How to stay anonymous online: 5 more tips

Staying anonymous online isn’t difficult to achieve. In the second part in our series on how to stay
anonymous online, we provide 5 more tips which will help you to surf anonymously and stay anonymous online! You can also check our previous article on how to stay anonymous online: 5 top tips. 

Staying anonymous online – 5 tips to surf anonymously and stay secure online

1. Proxy server
When you connect to a proxy server all your internet requests go through the proxy, and your source IP address (your originating IP address), is replaced by that of the proxy server. It’s a great way to stay anonymous online. When you use a proxy server you use the IP of the proxy server, not the IP your ISP gives you. However, it’s worth pointing out that none of your data is encrypted, which leaves the door wide open to any attacker or thief. Why not use our HMA! proxy

2. ZRTP
ZRTP is a cryptographic key-agreement protocol, and as such, isn’t an application or piece of software in itself, rather the secure layer the application uses across a network. Currently, it has many advantages over other methods of encryption as it doesn’t rely on server management, shared secrets or PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and provides protection against man-in-the-middle attacks, amongst many others. ZRTP is mainly implemented in cellphone / VoIP software at the moment and so while perhaps not something for the average user to concern themselves with, it may be worth looking out for as things develop.

3. Spies on the net  
In our article ‘Who’s watching you?’ you will see that a number of companies can easily track you, and these companies DO track you – building a spiderweb of user activity. You won’t normally be able to see these stealth operators, but they are watching you and building up a profile of your surfing habits.  There are a couple of services you can use, such as Ghostery, that block the cookies, tags, web bugs, pixels and beacons of over 1,900 ad networks as well as letting you see what it blocked in real time.

4. Bitcoin
Given the attention the media has lent Bitcoin recently, both good and bad, you’re probably somewhat familiar with the crypto-currency by now. Leaving the political issues to one side, Bitcoin allows a user to pay for goods or services with complete anonymity, with companies such as Microsoft and Virgin Galactic and HMA! Pro VPN now accepting it as payment. Setting a Bitcoin wallet up is a simple process nowadays but beware, due to the anonymous nature of Bitcoin, there’s not always a great deal of transparency available when it comes to determining who has control of your wallet. Also, while the currency itself is anonymous, the way you use it to pay for things, what those things are and how you receive them may not have the same level, or any, anonymity applied.

5. Delete cookies
Cookies and supercookies stored on browsers such as Safari, Internet Explorer and Chrome are created every time you carry out an online search, log in to a website or simply browse certain sites. They tell the owner of the website information such as whether you’ve visited their site before. For example, travel websites use cookies to track and record the number of times you check a flight by using your IP address. Did you know that a VPN can save money on your airfares?!  Cookies can provide you with an enhanced browsing experience, as they allow companies to track your surfing activity. They can remember if, for example, you like a specific brand of handbag. Using incognito mode or private browsing mode on your computer will help to control them, but this will only remove the information from your computer and not the server.

Travel sites use cookies to track and record how many times your IP address has checked the price of a flight.

It is a good idea to delete cookies every now and then using software such as CCleaner. It’s also a good idea to block third party cookies (ad company cookies) in your browser.
Now, according to Edward Snowden if you use CSpace, VPN, Tor and ZRTP all together, you will achieve “Level 5 catastrophic” levels of privacy – the NSA cannot break the encryption – yet!


Looking for more information about how to stay anonymous online? Then take a look at our website where you will find all the information you need about HMA! Pro VPN to help you surf anonymously and stay anonymous online. Of course, if you prefer you can always send us an email or contact us via HMA! chat (look for the ‘Chat with us’ icon in the bottom right hand corner on our website) and one of our support donkeys will be happy to help you!

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