Surfing the internet means you need an IP address, and that IP address is your identity online. But this IP can be used to infiltrate your personal data, especially while using public wifi or other share internet access points. Even while surfing in the privacy of your own home, advertisers, search engines, your ISP, and your government has the ability to track your online activity if they want (and law permits them to). You can use anonymous surfing software on Windows operating systems to hide your real IP, replace it with a virtual IP address, and erase your identity from the internet (while still being able to browse as you normally would).

Virtual private networks are used by a variety of organizations, including businesses, schools, and the military. Though types of VPNs and the reasons being used are different, the main idea is preventing other people from seeing your personal data. It's easy to forget just how much 'the internets' know about us.

• Google tracks what we search
• Ads track what we buy
• Websites see where we're coming from and where we're going
• All this data is passed over the public internet

Identity theft is a real problem that affects millions of people each year to various degrees. Maybe your password was stolen, you got sucked into a phishing scam, or your credit card number got stolen. The fact is that most people don't know until several months down the road, when it's too late. The open door that most internet users don't know about, the door that lets hackers right to your personal info, is your IP address.

Even with a good firewall and malware/spyware/virus protection on your computer or phone, your own ISP and government may be tracking you online. Many countries have laws that allow governments to seize servers from internet service providers in order to collect information on people. Many governments engage in 'online profiling', which gives a rough picture of who you are when you browse. You don't have to be an international criminal, terrorist or believe in government conspiracies to see the implications of these acts. All you need a basic desire for privacy to feel a bit uneasy with the amount of control wielded over our online presence.

A VPN for anonymous surfing can be installed on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. For ultimate anonymity online, OpenVPN or SSTP is recommended (SSTP is not compatible with XP). These two types of VPNs combine data encryption and VPN tunneling to create an impenetrable, uncrackable way for you to communicate with websites and users on the internet. VPNs require no extra hardware, and can be downloaded/installed within a matter of minutes. A variety of VPN services are available online, and prices and features will vary for each service, and the type of package you choose.