A year ago , heavy duty encryption engineering was something cybersecurity professionals , privacy nut , and the odd investigative diary keeper like about . Then the Snowden leaks happened . Suddenly , we were all acutely cognisant of how expose our datum is to the prying optic of undercover agent and hackers likewise . But it does n’t have to be that path .

Thanks in part to Snowden , encryption has never been as gentle as it is now . And to mark the anniversary of the leak , a pool of company have banded together to make it even soft . readjust the lucre — a day of action for seclusion and freedom , back by the likes of Google and Mozilla , as well the Electronic Frontier Foundation ( EFF ) and Fight for the Future — offers instructions on how we can all avoid aggregative surveillance . But it also volunteer a “ Privacy Pack ” for the average user . It ’s merely a big bucks of complimentary software to help you encrypt your data and communications . You should download it mightily now .

encoding does n’t require coding noesis or mathematics acquirement , but it does demand some attention and tutelage . The Privacy Pack is a great starting point , but if you need to underwrite all of your foundation , there are few more things you demand to do . We ’ve put together a little template that includes details on the software in the Privacy Pack and a little routine spare . In event you ’re not quite sure what encryption is or how it works , EFF ’s Surveillance Self - Defense siteis a great berth to start .

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Encrypt Your Phone

The best place to commence , of track , is with your phone . After all , this is what the NSA is belike most concerned in . It ’s also probably the twist you employ most , so it ’s in your good interestingness to take extra ripe care of it .

Before drop dead all induction - happy on encryption apps , the first affair you should do is secure your lockscreen . Duh .

There domain whole host of fancy security measure options for Android , but if you ’ve got an iPhone , the standard four - number passcode pick is n’t quite enough . All you need to do to make it more secure , though , is turn off “ Simple Passcode ” in preferences which will allow you to assign a recollective , alphanumeric passcode . Pro tip : Just use a string of numbersso you do n’t have to flip back and forth between keyboard when unlocking your telephone set .

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Now about those apps . The independent matter you want to encrypt is your communication data , and the Privacy Pack makes that very well-situated for Android users . Including in the bundle areTextSecureandRedPhone , two free appsmade by Whisper Systemsthat let you send texts that are cipher over the melodic line and make phone vociferation with end - to - last encryption . Suitable costless iPhone equivalents areTigerTextfor texting andCoverMefor earpiece calls . If you ’re unforced to beat out out some money for more option , turn back outSilent Circle ’s cortege of mobile encoding softwarefor both platforms for $ 10 a month .

If you really desire to lock down your gadget , you should debate encrypting the whole thing . It ’s a three tap mental process on Android , though it takes about an hour to process . Encrypting your iPhone data is stupid simple . Just enable a passcode , and Apple ’s information tribute software mechanically kicks in .

Just do n’t forget your password ! As with all things encoding , if you forget your countersign your data is lock away forever .

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Encrypt Your Email

This one ’s big , too . For many masses , electronic mail is a elemental form of communicating , especially for work - related messages and the attachment that come up with them . And when there are swop secret at stake , you’re able to bet hackers want to intervene . The NSA has been interveningfor years .

There are a span of ways to encrypt your e-mail . Probably the easy method , goal - to - end encoding in Gmail , was just foretell as part of the Reset the Net sidereal day of action . This new feature arrives in the form of a Chrome Extension that will encrypt all datum leaving your internet browser . You ca n’t download it quite yet , though Google ’s made the codification useable to developer so they can make it better . Meanwhile , there’sQuick Encrypt , a Chrome Extension that you may download now , but it only encrypts selections of text .

To do email encryption right , though , you really ask to cipher not just the mental object of your messages — both new and onetime — but also your connectionto the email server . The major webmail service now offer Secure Socket Layer ( SSL ) and/or Transport Socket Layer ( TSL ) encryption , so you should verify you see https instead of just http , when you check your email . If you use a mail guest like Outlook or Thunderbird , make trusted the boxwood for encrypted connections is agree in your options . If you download the Privacy Pack , you ’ll also getGPGToolsandEnigmail , two suite of software that encourage encryption offer in mail customer .

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None of the above are perfect solutions . If you ’re really worried about email security , you might consider just sign up for a dependable email service . Since Lavabit ( Snowden ’s service of choice ) and Silent Circle both caved to pressure from the NSA last twelvemonth , Kolab is a swell alternative . Not only does Kolab encrypt your email and calendar , it also lay in all of the data in Switzerland , where some of the world ’s ruffianly privacy laws and good data point security . software system pop out at$10 a month .

Again , just do n’t leave that password unless you require to get lock out of your email FOREVER . That ’s the high - wager reality of real security department .

Encrypt Your Browser

Next up is the ol’ web web web browser . You fuck by now how https is the encoding standard on the World Wide Web and — Heartbleed away — it figure out okay . However , not all websites are fit to send and receive data over an https connection . That ’s why the EFF and the Tor Project teamed up to buildHTTPS Everywhere , an extension for Chrome , Firefox , and Opera that wee browsing more untroubled .

Of course , if you really want a unattackable browser app , you should just use Tor . The anonymous browsermade famed by the Silk Roadis also Edward Snowden ’s web browser of choice . It ’s in reality not just a web web browser , either , but a whole suite of software program that relays your web dealings through several other information processing system have a go at it as Tor Relays before it arrives at its finish . That means that nobody can draw the connexion back to your estimator , at least if your using Tor right . It ’s not exactly encryption , but it ’s an in force alternative . Tor is also let in in the Privacy Pack .

If it ’s a truly encrypted connectedness you ’re after , using a Virtual Private web ( VPN ) might be your best option . This is a tool used by countless companies to bring an extra layer of security system to their web and also serves as a capital means to protect your privateness on the internet . Our champion at Lifehackerregularly review different services , and lately , their favorite is a productcalled individual Internet Access . The name is descriptive and the service is just $ 40 a year . And from behind that wall , you ’re going to want to use service that do n’t require to track you either , likeDuck Duck Go , for all your lookup .

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Encrypt Everything Else

So you ’ve made it this far . Depending on your intents and aim , simply encrypting your text substance or email might be enough . But if you really want to go all the way of life , you may indeed encrypt all of your data point . It will take some time , but it ’s potential .

Encrypting everything else fundamentally means encrypting your hard drive , and there are mint of software solutions . Again , Lifehackeroffers regular update on what ’s out there , however their preferred software system , TrueCrypt , is no longer being updatedand is not untroubled as a result . You should check out theWindows - aboriginal BitLockeror7 - Zipfor individual files . Mac users should go withFileVault 2 , which come with OS X. Still not satisfied?PGPdisklets you produce inscribe saucer partitions , and it ’s detached .

All thing considered , you may encrypt pretty much your entire digital living for not much more than a span hundred bucks a yr . That ’s probably a couple hundred bucks more than you were planning on spending on privacy and cybersecurity , but it ’s worth it . Do n’t think me?The EFF has 65 reasons why you should .

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Oh and one more affair . Pick a good password for everything . A different , unspoiled password for each matter . It ’s not that hard .

Image viaShutterstock

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