The average day starts with waking up, going to work, maybe spend a couple hours with friends, and then going back home to the comfort of home. During that time, there are so many chances for the government or other unwieldy eyes to take a look at the data located on personal devices, and even the ones that don't belong to one's person. No matter how safe Google or Apple may claim to be, there are always faults for others to look through. Also, one need remember that these companies have not made it a secret that they are more than willing to share their information about their users.
There are many ways to thwart these attacks, for instance, one that is mentioned very often, and implemented very often into business settings, is the Gnu Privacy Guard, or better known as GPG. So why hasn't anyone come out officially for the general public, to show how to use it? There are pages online about how to implement it into your e-mail, but they are fairly obscure and hard to follow for the less technically inclined. So the default for people to use at this point is the assumed 'next-best' TOR.
For the more aware computer users, it is obvious and apparent that TOR and GPG are totally different things, but the general public may not be wary. GPG is used to protect files so that they only belong to the rightful owner through an encryption key that only the owner can claim to. In order to share these files with others, one must share a 'public key' which will allow others to decrypt the files that have been shared to them. TOR, or The Onion Network, is a networking tool that creates layers and layers of traffic through different countries and websites to further anonymize any one person's exploits.
It is important to also say that the use of TOR has become novelty. Users of the network don't generally use it to protect personal usage (like they should be), but instead use it to experience the 'black' side of life, or the more legally gray areas of the networking world. The use of TOR is only best effective when it is being constantly used, for both the malignant and the benign. A combination of the both will further the level of security this now public network can provide. Although while using TOR, one should never use log-in credentials or anything that may give away personal information. This could give away one-self's incriminating information away! (which is what TOR is used for in the first place, right?)
With GPG, all the data on a hard-drive, and all messages sent to and from different computers can be protected (don't forget, phones and tablets are computers too). Considering support of GPG in mail, it is surprisingly vacant considering the fame that has been associated with it. On Microsoft Windows, the default, Outlook, works quite simply; otherwise Thunderbird is recommended. Thunderbird especially so, because Mozilla is more open to giving users freedom of anonymity, unlike Windows, especially with the version 10 debacle. On OS X, the default also allows for encryption, along with the Mozilla Thunderbird, and many others like AirMail and Mailbox. Sadly for Linux users, there is another article that has been prepared, so check that out!
Saying thank you to the whistle-blowers of the 21st century, there is a new awareness in the back of all of people's minds reminding that Big Brother is watching. Saying thank you to these controversial anti-phishers again; without them, these amazing tools wouldn't have found themselves out on the limelight, for everyone's knowledge and taking, like they should be.
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