HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY FROM THE INTERNET

It’s not just government spying; big-tech behemoths including Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft have collected huge amounts of people’s data in order to serve up targeted ads—and then, there’s the personal data that’s scooped up in all the breaches and hacks.

- ERIC GRIFFITH

There are always going to be good reasons for people to be invisible online, beyond a wish for personal privacy. For instance, it may be the only way for a whistleblower to reveal corruption without being harassed and punished. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay anonymous, no matter who you are or what you’re doing.

But the key question is this: Is it even possible to disappear completely from the internet? Ultimately, the only way to stay truly anonymous is not to go online at all. That’s no longer a realistic option for most of us, though.

Here’s a rundown of what you can do to minimize spying, targeted ads, and ID theft as you explore the world online.

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