What is an information trail on the Internet? Ilya Stechkin: Who owns our “digital footprint”? Right to be forgotten

Ilya Stechkin: Who owns our “ digital footprint”?

The public debate about who actually owns data about our online behavior is heating up every day. It would seem that states and corporations do not have the right to claim the results of users’ activities. But it's not that simple.

“With every online action we leave a digital footprint. There is a direct connection between it and biological DNA.” - with this thesis, on January 24, top manager of Kaspersky Lab Evgeny Chereshnev took the stage at one of the most prestigious world forums designed to disseminate ideas that are significant for the development of humanity - TED(Technology, Entertainment, Design).

“Biological DNA contains factual information about risks, such as certain diseases, or whether a person has blue eyes — no matter what he does. Digital DNA is, in a sense, [another] biological layer, since it contains factual information about a person’s behavior, his personality, and using this information, one can predict with high certainty a person’s behavior in certain situations.”“- Chereshnev explains in a conversation with the portal “JOURNALIST”.

WHOSE TRAIL?

There are three points of view on who owns our “digital fingerprints”:

1. Traces belong to the “surface”, on which they were left, that is, to companies that provide various Internet services.
2. Right to “digital fingerprints” of users has a country whose citizenship the user has.
3. The one who leaves traces, and has the right to them.

2. STATE

The author of the second approach is considered to be Natalya Kasperskaya, a major Russian IT entrepreneur and pro-government public figure (member working group under the Administration of the President, responsible for the direction “Internet and Society”).

In an interview with Novaya Gazeta she stated: “A person in Russia now has the feeling, when he leaves some information on the Internet, that he controls it. Actually it's not like that<…>And I advocate introducing restrictions on big data so that the state can carry out its functions and guarantee security. Just imagine: such a cloud of data gathers around a person, a Internet user.<…>And someone is trading this cloud behind your back.”*.

The weakness of this approach (and its strength) is its deliberate paternalism towards the citizens of the country: “We have fifty million people [active users] — yes, they can’t handle it on their own”. It's like mandatory medical examination. It is believed that people themselves are not able to take responsibility for their health. The problem is that mandatory medical examination turns into profanation and creates conditions for many abuses. Paternalism in the area of personal data is even more dangerous.

Natalya is concerned that agents of hostile influence will be able to control the behavior of senior officials in Russia, including through blackmail. But what scares me more is the image of a petty boss who has gained access to, say, the search history of some unlucky student.

I do not idealize my fellow citizens. Most Internet users in Russia are catastrophically ignorant. By and large, they don’t care who uses their data and for what purpose, unless it’s about access to bank account. And for many, government protection would be a good alternative to personal liability.

But personally, I prefer the idea of development educational programs on digital literacy. Exactly literacy, not security. Because the first to cultivate knowledge, and the second is fear. Unfortunately, in real educational practice one often encounters the latter. And the quoted interview with Ms. Kasperskaya gives an understanding of the roots of this approach.

As a result, attempts at media education in schools often turn into a session of horror stories. The effect is the opposite: like in the pioneer camp, when the elders told stories about a coffin on wheels or red curtains. Adrenaline, high! And mysterious words like “cybersquatting”, “cyberbullying”, “phishing”, etc. acquire a romantic aura, instead of being relegated to the level of banal hooliganism. From “gopniks in the area”, such “educational projects”, together with mass culture, turn cybercrime figures into Robinhoods, pirates of the 21st century.

And if so, then what is the reason why the apparently ineffective prohibitive approach is the basis public policy in the field of high-tech communications (yes, yes, I also just remembered about the ban in Russia social network LinkedIn)?

It is easier to manage a class society. It is no coincidence that the obsession of those in power is to build a vertical power structure. Estate society is based precisely on the distribution of various social groups in a system of vertical dependence on each other. The basis for division into classes in the “knowledge society” can be access to information: means of its receipt, processing and distribution**. But it can be made simpler: someone produces information, and who controls it. What is not the basis of division?

3. THE MAN HIMSELF

Finally, the third point of view expressed by Evgeny Chereshnev. “I've done enough experiments on myself to have every right to the following professional opinion: personal data is an integral part of the human body and its biological indicators. I propose from now on that user data should be considered a layer of biological DNA. Digital DNA, if you will. And treat it accordingly: this unique information for each of us, recorded in us (in fact, this is so), must physically and legally belong to the person who produces it.”, he wrote on his Facebook page on November 30, 2016.

He goes on to explain in detail why no government or service provider should have a statutory right to full and permanent access to a person's “digital DNA” without their express and informed consent: “Because, having access to digital DNA, you can identify any person on the Internet without logins and passwords, you can control his desires, his movements, his ability to reproduce, his craving for knowledge, art, his bad habits and addictions. And it's not a joke".

Chereshnev’s position is based on the fact that just because a company has invented something truly revolutionary — say, gravity — this does not make it the rightful owner of every person’s gravitational field.

Another significant point that Evgeniy draws attention to is the vulnerability of any centralized data storage: “Everything can be hacked. There is no guarantee that the state or the so-called Rostelecom or AT&T will be able to keep the data safe. Therefore, the only true path — is decentralization and the creation of a tool that practically ensures ownership of private data — which is what I’m doing.”.

WHO IS RIGHT?

It is interesting that the initial positions of Evgeniy and Natalya are quite close: they are outraged by the ultimatum demands of service providers to provide personal data in exchange for access to one or another network service. But they draw different conclusions. The position of Zhenya, who still believes in people, and most importantly, does not seek to “prosthetize” the personal responsibility of citizens, evokes great sympathy in me.

Although, in fairness, I must note that the scenario proposed by Natalya Kasperskaya testifies to her sober understanding of the needs and preferences of the majority of Russian residents. However, Chereshnev’s ideas are aimed at “tomorrow,” while Kasperskaya’s proposals are based on today’s state of affairs.

The confrontation between Natalia Kasperskaya and Evgeny Chereshnev is symbolic and traditional for Russian philosophical discourse, since it illustrates the classic contradiction between the interests of an individual and the state.

The problem is that the very concept of “citizenship” as a person’s belonging to a particular country is blurring along with geographical boundaries, including under the influence of the very technologies that force us to leave a digital trace.

Alexander Tivelkov, one of the active players in the global community of developers of the open cloud platform OpenStack, commented on this situation: “It seems to me that in the post-industrial world, states should turn into a kind of “transnational user unions” that limit the ambitions of the same transnational corporations”.

It is impossible to exist on the Internet without a trace: our “network activity” is essentially leaving a “digital trace”. And the question of its ownership ultimately goes beyond economics and even politics. He ends up in the ethics department, because in the very general view sounds like this: who owns our life?

And if we agree that our life belongs to ourselves and, perhaps, to the closest circle of people (friends and relatives), then our “digital footprint” should also belong to us, our close relatives and friends. To the closest relatives and friends. Evgeniy Chereshnev stands in this position.

* See more details Stechkin I.V. Media education at school: horror stories and friends // Collection of articles for scientific-practical conference“New media in humanities education” (Moscow, Russian State University for the Humanities, April 17, 2013). P. 37. And also: Stechkin I. Do we need digital citizens? // Everything for the school administrator! 2013. No. 19.

Almost every user leaves his traces on the Internet. To a lesser extent, this applies to users who read news, and to a much greater extent to those who search for information through search engines, use online services and actively spend time on social networks.

A lot can be learned from such “digital fingerprints.” personal information, for example, about the location, social status, interests and preferences, social circle, daily routine and tendency to bad habits. This information is a valuable find for scammers and robbers, recruitment agencies and large employers, intelligence agencies and law enforcement. There are often cases when photographs and thoughtless comments on the Internet cost a person his job and career.

User information can be divided into three main categories:

implicitly collected data (numerous services that allow you to track Internet activity);
explicitly collected data (knowingly providing an address Email and other data when subscribing to online services);
publicly available information that can be collected by collecting data on the Internet, for example, telephone number, address, photographs, social network profile.

Unfortunately, there is no way to completely remove information from the network, however, you can still get rid of the most obvious traces. There are several basic steps to do this.

Step #1: Delete unused online accounts.

Many of the services that a user subscribes to end up disappearing. The data can then be sold to someone else as valuable information, the value of which is determined based on the number of users in the database and the information known about them. Therefore, you should promptly delete unused accounts.

Step #2: Keep track of aliases associated with your email.

Using an email address, you can set user nicknames that are used on different sites, blogs, forums, and this, in turn, can lead to your real name. Therefore, when registering, you should not indicate your primary email address and should use different aliases. In addition, it is necessary to promptly delete information if there is no need to use a particular Internet resource.

Step #3: Monitor personal information on social networks.

Social networks are an integral part of the lives of many modern users, but personal data from social networks can often be used against us. If you enter the user's last name and first name in a search engine, indicating a social network, the search engine will provide a direct link to the profile. By going through all social networks and taking advantage of the fact that the profile privacy settings are weakened somewhere, you can collect a lot of information about a person.

Such information can be used to evaluate a person by a potential employer or by an attacker who can create a detailed portrait of the victim and use social engineering techniques (for example, sending a spam letter on behalf of the tour operator indicated by the user under the photo at the airport during vacation). You should not include your date and place of birth, home address or other personal information as this could be used to find out additional personal information. There are often cases when there is enough information about a person on the Internet to, for example, apply for a loan without his knowledge.

Step #4: Use Browser Privacy.

Many users do not know that information is stored on the computer about which sites they visited and what data was provided to these sites (names, addresses, telephone numbers and much more). IN modern browsers There is an "incognito" mode.

This mode disables caching of the content of visited sites and the saving of cookies. In other words, after the window in which the website was viewed in incognito mode is closed, no one will receive information about which site was visited. It is important to understand that this mode is not intended to protect against data interception or provision of anonymous access websites, but to ensure that online tracking data is not stored on your computer.

Step #5: Use Anonymous Search.

In June 2013, the media first published materials about the surveillance of Internet users by American intelligence agencies. After this, many users began to think about how to ensure anonymity on the Internet. One of the tools was the search engine DuckDuckGo and Disconnect. The search engine does not recognize the IP address, does not save cookies or the user's query history, thus providing anonymous search on the global network.

Step #6: Read policies and agreements carefully.

The privacy policy of an Internet resource often describes how the resource will process the information provided and what responsibility it bears for its disclosure. An important point when installing any software is the approval of the user agreement, which describes the capabilities of the software, including in relation to the information processed. Unofficial extensions, such as desktop widgets for Android, are freely distributed in Google Play and are not malware, but they can collect information and transmit it to third parties.

Methods for obtaining personal data are constantly being improved, but to ensure that your personal information is always under your control, it is worth remembering the following recommendations:

less information - more security: limiting information in social network profiles and periodically monitoring sites to determine the need to post information about you there should become a habit;
the use of many Internet services requires you to provide information about yourself; if possible, you should not provide truthful information, and to register on sites you should create a special email address;
You should not post your real date of birth, email address, address or phone number on your personal profile;
it is necessary to change account passwords at least every three months, and for each account a new strong password must be created; if a web service was attacked by hackers and lost its database of logins and passwords, it is quite possible that attackers will already try to use the resulting combinations to log into other sites;
You should carefully read the terms of user agreements when installing software, as well as the privacy policies when registering on sites;
You must always use only official applications and download them from the manufacturer’s website; for example, recently the WhatsApp program for computers, which was actually malware, began to spread on the global network;
some Internet companies are ready to refuse to collect information about the user if he informs them about it; Most browsers have this option for this purpose. special setting: for example, in Firefox browser you need to go to the settings and in the “Privacy” section select “ tell sites I don't want to be tracked"; similar options are available in newer versions Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera and Safari;
Care must be taken when providing personal information and completing “virtual questionnaires” - there is no guarantee that the data collection or survey was official, and the information will not end up in any user database.

You may also be interested in:

P.S.
One of our readers with the nickname DmA supplemented our article and added a lot of useful information.
I'm just posting it here in a more readable form.

Thank you for taking the time to write all this!

1) Do not register on social networks or email services (and other sites) that require you to indicate your cell phone number. Russians are sold phone SIM cards using their passport (the FSB probably insisted on this), so it’s the same as indicating your passport information when logging into a social network. This means that everything you say there can easily be used against you!
As far as I know, only Usmanov-Russian networks require you to indicate your passport (Odnoklassniki and
VKontakte).Russians are not required to have cellular telephone and even more so indicate it on some sites! But Usman’s social networks don’t care about this - they refuse registration to users who do not have their own cell phone or who do not want to indicate it!

2) The disconnect.me project also has plugins for different browsers, which cut off connections from the pages that the user visits leading to advertising sites or sites that track the user’s movements on the Internet. I've met sites that have 40-50 connections per page to such sites! The same plugin speeds up page loading (unnecessary items are not loaded and this saves traffic, sometimes up to 17 percent). And page loading also speeds up (up to 27% by commercial). The plugin allows you to see which advertising sites it has blocked and how much faster the loading of this page has been.

I now install 4 plugins in Firefox:

2. I have my referrer control set to “target host”, it tells me which page I visited earlier (from which I went to this site). I don’t think sites need to know what page I came to them from!

3. Another plugin from the author of adblock (Wladimir Palant) is “ Google search link fix” – when a user enters the words he needs in a search engine and clicks on the link he needs in the results, then search engines “like” to spy on which link the user clicked and first report the address of the selected link to the search engine, and then make an automatic redirect to that link the page that the user clicked.

Usually this redirect happens quickly and most users do not even notice this transition. And if on search system The Google search link fix plugin removes these redirects and the search engine does not know where I went.” If the user also uses the email service on this search server, then in addition to the link, it is reported which user with which email address clicked it.

It was discovered by chance - a user who had a mailbox on Yandex and entered it used Yandex search and clicked on the link he needed and a long address line was generated (32 lines in a notepad) on Yandex telling who went to what address. The organization had a transparent proxy (squid) and he didn’t like such a long address and rejected it and gave an error.
After digging around, I discovered that other browsers where the user has not logged into his Yandex mailbox can follow this link just fine. THEN I also logged out of the browser. mailbox and the link worked. If the user left his mailbox, then the address line was only 19 lines and squid skipped this length.

4.Disconnect.me

5. Another plugin that I will most likely constantly use is dnssec validator, which should guarantee that my dns requests have not been replaced by anyone. But so far few sites use dnssec technology, even Sberbank does not use it...

The general principle is not to allow commercial companies to accumulate information about your online activities.

For example, your provider is the first commercial company that gives you a free DNS server, which records all the sites you visit and sees all your traffic. The provider’s own caching dns allows you not to use the dns server; in Windows, for example, you can install unbound and then as dns servers register 127.0.0.1 and your computer will use the search itself for the names you need and even cache your repeated requests.

For example, I am now using Unbound... In this case, the provider can also see what you are requesting, but it will be more difficult for him to do it! The second way to prevent people from snooping into your DNS requests is to use , in which case requests to the DNS server of a certain public (or not so public) organization will be encrypted. Your provider can also watch the traffic itself (since the opposite is not prohibited in the contract!).

Here the option to combat traffic monitoring by your provider is to use https, etc. It is also better not to use social networks that do not encrypt traffic during transmission, otherwise your provider will see all your messages in clear text...

Even if you have blocked all connections to advertising companies and social networks (although this is most often the same thing), do not use your cell phone (that is, passport data) when registering on sites, and use a fake name instead of your real name, then you can also be identified (although would be that it was the same person who came to them again or from the same computer) through the so-called digital fingerprints of the browser, which usually transmits a lot of information through the same UserAgent line (OS version, browser version, installed plugins) or the same permanent IP address from which you access the Internet.

It may change for you, but rarely or not at all. Even if it changes frequently for you (for example, you use a 3G modem and move around a city or country), then the IP may change, but the provider is most often the same! Taking into account your browser fingerprint, you become a unique client about whom you can accumulate some information for subsequent analysis.

In addition to the digital fingerprint of your browser, the site may store certain files (cookies) on your computer that also uniquely identify you. These cookies sometimes last for years... Sometimes there are thousands or even millions of these cookies on your computer! I usually set my browser settings to clear cookies after closing the browser. If you have not disabled javascript, flash or java in your browser, then in addition to the useragent line, you can still collect a lot of information about you, starting from the size of your screen and even the size of the browser window!

The IceCat browser can combat the digital fingerprint of your computer. Unfortunately, it works normally only under Linux (in the line the useragent sends that it is Windows 7:)). There is also a version for Windows, but for some reason it works for few people. Although for Windows you can use the Project Browser. If you are logging out from a mobile device, then the line may indicate your device model and manufacturer of this device. For example Apple Iphone 5s or HP probook 17.

So if you make little effort in the fight to preserve your personal data and confidentiality, then information on you will be collected as a unique client (and they will wait for you to make a mistake in order to link the data accumulated on you) or you will immediately reveal who you are to everyone and everything and then don’t be surprised that years after the birth of your child you will see diapers in advertisements on your computer :)

“With every online action we leave a digital footprint. There is a direct connection between it and biological DNA” - with this thesis On January 24, top manager of Kaspersky Lab Evgeny Chereshnev took the stage of one of the most prestigious world forums designed to disseminate ideas that are significant for the development of humanity - TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design).

“Biological DNA contains factual information about risks, such as certain diseases, or whether a person has blue eyes - no matter what he does. Digital DNA is, in a sense, [another] biological layer, since it contains factual information about a person’s behavior, his personality, and using this information, one can predict with high certainty a person’s behavior in certain situations,” explains Chereshnev in a conversation with JOURNALIST.

Are you ready to give up Google search? Me not. This means we need to come to terms with the fact that we pay in kind.

Whose trace?

There are three points of view on who owns our “digital fingerprints”:

1. The traces belong to the “surface” on which they were left, that is, to the companies that provide various Internet services.
2. The right to “digital fingerprints” of users has the country whose citizenship the user has.
3. The one who leaves traces and has the right to them.

2. State

The author of the second approach is considered to be Natalya Kasperskaya, a major Russian IT entrepreneur and pro-government public figure (member of the working group under the Presidential Administration responsible for the “Internet and Society” direction).

In an interview with Novaya Gazeta, she stated: “A person in Russia now has the feeling, when he leaves some information on the Internet, that he controls it. Actually it's not like that<…>And I advocate introducing restrictions on big data so that the state can carry out its functions and guarantee security. Just imagine: such a cloud of data gathers around a person, a Internet user.<…>And someone is trading this cloud behind your back.”*

The weakness of this approach (and its strength) is its deliberate paternalism towards the citizens of the country: “We have fifty million people [active users] - yes, they cannot cope on their own.” It's like mandatory medical examination. It is believed that people themselves are not able to take responsibility for their health. The problem is that mandatory medical examination turns into profanation and creates conditions for many abuses. Paternalism in the area of personal data is even more dangerous.

Most Internet users in Russia are catastrophically ignorant. By and large, they don’t care who uses their data and for what purpose, unless it’s about access to a bank account

I do not idealize my fellow citizens. Most Internet users in Russia are catastrophically ignorant. By and large, they don’t care who uses their data and for what purpose, unless it’s about access to a bank account. And for many, government protection would be a good alternative to personal liability.

But personally, I prefer the idea of developing educational programs on digital literacy. It is literacy, not security. Because the former cultivate knowledge, and the latter cultivate fear. Unfortunately, in real educational practice one often encounters the latter. And the quoted interview with Ms. Kasperskaya gives an understanding of the roots of this approach.

And if so, then what is the reason why the clearly ineffective prohibitive approach is the basis of state policy in the field of high-tech communications (yes, yes, I also just remembered about the ban on the social network LinkedIn in Russia)?

It is easier to manage a class society. It is no coincidence that the obsession of those in power is to build a vertical power structure. Estate society is based precisely on the distribution of various social groups in a system of vertical dependence on each other. The basis for division into classes in the “knowledge society” can be access to information: the means of obtaining, processing and distributing it**. But it can be made simpler: someone produces information, and who controls it. What is not the basis of division?

3. The man himself

Finally, the third point of view expressed by Evgeny Chereshnev. “I have conducted enough experiments on myself to have every right to the following professional opinion: personal data is an integral part of the human body and its biological indicators. I propose from now on that user data should be considered a layer of biological DNA. Digital DNA, if you will. And treat it accordingly: this information, unique to each of us, recorded in us (in fact, this is so) must physically and legally belong to the person who produces it,” he wrote on his Facebook page on November 30, 2016.

He goes on to explain in detail why no government or service provider should have a statutory right to full and permanent access to a person’s “digital DNA” without their express and informed consent: “Because with access to digital DNA, anyone can be identified.” of a person on the Internet without logins and passwords, you can control his desires, his movements, his ability to reproduce, his craving for knowledge, art, his bad habits and addictions. And it's not a joke".

Chereshnev's position is based on the fact that if a company has invented something truly revolutionary - say, gravity - this does not make it the rightful owner of the gravitational field of every person.

Another significant point that Evgeniy draws attention to is the vulnerability of any centralized data storage: “Everything can be hacked. There is no guarantee that the state or the so-called Rostelecom or AT&T will be able to keep the data safe. Therefore, the only true path is decentralization and the creation of a tool that practically ensures ownership of private data - which is what I am doing.”

Who is right?

Direct access to popular Internet services and mobile devices, which will allow them to monitor all users. Our gadgets themselves can tell a lot about the adventures of their owner. For those who want to avoid surveillance, Lenta.ru has collected the simplest ways to disguise their location.

Surveillance by default

Modern smartphones and tablets can tell a lot about their owners, who sometimes don’t even know it. When you first start the device, the user may not track the checkbox next to the geolocation function, and it will begin to record all of his movements. Android OS allows you to view his routes throughout the day, and also records them on Google maps in the Timeline section. Most people use similar functions iPhone owners, iPad and devices on Windows Phone. Also on modern smartphones When you first start it, you are prompted to enable the option to search for your smartphone if it is lost. This will help you find it or even track the thief’s movements in the event of a theft, but if it’s important to you not to let strangers track your every move, you should disable geolocation services.

To disable geolocation on iPhone, you need to go to the “Settings” menu, select “Privacy” and “Location Services”, move the slider to the left and confirm the action in the pop-up window. Here you can also configure the use of the geolocation service for various applications: if you disable positioning completely, many programs will not be useful, so a reasonable compromise is the “work while in use” item; when you exit the service, determination of coordinates stops. It is worth remembering that Apple gadgets also track information about the places you frequently visit, so you will have to disable this feature additionally (“Settings” - “Privacy” - “Location Services” - “ System Services" - "Frequently visited places").

Screenshot: Lenta.ru

On Android OS, in the settings you need to select “My location” and uncheck the tracking items based on network coordinates and GPS satellites.

As for applications, first of all you should pay attention to mobile clients Facebook Messenger, the social network VKontakte and the photo application Instagram: they don’t necessarily need to know where you are now. Alas, now almost any application stores data about your location.

The word is evidence

It is also undesirable for your personal correspondence to fall into the hands of third parties. Even the most reliable password cannot provide a 100% guarantee of its safety, but a messenger with encrypted data transmission will radically complicate access to it. Telegram, created by Pavel Durov, is already being used by terrorists, and Signal, Edward Snowden’s personal one, is gaining popularity in Russia.

Another tool for obtaining non-public information about the user can be personal mobile assistants Siri, Google Now and Cortana. If the ability for Siri to predict a user's question based on previous requests appeared only in new iOS 9 then Google service Now already has deep data mining capabilities - how incoming messages, and actions. To help the user, the assistant takes into account his daily routine, main routes of movement, search queries and even an online shopping list. The same can be said about Microsoft's new mobile assistant: Cortana actively collects data about user actions to provide the most relevant results for queries.

This was done, in general, for the good, but an outsider, following the assistant’s prompts, can predict your intentions and preferences.

You can disable Siri in the main iPhone settings. For Google shutdown Now you will have to completely abandon Google search by sequentially going to the sections “Settings” - “Applications” - “All” - “ Google search" - "Disable". Cortana is also turned off in Settings, where in the " Voice functions» You must uncheck the “Enable speech recognition service” checkbox.

Such a dangerous internet

It is worth remaining vigilant even when easy way out V global network. In Russia, many public Wi-Fi access points are already subject to government decree No. 758, according to which the telecom operator must enter the number before allowing Internet access mobile phone, to which a data confirmation code is sent. This means that when you connect, you are automatically authorized, and since the SIM card is in your name, the provider knows your identity. Moreover, most operators can also track the time and place of your appearance on the network.

Public access points pose another danger. Experts warn that attackers can set up their own hot-spot with the name of a public Wi-Fi, and use it to distribute malicious application, disguised as an update to one of the typical programs on a laptop. If wireless connection is not password protected, there is a danger of your data being intercepted using a sniffer - a program for recording and analyzing network traffic.

A simple query in Google or Yandex can provide information to attackers, since modern targeting advertising mechanisms are adjusted to the results search results. If you were looking for some information or wanted to know where to buy a certain product, for some time you will have to watch advertisements that are most relevant to your request. To confuse the trail, you can regularly enter some extraneous queries - for example, about the availability of nails in London.

Ad blockers such as Adblock help you get rid of intrusive advertising. According to Edward Snowden, every Internet user should install them, since many advertisements can be disguised malware or contain spyware.

From “user” to “anonymous”

The main problem for those who want to avoid surveillance remains the Internet architecture itself, in which each device accessing the network has its own unique identificator- its IP address. It is necessary for the correct routing of data, and with its help you can establish where the device itself and, accordingly, its owner are geographically located.

However, the IP address can be hidden by several accessible ways. First of all, these are online services that provide the capabilities of a free anonymous proxy server, that is, a remote intermediary computer for accessing the network. Services such as Hide My Ass or Proxy Networks additionally provide secure SSL connection, providing encrypted access to the requested pages. However, access through a proxy server significantly reduces page loading speed.

More effective way anonymous access to the Internet is a virtual private network or VPN. Traffic on such networks is not only encrypted, but also redirected through a chain of servers. However, many of the VPN clients are paid and also provide information about users at the request of intelligence agencies. For short-term, unnoticed access to the network, there are also free services, such as VPNBook with Windows support, Linux, Mac OS, Android and iOS.

Perhaps the simplest and most reliable solution is to use anonymous network Tor, which operates using onion routing technology: information is encrypted and passes through a large number of intermediate systems. To access the network, you must install and configure the Tor browser. Although there are suspicions that the FBI is already “digging” under users, a method for de-anonymizing them.

Victims of civilization

Although modern electronics make it possible to disable geolocation tools and programs to encrypt data, the use of anonymization technologies entails a loss of functionality - for example, without knowing where you are, a mapping application will not be able to plot the desired route. Therefore, we have to choose: the fruits of civilization with the risk of turning personal information into public information or freedom without the usual consumer conveniences.