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Question: For the first time in human history, there is an eye, a global force that monitors everything with our participation, as we leave our personal footprint on the internet. Can we protect our privacy?
Answer: Every time we visit a website, the internet service provider (e.g., Cosmote, Vodafone) and the website itself can see our digital identity, as well as the content we access, which are personal data. Most of the time, this is not a problem, as these data are not of significant importance and are not used maliciously.
More specifically, these data include our IP address, our digital fingerprint, and the content we access. The IP address is a number assigned to us by the internet service provider and is linked to our identity. However, only the provider knows that the IP address belongs to us, while a third party such as a website does not know which individual is associated with that IP. Our digital fingerprint includes information such as the browser and its version, our operating system, screen size, default fonts, and so on. This fingerprint is not unique like the IP address, meaning that we could have the same digital fingerprint as someone else on the internet. However, it is sufficient to identify us among a small number of users, for example, 1000 users. Finally, the content of the webpage we visit can include plain text, codes, sensitive information, and more.
Each of the above can be hidden using various methods. To hide our IP, we can use technologies such as VPN, proxy servers, and TOR. To conceal our digital fingerprint, we can use web browsers with common settings and window sizes, such as the default settings of the TOR browser, for example. Finally, we could hide the content we visit from the internet service provider by using encryption methods like SSL, VPN, and TOR.
Usually, there is no need to hide our digital fingerprint, as it is shared among many individuals and does not personally identify us. As for the IP address, there are some rare cases where we may want to hide it, such as when accessing websites that are only available to specific country IPs (often encountered in online movie streaming, for example). Finally, it is important for content to be encrypted, which is why we use websites with the prefix "https" in the address bar instead of "http."
Question: Can we block the use of our personal data and avoid the advertising bombardment?
Answer: Nowadays, we receive advertising content from many different sources online.
For promotional email messages, we can click on the "unsubscribe" button, which is usually found in small letters at the bottom of the email. In case it doesn't exist, it is advisable to contact the company and inform them that we want to be removed from their newsletter. The company is obliged to do so according to the law.
To prevent telemarketing calls, we can contact our telephone service provider, such as Cosmote, and ask them to register us under Article 11. After that, it will be illegal for any company to call us again for promotional purposes.
To prevent advertisements while browsing websites, we can install the Adblock Plus extension on our web browser.
According to GDPR, we have the right to contact any company and prevent the use of our personal data. However, there are specific cases where this does not apply, such as public services, hospitals, or companies that require us to accept the processing of our data in order to provide their services. In the latter case, prohibiting these companies from processing our data means that they will no longer be able to provide us with their services.
Question: The cookies application appears very often, what to do?
Answer: Cookies are small amounts of information, in the form of plain text, that are stored on our computer when we visit various pages on the Internet.
The information stored in the cookies depends on the individual page. The text of the cookies may include, among other things, our user id, when we last visited a particular page, our personal preferences on the page.
Cookies help pages to show us content that is of personal interest to us or relieve us of unnecessary tasks. For example, if I search for movies on IMDB, IMDB knows thanks to its cookies which pages I have already seen, and makes suggestions accordingly that it thinks I would be interested in. Another example is Facebook, which does not ask us for our password every time we log on to it, because it recognises us through cookies. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Sometimes cookies are annoying. For example, if we search for shoes on the internet, we will then be shown ads for shoes for several days every time we browse the internet. These kinds of cookies are called tracking cookies and we can avoid them by installing Adblock Plus or Ghostery extensions in our browser.
When a message about accepting cookies appears on websites, it is usually harmless and there is no cause for concern. However, it is advisable to click accept only in cases where there is no rejection option or on websites we trust.
Question: Are security apps easy to install or are they complex processes?
Answer: There are many measures that can be taken to protect online privacy. Depending on the needs of each user, specific privacy protection measures should be implemented. Some of the measures are easy to implement by the average user, for example the installation of adblock, while others require the knowledge of an expert, for example the correct installation of TOR, VPN, etc.
Question: Are EPIC, TOR, do not call protection apps reliable?
Answer: I will focus more on Epic, as I believe that it meets the needs of an everyday user who is looking for security on the internet. Epic is based on open source which means that any developer can examine it and see if it in any way undermines the personal data of its users. For this reason, we can trust him. Epic is in permanent private mode (On Private Browsing), and doesn't allow third parties to track our browsing, while it also incorporates a free VPN feature for maximum privacy and anonymity on the internet. In addition, we will not be able to link a profile to our Google account, so that our personal data will not be collected.
Although Tor uses multiple layers of encryption and is open source, it is often used for purposes other than those of the average user. The browsing speed it provides is considerably slower than Epic's, and many websites block users who use it. It is commonly used by journalists in countries with dictatorship and censorship or for illegal purposes such as drug and arms trafficking.
In conclusion, if you want an easy solution to protect your privacy, Epic is the browser for you.