But it turns out you have to give up some of the best parts of the internet if you want to be anonymous online. I barely lasted a few minutes.
Check out what made me give up being anonymous:
This is the Tor browser. To be anonymous, everything that needs an internet connection like browsing and streaming music/video needs to go through Tor.
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It doesn't record my history and doesn't let websites record any of my data. It's also the most "usable" option at the "lowest" security setting.
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Tor even warned me that I shouldn't make the browser window full size because websites can figure out the size of my computer screen if I did, which can be used to identify me.
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Tor also hides my own computer's ___location and identity by channeling my web activity through three random IP addresses (computers, basically) in three randomly selected countries.
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It basically camouflages you like the sniper in this picture while everyone else wears brightly colored clown suits.
Wikipedia
So, I was browsing the web, reading tech articles, and watching cat videos like I normally would. Sites load a little more slowly, but it's a small price to pay for being anonymous.
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But it began to fall apart when I couldn't access Netflix. Tor sometimes makes it look like I'm browsing from countries where Netflix isn't available yet, like Romania.
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I changed the countries where Tor channels my web activity to Sweden, where Netflix is available. Phew.
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Then I needed the "Silverlight" add-on, which lets web browsers play Netflix videos. But Tor doesn't support Silverlight.
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So I tried a Tor-approved Silverlight add-on, but I never got Netflix to work.
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To soothe my agony, I tried listening to music with Spotify. But it wouldn't work even though Tor made it look like I was browsing from Sweden, where Spotify was created.
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Perhaps some retail therapy on Amazon would alleviate the pain, but I constantly encountered annoying captchas and never got past them.
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That's when I gave up. I'd rather be seen than ditch online services I enjoy using.
Wikipedia/altered by Tech Insider
One of the main reasons people use Tor is to buy illegal products, like drugs, weapons, and stolen credit card information, on the Dark Web.
