How to Create a Fake Identity and Stay Anonymous Online

[Ohio Joe]

You don't need to have evil motives for wanting to fake your identity or go incognito online; for many people, it's a matter of privacy and avoiding spammers and scammers. Thankfully, there are a great many tools for staying anonymous online. Here are a few of the best.

http://gizmodo.com/5854320/how-to-create-a-fake-identity-and-stay-anonymous-online

Certainly not definitive but a decent start.

[Warpy]

1. You can also use Tor to mask your IP address

by randomizing it among everybody using the network at that time. You'll get your Google ads in weird languages and the Google searches will be distinctly odd and your system will slow down, but it does work.

Haystack is even better for that.

[Edweird]

5. Exit node packet sniffers. Don't use TOR for anything that uses any personally identifying

information.

[Warpy]

6. Should have made that clear, sorry

It's for untraceable surfing. Buying shoes from Zappos can lead to disaster.

[qb]

2. Thanks for the link

:kick:

[The Doctor.]

3. Use free wi-fi locations+onion proxy if your work is sensitive.

Some whistle-blowers understandably want their identity kept secret. Know that whatever you link to is going to know the MAC ID of your machine and that can be traced too.

[Edweird]

4. Your MAC addy is easily spoofed. Using TOR/onion is not a good idea.

Exit node packet sniffers.

[The Doctor.]

7. True dat, but that's why you don't do anything that links to you.

Don't go to any site that you use at home, don't use your name.
I also recommend buying your laptop with cash, keeping it in a case, and only using it while wearing gloves.

In some cases, having the access to your work spread around by people hijacking your traffic provides a truck load of herrings.

Ever play 'Netrunner'?

[Edweird]

9. "only using it while wearing gloves" LOL

I envision some guy all 'cloak and daggered' out wearing a trench coat, hat, sunglasses and leather gloves furtively glancing over his shoulder while pecking away at a notebook in Starbucks - yeah that'll TOTALLY not attract any attention.....LOL

Paying cash for a used one is a good idea, but gloves won't really do you much good. If physical security is an issue, I suggest encryption.

[The Doctor.]

10. The laptop is the only thing

that can tie you to your activities if you're doing it right. At least don't leave prints and DNA all over it.

And for Gawd's Sake don't wear a trench coat.

Hoodies are the new trench+hat. :evilgrin:

[Edweird]

11. Well, yeah. I'm not a legal scholar nor an authority on the subject, but I'm reasonably certain

that if it's in your possession, whether your prints are on it or not, it's as good as yours.

[The Doctor.]

12. Fer cryin' out loud!

You don't KEEP THE THING!

At the very least, have an off-site cache.

[Kaleva]

8. Our handle here at DU isn't good enough anymore?