Staying Anonymous

You’re never alone on the web – there’s always someone or something watching you. Jane Hoskyn, Edward Munn and Robert Irvine explain how to beat the snoopers and be completely invisible online.

- Jane Hoskyn, Edward Munn and Robert Irvine

Spammers, scammers and other snoopers have devious ways of tracking your every online move. Google knows more about what you’ve been up to than you do, and eavesdroppers have become adept at piecing together your so-called digital ‘fingerprint’ or ‘footprint’ from even your most mundane web activity – then using it to work out who you are, what you do and even where you live.

Fortunately, there are ways to dodge these spies, without sacrificing the pleasure and convenience of life online. We’re not about to tell you to delete your Facebook account, stop using Google tools altogether or turn to the Dark Web – well, you can if you want, but these extreme measures aren’t the only ways to guard your identity.

In our complete guide to staying anonymous online, you’ll discover how to safeguard your details against even the most persistent privacy invaders, using settings, tweaks and free tools that let you go about your usual browsing business as easily and quickly as ever – but without being spied on. We also pick our nine essential browser add-ons for preserving your anonymity (see page 46) and reveal exactly who is watching you on the web – and how worried you should be. 

SEE HOW MUCH INFO YOU’RE LEAKING

Find out how easily you can be identified

Off the top of your head, can you name your ISP (internet service provider), browser version and internet connection type? Your browser can. It also knows where you live and the configuration of your PC, such as the operating system you’re using and your screen resolution.