How to stay anonymous while surfing the Web

Nowadays the Web isn’t as it was 15 years ago, we are constantly worrying about who has access to our very sensitive data. For the right price, third party companies can buy data relating to your location, your search history, your hobbies and interests, your close friends and much more. Through the use of cookies and sessions, their access to our data is laughably easy. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about scandals involving unlawful data manipulation, it certainly isn’t going to be the last.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to stay completely anonymous while surfing the Web and protect your identity. Please note, you cannot stay anonymous from your Internet Service Provider, as they are legally required to keep track of your records.

Tor Network

The Tor network, often referred to as just “Tor,” is an Internet routing method that helps make internet user more anonymous. It is completely free and is used by the likes of journalists and government officials.

When a user is connected to Tor (often through the Tor browser), their outgoing internet traffic is rerouted through a random series of at least three other computers (called nodes) before reaching its destination (the website you wish to visit). Incoming traffic is rerouted in a similar manner. What makes Tor special are 2 facts :

1. Your outgoing and incoming data are encrypted. In the case where a computer seizes your data during the routing process : they can’t decode the data, even if they do they cannot visualize everything as they are getting bits and pieces of it.
2. Your precise location cannot be determined. As your Internet data is bouncing around the globe, it is very hard to pinpoint the exact location where your Internet request was made from.

Step 1 : Installing Tor

For Windows:

1. Navigate to the Tor Browser download page.
2. Download the Windows .exe file
3. Verify the file’s signature. (Recommended)
4. When the download is complete, double click the .exe file (for macOS the .dmg file). Complete the installation wizard process.

For GNU/Linux:

1. Navigate to the Tor Browser download page.
2. Download the GNU/Linux .tar.xz file
3. Verify the file’s signature. (Recommended)
4. When the download is complete, extract the archive with the command tar -xf [downloaded file] or by using an archive manager.

5.Right click on start-tor-browser.desktop, open Properties and change the permission to allow executing file as program. Double-click the icon to start up Tor Browser for the first time.

Alternatively, from inside the Tor Browser directory, you can also start from the command line by running: ./start-tor-browser.desktop

Step 2: Running Tor

When you run Tor Browser for the first time, the Tor Network Settings window will appear. You can directly connect to Tor network from this window or configure your network, although the latter is dedicated for people with more experience in networking.

Step 3: Configuring your Identity

The nodes or relays that you use won’t be changed automatically for 2 months. However if you you want to increase your anonymity you can choose to pick new nodes every time you change sites. Note that this option means slower connections.

1. You can see a diagram of the circuit that Tor Browser is currently using. You need to click on the padlock sign in your URL bar.

2. To acquire a new identity, click on the 3 lines icon at the top right section of your browser. And then proceed to click on the “New Identity” section. You can do this operation with this keyboard shorthand : Ctrl+Shift+U.

That’s it your all set for Tor ! Remember to disable cookie and session storing in your browser. If the websites you’re visiting require you to enable cookies then do not forget to delete them at the end in your Settings under Preferences>Privacy & Security>Clear Data.

If you’re still sticking around I will show you how to increase the depth of your anonymity even more by changing your MAC address. This is limited to Linux devices, here is the link for the same operation on Windows.

Mac Changer

A MAC address is given to your computers’ network adapter when it is manufactured. It is hard-coded onto your computer’s network interface card and is globally unique amongst the 7 billions Internet devices out there. This means anyone with your MAC address can link it to your PC. Although it is impossible to modify your MAC address, as it is hard-coded, it can nonetheless be spoofed.

Step 1 : Installing macchanger

1. Install the program macchanger with sudo apt install macchanger and proceed with ‘Yes’ on every option.

Step 2: Running macchanger

2. Note down your current MAC address by executing this command sudo macchanger wlan0 -s and you should have something like the picture below.

Note:If you’re using an Ethernet cable replace wlan0 with eth0 for all the steps.

3. Disconnect your Wifi and turn it off under your computer Settings > Network. Now execute this command sudo macchanger wlan0 -r , this will randomize your MAC address.

4. Once you finish your browsing session you can revert back to your original MAC address with sudo macchanger wlan0 -p . You should disconnect and turn off your Wifi once again before executing this command.

All done ? You’re now completely invisible to third parties and tracking cookies. There is no level to anonymity, one should always try and curate their Internet usage. Your Internet data provides a virtual schema of you as a person, the less time you spend on the Web, the more you become anonymous.

Here is a link from Internet Society explaining digital footprints.

Until next time.