Guide to Being Anonymous

Whether you just want to maintain your privacy from family and friends or you want to stop the ever more totalitarian government from spying on you, the idea is the same as are many of the steps you can take to keep peeping eyes and ears out of your business.

Basic Practices

Basic Encryption

• Utilize a whole-drive level encryption protocol such as FileVault or BitLocker. Be aware that most common encryption protocols are manipulated by government agencies and other organizations at some point or another through "Back Doors".

• Avoid cloud based storage solutions, as government agencies claim that any data stored in the cloud is not your personal property, and therefore subject to seizure and warrant-less invasion of privacy. Just because you encrypt your data, doesn't mean it's entirely secure.

Aliases

• Have an alias or even better never use the same alias.
• Use disposable e-mail services and avoid breadcrumb trails that might link one to another (such as sharing the same IP address, mac address, or browser cookies across e-mail accounts and identities)
• Never reveal your true identity to anyone.
  • The fifth amendment can only protect you from having to incriminate yourself.
  • It can't protect you from evidence you give to others who may willingly or accidentally give it away.

Transactions

• Use cash to buy things.
  • More essentially, buy internet-enabled devices with cash so they cannot be traced back to you. An alternative to this is to use MAC address spoofing, which is covered in the advanced section.

Advanced Methods

• Use proxy servers that don't log to mask your IP address.
  • Alternatively, the Tor network or a VPN that doesn't log
• Disable cookies, use private browsing, or utilize [Do Not Track] headers when using the web.
• Use an open source operating system that allow MAC address modification to randomize your computer's unique identifier on public networks.
• Register your own web domain name on a non-US controlled [TLD] extension that allows for identity protection such as [WhoisGuard].
• Learn about PGP encryption, and then utilize the MIT PGP Key Server to safely encrypt your email messages with others.
• Use rooted or jailbroken devices, then disable or modify your location services signals using tools such as [LocationHolic]
• Use devices that have removable batteries.
• Cover camera lenses on devices when not in use.

Links and Resources

• EFF's Know Your Rights
• EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense Project
• The 5^th Amendment
• Cryptoparty – All about MESH networks