1. A VPN Will Not Make You Completely Anonymous
Even the best VPNs can’t guarantee your anonymity online. Your browsing behavior can still reveal your true identity in ways that your VPN service cannot control.
If you’re logged into a Google or Facebook account, a VPN won’t be able to stop those companies from monitoring your activity. It won’t help you to remove personal information from those websites, other social media accounts, or search engines, either.
There’s also a collection of techniques that advertisers use to track you across the internet. These include:
- Web trackers and cookies: Websites use trackers and cookies to tailor their service to your specific needs. They store details about you, such as your name and geographic location, and can be used to identify you despite a VPN connection.
- Browser fingerprinting: Most browsers reveal small pieces of information unique to you and your session. Authorities and advertisers can collate this information to build a ‘fingerprint’ that identifies your online presence, even when you’re using a VPN.
To maximize your anonymity, you should pair your VPN with a genuinely private browser like Mozilla Firefox.
Consider also using an anonymous search engine like DuckDuckGo, and think carefully about your behavioral patterns online.