This post is a slightly modified synthesis of my Online Security series as an all-in-one guide to online security. Enjoy!

<h2>Encryption and Passwords</h2>

<img src="http://images.pcworld.com/images/article/2012/07/password_606-11387690.jpg" alt="Password" style="width: 100%;">

Everyone uses passwords. Everyone also uses encryption daily, but most people don't know it. What we also don't know is that even with three-fourths of all internet traffic being encrypted, we still don't do it enough. And I don't need to tell you that most people's passwords are way too easy to crack. Here's how to prevent yourself from becoming a victim to attacks on your communications and passwords.

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<h3>Encrypt your internet traffic</h3>

Have you ever seen a green lock at the top left of your browser, next to the link? That signifies that your traffic to and from this website is secured through encryption via SSL (HTTPS). If you can see a lock, then you're all good. If not, you're in trouble. The thing is, if your internet traffic is not encrypted (which means it is HTTP and not HTTPS), anyone can launch what is called a "man-in-the-middle" attack and see everything you do on that website. Yep, everything.
You can prevent this by installing a browser addon called <a href="https://www.eff.org/Https-everywhere">HTTPS Everywhere</a>. This addon forces all traffic through your web browser to be encrypted. A VPN also encrypts your internet traffic.

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<h3>Utilize strong passwords</h3>

This is a pretty obvious one. Most people don't want to do this because they don't want to change stuff. I completely understand, but what you must understand is that you'll have more than just the chore of changing passwords to do when someone cracks your passwords.
The easiest way to create and manage strong passwords is through a password manager. <a href="https://www.privacytools.io/#pw">Here is a list of some good ones.</a>

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<h3>Encrypt your communications</h3>

Encrypting your communications is key to securing sensitive or personal information. This is much easier than you would think. It's as simple as installing a few apps. <a href="https://conversations.im/">Conversations (Android only)</a> is my personal favourite, along with <a href="https://chatsecure.org/">ChatSecure (also Android only)</a>. <a href="https://www.privacytools.io/#im">Here is a list of a few other good ones (which are also multi-platform).</a>
As for secure emails, I talked about good email providers in previous posts (scroll down to last paragraph for links). Now let's talk about adding another layer of security and encryption to your emails. Using <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_Good_Privacy">PGP</a>, you can encrypt your emails in such a way that only the intended receiver can read the email. <a href="https://www.gnupg.org/">GnuPG</a> makes it easy to do so. I won't explain much here, since it will take up too much space and probably bore you anyway.

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<h3>Extra steps</h3>

Here are a few extra steps you can take:
<a href="https://www.privacytools.io/#encrypt">Encrypt your files</a>
<a href="https://www.privacytools.io/#cloud">Encrypt your cloud storage</a>
<a href="https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere">Encrypt your internet browsing</a>
<a hreef="https://www.privacytools.io/#dns">Encrypt your DNS</a>

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<h2>Online Surveillance</h2>

<img src="https://image.slidesharecdn.com/6kkheftgraci477b92fx-signature-9664dd7a09e50a71f5b3c20f7ade88de0461c5a928277ca809455799a11b0396-poli-140929200633-phpapp01/95/theres-more-to-lead-nurturing-than-email-inbound-2014-6-638.jpg?cb=1412083896" alt="Online surveillance" style="width: 100%;"></img>

Online mass surveillance. We all know about the NSA and its spying, but what are we doing to prevent it? Sure, we can sign petitions and lobby for them to stop, but all this will take time. What can we do now to protect ourselves from this mass surveillance?

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<h3>Hide your IP address</h3>

Hiding your IP address is relatively easy. The easiest and most common way is to use VPN. VPN, which stands for "Virtual Private Network", is a network that encrypts all your internet usage ("traffic") and also hides ("cloaks") your IP address. The only way that someone can see your IP address (considering that you set everything up correctly and are using common sense) is if the VPN provider you're using gives it to them. You can connect to one of these networks usually by using an application provided by the VPN provider. There are quite a few free providers out there such as <a href="https://www.hotspotshield.com/">Hotspot Shield</a> and <a href="https://windscribe.com/">Windscribe</a>. If you're willing to dish out some cash for a solid provider, then <a href="https://www.privacytools.io/#vpn">check this list</a>.
If you want even more anonymity (at the cost of speed, though) you should go for Tor. Tor is an open network which directs your Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer network to enable anonymous communication. <a href="https://www.torproject.org/">You can learn more here.</a>

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<h3>Avoid Social Media Websites</h3>

Most of the information that mass surveillance receives is from social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.). You should try to avoid these at all costs and if you absolutely must use them (to stay in contact with family and friends), don't post anything and don't use their apps. Facebook has even been known to listen in on your conversations if their app is installed on your cellphone.

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<h3>Use anonymous email</h3>

There are quite a few good anonymous email providers out there. Surprisingly for most people, they aren't hard to use and ugly. Recently it has been revealed that Yahoo! had a built-in search engine for the government so that they can search your emails. GMail has been openly reading your emails from the start. Considering that there are many more cases of this, our only other option is to turn to anonymous email providers.
<a href="https://protonmail.com/">Protonmail</a> is my personal favourite. It's easy to sign up and they support most platforms. <a href="https://www.privacytools.io/#email">Here is a list of some more.</a>

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<h3>Secure your browser</h3>

Most people tend to use Google Chrome, the most popular browser out there. However, it does have a dark side. It does what we call "calling home" which, in essence, means that it sends information to its home, in this case Google, server. This is a bad thing if you are trying to evade surveillance, because even if you are using good practices online (using anonymous email, a VPN, etc.) they can still spy on you.
The best browser for secure and private everyday use is Firefox. Most peoples' excuse for not switching to it is "we don't like how it looks" or "we don't know how to use it". C'mon people. Have you ever even taken a look at it? It's very similar to Chrome in its user interface and other functions.
Now, even if you have Firefox installed, you still need to do a few things to secure it. The first thing you should do is to <a href="https://www.privacytools.io/#webrtc">prevent WebRTC leaks</a>, then you should install some <a href="https://www.privacytools.io/#addons">privacy addons</a>, and lastly you should <a href="https://www.privacytools.io/#about_config">"tweak" it a bit</a>. Don't stress, you only need to do this once, and after it's done you can rest assured that your browser probably won't compromise your privacy and security.

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<h3>Don't give away personal information</h3>

This area mostly relies on your common sense. Don't post your personal information publicly on any forum or give it to anyone unless you really, really need to. This information can be used as a weapon against you, and the goal of surveillance is to collect such information.

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<strong>Done!</strong> You should now be sufficiently secure against online mass surveillance.

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<h2>Personal Information</h2>

<img src="http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/doxxing-orig.jpg" alt="Dox" style="width:100%">

I've heard many stories of people who have had their personal information leaked online. This is known as doxxing and it can be a nightmare for anyone who may fall victim to it. 
While the chances of this happening to you is slim, it's always best to protect yourself against it. 
Here's how.
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<h3><b>Don't Post Sensitive Personal Information Online</b></h3>
This one is pretty obvious. Don't post anything such as your address, phone number, job, passwords or any other similar information online for everyone to see. There will always be people who take pleasure out of doxxing other people. Make your social media accounts viewable only to friends (however, it is best to not even have social media accounts in the first place). If anyone you don't know asks for above-mentioned information, don't give it to them.
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<h3><b>Remove EXIF data from images</b></h3>
"What is EXIF data?" you may ask. EXIF data is "exchangeable image file format" or, in layman's terms, the thing that links information to images. This information can include what camera was used to take the image and also where it was taken.
Fortunately, most platforms which allow you to upload or post images remove EXIF information by default. However, some images may slip through without EXIF information removed while other platforms simply don't remove EXIF.
There are various online tools available for viewing and removing EXIF. One of them is <a href="http://www.verexif.com/en/">VerEXIF</a> and you'll find many others in a quick Google Search.

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<h3><b>Stay anonymous online</b></h3>
Removing your personal information from public view won't completely ensure that your information is safe. Organizations and websites get hacked daily and if your information happens to be on one of them then your information could be made public. The best way to safeguard against this is to limit the amount of information you give to these websites. Only fill in the required fields when you sign up to a website or service, and falsify any insignificant information (birth dates, real names, etc.). Be aware that falsifying some information online is illegal in some countries, so tread carefully.
For an extra layer of security use a VPN. A VPN hides your IP address online and therefore all the information that comes along with it (such as your location). There are quite a few free options out there such as <a href="https://www.hotspotshield.com/">Hotspot Shield</a> and <a href="https://windscribe.com/">Windscribe</a>.

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<h3><b>Be smart</b></h3>
If you've done everything I have mentioned above, then you should be sufficiently protected against doxxing. However, it doesn't end there. Watch out for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing">Phishing</a>, be aware of where your information might be leaked (check <a href="https://haveibeenpwned.com/">HaveIBeenPwned</a> to see if it has already been leaked), and stay smart.