HOW TO PROTECT YOUR DIGITAL
IDENTITY
THE
recent PRISM scandal regarding widespread surveillance on the web by the US
government has opened a can of worms. It is as if nothing is private anymore.
Unfortunately, given the way the internet works, there’s no absolute way in
which you can keep your data absolutely safe.
Still, there are ways to better protect your privacy, to stop companies from tracking your web browsing habits, and to safeguard your emails from prying eyes. Here’s how…
BROWSERS THAT TRACK YOU
Chrome is fast and has some pretty nifty widgets. But it is also a browser that makes it easy for Google to record your movements on the web. Now the online giant uses this information to customize its services for you. Still, the latest PRISM leak has shown that governments can compel companies to share your data. So if you use Chrome, we suggest you use it without linking it to your Google account. Additionally, browse the web in the ‘Incognito’ mode.
Under this mode, the browser doesn’t track a user’s movements, web history or passwords.
To browse ‘Incognito’, click on the menu button under the close [x] mark in the top-right corner and select New Incognito Window.
Alternatively, use Firefox, which is less intrusive and also offers Private browsing (similar to Incognito): Click on Tools on the menu bar and select Start Private Browsing.
Also go to Tools > Options > Privacy and check Tell Websites I Do Not Want To Be Tracked.
If you use Internet Explorer, click on the gears (Tools) icon in the top-right corner of your browser window. Then, go to Safety > InPrivate Browsing.
WEB SITES THAT PEEK
When you are logged into web services like Google and Facebook, your activities are not only tracked on their pages through browser cookies, but even beyond, when you’re surfing other web sites. These services ‘spy’ on you to learn more about your internet habits, so you can be served with better advertisements.
To stop this sort of tracking, make sure that you are not logged into Yahoo!, Google, or Facebook when you don’t need it. This is because when you are logged into Gmail, for instance, and then open Search or YouTube, Google will automatically connect what you do there with your account.
So in effect, check your Gmail or Facebook, finish your business and log out before you start surfing the web or heading to a shopping site.
ENCRYPT YOUR PC...
Encrypting the drives on your computer is the best way to protect your data. If you use Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise and Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise – and if your computer is equipped with the Trusted Platform Module chip – then you can use BitLocker, an encryption tool that’s built into the OS. To activate, go to the Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption. Turn on BitLocker.
Alternatively, you can try TrueCrypt or DiskCryptor – two free encryption program that hide your data. Just make sure you follow all the instructions properly when setting up either of these tools. www.truecrypt.org diskcryptor.net
...YOUR SMS
If you use an Android phone, Text Secure is a great way to secure your text messages. After you install it, this free app replaces the default app on your phone and you can use it just like any other SMS app after setting up a password for it. If the other party also uses Text Secure, you can start a secure SMS conversation with that person.
If you are sending a message to someone who doesn’t have Text Secure, the message will go as a regular SMS. But even then you have some level of security because all the received and sent messages on your phone are encrypted by Text Secure. This app is available on the Play Store
On an iPhone, you can try Silent Text. Besides allowing the exchange of messages through an encrypted channel, this app also gives the sender the option to delete the conversation from both devices. The app requires a paid subscription to Silent Circle services.
...YOUR PHONE CALLS
Instead of using Skype, you can use RedPhone, available on the Play Store, to make encrypted calls over the internet. With this app, you can make regular calls to any of your phone’s contacts. But in case the person you’re calling also uses RedPhone, the app gives you the option to start an encrypted call. Besides, it also lets you make calls using your data connection.
For secure calls, iPhone users (as well those on Android) can try Silent Phone. However, this app requires subscription to Silent Circle services that start at a price of around $10 per month.
...AND YOUR INSTANT MESSAGES
The best way to encrypt your Google Talk or Yahoo Messenger chats is through Pidgin, a third-party app. Once you have installed it, you will have to go to Tools > Plugins and enable Off The Record Messaging. Once enabled, click on Configure PlugIn and follow onscreen instructions to generate a private encryption key. The next time you chat with someone using Pidgin, the app will let you know whether the communication is private or not. If the person you are chatting with has also enabled the Off the Record option in Pidgin, you can click on the Not Private button in the chat window and from the drop down menu, select Start Private Conversation to initiate encrypted chat. www.pidgin.im
HIDE MY ASS
HMA is a free browser-based service that lets you surf the web anonymously. It hides your IP address and routes your internet traffic through its anonymous proxy servers, even protecting you from people who are monitoring your HTTP web traffic. Besides, you can also use HMA’s secure network to protect your login information (username and password) even if you happen to be on an unsecure website; one that does not offer SSL (https).
But that’s not all. HMA also lets you create a free disposable email address. For example, when you don’t want to give your real email address to people, or register it on web sites you don’t trust, you can use the anonymous email address you’ve created – and HMA will email you, alerting you when your anonymous inbox has received a new mail. The best part is that your anonymous inbox can be set to self destruct, with periods ranging from a day to a year.
hidemyass.com
DUCK DUCK GO
Unlike other search engines, DuckDuckGo doesn’t keep track of your search activity on the internet. Also, since it doesn’t track your behaviour, it does not customise your search results based on what it thinks you might want to see. In effect, you get the same search results as everyone else.
www.duckduckgo.com
PRECAUTIONS
Never access your online account at a cyber cafe or a shared computer as you can never be sure how you are being monitored.
Be extremely cautious when downloading free software from the internet. These could include code that could report your surfing habits to companies that might use your data to spam you. Worse still, some malicious programs might include ‘key loggers’ that could record the login information for your online accounts.
Always update your operating system for security patches. Also use a reputed antivirus and update it on regular basis.
When choosing a password for your accounts, choose something that is sufficiently long and that includes upper and lower case, numbers and even special characters. Avoid using birthdates, anniversaries or names of loved ones as passwords.
Check SSL (Secure Socket Layer)/https security on the login page of any web site where you’re entering your personal information. The ‘s’ after the ‘http’ denotes that the site is secure. Also, most browsers will mark a secure site by displaying a padlock icon somewhere on the frame of the browser window. Look for that icon.
Avoid signing up for services that require too much of personal information. If you must, use services like Bug Me Not (www.bugmenot.com) to avoid filling out unnecessary registration forms.
Be careful about the type of information you share on your social networks like Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, FourSquare, Instagram, etc. This data could be used to pinpoint your whereabouts, your lifestyle, the details of your loved ones – and hackers can even use it to create a fake profile of you that can be used for nefarious purposes.
Most importantly, do not visit sites on the internet that could embarrass you in front of your loved ones and colleagues.
Still, there are ways to better protect your privacy, to stop companies from tracking your web browsing habits, and to safeguard your emails from prying eyes. Here’s how…
BROWSERS THAT TRACK YOU
Chrome is fast and has some pretty nifty widgets. But it is also a browser that makes it easy for Google to record your movements on the web. Now the online giant uses this information to customize its services for you. Still, the latest PRISM leak has shown that governments can compel companies to share your data. So if you use Chrome, we suggest you use it without linking it to your Google account. Additionally, browse the web in the ‘Incognito’ mode.
Under this mode, the browser doesn’t track a user’s movements, web history or passwords.
To browse ‘Incognito’, click on the menu button under the close [x] mark in the top-right corner and select New Incognito Window.
Alternatively, use Firefox, which is less intrusive and also offers Private browsing (similar to Incognito): Click on Tools on the menu bar and select Start Private Browsing.
Also go to Tools > Options > Privacy and check Tell Websites I Do Not Want To Be Tracked.
If you use Internet Explorer, click on the gears (Tools) icon in the top-right corner of your browser window. Then, go to Safety > InPrivate Browsing.
WEB SITES THAT PEEK
When you are logged into web services like Google and Facebook, your activities are not only tracked on their pages through browser cookies, but even beyond, when you’re surfing other web sites. These services ‘spy’ on you to learn more about your internet habits, so you can be served with better advertisements.
To stop this sort of tracking, make sure that you are not logged into Yahoo!, Google, or Facebook when you don’t need it. This is because when you are logged into Gmail, for instance, and then open Search or YouTube, Google will automatically connect what you do there with your account.
So in effect, check your Gmail or Facebook, finish your business and log out before you start surfing the web or heading to a shopping site.
ENCRYPT YOUR PC...
Encrypting the drives on your computer is the best way to protect your data. If you use Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise and Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise – and if your computer is equipped with the Trusted Platform Module chip – then you can use BitLocker, an encryption tool that’s built into the OS. To activate, go to the Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption. Turn on BitLocker.
Alternatively, you can try TrueCrypt or DiskCryptor – two free encryption program that hide your data. Just make sure you follow all the instructions properly when setting up either of these tools. www.truecrypt.org diskcryptor.net
...YOUR SMS
If you use an Android phone, Text Secure is a great way to secure your text messages. After you install it, this free app replaces the default app on your phone and you can use it just like any other SMS app after setting up a password for it. If the other party also uses Text Secure, you can start a secure SMS conversation with that person.
If you are sending a message to someone who doesn’t have Text Secure, the message will go as a regular SMS. But even then you have some level of security because all the received and sent messages on your phone are encrypted by Text Secure. This app is available on the Play Store
On an iPhone, you can try Silent Text. Besides allowing the exchange of messages through an encrypted channel, this app also gives the sender the option to delete the conversation from both devices. The app requires a paid subscription to Silent Circle services.
...YOUR PHONE CALLS
Instead of using Skype, you can use RedPhone, available on the Play Store, to make encrypted calls over the internet. With this app, you can make regular calls to any of your phone’s contacts. But in case the person you’re calling also uses RedPhone, the app gives you the option to start an encrypted call. Besides, it also lets you make calls using your data connection.
For secure calls, iPhone users (as well those on Android) can try Silent Phone. However, this app requires subscription to Silent Circle services that start at a price of around $10 per month.
...AND YOUR INSTANT MESSAGES
The best way to encrypt your Google Talk or Yahoo Messenger chats is through Pidgin, a third-party app. Once you have installed it, you will have to go to Tools > Plugins and enable Off The Record Messaging. Once enabled, click on Configure PlugIn and follow onscreen instructions to generate a private encryption key. The next time you chat with someone using Pidgin, the app will let you know whether the communication is private or not. If the person you are chatting with has also enabled the Off the Record option in Pidgin, you can click on the Not Private button in the chat window and from the drop down menu, select Start Private Conversation to initiate encrypted chat. www.pidgin.im
HIDE MY ASS
HMA is a free browser-based service that lets you surf the web anonymously. It hides your IP address and routes your internet traffic through its anonymous proxy servers, even protecting you from people who are monitoring your HTTP web traffic. Besides, you can also use HMA’s secure network to protect your login information (username and password) even if you happen to be on an unsecure website; one that does not offer SSL (https).
But that’s not all. HMA also lets you create a free disposable email address. For example, when you don’t want to give your real email address to people, or register it on web sites you don’t trust, you can use the anonymous email address you’ve created – and HMA will email you, alerting you when your anonymous inbox has received a new mail. The best part is that your anonymous inbox can be set to self destruct, with periods ranging from a day to a year.
hidemyass.com
DUCK DUCK GO
Unlike other search engines, DuckDuckGo doesn’t keep track of your search activity on the internet. Also, since it doesn’t track your behaviour, it does not customise your search results based on what it thinks you might want to see. In effect, you get the same search results as everyone else.
www.duckduckgo.com
PRECAUTIONS
Never access your online account at a cyber cafe or a shared computer as you can never be sure how you are being monitored.
Be extremely cautious when downloading free software from the internet. These could include code that could report your surfing habits to companies that might use your data to spam you. Worse still, some malicious programs might include ‘key loggers’ that could record the login information for your online accounts.
Always update your operating system for security patches. Also use a reputed antivirus and update it on regular basis.
When choosing a password for your accounts, choose something that is sufficiently long and that includes upper and lower case, numbers and even special characters. Avoid using birthdates, anniversaries or names of loved ones as passwords.
Check SSL (Secure Socket Layer)/https security on the login page of any web site where you’re entering your personal information. The ‘s’ after the ‘http’ denotes that the site is secure. Also, most browsers will mark a secure site by displaying a padlock icon somewhere on the frame of the browser window. Look for that icon.
Avoid signing up for services that require too much of personal information. If you must, use services like Bug Me Not (www.bugmenot.com) to avoid filling out unnecessary registration forms.
Be careful about the type of information you share on your social networks like Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter, FourSquare, Instagram, etc. This data could be used to pinpoint your whereabouts, your lifestyle, the details of your loved ones – and hackers can even use it to create a fake profile of you that can be used for nefarious purposes.
Most importantly, do not visit sites on the internet that could embarrass you in front of your loved ones and colleagues.
Javed Anwer & Savio D’Souza TL30707
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