Going off the Matrix - a guide to anonymous surfing

[metalheart]

Now I am all for freedom of speech and all that jazz, but there comes a point in one's cyber-life, where you realize that it won't ever really happen - not in our lifetimes. My field of work involves a lot of controversial stories and sometimes we have to dig these stories from out of the abyss. We interact with politicians a lot and more often than not, risk losing a lot, in terms of our security. We don't want a Wikileaks' style retribution for our publication just yet - we don't have that much support at the moment.

So my question is this: HOW DO WE MASK OUR IDENTITY COMPLETELY? How do we vanish from the matrix? How do we go underground? How can we post stuff without it ever getting traced back to us?

I am asking this question, strictly from the Indian perspective - ie. from the point of view of an average Indian consumer who doesn't know much about proxies, VPNs etc. How does an average Joe (rather, Jatinder) disappear from the grid completely?

Also, I don't know how many of you have realised this, but 90% of all Facebook and Google users are completely traceable. Most of the users have a phone number linked to the account. If not, they have your friends' phone numbers. If not, they have your friends' friends' phone numbers. When did the internet become the Big Brother, I wonder.

Anyway, ANY kind of help would be much appreciated, as always. However, it would be exceptionally kind and thoughtful if someone would like to collaborate with me on building a GUIDE/TUTORIAL for an average person with minimal knowledge of tech. to go off the matrix.

Cheers!


PS: PM me if anyone is interested in working on a documentary about this issue in particular

 

[DigitalDude]

An 'aam aadmi' can use a tor browser. apart from that AFAIK there is no way for an 'aam aadmi' without excellent technical acumen to stay off hook.

but I'm not very competent in this matter. will follow this thread for inputs from other members.



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[raksrules]

Don't post stupid things on Facebook, even better delete FB account for life.

 

[ayanavish]

Moving away from Google and FB would make you 80% invisible.

Tools: A Guide To Anonymous Web Surfing

 

[babhishek]

basic way to REDUCE and not eliminate tracking is to use DNT+

 

[ch@ts]

I'd asked the same question a few months ago, but not many people seemed to be interested in online privacy.
Here are some of the things I started doing since then.

1) use a VPN like SecurityKiss - it's easy to use, just install and run
2) browse with do not track and disable all plugins, cookies, etc
3) keep separate(fake) user accounts (facebook,google etc) for your secure browsing and regular browsing
4) use a separate anonymous browser if possible, while using a VPN
5) get some bitcoins, and use them for your digital purchases if possible (domain names, web-hosting, email services, etc)
6) use encryption for your communication. I use thunderbird+gpg4win which integrates really well. Use separate keys for your anonymous and daily accounts.
7) you can even encrypt your voice-calls if you're using android, with apps like redphone.
8) use an offshore,online encrypted service that cares nothing for the law, like MEGA, or filelocker (which I haven't tried) to store your files, instead of keeping them on your HDD. Edit them online if possible so that no trace of them lingers on your hdd.
9) secure delete your files, don't just empty the recycle bin - use open source programs like eraser.
10) if possible use an OS on a CD or usb stick. Or a virtual machine.
11) when you want to go underground, use a firewall, and block all traffic except your VPN.
12) set-up a system where you can post by scheduled emails, so that the time of creating the post gets even more obfuscated.


Doing all this may not hide your tracks completely. But, it'll make it very difficult for you to be found. You probably won't get arrested for facebook posts, etc, because the cops will have to recover logs from servers based abroad, and they'll need warrants for that. (Unless you go and tell all your friends to like/friend the new fake profile you've created.) Keep your fake and real identities separate, follow the advice I've given and you should be untraceable to the average cop. (Mainly because it'll be too much of an effort to track you.)
Most free VPN's keep access logs for a week or two ( which will be handed over only after a court order is produced), so you're still at risk. But I don't think that most courts would issue the order unless you're doing something illegal, or really damaging.
But being anonymous has it's downsides. You'll lose access to all your existing online friends/social networks. The eye-opening posts you write on facebook and twitter won't be seen by anyone, unless you devote a lot of time and energy into your hidden identity.

 

[haris5sani]

^^ Hahaha !!
Instead of following all above steps, I would simply delete my all accounts beings its fb, google, msn, yahoo etc etc.

 

[metalheart]

Don't post stupid things on Facebook, even better delete FB account for life.

Moving away from Google and FB would make you 80% invisible.

Instead of following all above steps, I would simply delete my all accounts beings its fb, google, msn, yahoo etc etc.

:hail: Those indeed, are ingenious solutions. Not the ones I was searching for, however. Thanks for your suggestions, nonetheless. Shall definitely keep them in mind...NOT.

1) use a VPN like SecurityKiss - it's easy to use, just install and run
2) browse with do not track and disable all plugins, cookies, etc
3) keep separate(fake) user accounts (facebook,google etc) for your secure browsing and regular browsing
4) use a separate anonymous browser if possible, while using a VPN
5) get some bitcoins, and use them for your digital purchases if possible (domain names, web-hosting, email services, etc)
6) use encryption for your communication. I use thunderbird+gpg4win which integrates really well. Use separate keys for your anonymous and daily accounts.
7) you can even encrypt your voice-calls if you're using android, with apps like redphone.
8) use an offshore,online encrypted service that cares nothing for the law, like MEGA, or filelocker (which I haven't tried) to store your files, instead of keeping them on your HDD. Edit them online if possible so that no trace of them lingers on your hdd.
9) secure delete your files, don't just empty the recycle bin - use open source programs like eraser.
10) if possible use an OS on a CD or usb stick. Or a virtual machine.
11) when you want to go underground, use a firewall, and block all traffic except your VPN.
12) set-up a system where you can post by scheduled emails, so that the time of creating the post gets even more obfuscated.

This is more like it. How about a fully-loaded browser (A TOR alternative) for the 'aam-aadmi' that incorporates most of the aforementioned steps. Even better, a USB stick with a pre-loaded OS that makes its user completely untraceable. Note to self: Should definitely develop something like that.

Doing all this may not hide your tracks completely. But, it'll make it very difficult for you to be found. You probably won't get arrested for facebook posts, etc...You'll lose access to all your existing online friends/social networks. The eye-opening posts you write on facebook and twitter won't be seen by anyone, unless you devote a lot of time and energy into your hidden identity.

Again, my point was definitely NOT just regarding social networks. Social networks are your online identities. No one should ideally mess around with their own online identities. It is important to keep it the way it is.

What I was talking about: Forums, Secure email communication (which again means creation of those ids securely and anonymously) etc.

 

[DigitalDude]

:hail: Those indeed, are ingenious solutions. Not the ones I was searching for, however. Thanks for your suggestions, nonetheless. Shall definitely keep them in mind...NOT.

:lol: I expected this. seriously ppl, how difficult is to understand the intent of the OP.

nice list there ch@ts. the biggest impediment is the financial transaction....


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[raksrules]

:hail: Those indeed, are ingenious solutions. Not the ones I was searching for, however. Thanks for your suggestions, nonetheless. Shall definitely keep them in mind...NOT.

My reply was never intended to be sarcastic or anything but since you mention that FB types are your social identity, you need to also understand that they are a goldmine for anyone expert in social engineering (that's the word right ??), so if you are your real self on FB then your privacy goes for a toss.
I am all in for deleting my FB account permanently but my wife insists on keeping it and she accesses it but i never see the account. I am now going to be bit more adamant and definitely will be deleting soon.
Sometimes she shows me the updates from her friend's in her account and it is so easy to trace and know about someone through FB, it is ridiculous. Offcourse there are stupid people on FB posting each and every life detail there and treat it like their daily diaries.

Btw i have read that duckduckgo search engine is better than google as it gives collated results and does not track and store your searches like google does.

 

[asingh]

Unless someone is John Conners; why would you do this.

 

[ch@ts]

This is more like it. How about a fully-loaded browser (A TOR alternative) for the 'aam-aadmi' that incorporates most of the aforementioned steps. Even better, a USB stick with a pre-loaded OS that makes its user completely untraceable. Note to self: Should definitely develop something like that.

This would be a good solution. And shouldn't be too difficult to implement.
Install linux on a stick, using the security hardened installation profile. Encrypt the data partition. Install a VPN, and an anonymous browser. Install gpg, and a mail client that supports encryption. Configure the firewall to block access to everything but your VPN. Set-up rules to use a secure erase program to wipe your caches and recycle bin. Will take a bit of effort initially, but once it's done everything should be more or less automatic. After your first login, create some email accounts, and some cloud storage accounts using the VPN, and you're set.

Unless someone is John Conners; why would you do this.

Bloggers are todays journalists, and they've got no legal protection.
They can be jailed, their sites taken down, their blogs deleted, and their income blocked on a simple request from your local policeman or politician.
Being anonymous protects them. Having all their content created and stored on servers abroad, accessed as if the creator was a foreign citizen gives the site some protection. It can probably still be taken down, but would need a court order that had to go through an international government, especially if the site was owned by an actual foreign entity. I'd consider setting up an offshore limited liability firm just for this. It's not too expensive, and if you make the deposits in cash, you're anonymous until an international probe is launched.

Encrypting private confidential emails is always a good idea. If you lose your phone, or your computers stolen, or your account hacked, your mails still can't be read. It's good for business, for embarrassing mails that you want kept private, and it's good to keep a track of confidential information.
The same argument can be made for using encrypted cloud storage.