Operating System: Most people use windows on their
computer. Windows 10 is the worst ever made regarding
privacy and personal data. (1-6-24 Windows 11 is even worse since it has
embedded AI) This is the main reason why Windows 10
are available on the internet from Microsoft. On a computer that is just
turned on, within a few hours Windows makes hundreds of connections to
Microsoft, ad servers, Amazon, Google and elsewhere. By using w10
Privacy software which is made to reduce these connections, they
increase to over one thousand!!
It is better to use Linux operating system instead. For maximum
anonymity use
Tails, which is installed and runs on USB stick. It doesn`t keep user`s history. If one wants to have Linux permanently installed on hard
disk, he/she could use one of these two distributions that are made for the average user, Debian or
Ubuntu.
Internet browser: One should avoid Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome
because they are collecting and sending personal data and Opera
as well.
Waterfox browser
which is Firefox-based does not protect our
anonymity and sends data contrary to what its developers claim. It is
possible to have emerged from British secret services. Sphere
browser that uses Tor network makes connections to Google, Cloudflare, and
elsewhere so it is not reliable.
The only browser that does not create connections to any server and protects anonymity is Tor browser, which was created for that reason. In order to accomplish that before data are send from a computer they are encrypted within 3 layers and pass through 3 different computers that are picked up randomly and exist in different countries before reaching their destination unencrypted, thus real IP address is never revealed. Unfortunately, it is used by many perverted people who visit websites with ugly and obscene content and criminals. It was originally created by US Navy and MIT. Some of the computers that are used by Tor network belong to companies or secret services or can be hacked, but this does not create a real problem for us. It is also based on Mozilla Firefox. For maximum anonymity one should not install any add-ons but uninstall and disable those that come preinstalled with Tor browser.
VPN service: Paid services (there are some free) which allow users to 'hide' real ip address, by changing them with one of those that VPN service offers. Many of these services unfortunately like Ipvanish, BrowsecVPÍ and Hidemyip do not do what users pay them for, keep logs and give access to them to third parties!!!
The only reliable VPN service from all those i`ve used
so far is AirVPN and
RiseUpVPN.
Email service: One should avoid well known mail providers and prefer a relatively unknown such as Proton Mail which protect users privacy and Hushmail. However it is best for one to have its own mail server to be sure that no one will have access to his/her email.
Search engine: One should use
StartPage or
Metager or
DuckDuckGo that do not
store or process personal information, but respect privacy.
There is huge list
for everyone that is interested to get Google out of his/her life.