APRIL 2019 PCWorld 101to pay for your device in
cash, or with a
throwaway visa gift card
to avoid having the
laptop connected back
to your office-dwelling
persona. The laptop
should be running a
variant of Linux that is
encrypted, but if you
must use Windows 10
make sure you activate
your machine with a
local account, turn off
all possible tracking methods during
setup, and don’t use Cortana. Also, don’t
install unnecessary software onto this
device and don’t log in to accounts from
your regular life no matter what. The idea
is to have as little extra information on this
laptop as possible. Extra applications and
mixing your anonymous life with your
actual life are big “no-nos.” Also, don’t
forget to put some tape or a piece of
paper over your webcam. It’s ultra-
paranoid, but even Mark Zuckerberg does
it (go.pcworld.com/mkzk).
STEP 2: LOCATION,
LOCATION, LOCATION
You never want to access your secret identity
from home or work. This is just a bad idea
since there’s a chance of revealing an
Internet Protocol (IP) address that could be
traced back to you. Again, it would have to
take some pretty advanced sleuthing to find
this, but part of being anonymous is to make
sure nobody knows where you really are.
Keep your anonymous activities to a local
coffee shop, a library, or somewhere else
that offers public Wi-Fi. If you’re really
paranoid, it’s probably also a good idea to
pick somewhere that isn’t too close to your
everyday locations.
For the super paranoid: Another
important note is that other devices you’re
using can also give you away. To keep things
as separate as possible leave your phone at
home, or at the very least turn it off and (if
you can) take out the battery.STEP 3: USE TOR OR A VPN
(BUT NOT REALLY)
Once you’ve got a location that isn’t your