Lately, there have been reports that millions of website passwords have been compromised, while internet service providers have the power to sell your browsing history to advertisers. Wondering what you can do to protect your privacy online?
You just need a VPN (although as we'll see below, Tor can also work well in some cases). VPNs have been used more and more frequently in recent years.
For example, NordVPN (download for iOS or Android), IVPN (download for iOS or Android), ProtonVPN (download for iOS or Android), and Private Internet Access (download for iOS or Android) are all good options.
(Note that if anonymity is really important to you, then a VPN alone probably won't be enough. That's why you should probably consider installing TAILS on your device.)
How to install a VPN, like NordVPN
As with most personal VPN services, the first step is to sign up on the VPN’s website. You provide an email address to be associated with the account, and then you choose a payment method. In the case of NordVPN, you can pay with cryptocurrency as well as credit cards, such as Visa or Mastercard. Bitcoin is the most popular method, but some VPNs may allow you to pay with Etherium or Monero.
NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you have plenty of time to decide if you want the service. Alternatively, you can simply download the app and get a 7-day free trial.
Once you have the app and installed it on your device, simply open it and click or tap the green button labeled “Sign Up as a New User” to complete the account creation process. From there, you’ll be able to log in to everything NordVPN has to offer.
Choosing the right VPN server
If you live in the US, then NordVPN will offer you a VPN connection, located in the US by default. However, you can connect to any VPN the app provides globally. South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil, Iceland, India, Thailand – all continents are represented, although the majority of NordVPN’s options are concentrated in Europe and Southeast Asia.
By activating the VPN connection, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will no longer be able to see which websites you visit. They will only be able to see that you are connected to a VPN server. Furthermore, the website will not see your personal IP address. Instead, it will only see the address of the VPN server you are connected to.
Beyond privacy protection, NordVPN has some other interesting options. With a “double VPN,” for example, the VPN server connects to a second VPN server before sending you to your destination, which makes it much harder for your device and location to be traced.
Meanwhile, the “P2P” option is optimized for file sharing, which some VPNs prohibit. And “Onion over VPN” creates a Tor network tunnel inside your VPN connection, in case your Tor node is compromised.
Using the Tor network instead of a VPN
Tor works similarly to a VPN, with the main differences being cost, connection speed, and your level of anonymity. The Tor network is free, and because there are no financial transactions or records, it is harder for anyone to spy on your online activity. Tor can offer more anonymity than a VPN.
On the other hand, Tor may be free and provide you with more anonymity, but it's not as efficient in terms of speed. So don't rely on it for HD video or audio playback. It's better suited for text and images.
Also, the approved way to access the Tor network is through one of its official web browsers, which are derived from Mozilla Firefox (download for iOS or Android).
