Whenever you go online, you unwittingly reveal information about yourself. We show you 8 ways to conceal your identity and stop people seeing what you’re up to.
1. Activate your browser’s privacy mode
By choosing to go online privately, you tell your browser to refrain from keeping a log of the pages you view, the terms you search for, the programs you download and the information you enter into forms. Your temporary internet files and cookies won’t be retained either, which makes private browsing useful for accessing the web in internet cafes or on someone else’s computer without compromising your security.
How to activate privacy mode by browser:
BROWSER PRIVACY MODE
Firefox Tools/ Start Private Browsing
Internet Explorer Tools/ InPrivate Browsing
Google Chrome Menu/ New Incognito Window
Safari (PC) Edit/ Private Browsing
Safari (Mac) Safari/ Private Browsing
2. Go through a proxy server
Privacy modes can’t prevent your ISP or your boss from tracking your online activities. One way you can shield this information is to use a proxy server such as Proxify or Anonymouse. Proxy servers work by changing your IP (internet protocol) address from the one assigned to your computer to a randomly-generated number. This layer of protection can confuse a website so that it thinks you’re sitting in Germany when you’re actually tapping away in Gloucester. The upshot is that, because sites (and advertisers) aren’t keeping a track of your real PC’s web activities, your identity is concealed and you remain anonymous.
3. Disguise your browser
Stuck at work with your head in spreadsheets? By using a program called Double Vision, you can sit the web within the spreadsheet program (or whatever you’re supposed to be working on) and then set a transparency level so you can browse sites and watch videos almost invisibly. What’s more, you can continue working while surfing and use a simple keyboard shortcut to hide the browser window if you see your boss heading your way.
4. Hide your browser
Even when you minimise your browser, it remains in the Taskbar, which means people can easily call it back up to find out which site you’re looking at. To shrink your browser to the System Tray on your PC rather than the Taskbar, try Stealth Browser. This uses the standard icon for Local Area Connection to represent your browser, and gives no hint of what it really is. You can simply double-click the icon to restore the browser.
A similar tool is Hide My Browser Free, which lets you easily hide or show browser windows by pressing hotkeys on your keyboard or with a mouse-click.
5. Log into sites automatically
Whether you’re not keen on sharing your personal information or don’t want your Inbox filling up with spam, there are times when you don’t want to use your real name when signing up with a website.
Bug Me Not is a free service lets you surf anonymously by giving you a username and password for sites that require registration. You just enter the address of the website you want to access into the box on Bug Me Not’s homepage and, in most cases, login details will be provided that you can copy and paste into the relevant registration fields.
6. Create your own false identity
Amazon and eBay have barred the Bug Me Not system and some clever websites know if you are entering false details. In such cases, try the Fake Name Generator which randomly generates names, towns and cities, counties and postcodes together with fake mobile numbers and even occupation. Use this information to register and your privacy remains intact.
7. Stay anonymous anywhere
To protect your identity when surfing the web on computers other than your own, try the Xerobank browser, which is designed to run from a portable media device. It used to be called Torpark and it is effective in leaving no tracks behind in the browser or PC. When run from a USB stick, it offers you full protection.
8. Keep web bugs at bay
Lots of companies, particularly advertisers, are interested in what you do online, but you can keep this information private. Firefox add-on Ghostery not only shows you which services are tracking your online activities, but also lets you block specific ‘web bugs’ (hidden scripts in web pages). Once installed, click the Ghostery icon at the bottom of the browser windows and choose Options. Click the Blocking tab and select ‘Enable web blocking’, then choose the bugs you want to block from the list.
