For years, online sites and social media platforms have been collecting your #data. While this has mostly been used for marketing purposes, the sensitive nature of all this information is a huge concern for many people. Even more concerning is that some companies are resorting to less savory tactics such as buying and selling databases full of peoples’ private information to other businesses and organizations so they can use peoples’ data in their own marketing campaigns.
Companies are getting better at analyzing your online behavior over time. They’re able to tailor ads toward you more precisely, which means the more data a company has, the more influence they may have over you!
Luckily, you don’t ever have to let data collectors decide when it comes to your internet #privacy! Here’s how to surf anonymously from now on.
How To Become Anonymous On The Internet
Being #anonymous on the internet is important nowadays, as there are always ways to track you down. However, if you know how to use the tools at your disposal then you may at least hide your tracks.
Use of Incognito Window
Clearing cookies, cache, and loading an #incognito browser window may help to mask your digital footprint, but you are still not completely anonymous.
Private browsing tools do nothing to hide your IP address which can give away a lot of information about what surfing habits you have online. Statistics show that these private browser settings do nothing to hide the information sent back and forth to your ISP when you go online with them. Your ISP can see every website address and application you use in your daily life.
If you really want to be able to browse more anonymously, you need to learn how to use a VPN even if it means paying for such services.
Be Anonymous With A VPN
A #VPN enables you to use the internet anonymously by encoding your data and sending it through a server in a different location so that anyone trying to track your activities online will see the IP address of the VPN server’s geographical location rather than yours. This makes it possible for people to circumvent ISP blocks, geographical blocks and access #censored material, such as social media sites when they would otherwise be blocked.
VPNs are a necessity for users in countries where the government blocks sites like Google, YouTube, and others. They do this in order to censor what the country’s citizens can see online. But even if that’s not the case for you, VPNs are still useful as they mask your internet protocol (IP) address and let you browse the web with added #security and privacy. It can also help if your #ISP is throttling your data plan and making it harder for you to #stream content.
Users started to understand the importance of #VPNs and that’s why it has increasingly become part of the mainstream culture over the years, especially because users are increasingly concerned about their privacy. However, there has been a lot of scrutiny surrounding VPN services, with many users not knowing what to look out for when selecting a reliable VPN. So here is a complete VPN service comparison table with all the details a user needs to know about a VPN.
Should You Use A Free VPN To Be Anonymous?
Free VPNs can be a tempting option for internet users who want to better secure their browsing and download activities on the web. However, due to their business model of being able to make money off your personal data (e.g., by selling bandwidth or user information), many are viewed as a no-go by more privacy-conscious folks.
If you’re looking to stay truly anonymous and secure online then you probably want to stick with a premium VPN service. They're better tested and more transparent with their policies as they don't make money off selling your data to third parties such as advertisers. So when it comes down to it, why risk getting fleeced just to save a few bucks on not-so-trustworthy free services?
Remember, if you use a free VPN then you aren’t the customer; you are the product. It’s best to avoid free VPNs entirely; they don’t deserve to be called “free.”
Thanks for reading!