Internet Anonymity 101: Say No to Incognito
Almost all of us use anonymous or private browsing everyday for various purposes ranging from busting stress to searching “Why do I think I’m a werewolf?”.
There are various types of anonymous browsing such as Incognito, VPN, TOR, I2P, etc. In this post we will take a closer look at Incognito and VPN.
Incognito
Incognito — the easiest way to browse anonymously since Google is by far the most popular search engine and Incognito is its private browser. Incognito works by discarding any site data and cookies associated with the browsing session once the tab is closed. The main advantage of Incognito is its ease of use.
The disadvantages of Incognito are that your activity and location are still visible to the websites you visit and your Internet Service Provider.
Once you log into a website, your actions are no longer anonymous. Although cookies and tracking data are deleted when your private session finishes, they can still be used while the session is active, linking your activities between various accounts and profiles.
Incognito is useful for casual web surfers but for people who require a higher level of privacy, VPNs are a better alternative as compared to Incognito.
VPNs
How does a VPN work? It works by routing a device’s internet connection through a private service rather than the user’s regular internet service provider (ISP). A VPN creates a shield or an encrypted tunnel through which a user can access the internet with their personal information such as their location and data being hidden. By encrypting the data, it cannot be accessed unless someone unlocks it with a password, which is known as an encryption key. While using a VPN, the encryption key protecting the user’s data and web activity is only known by their computer and VPN server.
VPNs mask the user’s true location to the one they set their VPN to. This enables them to access content or websites typically restricted to that region. For example, a user residing in India can set their location to the United States and watch content from streaming websites that are only available in the States.
The diagram below represents how a VPN works.
VPN — Virtual Private Network. There are various types of VPN protocols and they are listed from best to worst :
1. WireGuard
The WireGuard protocol provides some of the best security around by using excellent cryptography and military-grade encryption to keep connections safe. It works on almost any device or platform and does not have much of an effect on latency. It is also open-source which means that any issues with it can be found and solved by internet users. This is why WireGuard is the best protocol.
The only disadvantage with this protocol is that it is relatively new so many users don’t have much trust in it.
2. IKEv2
IKEv2 stands for Internet Key Exchange version 2 which after WireGuard is the best VPN protocol available. It uses pre-shared keys that are changed regularly to ensure security of the connection at all times which is great for internet users who want to keep their data hidden and secure.
The advantages of IKEv2 are that no third party can easily see your IP address since the encryption keys keep changing. It also provides great speeds and changing the network connection does not affect its working.
The disadvantage is that unlike WireGuard, it is not compatible with all systems.
3. L2TP/IPSec
L2TP/IPSec stands for Layer 2 Tunnelling Protocol/Internet Protocol Security. It combines two protocols to ensure internet users enjoy speed and security. It adds the necessary layer of security and encryption that users require.
The advantage of L2TP/IPSec is that it is easy to set up on most devices, so it is most useful for VPN users who have multiple devices who want general online privacy for basic internet tasks.
The disadvantages are that due to it having a two step process, it is not as fast as WireGuard and IKEv2 and it does not get around firewalls easily.
4. OpenVPN
OpenVPN offers extremely secure connections due to its AES-encryption standards and is very hard to decrypt.
The security offered by OpenVPN is its main advantage but this also causes it to have a major disadvantage which is that it compromises on speed since the encryption and decryption takes time.
It is a good choice for people who prioritise privacy over speeds.
5. PPTP
PPTP which stands for Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol is one of the oldest protocols. The main advantage of this protocol is that it reduces latency more than the other protocols which makes it faster.
The reason it ranks last on the list is because its encryption can easily be attacked by hackers. It compromises on security for faster speeds. Another disadvantage is that it is easily blocked by network firewalls.
WireGuard ranks one on the list since it works on a diskless server and keeps no logs. The reason this is important is that diskless servers keep all their data in RAM as a result of which, once the system restarts, all that data is deleted so there is no logging of previous activity.
VPNs also come with their share of disadvantages. The primary one being that since they keep no or very few logs, it can be used for illegal activities.
Another is that VPN companies try to make it seem like all our data is extremely vulnerable as part of their marketing to increase their customers, which is not actually the case. Any website with the lock icon next to its URL does not share your passwords and sensitive information.
VPNs at times also provide a false sense of security. Encryption is one of the most crucial features for a VPN but not all VPNs encrypt data equally. If you’re using a free or unreliable VPN service, the degree of encryption might be low or non-existent, leaving you exposed.
In addition, one must still be careful while clicking links, even when using a premium VPN. Your system could still be compromised if you are tricked into clicking malicious content or visiting phishing websites.
If the VPN being used logs the user’s browsing history, it can still be accessed by the government so no VPN is completely anonymous unless it stores absolutely no logs. One should be mindful of this fact and not be under the misconception that using a VPN makes them invincible from any forms of tracking.
VPNs are a better option than plain incognito but there are two better solutions to internet privacy , namely Tor and I2P. Stay tuned for a post on those two soon!
