In a post PATRIOT Act America, federal agents can, with the stroke of a pen, obtain pseudo warrants to steal your computer and coerce your ISP into giving up your internet logs. That’s why privacy and security are no longer simply a concern for hackers worried about getting raiding, but concerns for the average person.

Whether you’re leaking documents to Wikileaks, rooting servers, or simply worried about your privacy this guide should help you secure your data and maintain your anonymity. All of the software below is free and most of it is open source.

Internet Anonymity

Using a proxy server/site might be enough to bypass your workplace or university web filter, but it won’t be enough to evade the feds. Feds can simply force the owner of the proxy site to give up their logs, then subpoena your ISP into giving them the name and address that correlates to the IP address obtained from the logs. That’s why you should opt for TOR, I2P, or FreeNet.

TOR (The Onion Router)

TOR allows you to send your HTTP/S packets through multiple hops, which are volunteer servers, while protecting your anonymity.  It’s almost like going through multiple proxy servers except with each server being deprived of the source IP address. The destination IP/domain is decrypted at the end node, but your IP address is never revealed. Dissidents in fascist nations have used TOR to evade censorship firewalls and Onion sites are often used by shops that accept BitCoins.

Official Website / Download
Tutorial

I²P (Invisible Internet Project)

Unlike TOR, I²P provides end to end encryption, which means that packet sniffing at the end node is far harder. I²P is far slower since it is meant to be a packet switching network unlike TOR, which is a circuit switching network. Another key difference is the decentralization of peer networks and nodes. While TOR indexes all available nodes, I²P does not. There’s also a second layer of encryption added over the TCP/IP layer, which makes it more secure.

Official Website / Download
Tutorial

Encryption

TrueCrypt

This application allows you to encrypt your entire hard drive, a partition on your hard drive, and external devices like USB drives. With TrueCrypt, you can also create virtual containers of encrypted data and hidden volumes for plausible deniability in case you’re ever forced to reveal your password. With a strong enough encryption method and a long enough password, the only thing keeping your enemies from your information is your own mouth.

Official Website / Download
Tutorial

File Deletion

When you delete a file and clean your “Recycle Bin”, the file isn’t deleted–it’s simply marked to be overwritten by other data. This means that it can easily be retrieved by anyone. Even if it’s overwritten by the operating system’s default scheme, it can be retrieved by terrorist organizations(CIA, FBI, NSA, Mossad, MI6, FSB, etc.) using magnetic force microscopy. In order to completely “delete” and overwrite your files, you must utilize stronger algorithms like the DoD Short method(3 passes), DoD 5220.20-M(7 passes), or Gutmann method(35 passes). The 3 pass DoD method is the quickest of the three and the 35 pass Gutmann method is the most secure.
DBAN (Darik’s Boot & Nuke)
DBAN is basically a self-contained .iso that is meant to be burned to a CD or a DVD and used as a live disk. Simply burn it, pop it into your CD drive, and reboot your computer to run it. DBAN allows you to completely wipe your hard drive using a plethora of algorithms including all three of the aforementioned ones.

Official Website / Download
Tutorial

CCleaner
This application can be used to delete browser data such as cookies or web history, OS settings, application data, and can also be used to overwrite free space(files marked for deletion). To change the overwrite method, go to Options > Settings and pick from the ones listed.

Official Website / Download
Tutorial

Freeraser
Want to delete individual files and not have to completely cleanse your hard drive? Freeraser is the simple, drag and drop app that will allow you to do just that. Simply install it, run the .exe, and drag and drop whatever files you want to delete into the recycle bin with the hazmat sign on it. You can edit the deletion methods by right clicking on the icon.

Official Website / Download
Tutorial: None required.

This list will be updated frequently, so check back in.