How to Browse the Internet Anonymously 

is there a really good free vpn out there that's worth trying out?? and i'm talking a full vpn for free.....no trial offers.....

Not only do i turn on incognito mode, I also put on the hat and glasses used in the incognito mode icon. I'm perfectly safe!

Awesome, I needed this so nobody knows I watch Linus Tech Tips

This is depressing. the amount of work that is needed to browse the internet safely when it should be a given :(

Incognito Mode + VPN + TOR = Download speeds of 37 kbps

Remember to use gloves when you use Tor to avoid fingerprinting

me: Watching linus teaching me how to run from Ads linus: This video is brought you by

Snowden said: *Tails, VPN and Tor. Take all at once with a glass of water on empty stomach.*

Linus starts Tor, first thing he does? MAXIMIZE Tor: "Am I a joke to you?"

4:45 nooo Linus why did you make it full screen? We can see the yellow banner from here telling you to NOT make it full screen 😂

Me : where is your beard? *_Linus : gone reduced to atoms_*

One thing that people seem to be glossing over when talking about VPN services: The only thing standing between your encrypted VPN data and your adversaries is the VPN services terms of service, the laws where they are based, and the physical/digital security practices held by the company. In other words, VPN is not exactly what people are selling it to be. VPN pretty much just obfuscates the data from ISPs and public/unprotected/compromised wifi network attackers. This is more or less just shifting where your browsing data lives. Any good VPN service will cost money. If you do go the route of VPN services, make sure they are trusted and pick one based in a country with well respected privacy laws. Also if you have a "free" service they are likely selling your data to the highest bidder.

I love all your videos Linus, but I don't think VPN is a good idea. It's just unsafe to trust and give a centralized server access to all my data and information. I'd prefer some decentralized alternatives instead cuz the era of web 3.0 is coming soon. No one should own my data except myself.

This would help but my FBI agent has already seen too much

Me: Searches up embarrassing things tails: *I'm going to pretend I didn't see that*

I never heard Basel pronounced like that. Thanks that made my day :DDDD

I approve of the editors' choice for "embarrassing search query"

It's official. Linus is a ninja and it's those ninja skills that enable him to find all sorts of cool stuff from Asia.

Linux. Firefox. DuckDuckGo. VPN. Reject cookies. Ad blockers. Tracker blockers. Facebook container etc. Compartmentalization (different browsers and accounts for different things).

Don't make changes to Tor browser. Makes you identifiable. Don't even make it full screen. Leave it as a window.

Also, get rid of your phone. It's legit always listening.

"everybody is out to get your browsing data" tinfoil hat time: What if commercial VPN services are also out there to get your browsing data? what if they're just honeypots?

As someone who's certainly been down that "Rabbit hole and a half", this video is actually pretty decent compared to a lot of videos I've seen in this category from those who don't specialize in it, especially for a sponsor spot. They managed to explain in a _decently_ technically-accurate manner why you can still be tracked using a VPN (though they didn't quite express just how great the extent of that is), thus debunking the most common lie spread relentlessly by these companies. They even mentioned Tor (which by the way, RU-vidrs are sometimes explicitly told not to do, or to disparage in sponsor-spots) Good on Linus Tech Tips for that, but still... "We consider a VPN an essential part of staying safe online." Wrong. It's redundant at worst, and such minimal addition it's a waste of money at best. VPNs are not useful for casual browsing, except in certain circumstances, like travelling, in which case, you should use a free one, and will actually be *DETRIMENTAL* if you're prepared to get serious about privacy (something LTT _almost_ mentioned but then brushed off), which by the way, is effectively a full-time job. No such thing as a free lunch, if you want anything more than a thin illusion of increased privacy, it's going to cause some serious inconvenience. *Everything You Know About VPNs is a Lie* First of all, never believe anything that a VPN company tells you. The fact that they do everything they can to try and claim Tor is quote 'unsafe' just goes to show you how desperate they are for your business. But you shouldn't give it, at least not using it the way they recommend, because if you do you're willingly handing over your browsing data to a 3rd party in a less anonymous manner than even Google has access to. At least your ISP is beholden to more regulation and _mostly_ can't sell your data if you opt out (by the way, that's step one, I'd recommend you go do it right now, you can find tutorials based on your ISP). The fact is, VPNs for personal use are objectively a complete waste of your time and money. But if you knew that, you wouldn't spend it. There actually is a bit of history to how these companies all just showed up around the same period, realizing they could exploit people in this way through shiny marketing and the vague construct of 'privacy' that's hard to disprove, to sell them something they don't need and shouldn't even want, but here's the important bit... VPNs weren't originally created for this form of personal use, and the original inventors of the concept never even envisioned such a bone-headed use case! The technology just isn't designed or optimized for it. (From a network-layer standpoint, a different approach would have been better if one were to design it for this purpose) But that clearly doesn't seem to stop people from falling for the ruse. After all, there's money to be made by appealing to people's fear rather than logic, and RU-vid influencers to buy and sell! Of course, I don't hold anything against the creators. They are skilled and amazing at whatever content type of content they make, and it's a great thing for them to make money from it and cynical to describe it as 'selling out'. That said, I facepalm every time I see a VPN sponsor, because some of the ridiculous, non-sequitur privacy scandals (from which having a VPN wouldn't have remotely saved you) and utter, sometimes frankly straight-up factually incorrect garbage these companies make influencers spew is utterly headache inducing to any actual Network Engineer. *Why VPNs Are Not Safe* The first thing said in these carefully crafted, pre-scripted propaganda sponsor spots (aka, not this long-form video, fortunately!) is often is that "We all like to use the internet, but most of our data is unencrypted" This is not the biggest lie they spin, but it's the one that pisses me off the most, because it's the first and deepest hook, and it's a complete lie. Not only because it's straight up wrong, but because it's not even something VPNs protect you from. VPNs supposedly then "securely encrypt all your data to keep you safe online", but is that really true? They do encrypt it, yes, before they decrypt it again at the other end! It's a lie in practice, because that data is can be *read unencrypted by the VPN company*, and of course ultimately, read by the destination server. However, nearly every site you visit, big to small, is likely using HTTPS at this point, meaning you already have a secure connection to the destination, a "private, encrypted tunnel" if you well, preventing prying eyes like your ISP and the VPN, who is effectively just another ISP, from observing it. (Because encrypting your already encrypted data is like, double da security, right? N- no... It doesn't work like that, random bystander. Please take a cryptography course.) Also note that the VPN also has an ISP themselves, who is monitoring all of their traffic just like yours does... So now you have two prying eyes on your connection rather than one! And the former of the two has your credit card details and de-anonymized access to your data! Also, traffic analysis by your ISP can still reveal some aspects of your usage habits through a VPN, potentially meaning three prying eyes, but that's another topic altogether. Speaking of which, even if your VPN doesn't keep logs and that isn't a straight-up lie (it is), they could be forced to do so, just for a particular user, as well as giving up all your account info, by the government of many western countries. This is where the Fourteen Eyes comes in. Any VPN within the jurisdiction of one of the countries on the list can't be trusted for this reason, and those who are generally try to obscure and hide this fact as much as possible, some even facepalmingly claiming that a US jurisdiction is actually a good thing due to performance benefits! Well if that's the case, why use a VPN at all? What about the 'performance benefits' of using my new, proprietary VPN called... thin air. No wait, better make that ThinAir.IoTBlockchainCloud.io. Buy today, only $599.99 a month.

Step 1: Download and use TOR Step 2: Don't enter personal Info

This video is great and all but if you really want privacy and speed just follow The Hated One guides look him up

please dont install adblockers or any type of sourcecode (of the website) changing addons when you want to be anonymous. To be safe: dont istall addons in tor browser at all. code written for this purpose can detect your addons and track you down through your session. the more or rare addons you have, the easier it is to de-anonymise you. (PS: sorry for my english)

4:10 the other benefit of tails, is that he can fly with his two tails

That ad @9:33 says in German/Swiss German (what maks sense because the connection goes to Basel, Switzerland):"Rekorde sind zum brechen da." That means in English:"Records are there to get beaten." You're welcome :)

linus: uploads video how you can browse anonymously google: not cool bro!

1:33 ”Looking up content that might generate embarrassing ads in your browser the next time someone sits down at your computer.” I was not expecting the example he showed...That was much more wholesome than I suspected.

Privacy... ditch all tech. Simple! That's 99.99% of your privacy issues gone.

Me: signs in amazon on tails Also me: logs out Me: signs in ro mins later Amazon: I've never seen this man in my life

Linus, I saw an ad for this on my Google "new tab" news about Top 5 VPNs - I wanted to be able to access American Netflix from Japan. I remembered you were promoting Private Internet Access, so I searched for your video so I can give you the affiliate credit. It's a small token of my appreciation for all the great videos you do that I learn from. Thank you!

You guys should've also discussed privacy through obscurity versus privacy through generics - it is a very large debate in the privacy world and the general argument boils down to the fact that there are very few people who actually run tails, TOR, and extensions such as NoScript, UBlock O, and so on, thus making those individuals easier to observe on the broad scope. The other end is that you do nothing to mask your browsing habits, and in fact take an approach to browsing to appear most like the average internet user (with Socials, RU-vid traffic, and google searches for unsightly genital conditions), and when you need to do private business you resort to Tails on a machine at your local library. Ultimately it all depends on how committed you are to hiding, and who you want to hide from; hiding from the US federal government is nigh impossible due to systems like IME and AMDST giving them carte blanche over your system when they need it, but hiding from corporations is far easier and far more practical. I've come to find that running an extension such as AdNauseum allows you to maintain a greater amount of privacy through the fact that your client clicks on quite literally every ad while the extension parses the visuals from your screen, this makes it difficult to be targeted as your interests might as well be everything under the sun in the advertisers view. It is a debate that will rage for the next fifty years, but in all truth we should all be advocating for legislation that protects individual's data and limits the scope of information which corporations and governments can collect on its citizens.

Linus: we going for the ultimate private setup Also Linus: *maximises Tor*

I like how you hinted slightly and indirectly that you can be tracked based on ( HOW YOU USE THE COMPUTER OR PHONE ) for those of you that don't know what that may mean, the speed and style in witch you move the mouse or type on the keyboard can be also tracked and used as sort of a fingerprint so EVEN IF YOU COULD which you cant but IF YOU WERE theoretically 100% secure and hidden FROM every form of traseing and tracking possible they could STILL identify you by matching a profile of essentially ( the way you use a computer) easiest said by recording your psychological methods used when you type that one letter you always switch up by accident or the speed in witch you type certain words and phrases any direct markers or indirect signatures and commonly used emojjs the patterns, speed, skills in which you tend to use your mouse down to the way you flick your wrists off the mouse when you're done or how you always seem to leave your cursor in a specific corner essentially all of the very human vary minute and to the unknowing victim seemingly basic innocent things that you think would never even matter ONLY IF the time were to ever come where you even actually were to actively think about such differences being used. All of these basic functions we do without paying mind by habit essentially become the last ditch method of fingerprinting your internet data and use.

Speaking of private, use code Linus when buying madrinas coffee

Linus: makes video about protecting yourself from unwanted guests tracking your internet access *CIA wants to know your location*

I actually live in Basel - thanks for the shout out :D p.s. that was the weirdest pronunciation ever :))

There are also isolated web based browser solutions. I work on one called Kasm that gives you a containerized browser that destroys itself after use and is available through any browser.

If the video wasnt sponsored i'd trust it much more...

Me: Shouldn't this be a Techquickie...? "Sponsored by PIA" Me: Never mind.

There's several things wrong with this advice. - Extensions on TOR are an awful idea, they make your fingerprint more unique and hence easier to track - Don't use a VPN with TOR. This is something that the original devs recommend against, because TOR is designed to protect itself. If your country blocks TOR, use a bridge. - Other than the security slider, settings on TOR should remain as they are. It's kind of surprising, I normally expect a lot higher quality out of LMG.

You don't need to use privacy badger and uBlock Origin together, uBlock Origin does everything better

FB has gotten pretty good at giving me targeted ads, and it's kinda creepy. It looks at stuff I frequently talk about and my browsing history, so I end up getting ads for Barnes & Noble, right down to specific books that I want. But it doesn't just track _my_ browsing history, it tracks my entire ISP's history. My dad goes to a lot of motorcycle forums and other websites, so I also get a lot of ads for motorcycle helmets that he's bought and other things.

"Totally Private Browsing" sounds like when phone providers gave you "Unlimited" but then you got a hefty bill. Querying it, it turned out "Unlimited" wasn't "Unlimited" ...

it's been proven that metadata even passed through VPN can be attached to individual person with quite good accuracy if you wished to be totally anonymous you would have to use VPN for everything you have ever done on internet...which is impossible

1:48 Linus: "While a VPN does secure your data in someways making it so your ISP can't tell what you're doing" Me: Just because the ISP can't see what your doing doesn't mean the VPN service can't

Ah yes, Now I can finally serch up illegal MS Paint techniques

Linus: I'm behind my sponsorship commitments. Better make a video full of ads.

Ah yes, my middle and high school memories are all flooding back to me now. Sweet nostalgia.

I'm going to download tails just to... uhmm... do some Christmas shopping >.>

"expedia blocked me, thats cute" okay hacker tech tips lol

On the browser-side, you can also use puppeteer in non-headless mode to automate your browsing while adding an additional layer of proxies, changing your headers and other meta data to mislead advertisers, etc.

Privacy Badger: It’s possible for content scripts to detect what is in a blocklist, by presenting test images from different sites and checking to see if they are blocked. Privacy Badger dynamically builds a blocklist over time that depends on each user’s browsing history, so each user’s blocklist is unique. So it seems to me that Privacy Badger exposes the user to a fingerprinting attack. If we were to include a blocking tool in Tor Browser, it would need to contain an identical blocklist for every user. For example, AdBlock Plus with a fixed set of filters. :trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/12958

This is the future. RAM based OS, TOR protocol for any connections, and LTT telling us about PIA.

Let's open with clearing a very common misunderstanding about VPNS up; All of the VPNs being advertised commercially Log traffic. How detailed they are, how they handle logs, and who they may share them with is entirely up to the individual VPN. This doesn't mean they can see your traffic, just the in/out and who/where with the pertinent time and other basic data generated by IP traffic. Further, each VPN will control who withing their company can even access logs. This is an incredibly important note, because people view VPNs as a Ghosting service, that is NOT what you are paying for - not commercially. Being "secure" and being "anonymous" are not the same thing. Even the most "private" of the commercial VPN providers will log as a legal protection for themselves, these reasons also pertain to ISPs and how we operate(d). The legal aspect being Liability as a provider. Here in the good 'ol USA (and anywhere it reaches) a provider is able to be held liable for the content/traffic of it's users under certain conditions. To avoid this providers will simply Log the basic network traffic. That way in the event of a Warrant or DMCA (far more common) we can either provide the important information to authorities, or in with a DMCA, go directly to the client. Again, this is important to know for those who may be trying to truly hide online, say in a place of high censorship. As a final note; there still isn't a lot of data to show that any of the commercial VPNs, which when traced down tend to all be owned by a handful of large companies, provide any additional security online. The reasoning for this is that the vast majority of security compromises are due to user error and/or bad habits. The end user effectively letting the bad guy in the front door with "permission".

Who's watching in 2024

Most people: OMG my privacy is sooo important! Also same people: I must log into Facebook and tell everybody EVERYTHING. Other people: 🙄

I'm surprised that he didn't say avoiding all social networks is also crucial for protecting your privacy, I mean you can get easily a lot of things in there

My adblocker blocked this 12min ad 🤔

This video was insanely useful and helpful! Sitting here waiting for the smartphone version!

Greetings from Switzerland. Dont use my internet, we only have 2x 10 Gbit/s per Houshold...

Nord vpn advertises them selves by default on some deep/dark web sites with ads. Hmmm...

This is by far the most incomplete Privacy video by LTT I have seen

Swiss people when linus says basel wrong 7:52

Thought it was going to be a 12 minute ad for PIA. I was pleasantly surprised

I thought it was 12 min long word from the sponsor

I use Nord and also specifically switched to Brave from Firefox because it automatically blocks ads, tracking, and upgrades websites you view to HTTPS where available. I could onion route, but I really don't think it's necessary for the hit I take on speed using it combined with a VPN.

*GOOGLE WANTS TO KNOW YOUR LOCATION*

Linus: "It's like, preeeetty sure I'm a bot, eh?!" Me: Ohhhh I miss CANADAAAAAA

"...helps when they serve up those juicy ads everywhere that you frequent." *laughs in Adblock*

I'd rather we had laws to prevent unscrupulous data mining & a society that does not have paranoid agencies mistrusting ev-er-y-thing!

9:32 I used my Scarlett interface today. Are you tracking me? 😨

4:46 he went fullscreen... Say goodbye to your anonymity

3:45 yay he recommends an OS that you don't have to despy for half an hour

Okay, but isn't incognito mode in the Tor browser basically just the regular Tor browser?

Incognito mode PLUS sticky note placed OVER THE CAMERA

This is basically an add with you extra steps

1:37 with all due respect, I think My Little Pony is something to be proud of.

browsers: it feels familiar, because it uses chromium me, a lifelong firefox user: wat

On any linux distro you can install tor without browser, and tor socks with privoxy. You can setup tor to only use hops in your country, redirect all traffic through privoxy, which routes through tor. Then any browser, anything that uses the internet uses tor. Plus since you set it up to use only hops in your country it is much faster. I also use Cloudflare DNS in combination with this config so it is pretty fast.

1. Dont use Facebook 2. Dont use goog... *OH WAIT*

Feels like Linus is back in his full element here

When is Anthony going to do another build?. They are really enjoyable!.

I've started using the Brave browser with built-in ad block which boasts "the fastest internet browsing experience, while providing a deep level of security and privacy protection.". This seems like an ad. lol

I enjoyed this sponsored content much, much more than the last one.

I would also recommend that you "split" your person online, that demands discipline! Even with all vpn setup, people get lazy and use the same browser, devices frequent visiting all hosts,websites and apps. A) Use paid VPN service running on devices like PC, but also on smartphone! B) Use multiple browsers, this is easy with a PC where I run virtual machines and keep "personalities" divided. One user agent with location X , for causual web browse. Another user agent with location Y , for trusted regular use as email and manage online private stuffs like bank. C) For torrents, or more risky things I have a expandable isolated machine, running all as LinusTips with different OS, Tor browser

FYI, PIA is having trouble lately with keeping up with Netflix and other streamers identifying them as a proxy. Hopefully this will be resolved soon, but if you're looking for a VPN so you can watch streaming services in other countries, make sure you know what you're getting into. Not all VPN companies are equal. Nuff said.

Tour's ad should be "We'll save you $100 right off the bat".

Say whatever you want TUNNEL BEAR ISN'T COMMING BACK :(

7:00 Hotel?? Trivago...

Browse the Internet Anonymously = use your neighbor's wifi

> The Hated One has entered the chat

1:34 You're just mad that my browser history is about 20% cooler than yours.

Linus this was really really good! You just keep getting better and better...

What about dnscrypt aka DNS Encryption, or different browsers, like ungoogled-chromium, brave, and others, that are specifically designed to be more private?

Linus: So these ads are completely irrelevant Ads are all tech 2 seconds after searching in Newegg

I would only disable some javascript features like Web-RTC and WebGL because WebRTC can track your IP even if you are using a vpnd and with WebGL websites can create a unique fingerprint.

My stupid country ISP block VPN to begin with and so whether using VPN extensions or VPN-enabled browsers, it doesn't work.