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The Best VPN Service Providers Of 2020

There are now over a hundred VPN providers located across the world. To create this list of the best VPN service providers, I test customer service, the reliability of their network, and commitment to privacy.

How To Install Free Ad-Blocking Using AdGuard DNS

AdGuard DNS is a free Domain Name System service provided the AdGuard company. You can use this DNS service to block advertising and trackers. It works like this: when a website sends a request to an ad network, the DNS sends back a “null” response. For example, when a web page looks up the domain name “ads.facebook.com” the DNS will …

Getting Started With Ethereum

Ethereum is a decentralized computing platform and crytocurrency. Ethereum uses Bitcoin’s blockchain technology to create a protocol for “smart contracts”.

Three Hardware Wallets For Storing Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies

Here are three hardware wallets that can be used for the long term storage of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. These devices are separated from your computer — and thus virtually hacker proof. I recommend storing these wallets in a fireproof safe. For daily use, you can keep a small amount of bitcoins in a smartphone app like Breadwallet. I do …

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A Guide To Avoiding Ransomware (Part 1)

Ransomware is malicious software that allows a hacker to access an individual or company computer, encrypt your data resident on it and then demand some form of payment to decrypt it. This lets hackers hold your data hostage – and hence the term “ransom”. Victims can regain access to their files only by paying the ransom, or by restoring from a backup that was hopefully not on a network that was accessible to the compromised computer.

Chinese Leader Says Government Does Not Censor Internet

Internet censors in China are defending online censorship practices — or insisting censorship does not exist — ahead of a conference where online privacy is likely to be on the minds of attendees. As Hong Kong Free Press reports, China’s main leader of online censorship, Lu Wei, is deploying euphemistic language regarding the country’s censorship activities. China “manages” the Internet, …

Could Email Provide Access to Censored Online Content?

Here’s a creative way to beat online censorship: transmit banned information via email. That’s what a little-known (and now defunct) project called Feed over Email tried to do. It never got off the ground, but it’s notable all the same for its creative approach to online privacy, which did not require VPNs or Tor. Feed over Email, or FOE, described …

Using Mailvelope to Keep Emails Private with PGP Encryption

Using an email provider that doesn’t track you is one way to help protect your email privacy. But that’s only half the battle. Encrypting your email is also important. Here’s how to do it using Mailvelope. Mailvelope is an email encryption tool that uses PGP to prevent unauthorized access to email content. PGP is the gold standard of email encryption, …

Anoncoin Promises Privacy-Friendly, Anti-Censorship Online Currency

Browsing privately is one thing. Paying privately online is another. Anoncoin, a Tor- and I2P-compatible Internet currency with an anti-censorship focus, offers a solution to the latter challenge. Anoncoin bills itself as “a privacy-centric currency fully compatible with the I2P and TOR darknets. Anoncoin will be available no matter what the authorities do.” Anoncoin works in a way similar to …

I2P Offers Alternative to Tor for Anti-Censorship, Online Privacy

Tor is probably the best known all-around Internet privacy solution. But I2P, another open-source framework for secure, censor-free communications, offers many of the same features as Tor and may be better in some situations. I2P’s promise is to provide “strong privacy protections for communication over the Internet. Many activities that would risk your privacy on the public Internet can be …

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Alibi Offers User-Specified Traffic Routing to Avoid Censorship

Most anti-censorship tools focus on getting Internet data inside countries that attempt to block it. Alibi Routing, a new system created by academic researchers in the United States, does the opposite. It lets users prevent their data from passing through certain countries in order to avoid government sniffing. When data travels across the Internet, it can hop between servers in …

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The Best Ad Blockers

I review the best ad-blockers for 2015. Including the hotly debated uBlock and AdBlock Edge.

Calibre: A Free eBook Converter and Manager

Calibre is a free and open source ebook manager. It is a great tool for converting ebooks into other formats, and sending ebooks to devices like Kindles, Nooks and iPads. It allows you to bypass the time-consuming methods of ebook tranfers that Amazon and Apple support. For example, if I download a book in the open EPUB format, Calibre allows …

Tips For Choosing Reliable, Privacy-Friendly Apps

Here are my recommendations for choosing reliable applications: The App Should Come From A Trusted Source I recommend doing a little research on each app you use, and make sure it comes from a reliable company with a good track record. Also, make sure you download the app from a reliable source. I don’t recommend installing hacked software, software from …

Top 5 Ways To Make Your Online Accounts More Secure

Here are some tips for making your online accounts more secure: Use A Password Manager To Generate Unique Passwords If you use the same password for all your online accounts, you are making it simple for hackers to own all your accounts. Create a unique, 14 character password for each online account you use. The best way to do this …

What Are Bitcoins?

Physical Bitcoins

Bitcoins a type of money that can be freely sent over the internet to anyone in the world, in any amount big or small, without any middleman (peer-to-peer). Unlike US Dollars, whose value is diminished by the government printing more dollars every day, Bitcoins are created at a predictable and known rate by individuals all over the world.