Mobile security: Apps to protect Android devices

By Fred Langa on July 9, 2014. 

There are hundreds of free and paid security apps for Android phones and tablets. But many of those offerings are of uncertain quality.

Here’s a sampling of some of the best software for keeping Android devices free of malware, managing passwords, locking up your data, and more.

Android needs third-party security apps

If you have an Android phone or tablet, there’s good news and bad news.
The good news: You’ve picked the world’s best-selling mobile operating system. Something like 70 percent of all new phones and tablets run Google’s OS. That’s a strong incentive for software developers to build cool applications for the platform.
The bad news: Android’s open architecture and popularity have made it a favorite target for malicious hackers, thieves, and other criminals.
Android’s built-in security features have never been strong, and even the latest version (4.4.4, as I write this) offers only modest safeguards for your personal data and communications. For that reason, all Android devices need third-party security apps in order to be safe. (Virtually no operating system, by itself, is safe from malicious hacking.)
Fortunately, there are plenty of Android security tools to choose from. The Google Play Store has all manner of free and commercial apps. Note, however, that some are junk — amateurish software that could cause crashes, hangs, slowdowns, or other problems.
Other tools seem to work fine — until you look at them more closely. Take, for example, some “free” virtual private networking (VPN) apps, which provide some Web-browsing anonymity (especially on public Wi-Fi) by routing your data through the VPN provider’s servers. If the service is free, how does the provider pay the bills for running the servers and buying Internet bandwidth? How does the provider keep the lights lit? A cautious person might suspect that the company is mining user data.
That said, there are many reputable companies with excellent Android security products. Some are familiar and well-respected names you might recognize from the Windows world, while others are relative newcomers who develop products exclusively for mobile operating systems.
Below, I’ll provide summaries of well-regarded security apps — some paid, others free — in five essential categories:

• Antivirus/anti-malware suites
• Password management and encryption
• Lost or stolen device recovery
• VPNs
• Secure file-wiping (to delete personal data when you’re selling or trading in your device)

(Note: The following information applies equally to all portable Android-based devices, including tablets. But for brevity, I’ll use “phone” throughout the rest of the article.)

Security suites: The absolutely must-have apps

The cornerstone of Android safety is a good security suite from a reputable vendor. Even a single, well-designed security app can provide coverage against a wide range of attacks and dangers.
Lookout Security & Antivirus (Google Play page; publisher’s website) is a typical example of a reputable suite in the security category. It offers a comprehensive selection of tools (see Figure 1) — some free and others paid. (I’ll list other brands in a moment.)

Figure 1. Lookout Security & Antivirus offers basic security features for free; additional features are in its paid version.

Lookout’s free version provides:

• Anti-malware: It gives automatic, always-on protection from viruses, adware, spyware, and other types of malware.
• Lost/stolen phone recovery tools: A map shows you the phone’s location (see Figure 2), viewable via a free, private account on the Lookout website.
  The Scream option sounds a loud alarm, even if the sound was turned off. The alarm might scare a thief into abandoning the phone, but it can also help in more mundane situations such as when you simply misplace the phone at home or the office. The sound will lead you to the phone’s location.
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Figure 2. Lookout can help you locate and recover a phone, whether it's been stolen or just lost in the sofa cushions.
• Signal flare: This option saves your phone’s location when the battery is about to run out. It might help you find the phone once it’s gone dead.
• Automatic backups: Your contacts are saved to your private account on the Lookout website. You can download the contacts to your PC or to a new or secondary device.
• Multiple device support: The free account is limited to two devices.

Lookout’s paid version adds:

• Expanded Theft Alert features: You can have the phone send an email to your PC in the following circumstances:
  
  1. The phone’s unlock passcode is incorrectly entered more than three times in a row.
  2. The SIM card is removed.
  3. Airplane mode is enabled or the device is turned off (two tricks thieves might try to avoid detection), or a thief tinkers with the phone’s Device Administrator mode.
  Lookout’s notification email includes a map of the phone’s location when the Theft Alert was generated plus a theftie — a photo of the person holding the phone at the time the alert was triggered, taken automatically with the phone’s built-in camera. The same Theft Alert information is posted on your private account on the Lookout website.
• Privacy Advisor: This lets you manage the permissions and personal data that each app on the phone can access.
• Remote lock and wipe: In the event the phone is stolen and not recoverable, you can remotely lock it and erase your personal data.
• Safe Browsing: This option alerts you when you visit websites known to harbor malware or other security threats.
• Photo and call-history backups: Use this tool to automatically clone photos and call data to your private Lookout account.
• Multiple device support: This lets you manage up to three devices from a single Lookout account.

You can test-drive Lookout’s paid version for up to two weeks at no cost; after that, it’s a modest U.S. $3 per month or $30 per year.
Again, Lookout Security & Antivirus is just one example of a typical, comprehensive, Android security suite. There are other suites with similar features.
For example, Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus (Google Play page; publisher’s site) doesn’t take “thefties” of would-be phone thieves, but its paid version does offer Geo-Fencing — the phone performs a specified action (lock, siren, send location, and so forth) if it passes outside a perimeter you’ve established, such as a set distance from your table in a café. It also offers App Lock, which lets you passcode- or gesture-protect access to specified apps.
Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus is available in both free and paid versions; after a 30-day free trial, the premium edition costs $2 per month or $15 per year.
Bitdefender is another name that might be familiar to Windows users. Its Mobile Security & Antivirus (Google Play page; publisher’s site) is also available in free and paid versions. Its features are similar to Avast’s, but it tries to differentiate itself with aggressive pricing. After a two-week free trial, the paid version costs only $1 per month or $10 per year.
You can download Kaspersky Internet Security (Google Play page; publisher’s site) for free. You must register with Kaspersky for the paid edition’s 30-day free trial; it’s $15 per year to keep. Two advanced features are Call & Text Filter, which helps block unwanted calls and texts, and a theftie option similar to Lookout’s; it can automatically take a photo of a would-be thief.
Again, you can find many more security suites, apps, and options by visiting the Google Play Store and using the search string “security” or “security suite.”

Password management and data encryption

It’s likely you’ve already been affected by one or more of the recent and massive corporate hacking incidents such as the data thefts at Adobe, Target, eBay, and others.
One of the best ways to protect yourself against these increasingly common hacks is to use a unique password for every site. (See the Oct. 17, 2013, Top Story, “Protect yourself from the next big data breach.”)
Remembering potentially dozens of passwords sounds burdensome, especially on a phone or tablet where typing can be difficult. But password-management software makes it vastly easier. The software does the hard lifting for you, remembering all passwords and storing them in a securely encrypted database.
If you’re using password-management software on your PC, there’s a good chance you can find an Android equivalent. That can greatly simplify setup and use because the software will already be familiar. It might even be able to access and use the database of passwords on your PC, saving you from the chore of re-entering everything again.
For example, RoboForm (possibly the world’s most popular password manager) has a free Android version (Google Play page; publisher’s site) that connects with an existing desktop RoboForm Everywhere account ($10 per year). Android’s built-in browser (a version of Chrome) doesn’t work with third-party password apps, so RoboForm comes with its own mini-browser that you can use to sign in to password-protected sites. You can also use the RoboForm app with Android editions for Dolphin or Firefox.
Similarly, there are two free Android versions of the popular, open-source, desktop Keepass Password Safe. One is called Keepass2Android Password Safe (Google Play page; publisher’s site) and is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. As with other password managers, enter a site's password once and Keepass2Android will then remember it for you.

The other Android version of Keepass is called KeepassDroid (Google Play page; publisher’s site). Both versions operate much like the desktop version of KeePass, and they share the same database format.
If desktop commonality isn’t an issue for you, the free/donationware, open-source Universal Password Manager (Google Play page; publisher’s site) might be of interest.
You can find many similar apps by using the search terms “password manage” and “manage password” (though seemingly similar, the two searches yield slightly different results).

Apps for recovering lost or stolen phones

As already mentioned, many of the best Android security suites (Lookout, Avast, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and so forth) come with robust tools that can help you find and recover a lost or stolen phone — typically by sending you a map of the phone’s location, letting you wipe or lock the phone, and even snapping a photo of the thief.
But most versions of Android also include basic, built-in features that can reconnect you with your phone — or wipe it clean. For example, Android 4.1 and higher includes the Device Manager app (see Figure 4) that can, when linked to your Google account, locate your phone on a map and let you remotely ring, lock, or erase it. The specific details are explained in the Android Device Manager support page. 

Figure 4. Android's built-in Device Manager lets you locate, ring, lock, or erase a lost phone remotely from your Google account running on another device (shown above).

Older versions of Android — 2.2 and higher — allow for basic remote wiping, as explained on the Remote Wipe a Mobile Device support page.
Those tools are better than nothing, but third-party apps such as the following can do more — for example, take photos of a would-be thief. Visit the associated websites for full details.

• Where’s My Droid (Google Play page; publisher’s site) offers basic capabilities for free (see Figure 5) plus extended features — such as remote lock — for $4. 
•  
  
  

  
  

  Figure 5. Where's My Droid offers good lost device–recovery features, including a GPS-based locator.
• AndroidLost (Google Play page; publisher’s site) is completely free, though the program’s author accepts voluntary donations.
• Locate My Droid (Google Play page; publisher’s site) also is free, with voluntary donations accepted.

Virtual private network apps for Android

A virtual private network (VPN) connection can let your phone operate securely, privately, and anonymously from any site — even from public hotspots in coffee shops, airports, restaurants, hotels, and so on.
A VPN uses encryption to establish a secure, private channel between your PC and the VPN provider’s server. That server, in turn, then connects to whatever website or other server you want to reach (see Wikipedia’s VPN article).
But you really want to trust the VPN provider, because it’ll potentially have access to your unencrypted data. Most legitimate VPN services recover their costs by charging a modest fee based on your data usage — or by displaying ads as you use their service. I think this is an important consideration, because a provider with a viable revenue stream should never feel tempted to mine your data stream for usernames, passwords, credit-card numbers, and so on.
Here are some of the better regarded Android VPN services and their associated client software:

• VyprVPN for Android (Google Play page; publisher’s site) — three-day free trial; $7–$20 per month thereafter, depending on plan details
• ExpressVPN (Google Play page; publisher’s site) — one-day free trial; $8–$13 per month thereafter
• IPVanish (Google Play page; publisher’s site) — one-week, money-back guarantee; $5–$8 per month thereafter
• Hotspot Shield: VPN Proxy WiFi (Google Play page; publisher’s site) — free, ad-supported version; ad-free Elite version, $30 per year.

Apps for thoroughly sanitizing Android devices

No, this is not dipping your phone into a glass of Lysol. When it’s time to sell or trade in your phone, all recent-vintage Android-based models let you easily restore the original factory configuration. That makes it harder — but not impossible — for the next user to recover traces of your data left behind in the phone’s flash memory.
In fact, completely erasing flash memory is technically difficult and could require special tools and extra steps. (For more info, see the Sept. 13, 2012, Top Story, “Rethinking the process of hard-drive sanitizing.”)
If your phone uses a removable SD memory card, scrubbing it is relatively easy. The best bet is to remove the card, connect it to your PC, and use the tools described in the aforementioned Top Story. (Or, if you can, simply keep the SD card, possibly reusing it in some other device you own.)
But when the flash memory is built into the phone, it’s harder to get at — and harder to erase. These apps can help:

• SaniDroid (Google Play page; publisher’s site) — $1 
•  
  
  

  
  Figure 6. Special-purpose apps such as Sanidroid can help remove lingering traces of personal data from a phone you're selling or trading in.
• iShredder 3 (Google Play page; publisher’s site) — free and Pro versions ($3.50); see site for details
• Secure Wipe (Google Play page; publisher’s site) — free
• SHREDroid (Google Play page; publisher’s site) — free (doesn’t work on Motorola devices)
• File Shredder (Google Play page; publisher’s site) — free (works only on a file-and-folder basis; reportedly, whole-phone erasure in a future paid-for version)

Security tools can help keep you safe

Mobile devices such as phones and tablets are wonderfully convenient, but they also pose huge security risks. Not only are these devices subject to the same kind of malware and hacking that your Windows PC must cope with, they’re also far more likely to be lost or stolen than your desktop or laptop system.
But with one good tool from each of the categories above, your portable Android device can be as safe and secure as current technology allows. None of these products will dent your pocketbook, so protect yourself!

Source: http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/mobile-security-apps-to-protect-android-devices/

What is the Dark Web?

First, what is the Deep Web?
By Wendy Boswell

The Deep Web - also known as the Invisible Web - is a little bit different than the Web we can access (also known as the "surface Web") via a search engine or direct URL. This unseen Web is so much larger than the Web we know - most experts estimate that it's at least 500 times larger than the measurable Web, and growing exponentially.
There are parts of the Deep Web that we can get to via inventive Web searches (see What is the Invisible Web? and The Ultimate Guide to the Invisible Web for more information on this).These sites are all publicly accessible, and search engines add these links to their indexes constantly. Some sites choose not to be included in a search engine's listing, but if you know their direct URL or IP address, you can visit them anyway. 


What is the Dark Web?
There are also parts of the Deep/Invisible Web that are only accessible via specialized software, and this is most commonly known as the Dark Web or "DarkNet". The Dark Web can best be described as the "seedy underbelly" of the Web; shady dealings and illegalities can be found here, but it's also becoming a haven for journalists and whistle blowers, such as Edward Snowden:
"According to security experts, Edward Snowden used the Tor network to send information about the surveillance program PRISM to both the Washington Post and The Guardian in June 2013.....
Without complicating our lives, it is possible to create a server on which files can be stored in encrypted format. The authentication could be implemented in various ways, depending on the level of security desired; for example, it is possible to allow access to the user only if he is in possession of a digital certificate on his machine. The files could all be encrypted and the certificate could be also used as a container to hold the keys to decrypt the information.
If the clear web seems to have no more secret for intelligence agencies, the Deep Web is totally different from this." - "How Edward Snowden Protected His Information and His Life"


How do I get to the Dark Web?
In order to visit the Dark Web, users must install special software that anonymizes their network connections. The most popular is a dedicated browser called Tor:

"Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security."

Once you've downloaded and installed Tor, your browsing anonymity is secure, which is crucial for visiting any part of the Dark Web. Because of the anonymity of the browsing experience on the Dark Web - your tracks are completely covered - many people use it to engage in activities that are semi-legal or illegal; drugs, weapons, and pornography are common here. 
I've heard about something called the "Silk Road". What is that?
The Silk Road was a large marketplace within the Dark Web, mostly infamous for the buying and selling of illegal narcotics, but also offering a wide variety of other goods for sale. Users could only purchase goods here using bitcoins; virtual currency that is hidden inside the anonymous networks that make up the Dark Web. This marketplace was shut down in 2013 and is currently under investigation; according to several sources, there were over one billion worth of goods sold here before it was taken offline.


Is it safe to visit the Dark Web? 
That decision is left completely up to the reader. Using Tor (or other similar anonymizing services) certainly will hide your tracks and help you gain more privacy in your Web searches, which is something that is very important to many people. Your activity online can still be followed, but not as much detail can be ascertained. If you intend to visit the Dark Web purely for curiosity's sake, you most likely don't have anything to worry about; however, if more nefarious undertakings are your goal, be advised that this activity will most likely be tracked and watched by someone. More on this from Fast Company:

"While the Deep Web houses the retail of weapons, drugs, and illicit erotica, there are also useful tools for journalists, researchers, or thrill seekers. It's also worth noting that mere access through Tor is not illegal but can arouse suspicion with the law. Illegal transactions usually begin on the Deep Web but those transactions quite often head elsewhere for retail, private dialoguing, or in-person meetups; that's how most people get caught by law enforcement officials."

Basically, it's up to you whether you'd like to take this journey - and reader discretion is certainly advised. The Dark Web has become a haven for all sorts of different activities; not all of them strictly aboveboard. It's an important part of the Web that bears careful monitoring as privacy concerns grow in importance to society at large. 

The Invisible Web

• What is the Invisible Web?
• The Ultimate Guide to the Invisible Web
• Invisible Web Directories
  
  Source: http://websearch.about.com/od/The-Dark-Web/fl/What-is-the-Dark-Web.htm?nl=1

How to become anonymous online (VPN, TOR & Proxy)

9 Proven, Tested Tips To Extend Your Android’s Battery Life

Getting more out of less — that seems to be the way of the world right now. There’s only so much of anything, and we want to make it last, right? Can we get more life out of our phones so we don’t have to charge them as often? Can we make them run longer so we don’t get stuck without them?
The short answer is a resounding YES, but how much more we can get out of a phone battery is still up for discussion. Still, no matter how long your phone’s battery life lasts, there are ways that you can definitely make it last longer. Let’s take a look at some different ways.

Limit Apps Running in The Background

Any app that is running in the background is using processing power. That means it’s drawing electricity from the battery. Often, when we “close” an app we aren’t really exiting it and closing it out. It just sits there in the background, continuing to run, checking for signals, watching your compass, pinging servers, and goodness only knows what else. Android is pretty good at managing these apps and automatically closing out ones that aren’t used for an extended period of time. But you want total control.

How do you kill all these power-sapping apps? You could use an app killer, but app killers are a bit controversial. If the app is something you actually use frequently, killing it all the time will consume more energy, because it takes more energy to start it from scratch, instead of just firing it up while it’s still the device’s RAM. So, let’s look at the built-in method instead.
On non-Samsung devices, simply tap the multitasking button and swipe the offending apps to the side. Some manufacturers will have a Kill All button of some kind along the bottom of the screen. For Samsung devices, the process is a bit different.
Press and hold the Home button on your Samsung Android smartphone — or if you’re on a newer device like the Galaxy S5, tap on the multitasking button where the menu button used to be.
You’ll see a list of apps, like in the picture above, and you’ll also see a button that looks like a pie-chart. Tap on the pie-chart. Now tap on the Active applications button at the top of the screen. There’s the list of all the active applications on your phone. To end any of them, just tap on the End button. A warning screen will ask you if you want to continue because you may cause errors. The odds of that happening are quite slim. It’s that easy!

You may want to use an app like Tasker or Llama to turn apps off and on depending on the time of day or where you are. Yes, it means Tasker or Llama is always running, but if it can shut off two or more apps, that’s a net gain. For more information on Tasker, Erez has some things to say in, Tasker For Android: A Mobile App That Caters to Your Every Whim. Llama is a little less powerful, but still a very capable app. You can learn more about Llama from another article by Erez.
For those apps that you want to keep running in the background, make sure you update them when needed. Sometimes, these updates include improvements in energy usage, making them more efficient.

Don’t Phone Home

Apps like email and contacts are going to be the apps that you allow to continuously run. You can save energy by tweaking these apps, though. Go into your settings and change how often they sync with your email service. Instead of every 5 minutes, maybe you only really need it to sync every 30 minutes. Or change what is synced. When you do this, it’s like you’re eliminating surfing a number of websites in terms of power savings.
Tap on  Settings, then Accounts, then select the account you want to adjust. In this picture, we’re adjusting what Google services are synced. I don’t use Google+ on my smartphone, so why should I sync it?

Only Use What You Can Use

Major phone functions like WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS all consume battery power when running. If you’re somewhere and there’s no WiFi, or you aren’t using Bluetooth or GPS, turn them off! These services are constantly polling for routers, nearby Bluetooth devices, and GPS satellites — whether these things are available or not. That uses power.
To shut these functions off, most Android skins allow you to just swipe from the top of your screen to show the all the functions like WiFi, NFC, and such. If the function is highlighted, that’s means it is on. Just tap it to turn it off. If your device has a Power Saving Mode, try turning that on! Newer devices likely have a Quick Settings panel adjustable by pressing the icon in the upper right corner of the notification bar. Shown below, it is three squares with an arrow-like icon for Samsung devices. If all else fails, head into the Settings menu.

Your phone is an even worse offender when you’re in an area with no cell service. (I think they call that the wilderness.) Your phone will constantly poll — or call out — to try to find a cell tower to which it can connect. This takes a tremendous amount of energy! If you want to test this, next time you go camping (or to most of rural Canada) go ahead and leave your phone on. On standby, I guarantee it will die in just a few hours, compared to maybe the day or two you get out of it in an urban area.
Apps that use Location Services can use a combination of GPS satellites and wireless networks to estimate your location. If you don’t need your apps to be location aware, you can shut the Location Services off for your Android. Go into Settings, More, and then Location Services. When you get there, uncheck the box that reads Access to my location.

Paint It Black

Your phone uses power to run programs and services, we’ve established that. An even bigger consumer of energy is the screen. Screens take light and light, even from a touchscreen, takes a lot of power. By adjusting the brightness of your screen to be just a few notches lower, you can add many precious minutes to your battery run time. Change the brightness by swiping down from the top of the screen to show the brightness bar. Uncheck the Auto box, and slide the slider to find your preferred balance of brightness and power saving.

Another tip is to use a simple black screen for your lock and main screen. This works only for AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screens, which many Android devices have. The way that the screens work is to light up different pixels that are one of 3 colours – red, green, and blue – to create the impression of a specific colour. When the device wants to show a certain shade of black, it simply does not light up any pixels. Less light equals less power. Here’s a close-up of an AMOLED screen:

You can download a black wallpaper I made for you here. To install it, make sure you move the file to a folder on your phone. Go into Settings, My Device, then Display. Tap on Wallpaper.  Here you have a choice of changing the Home screen, Lock screen or both. Tap on whatever suits you. Navigate to where you saved the black wallpaper and choose it.

Look at how much of your screen does not require lighting now!
On the same train of thought, lower the time for your screen to automatically turn off. If it’s set to 5 minutes, maybe set it to 1. That’s a dramatic saving right there.
It should be obvious, but it has to be said, live wallpapers and screen widgets suck energy like a leech. By constantly changing, they are constantly turning pixels on and off and using processing power. Don’t use them if you want to save power… just don’t.
Even worse is the flash or LED light on an Android phone. If at possible, don’t use it. You can literally watch your battery drain if you turn it on and leave it for any length of time.

Stop Motion

Another huge power sucker is the vibrating motor in Android smartphones. Electric motors are terribly inefficient with power usage, having to create motion against friction and also wasting some energy as heat. If you don’t need vibrations on, turn them off. This includes for notifications such as the phone ringing, and haptic feedback. Haptic feedback is when your Android twitches a little when you touch a button.

Keep it Cool, or Warm

Did you know that temperature can affect the life of a battery? If you live in the northern climes, you know that. There’s something you can do about it. Don’t allow you battery to get too hot or too cold.

Being cold increases the battery’s internal resistance to electricity flow. This decreases the battery’s capacity or run time. Heat, while it decreases internal resistance, causes undue wear and tear on the battery. It’s like how heat breaks things down. Frequently being in warm temperatures will break down the battery and it will take less and less of a charge, decreasing the run time. Eventually the battery will just completely fail. Room temperature is an ideal operating temperature for batteries.

Bigger Is Better

There’s only so much energy you can squeeze out of the battery that came with your Android. If you can’t fit more gas in the tank, get a bigger tank! There are many types of battery boosting packs out there, some which also act as a phone case, so you don’t have to carry two devices around. With some of these boosters you could easily double or triple your runtime on a full charge.

Fill’er Up Please

Whenever you can, plug your Android in to charge. That old story about how you should drain a battery completely before recharging it just isn’t true for the batteries you’ll find in modern electronics. You can top it up anytime and not damage your battery at all.

Although this doesn’t necessarily add battery life to your Android, it can easily make the difference between having a phone you can use and an expensive paperweight.

Turn the Phone Off

This is not the answer you are looking for. However, when your phone is completely off, the draw on the battery is very little. Infinitesimal even. Unless you’re expecting an emergency call in the middle of the night, turn it off when you go to bed. Or just turn it off whenever and enjoy the people that are right there with you.

Keep Stretching Out That Battery Life

Applying any combination of these power saving measures is going to make a difference to how long your Android will run on battery power. Like driving a car, the more you learn about how it works, the better and more efficiently you can use it.
Do you have any battery saving tips for using an Android? Which of these tips do you get the most out of? Let’s us know, we’re all in this together.

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/9-tips-extend-androids-battery-life/

How Do I Avoid Getting Tracked While I am Online?

Question: How Do I Avoid Getting Tracked While I am Online?

If you are in a position where your computer's address needs to be concealed from external eyes, then the Tor-Privoxy solution is one service that you may want to participate in.

Answer: There are two groups of choices for hiding your online identity.

1) Choices for P2P File Sharing: if your objective is to download/upload files anonymously, then there are services that will mask your computer's internet protocol (IP) address for a small fee, while still allowing you to use large bandwidth. The cost is usually a monthly fee or the purchase of a special software product.

These P2P-friendly services include Anonymizer.com, The Cloak, and A4Proxy. There is even a special non-profit project dedicated to P2P downloading anonymity: Mute Anonymity.

2) Choices for Web Surfing and Email Anonymity: If you are looking to avoid retribution for your political ideals, or wish to bypass the controls of an oppressive government in your country, there are free proxy and VPN servers available around the Web. But the most reliable anonymity choice is a special two-part freeware solution by the EFF to protect the democratic freedoms of private citizens. When combined, these two items "scramble" and conceal your online identity as a free public service. This anonymity platform is made up of Tor and Privoxy:

"Tor" and "Privoxy" is a combination "anonymizer" platform you install on your own machine.Tor is a special network of web servers run by the EFF and many volunteer server administrators. Privoxy is the software you need to connect to this Tor network.

The Tor Network and the Privoxy software work together to hide your computer's IP address. They accomplish this by bouncing your signal around several Internet servers called Tor "onion routers". Much in the same way Hollywood spy movies depict a telephone call being routed around dozens of false phone locations, so is your online identity when masked by these special Tor servers. Your true IP address is effectively hidden when you surf/email/download through the Tor onion network.

The Privoxy and Tor products are still imperfect, and they do not guarantee your anonymity. But as a start, Tor and Privoxy do reduce your exposure to surveillance, and make you 80% or more difficult to track.

Download and Configure Tor-Privoxy here.

Download Privoxy here.


If you are looking to add a layer of anonymity to your surfing/ emailing life, then try Tor-Privoxy. You will likely experience a somewhat-slower connection but your identity will be significantly more protected.

Remember: no masking of your address is 100% foolproof. And if you download/upload P2P files, remember that in any other country outside of Canada, downloading copyrighted movies and songs puts you at legal risk for copyright infringement prosecution.

P2P Downloaders, please note: the Tor Network was designed to protect private citizens personal privacy, especially in the important areas of Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Conscience, and Freedom of Democracy. Tor and Privoxy were not designed to help people download megabytes of movies and songs. Please do not abuse the Tor-Privoxy system by turning it into a P2P downloading avenue.
Furthermore, while the About Network actively promotes freedom of expression and the democratic use of the Internet, the About Network does not condone the illegal downloading of copyrighted files. If you are going to participate in P2P file sharing, please take the time to educate yourself about the legalities and consequences of such activity.
Favorite Articles at About:

• The 10 Most Useful Web Sites

• The Top 10 Internet Scams

• What Phishing Scams Look Like

P2P Downloading:

• The Best Bit Torrent Search Engines

• How to Play .Bin and .Rar Files

• How Torrents Work

Warning to corporate/government users: if you hope to hide your unethical surfing habits from your own I.T. department, think again. The Tor Onion Network and Privoxy platform do NOT conceal you from internal surveillance at your office. 

Next: How to Install and Configure Tor-Privoxy

Related: Understanding P2P and its Legalities

Source: http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/internet101/f/anonymous_surf.htm

"How Do I Install and Configure Tor-Privoxy Masking Software?"

Question: "How Do I Install and Configure Tor-Privoxy Masking Software?"

(continued from "How Do I Conceal My Online Identity?")

Here is how you install and configure your Tor privacy software for Windows.

Answer: As of February, 2010, the latest Tor release is version 1.3.1

1) For Windows Users:

• Download the Tor Onion Network connection for Windows software here. It will come bundled with "Vidalia", "Privoxy", and "Torbutton" utilities, which are useful to many users. For the most part, you will want to use the version with the highest number (most recent).
• Installation for Windows: the Tor programmers recommend that you follow specific instructions for installing your Tor on Windows computers. Those instructions are here.

2) For Mac Users::

• Macintosh Tor software is available here.
• Installation for Mac: instructions are here.

3) Connecting to Tor Network Using the Privoxy Web Proxy Platform:

• FAQ's on Privoxy are here.
• Privoxy User's Manual, version 3.0.3 is here.

Important Note: Tor-Privoxy is intended for legitimate privacy purposes only, not P2P downloading. The Tor Onion Network and the Privoxy connection platform are designed to protect legitimate web page browsing and emailing, particularly in the areas of social conscience, political free speech, messaging from oppressive countries and non-democratic countries, private blogging, and anonymous researching.

P2P Downloaders: There are other options for you to conceal yourself from MPAA and RIAA surveillance. There is Anonymizer, A4, Mute, and The Cloak. Please use these other solutions and not Tor-Privoxy for your P2P file sharing.

Related Articles

• How to Use Tor Browser for Anonymous Web Browsing
• Anonymous Surfing: How to Conceal Your Digital Identity While Online
• How to Use Tor Browser for Anonymous Web Browsing - Connecting to Tor (OS X...
• Tor Browser for Anonymous Web Browsing - Connection Established (Windows)
• Tor Browser for Anonymous Web Browsing - Connection Established (OS X)

Source: http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/peersharing/f/installtor.htm

How to Stay Anonymous While Using Bittorrent

Most anti-piracy outfits and other organizations that track BitTorrent users rely on information they obtain from BitTorrent trackers. This is an easy and convenient technique to gather info, but also one that can be circumvented.

Let’s assume you want to download ‘Steal This Film’ without being spied on by third parties that monitor the download. Impossible? Not really…

Pretty much all BitTorrent clients allow users to remove the trackers from a torrent before downloading. In uTorrent you can do so by clicking the advanced button in the torrent opening dialog box. You’ll then see the trackers included in the torrent plus some other info.

If you want to go tracker-less you’ll have to delete the trackers and make sure that the DHT, Peer Exchange and Local Peer Discovery boxes (see screenshot) are checked otherwise you you won’t be able to download at all.

That’s it…

We have to note that it’s by no means impossible to track people who download without a tracker. It’s just harder to do so and thus far we haven’t seen evidence that DHT tracking is being used.

3

Choose properties from the options list.

4

Click on the General Tab.

Delete all the URLs in the form under Trackers (separate tiers with an empty line).

Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Stay-Anonymous-While-Using-Bittorrent

Text Better With These Alternative SMS Apps For Android

One of the great advantages of having an Android phone is being able to customize to your heart’s content, and that includes everything from getting a new launcher to replacing your SMS app. If your stock SMS app doesn’t do everything you want it to, or you just want to try something new, you should give one of these a try.

GO SMS Pro

From the makers of popular apps like GO Launcher and GO Locker, GO SMS Pro is one of the biggest players in the game, and as such it is chock full of features.





As you can see above, you can attach all kinds of things to your messages from regular photos and videos to doodles, files, or even a greeting card. Regular photos and videos will be sent as MMS, but larger files or doodles will be sent as a link that the other person can open, unless they are using GO SMS Pro too.
If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do with texting, it’s probably available with GO SMS Pro.





A pop-up reply box, common in many texting apps, is available here as well, but it’s much more customizable and can even appear as a Chat Head-like icon in the corner of your screen to be less invasive. A navigation menu also slides out from the left side, and from there you can access a few of its strongest features: an SMS blocker, Security Lock, scheduled text messages, a backup service, and themes.
While Security Lock should keep prying eyes from checking on your text messages, remember that text messages can still be accessed by other texting apps. So to fully protect yourself, you’ll want to hide or disable your default messaging app and be careful not to let anyone download a new one.
There are so many themes available for this app, you’ll never run out of options, but they will cost you. Access to all the themes is $18.99, and unlocking the extra functions and removing ads costs $4.99, or you can purchase them together for $19.99. It isn’t cheap, but GO Pro has the best theme selection of all these texting apps.
Who should use it? Those who want a relatively clean interface and an abundance of features.

Handcent SMS

Up next is another feature-full app: Handcent SMS. This app has an older look to it and a swipe-to-the-side animation that makes it look as if the whole app is on a cube. With many of the same features of GO Pro, it’s mainly differentiated by its clunkier, older interface and the fact that its completely free.





While Handcent has an options button in the top right, it also has a hidden menu for some reason that brings up a completely different set of options; this menu can be accessed by your capacitive options button or should appear on your navigation bar if you don’t have capacitive buttons. When most apps are moving to incorporate the menu button into their interface to make it more visible, Handcent has both visible and hidden menu buttons.
Like GO SMS Pro, there are too many features here to count. Send your location, an audio clip, or personalize the chat bubbles and backgrounds colors for each individual message thread.





You will need a Handcent account to use nearly any of the features; however, this account means that you never have to pay for Handcent. While supported by ads, all the features are available in the free version of the app, and there is no way to pay to remove the ads.
Who should buy it? Those who want a completely free, full-featured app, and don’t mind ads and a bit of a tacky interface.

chomp SMS

chomp SMS manages to weed out a lot of the unnecessary features of the previous two apps and presents you with a clean, basic app that still holds a lot of functionality if you go digging.
Buried in the settings you can find options to change the color of the LED notification, set a password to protect the app, or change the theme. While there are several apps for scheduling SMS messages to be sent, chomp SMS has this feature built in, just like GO SMS Pro.





The themes are pretty lacking in chomp SMS, though — there are only 5 in total — but you can customize it down to the shape and color of the speech bubbles so that you have it just the way you like it.





chomp SMS manages to keep things simple while also allowing for customization if you want it. It strikes a good balance in between minimalist and feature-packed, and getting rid of ads only costs $2.49 via in in-app purchase.
The biggest difference in GO Pro SMS, Handcent, and chomp SMS is really the price. While all have free versions, GO Pro is the most expensive, chomp is cheaper, and Handcent is completely free.
Who should use it? Those who want key features and a nice, customizable interface.

Textra SMS

Brought to you by the same people who made chomp SMS, Textra is intended to be a stripped down, simplified, faster version of chomp. Where chomp allows you to customize and change every tiny detail, Textra is less customizable but far simpler and faster.





Textra is perfect if you just want to install an SMS app and forget that it’s there. There are no ads, no paid version, and the entire settings menu is presented in one clean list that is super easy to go through.
There are some nice improvements from chomp as well; for instance, when in a conversation, you can swipe in the from the right to see the timestamps for every message. It’s a small change, but it’s intuitive, slick, and keeps the timestamps out of the way until you need them.





You can switch between a light and a dark pattern and also customize the bubble colors and notifications minimally, but Textra is really just meant to blend into the background and become a quiet SMS app.
Who should use it? Minimalists who just want a basic, fast SMS app.

hello sms

Departing from the basic texting app format is hello sms, which ditches not only capital letters but also a lot of what people associate with texting apps. You switch between conversations from a tabbed interface on the left, rather than jumping from a list of all your conversations to a specific message thread, and there aren’t any colorful message bubbles, just simple blacks, whites, and greys.





hello sms keeps things simple, having even fewer customization options than Textra. You can switch between night mode (black background, white text) and day mode (white background, black text), turn on/off in-app sounds, and adjust how notifications appear, but that’s it.





Contact pictures are displayed along the left side in small circles, and if there isn’t a photo, the app uses the person’s initials instead. It’s wonderfully simple, takes advantage of the actionable notifications found in Android 4.2+, and is a fresh take on texting. Plus, it has no ads, and no in-app purchases.
Who should use it? Those who want a brand new and minimalist interface for free.

Now SMS

Those on newer versions of Android have no doubt run into Google’s nearly ubiquitous card-style user interface. It’s present in Google Now, Hangouts, Google+, and many other Google apps. If you love the look, but don’t want to use Hangouts as your default SMS app, that’s where Now SMS comes into play.





Now SMS manages to blend the traditional messaging app style in with the card interface, departing from Hangout’s pull-out menu from the left. It looks nice and feels right at home on Android.
Unfortunately, nearly all of the cool features, like theming, popup messages, and reminders, are only available in the premium version through an in-app purchase of $2.02. Still, it’s a low price for an app that works well and has a fair level of customization.
Who should buy it? Those who love Google’s card-style user interface.

Conclusion

For texting on your phone, these apps are great, but don’t forget that you can also text from your tablet or PC.
Texting isn’t the most secure form of communicating, and it could be dying out soon with the prevalence of more secure messaging apps, but for now it’s still so widely used that you’ll probably be making good use of your new SMS app.
Which of these apps is your favorite? Or do you have a different SMS app that you prefer? Let us know in the comments!

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/text-better-alternative-sms-apps-android/