While exploring the internet, we all long for varying degrees of privacy for reasons best known to ourselves. Also, even if the majority of browsers have some privacy protections, they still tend to fall short of expectations in certain aspects.
If you’d like a way to browse the web anonymously, you’re definitely not alone. It’s very possible to conduct whatever business you have online anonymously while using social media, checking email, and other online activities.
This guide will show you several ways to browse the web anonymously to avoid compromising your privacy.
How Can I Browse the Web Anonymously?
Private browsing is often mistaken to be anonymous browsing, but there’s a difference between both. When you enable private browsing, sometimes referred to as Incognito mode in Google Chrome, your browser automatically deletes your browsing history and cookies after each session.
Since any accounts you have signed into on your browser are not in private mode, it also prohibits account tracking. Private browsing, however, still reveals personal information, such as your actual IP address, therefore it is insufficient to safeguard your online anonymity.
So, if you’d rather browse the web anonymously, it’s not difficult or impossible to achieve, just pay attention to the tips and suggestions below.
Use a VPN
The best way to browse the web anonymously is by preventing IP address tracking and using the internet secretly through a VPN.
Each time you connect to a VPN server, you are associated with its IP address. As such, it’s essentially impossible to determine your precise geographic location because so many individuals are concurrently linked to the same IP location.
However, VPNs can’t completely protect your anonymity. You’ll still be susceptible to being monitored by cookies, web beacons, and active online accounts even while using the most private VPN services available.
Use Proxy Servers
Another way to browse the web anonymously and protect your online privacy is by using one of the top proxy servers. Similar to virtual private networks (VPNs), only the IP address associated with your selected proxy server will be visible to the websites you visit and your ISP.
Sadly though, proxy servers don’t encrypt your data in transit, therefore VPNs are a preferable option if you’d like better online anonymity.
Use Anonymous Search Engines
Using an anonymous search engine is another option to browse the web anonymously. DuckDuckGo is currently a top choice in terms of privacy.
Even though it’s more basic than its more well-known competitors, DuckDuckGo guarantees that it’ll never keep any personal information or permit advertisers to track online actions across different websites. Furthermore, it provides site encryption and immediately alerts you before visiting an untrustworthy website.
The search results will however not be personalized for you, which is a drawback. However, consider that this is perhaps why you wanted to browse the web anonymously in the first place.
Use a privacy-friendly browser extension
There are several browser extensions available with the aim of better preserving your online privacy and letting you browse the web anonymously.
The options range from password managers to VPN browser extensions to ad-blockers and anti-tracking apps such as Ghostery and Privacy Badger. If you’d rather continue to use Google Chrome, you can choose the most ideal Chrome extension package to suit your needs.
Disable tailored ads on social media platforms
Nowadays, social media use is certainly one of the main activities online. As such, if you’d like to browse the web anonymously, you’ll need to be cautious and share as little information as possible on social media.
Sharing some personal information is largely inevitable, but you can still do some things to regain some control over your data. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram typically track your online activity to customize the ads you get. However, most of these platforms also give you the choice to disable tailored advertising.
It doesn’t seem like much, but when this suggestion is used in conjunction with other strategies, you’ll definitely be able to browse the web more anonymously.
In summary, it’s not impossible to browse the web anonymously. Take a cue from our tips and suggestions in this guide and you should be able to secure your online privacy with ease.