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Whenever you’re online, your every action is exposed to an outsider. Chances are, either your data is misused by the advertisers or your data is stolen through a breach.
One might lose hope because you don’t seem to find a way to regain control of your privacy.
You might think protecting your online privacy is a hopeless task, but in this guide, I’ll be discussing some of the online privacy tools that can really make a difference.
2020 has seen some of the major data breaches and cyberattacks. Wait until you see what awaits you in 2021. By downloading these online privacy tools, you will be ensuring your online safety and preparing for a better 2021.
9 Essential Online Privacy Tools to Use in 2021
Have a look at the online privacy tools that will be immensely popular when we enter 2021. Make sure you download the ones you think will make the difference.
1. Virtual Private Network
VPN or Virtual Private Network is a must-have tool for any individual who is either working from home or browsing the internet for personal use.
It secures your internet traffic by concealing it in 256-bit encryption and hiding your IP address completely. More so, it assigns you with an IP address of a VPN server.
A VPN app comes in all kinds of brands and is compatible with all devices. They are easy-to-use and even a person with limited or no knowledge of a VPN can use it without a problem.
ExpressVPN is the best when it comes to encryption, speed, advanced protocols, and more. It is the one you can trust with your online privacy.
2. Mitro
It is a browser-based password manager that logs you in to a website automatically. It not just remembers the dozens of passwords and login details of different websites, but it also protects your online identity.
With Mitro, you don’t need to ever write down a password or save it in your file. It is available as a browser extension in most popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
3. GNU Privacy Guard
GNU privacy guard is actually an encrypted email service that uses a PGP ‘Pretty Good Privacy’ encryption system for sending and receiving safe and encrypted emails.
It is completely free and to most of the people who don’t know, Edward Snowden used GnuPG to uncover the secrets of the NSA.
It is available for mostly all devices and can be downloaded as a software.
Also read: A Comprehensive Guide to the Different Types of Cyberattacks
4. Eraser
Eraser is a free-to-use tool that forever deletes your files from your computer. If you previously thought that once you delete a file from your computer its forever gone? You were very wrong.
There are free tools available on the internet that can help you retrieve data from your computer that were long deleted. Most people go through a hectic job of overwriting the data to make sure it can’t be retrieved.
However, with Erase you can just simply delete a file and it’s forever gone.
5. Ghostery
Ghostery is available as a browser extension that helps you find out which website is tracking and monitoring your activity.
Basically it’s a tracking tool that aims to inform users as to which website is collecting your data on you to serve adverts. Once you know, you can avoid visiting that site.
6. AdBlock Plus
This is a very popular tool that doesn’t need any introduction. It can reduce the number of tracking cookies that get installed on your computer.
Also, it prevents the web from showing you advertisements of all sorts. This extension has over 50 Million downloads.
7. Off-the-Record Messaging
It is one of the safest and secure ways to send instant messages without worrying about surveillance from the government.
It started out as a university research project and has an encryption that keeps your message secure.
8. HTTPS Everywhere
HTTPS Everywhere is available as a chrome extension that forces a browser to load the secure version of a website that doesn’t contain a security certificate.
It makes your browsing completely secure because it encrypts your communication with websites.
9. Virtru
Virtru is also an email encryption browser extension that keeps your email encrypted so that no one can intercept your emails.
It’s free to use but the only drawback is that it works on Gmail and only on Chrome extension.
Key Takeaways
Online privacy has become more important since the pandemic because data breaches and cyberattacks have increased rapidly.
The future remains to be uncertain but one thing is clear, home-based working will stay in most companies to reduce cost and increase revenues.
For that purpose alone, getting to know the online privacy tools in 2021 is essential. That is why, in this guide I have discussed the important tools that will keep your online privacy intact.
