(upd 5/31/18) Article - Remain Anonymous Online and Protect Information

[TWP]

CAVEAT:  I debated posting this link because the author recommends using Windows(r) as the Operating System.  I strongly disagree, but the other advice is relevant.

This is a multi-part article - I'll update as other parts become available.

Part 1)  https://survivalblog.com/remain-anonymous-online-protect-information-part-1-contributer/

Part 2)  https://survivalblog.com/remain-anonymous-online-protect-information-part-2-contributor/

My recommendation is to look at Linux, on a used computer.  It is free to download and you don't need to leave a paper trail for either the computer or the Operating System.  Ask me for assistance if you need advice on Linux.  I don't do Wndows(r).

Part 2 recommends Firefox, but I no longer agree with that choice.  My recommendation is either Palemoon or Waterfox, which are forks of Firefox.

The author recommends DuckDuckGo (DDG) as the default search engine.  That is a good choice however I have it as my secondary option and use Startpage (SP) as my primary search engine.  Both DDG and SP are "meta search engines" which means that they will anonymously submit your search request to the big (dangerous) search engines such as Google(r), Bing(r), Yahoo(r), etc.  You get access to the database without being added TO that database...

Warning, the recommendation for the use of Tails requires a 64bit architecture (won't run with 32bit systems).

I have TOR installed BUT DO NOT RUN it from my home ISP access router.  It is too easy to defeat the randomized paths used by TOR if your origination point of contact is known and subject to regular use.  Don't use TOR at home. DO READ the final paragraph in Part 2 which contains good advice about using TOR...

I heartily agree with the recommendation to use Protonmail.  It is my private backup email account, for use in emergencies.  I only use it for a close set of friends who I trust with my life.  You can get a free account with enough storage space for a lot of messages (500MB).  I do not keep any messages on the Protonmail server.  NOTE: you CANNOT use a local email client (like Thunderbird) to access your Protonmail account.  You must use the online access client, which is double password protected.

NOTE THIS ADVICE from the author: "You probably don’t want to be checking your emails from Tails using TOR. ..."  I concur with this.