you might not like. Here are some simple, privacy-friendly ideas to help you keep ahold on your personal information.
KEEP SEARCHES TO YOURSELF
As much as we love Google products, the company keeps tabs on a lot of your data, including what you search for. It uses this information to serve you tailored advertisements and will even give it to other sites so they can do the same. If you want to keep what you're searching for to yourself, tryDuckDuckGo, which doesn't track any of your information or pass it on to others. But more than that, it's also a really good, highly customizable search engine.
BROWSE ANONYMOUSLY
Every website you visit picks pieces of information about you from your browser — what kind of computer you're using, where you're located, and more. The fix? Browser add-ons and settings can help you tell these websites to buzz off and stop keeping tabs on you. DuckDuckGo has compiled a great list of apps and settings, such asGhostery, DoNotTrackMe, and Disconnect to help keep your browsing experience secure.
Disconnect is a browser add-on that not only prevents you from being tracked by websites, but also adds speed when you're zipping around the Web, by getting rid of tracking and other clutter. Win-win.
If you're less concerned about websites tracking you and more concerned about people tracking your activity on websites, you'll want to installHTTPS Everywhere. This browser add-on for Chrome and Firefox forces your browser to connect to websites securely over HTTPS (if it's supported), which encrypts you
r Web traffic to keep prying eyes away.
If you want to go a step further, check out Tor. Tor is an Internet browser that is designed to keep your browsing private, both by blocking privacy risks and by directing your Internet traffic in a way that makes it difficult for sites you visit and anyone peeking in to identify you. And in case you're concerned about Tor's own security, it comes recommended by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
KEEP YOUR DATA PRIVATE WITH A VPN
"Virtual private network," or VPN, may sound like scary tech jargon, but it's really just a fancy way of saying you're using a secure, encrypted Internet connection. This means that everything you send is encrypted — unlike HTTPS Everywhere, which only encrypts traffic to and from websites that happen to support it.
Hotspot Shield is a VPN service for your computer or mobile device that's free with advertisements or available ad-free for a small fee. With a price like that, it's easy enough to give it a try.
DON'T BE YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY
If you're serious about online privacy, though, these steps are just the beginning. There's no privacy app that will prevent you from posting your own personal information on social networks like Twitter and Facebook, so be mindful of the sites you use and what you post on them. And, of course: Always read a site's privacy policy before you give it your information. If a site seems fishy, or its privacy policy says it may sell or give away your personal data, it may be best to avoid it.
If you want to take the next steps toward online privacy, check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Prism Break website, which recommends a number of more secure alternatives to the websites and services most of us use every day. Be warned, though — while it lists a lot of handy apps, not all of them will be straightforward to those who aren't terribly tech-savvy.

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