{"id":22099,"date":"2022-10-20T16:03:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T23:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/?p=22099"},"modified":"2024-04-02T02:02:18","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T09:02:18","slug":"browse-anonymously","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/browse-anonymously\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Browse the Internet Anonymously? Yes, But It\u2019s Tricky"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your personal data is worth almost as much as gold<\/strong> in the digital world. Due to its value, advertisers, the government, websites, and sometimes even ISPs constantly try to collect as much of it as possible \u2014 despite online privacy being your legal right. However, companies aren\u2019t immune to data leaks, leaving you and your data at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to IBM\u2019s 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report<\/a>, 44% of leaks expose personal information, like email, address, and full names. The first half of 2022 saw over 80 million data leaks<\/a>, affecting more than 53 million users in the US alone. And that\u2019s just 6 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This should get you thinking about where you leave your data and how you can protect it. Ultimately, the only way to be 100% invisible is to not use the internet at all\u2026 which is not feasible for most people. The good news is that you can reduce the amount of data you leave online and boost your protection<\/strong> with a set of simple precautions. We\u2019ll show you how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Table of Contents<\/h4>\nBrowsing the Internet Anonymously \u2014 Is It Possible?<\/a>
\nLearn How to Browse the Internet Anonymously<\/a>
\nExtra Tips On Protecting Your Digital Identity<\/a>
\nBrowse the Internet Anonymously with PIA<\/a>
\n Don\u2019t Let Anyone See Your Data As you Browse the Internet<\/a>
\nFAQ<\/a>
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Browsing the Internet Anonymously \u2014 Is It Possible?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By definition, anonymous browsing doesn\u2019t leave traces of your data on the internet. But it\u2019s not as easy to do as you may think. In fact, achieving full online anonymity is near impossible<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is you don\u2019t need to reach a James Bond level of online protection<\/strong> as data collection isn\u2019t binary. Some details, like healthcare or financial records, are more valuable than others and are more often targeted by tracking software. Does it mean you can forget about it and leave the blinds to your online browsing open? Absolutely not.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we get into it, you must remember privacy is not the same as anonymity<\/strong>. For example, WhatsApp\u2019s encryption keeps your messages visible only to the sender and receiver, so they remain private. This doesn\u2019t extend to metadata, leaving details like your name, phone number, and IP address in Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s hands. Considering the US intelligence can request these details from WhatsApp<\/a>, it definitely removes any aspect of anonymity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything you do online comes with metadata:<\/strong> playing games, sending emails, posting on social media, etc. It\u2019s immediately available to your ISP and anyone tracking your traffic (for example, advertisers or apps you give permissions to), especially if you don\u2019t use a VPN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from metadata, your devices regularly send information to their manufacturers <\/strong>or other third parties. So, if you browse the internet on your phone, Samsung or Apple get instant updates on the state of the device and what it\u2019s up to. It\u2019s the downside of popular tech brands, and it\u2019s impossible to bypass unless you switch to a device made with privacy in mind, like a Fairphone or a Framework laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of anonymity also extends to social media and how you use it.<\/strong> As soon as you log in to your account, the platform knows you\u2019re active and starts tracking you. This goes from checking your location and search history, to collecting details you provide, like full name, address, likes, preferences, and so on. You could avoid logging into online platforms, but it often restricts your options as a user.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is you can significantly reduce how much data companies get<\/strong> on you. It requires a concerted effort, as you must go through your browser\u2019s settings and install various security add-ons and special software to boost your protection.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why Even Bother?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Digital privacy is a right \u2013 fight for it<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Have you ever opened Google to check something, only to have the search engine suggest the exact question you were thinking? It\u2019s almost as if someone was sitting in the corner, sifting through every conversation you have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online trackers are getting smarter every day. They follow the trail of online crumbs you leave whenever you browse the web, scroll social media, or even ask Alexa to add milk to your shopping list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may not think small bits of data hold much worth, but these crumbs can slowly add up to a whole loaf of bread. Third parties collect anything you drip-feed them and create entire profiles on you.<\/strong> It\u2019s especially concerning when you add malicious actors to the mix, as cybercriminals can then use these details and any data you offer up through social platforms <\/strong>to perform various attacks, e.g. identity theft.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just criminals you have to watch out for. According to the 2021 Thales Data Threat Report<\/a>, around 45% of US companies experience a data breach<\/strong> of some sort. Doesn\u2019t seem like a lot? These breaches affected almost 213 million users! The report didn\u2019t consider undetected leaks, so the number was probably much higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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