Imagine having the power to circumnavigate state-sanctioned controls? To travel undetected online? Or to communicate as you please? Well, the technology exists to do precisely that. Contrary to popular opinion, we aren’t entirely at the mercy of Big Tech and government censorship. A variety of powerful tools is available to help us tailor our online experience to expectations.
Today, we’re going to dive deep into the ones and zeros of the World Wide Web, where safety and security, access control, and the freedom to roam, reign supreme. We begin our discussion into tech nirvana by exploring a set of tools – many hiding in plain sight – that you can use to enhance your browsing experience. Ready to get started?
iPhone + iPad Devices: Boost your iOS Safety and Security
Smartphones, tablets, and MacBook devices are marvels of engineering. Today, you can use the powerful security features built into these devices to prevent third parties from accessing your data, either in the cloud or on the device. iCloud Private Relay prevents third parties from creating detailed profiles of your activity. This is done via encrypted messaging in a dual stream of Internet relays. This acts like a VPN service because it blocks your IP address and location.
A few things to bear in mind include setting a strong password, Touch ID/Face ID, Find My iPhone, built-in authenticator, and 2-FA, and most importantly, full control over app data and location information that you share with third parties. These types of privacy filters and anti-tracking functionality can enhance your safety and security while browsing the web.
Android Security Controls: Lock it Down!
You can do a few things on Android devices to boost your safety, security, and anonymity while browsing the web. For example, you can use a made-for-Android VPN app to encrypt your traffic and hide your IP address. You can also use a privacy browser like Firefox Focus or DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser, which will block third-party trackers and prevent cookies from being stored on your device.
But there are other things you can do on an Android device to enhance your security and power your way through cyberspace, notably:
• Allow specific apps to access your location only while you’re using them, not all the time.
• Always enable Google Play Protect, found in the security settings of your Android device.
• Allow Find My Device in your system settings to prevent irrecoverable loss of your smartphone.
• If using Google Chrome, enable Enhanced Safe Browsing mode by navigating to Chrome’s browser settings.
• Toggle the notification settings on your Android smartphone to prevent unwanted access to your personal information.
• Standard security measures such as 2-FA, your Phone’s Security Key, and Smart Lock features are helpful in securing your Android device.
Black Ops: VPNs, Proxy Servers, and TOR
A VPN download offers an incredibly useful tool to encrypt all of your internet traffic and re-route it through an intermediary server in another location. As a result, your online communications are shrouded in secrecy from prying eyes in the outside world. This makes it appear as if you’re browsing from a different location, which is useful for accessing geo-restricted content.
A proxy server is similar to a VPN in that it routes your traffic through an intermediary server. The main difference is that a proxy doesn’t encrypt your traffic, so it’s not entirely as secure. However, it is generally faster than a VPN as there’s less overhead.
The Tor Browser is a specialized web browser that routes your traffic through a network of volunteer-operated servers worldwide. This makes it extremely difficult to trace your traffic back to you, which is ideal for accessing content that’s been censored. The downside is that the Tor Browser can be annoyingly slow, and it’s not suitable for streaming video or downloading large files.
Intentional Obfuscation: Smart DNS Systems
A Smart DNS is a service that reroutes your DNS queries through a server in another location. This makes it appear as if you’re accessing content from a different country, which is useful for bypassing geo-restrictions. In addition, smart DNS services are typically faster than VPNs or proxies as there’s no encryption overhead.
Anonymity Central: Anonymous Email Services & Secure Messaging Apps
An anonymous email service allows you to send and receive emails without revealing your true identity. This is useful for communicating with people in countries where the government censors email. A secure messaging app is a type of messaging app that uses end-to-end encryption to protect your messages from being intercepted. This is useful for security or communicating with people in countries where the government censors communication.
There are plenty of countries where government censorship impedes the free flow of information between individuals and websites. This is evident in North Korea, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, and Equatorial Guinea, to name but a few. However, you can enjoy more leeway on the information superhighway by invoking your anonymity rights through various email services on iOS and Android.
