The classic idea of the Internet is that of a virtual place where free speech is paramount and anonymity is possible. However, this idea becomes less and less relevant with each passing year as we come to know about snooping governments and intelligence agencies. But are governments the only entities involved in spying on netizens? Tech giants such as Facebook, Google, and others have also been accused of profiting off of vast amounts of user data. A growing majority of Americans are no longer confident that the government aims to keep their personal information safe from unauthorized access. So, how does one genuinely stay anonymous online? Not going online is not a very viable option in the digital age, so here is an insight into the 3 key measures that can be taken to avoid spying, identity theft, and to stay anonymous online. 1- Switch your search engine: Google, along with Bing and Yahoo, comprise a trio that receives more than 90% of the total search queries. At the same time, they don't shy away from spying on the users. Therefore, to avoid being tracked while you search the web, it is recommended that you use a service such as DuckDuckGo –  an independent search engine that doesn’t give personalized search results, you are not served targeted ads, and anything you search on it isn’t collected or stored. 2- Get a VPN: A very reliable and trustworthy technique to ensure that internet companies are not gathering information about you is to change your location to appear as though you are operating from somewhere else. You can do that with the help of a VPN – Virtual Private Network service. This way, you won’t just have an anonymous IP but browse sites in other countries as though you live there. VPNs don’t just secure your traffic but mask your IP address and your location. Moreover, you can also get access to location blocked content with the help of a VPN. For instance, if you happen to be in a country where Netflix or Hulu streaming service is not available, a VPN is will solve this problem for you via anonymous IP and let you unblock these services all over the world. 3- Use the Tor browser: It may have been underestimated at one time, but the Tor browser has surely made its way to the mainstream. It’s a great option considering that it’s exceptionally anonymous. Known otherwise as "the onion router", Tor runs a network of computers around the world. When you begin using it, Tor begins to redirect all your outgoing traffic via this network. This makes it incredibly difficult to track your IP, and your system appears with an anonymous IP online. Final Thoughts The year 2021 may very well be the year for netizens to prioritize their internet security above everything else and exercise caution to the fullest possible extent. For starters, this guide may go a long way towards doing just that!

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Maintain Anonymity Online With These 3 Actionable Steps

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