Money-Saving Tip: ProtonVPN has discounted bundles that cover both ProtonVPN and ProtonMail in one subscription. However, some cloud storage providers utilize end-to-end encryption, like Sync, Tresorit, and ProtonDrive, a cousin to ProtonMail and ProtonVPN. Back on the Google train, we store all of our documents, photos, and files in Google Drive, which certainly isn’t a good choice in terms of privacy. Services like Temp Mail generate throwaway email addresses for free. Don’t want a company emailing you a newsletter daily? Use a temporary email address. Rather, all email has end-to-end encryption with open source code, and the service is free for Android, iOS, and web users.

ProtonMail is based in Switzerland, a nonmember of the surveillance alliance Five Eyes, so the company can’t be forced to give the government customer data. However, there are secure options like ProtonMail, the same company that brought us ProtonVPN. While we love its ease of use, we don’t love that Google keeps all of our private emails on its servers. Since we’re so deeply entrenched in the Google ecosystem, we use Gmail as our personal email provider. The best part? You can set up a VPN in only a few minutes check out our VPN how to pages for more information. Aside from hiding your IP address, VPNs hide your browsing history so your internet service provider (ISP) can’t see any of your online activity. “ VPN” stands for “virtual private network,” and, unlike Tor, VPNs encrypt all web traffic from browsers and other web apps.

However, Tor doesn’t encrypt any other web apps you use, which is why you need a VPN as well. Instead of using Chrome or another browser from a large tech company, use Tor, a secure browser that encrypts your IP address and web activity three times. Google is notorious for its ample data collection. The company can’t see your messages or calls, and there are no ads or trackers. With Signal, all communications have end-to-end encryption on its open-source protocol. Instead of sending a text message to a friend on your Android, use an encrypted messaging app like Signal. Here are the 22 steps you need to take to be anonymous online. True online anonymity requires many changes to your digital routine, such as replacing your operating system, browser, search engine, messaging apps, and email provider. For those who want it, online anonymity is possible however, it’s not the most straightforward process, so we broke down the steps you need to achieve total anonymity and private browsing on the web. The truth is, unless you make a concerted effort, you have no privacy or anonymity online.

Completely anonymous web browser