5 Free Tools to Protect Your Privacy

Privacy is a concern for most Internet users. Identity theft, online fraud and stolen passwords are a constant source of worry for business and personal users alike. There are many tools available to help protect your privacy, some with a hefty subscription or one-off fee attached. If you don’t have the money to spend on expensive software, these 5 free tools can be just as effective at protecting your privacy.

TrueCrypt

TrueCrypt is a free program that enables you to create a virtual encrypted disk. TrueCrypt creates a virtual drive that needs to be mounted and accessed with a password. You can add files and folders to the drive that you wish to keep private. These files and folders will be automatically encrypted and stored away from prying eyes.

 Neo’s SafeKeys

Neo’s SafeKeys provides a secure keyboard on your screen, which prevents your data being captured by keystroke loggers, screen capture tools and clipboards monitors. When you use this screen keyboard, your data will not be passed through the regular channels (keyboard, clipboard and so on), and remains safe.

 

CCleaner

CCleaner is a tool for removing unnecessary files and cleaning your system. With CCleaner, you have control over which cookies to keep, and which to delete. You can also tweak the startup programs and processes, and disable or delete anything you are unsure about. Running CCleaner after your browsing session will remove all history, Internet files and browsing data.

UltraSurf

UltraSurf is a proxy server that enables you to browse the Internet anonymously. You can use UltraSurf to hide your IP address and protect your privacy. Proxy servers can also be used to bypass censorship rules associated with certain types of content. UltraSurf will work with most browsers, although it is most compatible with Internet Explorer.

Disk Wipe

Disk Wipe allows you to erase the contents of your drive securely. You can use Disk Wipe to erase the data on a hard drive, hard drive partition, memory card or USB drive. It provides several different options for the method of deletion and will work on most drive types.