How do you leave no footprint while I am online? I do not intend to do anything bad. I'm just tired of being tracked by companies trying to sell me stuff. If I do a query on socks for the next two months I get ads/email trying to sell me socks. Or I will get ads/email from other companies that say well you were interested in this so you might be interested in this other thing. Or worst of all I go on a new web site and they already know all about me. I am tired of it. I want my privacy back. I am setting up a new Ubuntu laptop now and I want to disappear from the web.

This is mostly a function of your web browser, but also the fact that you have a particular IP address you're sending html requests from compromises your privacy.

For the web browser side of things, use "privacy mode" and never log into anything (including this web site!). Or more practically, sign in only for the stuff you need to in "normal" mode; use "privacy mode" for everything else by default. Use multiple web browser profiles as desired to minimize "cross-talk".

For the IP address problem, you'll have to do something more complex involving a VPN like Tor or something. Or a simpler solution would be to use Starbucks or McDonalds WiFi, where you'll mostly get lost in the sea of other users using the same IP address.

I use Privoxy. It does great job, but you need to spend some time configuring it.

Yep mainly its the browser and lack of encryption. There's text based browsers that are very minimal, like links or links2 (gui version). These browsers allow you to spoof your URL agent which is a string that reports to websites your OS and browser version. Also since their text based they dont have Javascript functionality which is another plus, as popups wont open in your face decreasing the load speed. Its ideal to use two different web browsers, one for sites that require passwords and another for just searching stuff. This way you can be more assured that an exploit is less likely to occur in the browser that you enter private information, like passwords..You should also sandbox your browsers with Firejail. You can see how much information your browser reveals via the webites Amiunique or Panopticlick...

https://www.torproject.org
https://geti2p.net/en/
https://freenetproject.org

Use an ad blocker. A proxying service on your router or local machine can work for this, but is mostly just over kill if you are filtering advertisements for one pc. I use:

uBlock Origin: https://www.google.com/search?q=ublo...utf-8&oe=utf-8
HTTPS Everywhere: https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Privacy Badger: https://www.eff.org/privacybadger

Those are browser add ons that will take care of all advertisements. For extra security, you should also check out:

Firefox, Noscript add on: https://noscript.net/
Chrome, ScriptSafe add on: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...bdgdf?hl=en-US

This is more of an issue with the email service provider you use. Unless you start hosting your own email, you will not be able to prevent ALL Spam.

Installing Linux alone will not allow you to protect your privacy. If you plan on "disappearing" the only real solution is to cancel your Internet service, delete your social media accounts, and delete your email account(s).

A more realistic approach is to host your own email, dns, host your own VPN (such as OpenVPN), and stop going to web sites that can possible track you.

I wouldn't recommend the use of Tor services because there are many caveats involved in using Tor that can decrease your level of anonymity if misused.

1 members found this post helpful.

this description:
...has all the markers of "googlification".
am i right?
you're using a gmail account? on more than one device?

for me, the solution was to drop gmail compltely, and none of what was described above.

Strange! I see myself into you the way you described your problem. Dude, Simply get a reliable VPN service like PureVPN or Ivacy. I am using these both & they work absolutely fine for me. 0 Logs, 100% guaranteed privacy assurance. For more, you can talk to their respective customer representatives too. But, if you quickly wanna know if these VPNs are safe or not? then visit the link.
Brett

I do have a gmail account but it is only for receiving email from two people. I never post email or search the web using google. I only open the email. I don't use social media. I don't post on it or open anything from social media. I think the biggest problem is with Windows 10. I have all the ad blockers turned on. It's not that big a deal but it gets annoying sometimes.

Michael

oh, i didn't notice that bit.
yes, changing to linux will definitely help.
not make you disappear, but help.

remember, if you can go out someone else may come in - using the same way. Actually if you want to be invisible you must switch off your host (or network).
Avoid google (use duckduckgo instead), disable javascript, install adblocker (use proxy, set invisible mode) will all help you to minimize the data collected, but if you are online you will serve information anyway.

Privacy in the digital world is a myth, be a hermit and you have all your privacy.

^ not a myth, rather a matter of degrees.
meaning, it's never 100% - but 90% is still better'n nothing.

This is like saying privacy in the IRL world is a myth, be a hermit and you have all your privacy.

In the real world? You just close your door and your room is private. Sure, it's not 100% for sure private because someone might have their ear at the door and/or someone may have bugged your room. But if they have done so, they have invaded your privacy. If you close your door and put a lock on it; whatever security measures are reasonable, then you can be pretty sure you have a private space.

In the digital world? No one is snooping in on my files I have saved on my private computer that doesn't have any network file shares. Okay, I'm not 100% sure of this, but if someone is doing so they have hacked past numerous security rungs to invade my privacy. It doesn't take a computer security expert to have a pretty secure private digital space.

If I go out of my room out into public spaces? Things get more fuzzy as to what counts as an invasion of privacy, but the same basic principles apply. Same thing if I go out into the "online world" using web sites on the Internet.

In the real world today, your phone is listening – as is that device you bought from Google.

Your electronic telephone exchange is also listening, because someone decided that it's not "wiretapping" if a human being is not the one doing the eavesdropping!

Your computer might be eavesdropping, too, and watching with its camera, waiting for faces to walk by which it can match to an ever-growing world wide database of faces and voices.

George Orwell only lacked imagination, and he only missed the date by 20 years. It wasn't "1984." It was "2004." And it's only going to get worse before it starts to get better.