Not long back we discussed how you can access the dark alleys of the internet through Tor, but we largely left off on the part about keeping yourself safe. The subject is more relevant than ever with Congress recently passing an amendment to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, allowing law enforcement to target users of encryption, VPNs, Tor etc. for hacking and surveillance.
Of course, for every criminal using these technologies to temporarily shield themselves from justice, there's a law-abiding journalist communicating with a crucial source. Given the new legislation, privacy advocates who plan to continue using encryption and anonymization software ought to double-down on their security.
Here's a brief overview of tips and services for keeping yourself safe while surfing the seedy underbelly of the web. And given the same principles apply, these recommendations can also serve as a general guide to anonymizing yourself in the normal (a.k.a. surface) web, too.
