Warning: Constant FORCE_SSL_ADMIN already defined in /home/httpd/vhosts/snowhaze.ch/blog/wp-config.php on line 95 Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/httpd/vhosts/snowhaze.ch/blog/wp-config.php:95) in /home/httpd/vhosts/snowhaze.ch/blog/wp-includes/feed-rss2.php on line 8 SnowHaze https://blog.snowhaze.com Everything you need to know about privacy and data protection on the internet form the founders of the SnowHaze Private Browser. Tue, 20 Oct 2020 18:50:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.8 https://blog.snowhaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/cropped-logo-snowhaze-round-32x32.png SnowHaze https://blog.snowhaze.com 32 32 Set SnowHaze as Default iOS Browser https://blog.snowhaze.com/snowhaze-default-ios-browser/ Tue, 20 Oct 2020 09:37:00 +0000 https://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=902

Safari has always been the default browser on your iPhone and iPad, meaning that all links you click on will be opened in Safari. Since the launch of iOS 14 in September 2020, Apple lets you choose your preferred default browser.

We are very excited about this new feature because it removes a crucial deficiency in you daily privacy routine. Take for example a marketing email with a link in it. By default it would open in Safari, exposing you to all the trackers and unique identifiers of the visited site. This would not happen when opening the same link in SnowHaze, since trackers are blocked and identifiers are stripped from the URL.

Let’s go through three simple steps to change your default browser to SnowHaze:

1. Open the iOS Settings and scroll down to SnowHaze.

ios settings icon

2. Click on “Default Browser App”.

3. Select “SnowHaze”

Congratulations! From now on every link will open in SnowHaze and you can relax knowing that you personal data is safe.

]]> Tutorial: Import ZKA registration on iOS https://blog.snowhaze.com/tutorial-import-zka-registration-on-ios/ Sun, 30 Aug 2020 12:43:39 +0000 https://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=887

With the release of the latest version of our VPN, usage on other devices has become easier. You can register directly from our website and use the VPN on all platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android). After you got a subscription on our website, you can login in the SnowHaze app to import your subscription and use the VPN on your iOS device. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

If you already have a subscription through Apple and you would like to use the VPN on other devices, follow this guide.

1. Get a subscription on our website.

2. Register using an email and password. You can go completely anonymous by registering only with the Master Secret, a secret key that only you know. Make sure to store it in a safe place because we don’t know it and we won’t be able to recover your subscription if you loose it.

3. After successful registration, take your iOS device and log in by tapping on “Already registered” in the settings under “Subscription”.

4. Your active subscription will be imported to your device. This might take a while. A new section will appear at the bottom showing your Master Secret.

5. You can now use the VPN on your iPhone and iPad. The profiles automatically update as long as your subscription is active.

PS: If you need any assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to help.

]]> Tutorial: Import an existing Apple subscription to use ZKA https://blog.snowhaze.com/tutorial-import-an-existing-apple-subscription-to-use-zka/ Sun, 30 Aug 2020 11:38:36 +0000 https://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=864

With the release of the latest version of our VPN, usage on other devices has become easier. You can register without making a purchase and import your existing subscription that is running through your Apple ID. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

If you are already registered via our website and want to use the VPN on your iOS devices, follow this guide.

1. Make sure that you have an active SnowHaze subscription running with your Apple ID. You can have a look in the SnowHaze settings under “Subscription”; if the top screen is green, you can follow the next steps of this guide.

2. Still under “Subscription”, tap on “Use VPN on Other Devices”

3. Register using an email and password. You can go completely anonymous by registering only with the Master Secret, a secret key that only you know. Make sure to store it in a safe place because we don’t know it and we won’t be able to recover your subscription if you loose it.

4. Your remaining subscription will associated to your registration. This might take a while. A new section will appear at the bottom showing your Master Secret.

5. You can now use the VPN on other devices with the client for Windows or by downloading the profiles from your dashboard.

PS: If you want to cancel an active subscription running on your Apple ID, you can do so by choosing “View all my Subscriptions” in the Settings under Subscription and then choose “Cancel Subscription” under SnowHaze. You can make a new subscription anytime on snowhaze.com.

]]> Newsletter August 2020 https://blog.snowhaze.com/newsletter-august-2020/ Thu, 06 Aug 2020 18:21:11 +0000 https://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=840

Title Image

SnowHaze Newsletter

Hi,

We were quiet for a long time. But not resting. Over the past year a lot of development went on in the background.

First we want to thank all of you for your ongoing trust and support that helps us build SnowHaze. Reclaiming the control of our privacy is not something that can be done by one person or one company. It requires all of us.

We also want to apologize for not interacting more with all of you on social media. As tech nerds, we prefer focusing on the technical side to convince our users instead of spamming you with posts explaining how awesome our products are.

Once more we realized that quality software development is unpredictable. The development took much longer than expected and we kept adding more features than originally planned. Now it’s time to share these novelties with you.

First we boosted the privacy on the VPN. The VPN is now easily available on all platforms from our website. Our Zero-Knowledge Auth (ZKA) technology ensures the highest level of anonymity by avoiding any link between registration and usage. The registration is fully anonymous (not even an email required), the payment is fully anonymous (through crypto or cash payments), and the usage is fully anonymous (thanks to randomized tokens).

SnowHaze version 3.0 comes with new features for the browser. SnowHaze on iOS comes with integrated Tor support. Optionally use Safebrowsing (also anonymously) for higher security when you browse. The new features include a download manager, HTTPS/Tracking/Fingerprinting/Blocking improvements, and a customizable start page.

Along with the latest release we now offer a SnowHaze extension for Firefox and a VPN client for Windows.

As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have questions, comments, or feature requests. Since we still have no analytics in any of our services, we are always happy to get feedback. You can reach us anytime here.

Take care,

Your SnowHaze-Team
SnowHaze ZKA

Zero-Knowledge Auth (ZKA)

Zero-Knowledge Auth (ZKA) is our new protocol that ensures the highest level of anonymity for our VPN. Most VPN providers are not private at all because they store much information about you like your name and address, your payment information, and logs about your internet traffic. Not all VPN companies keep their promise to protect your data. With ZKA our privacy policy is no longer a promise but a proof.

ZKA revolutionizes the entire process from registration up to the usage of the VPN. There is no longer the need to share personal information. When you connect to the VPN, you don’t even need an anonymized account number to log in. ZKA makes your VPN the most anonymous you can get. Read the full explanation on our blog.
SnowHaze Browser

iOS Browser Version 3.0

This new major update further enhances your privacy and security. Support for Zero-Knowledge Auth 2.0 is now integrated in the iOS app. It allows to import subscription bought on the web into your app or export iOS subscriptions to use them on other devices. The OpenVPN profiles are now valid for the entire duration of your subscription and do no longer need to be updated monthly.

A new feature allows to connect the browser to the Tor network. The browser now comes with an integrated download manager. We added many privacy and security features and tried to improve the look a little bit.

Let us know what you are missing and we’ll try to add it in a future version.
SnowHaze Extension

SnowHaze Extension for Firefox

Since we don’t have a desktop browser yet and still want to offer some privacy for your other devices, we developed an extension for Firefox. We gathered the most powerful SnowHaze features and packed them into an add-on. Most importantly, it allows to easily create fully isolated tabs. You can get the add-on directly from the Mozilla store.
Feedback icon

Thanks for an inspiring project that makes iOS browsing just that bit more sane.

– SnowHaze user
Tabs icon

SnowHaze Tip: Tab Shortcuts

Easily switch to previous pages by long pressing on the back arrow. This opens a list of the pages you visited before in the current tab. Tap on an entry to reload the page. You no longer have to go back and forth to find pages.

Close all tabs at once by long pressing on the tabs icon and selecting Close all Tabs. You can also swiftly close the current tab and open a new one in this menu.
ZKA explained

We created an infographic explaining ZKA anonymity and all the privacy benefits that come with it. Head to our blog to find a detailed overview of how ZKA makes SnowHaze VPN truly anonymous. Read the infographic on our blog.

SnowHaze Illotros GmbH, Gladbachstrasse 59, 8044 Zürich
]]> It’s been a while https://blog.snowhaze.com/its-been-a-while/ Thu, 23 Jul 2020 21:34:00 +0000 https://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=797

We were quiet for a long time. But not resting. Over the past year a lot of development went on in the background.

First we want to thank all of you for your ongoing trust and support that helps us build SnowHaze. Reclaiming the control of our privacy is not something that can be done by one person or one company. It requires all of us.

We also want to apologize for not interacting more with all of you on social media. As tech nerds, we prefer focusing on the technical side to convince our users instead of spamming you with post explaining how awesome our products are.

Once more we realized that quality software development is unpredictable. The development took much longer than expected and we kept adding more features than originally planned. Now it’s time to share these novelties with you.

First we boosted the privacy on the VPN. The VPN is now easily available on all platforms from our website. Our Zero-Knowledge Auth (ZKA) technology ensures the highest level of anonymity by avoiding any link between registration and usage. The registration is fully anonymous (not even an email required), the payment is fully anonymous (through crypto or cash payments), and the usage is fully anonymous (thanks to randomized tokens). Read more on ZKA anonymity in this article or the infographic.

SnowHaze version 3.0 comes with new features for the browser. SnowHaze on iOS comes with integrated Tor support. Optionally use Safebrowsing (also anonymously) for higher security when you browse. The new features include a download manager, HTTPS/Tracking/Fingerprinting/Blocking improvements, and a customizable start page.

Along with the latest release we now offer a SnowHaze extension for Firefox and a VPN client for Windows.

As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have questions, comments, or feature requests. Since we still have no analytics in any of our services, we are always happy to get feedback. You can contact us anytime

Take care,
Your SnowHaze-Team

]]> How does a VPN work, and what is it useful for? https://blog.snowhaze.com/how-does-a-vpn-work-en/ Fri, 17 Jul 2020 08:13:31 +0000 http://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=790

Whenever you connect to the internet, your device sends data packets to a server. During transit, the packets pass different stations, the first one being your internet service provider. All of these stations reroute your package and help it reach its final destination. Imagine a VPN as an encrypted tunnel between your device and a SnowHaze VPN server. Whatever you do online is first rerouted and sent through this tunnel before it reaches its final destination. This way, the VPN hides your actual IP address and ensures the encryption of your data. Originally, VPNs were used to connect different locations of a business to a single network. These days, VPNs are popular mainly for their advantages in terms of privacy and security. They present a simple yet very effective and efficient tool for hiding and encrypting internet traffic. Other common uses of VPNs include streaming videos from abroad, peer-to-peer file-sharing, or accessing blocked or censored websites.

Contrary to what many VPN companies want you to believe, a VPN is not a one-stop solution for anonymity. A VPN offers a set of unique features that are difficult to obtain differently, like hiding the IP address and ensuring encryption. However, there are other common threats that a VPN does not protect against. Unencrypted e-mails, for example, are still unencrypted once they leave the protection of the encrypted VPN tunnel. Many websites use a multitude of tracking technologies, some of which a VPN can protect against, and some of which it can’t. Therefore, it is essential to combine a VPN with other tools such as encrypted e-mail services and private browsers to get the best protection. That said, there are several threats and scenarios where only a VPN can help.

Why would I need a VPN?

You connect to public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is available at most airports, hotels, and restaurants. Although very practical for remotely working, shopping, or streaming a Netflix series, they also pose a significant security risk. It is relatively easy to intercept traffic in public Wi-Fi. A hacker might even create a malicious hotspot with the sole purpose of sniffing your traffic. Without encryption, the hacker can potentially access sensitive information like passwords or credit card details. Unfortunately, it is challenging to distinguish credible hotspots from their malicious counterparts. With a VPN, the traffic is always encrypted between your device and the VPN server. Even if a Wi-Fi is malicious and intercepts your traffic, it is encrypted and reads like gibberish.

You travel abroad

In foreign countries, some services that you paid for may be blocked. This includes many streaming services but goes as far as search engines; for example, Google is blocked in China. Losing this access is annoying, and this is where a VPN can help. With a VPN, all your traffic is sent to the VPN server first. The VPN server then reroutes the traffic to the final destination. Thus the server of the final destination only ever sees the VPN servers IP address and not yours. If you connect to a VPN server in your home country, you can continue to enjoy all the services that you are used to.

You are shopping online

Salaries and purchasing power vary drastically between countries. Merchants exploit this to increase profit by increasing prices for countries where people have a higher purchasing power. Some merchants even go a step further and use personalized rates. These are based on data about you that is available to the merchant. This process is known as dynamic pricing. Ever wondered when you kept seeing an ad of a product that you once searched online? It is data about your past search history, income, and more that are used to personalize prices. A VPN can help here as it makes it harder for companies to track you. Furthermore, you can connect to a VPN server in a country with lower purchasing power and might receive more moderate prices. This is the case when a merchant uses IP address-based dynamic pricing. Thus, a VPN can help you to profit yourself from dynamic pricing!

You want to protect your browsing activity from your local network and ISP

Whenever you want to connect to the internet, your device initiates a connection with your internet service provider (ISP). Your ISP then redirects your communication to the server of the requested service, be it streaming a video, visiting a website, or sending a message. Because your ISP has to reroute the traffic, it knows which services you are using, who you are in touch with, or which websites you visit. Depending on the connection, the ISP also sees which video you are streaming, or the actual content of the message exchanged. When using a VPN, this is different. In simple terms, you can imagine a VPN as a tunnel between you and SnowHaze VPN servers. Your ISP still needs to reroute your traffic, but only to our servers independent of the service requested. Furthermore, everything is fully encrypted and reads like gibberish for your ISP or other third parties. Thus, a VPN effectively cuts out your ISP. A VPN reduces the amount of collectible data remarkably and prevents third parties from selling and sharing this data with others.

You are a high-risk individual

High-risk individuals like investigative journalists or political activists often face considerable risks associated with their valuable work. Contrary to what many VPN companies want you to believe, a VPN is not a one-stop solution for anonymity. As a high-risk individual, you need to take a multitude of precautions to protect your privacy and ensure your security. Of these precautions, a VPN is an inevitable part to ensure encryption and hide the IP address. Using an end-to-end encrypted e-mail or messaging provider gives an additional layer of security to protect sensitive messages. Combined with a VPN, an excellent private browser can protect from some forms of tracking that a VPN cannot protect from, like canvas fingerprinting.

You use file-sharing services

Peer-to-peer connections (P2P) offer a fast and reliable method to share data. This data may include anything from legitimate documents to illegal videos. Despite the legitimate use cases of P2P, many ISPs throttle the bandwidth of or completely block P2P connections. With a VPN, the ISP cannot distinguish between different connections. Subsequently, your ISP cannot throttle or block any of your P2P connections.

How to use a VPN?

Using a VPN is straightforward. First, get a subscription for SnowHaze VPN here. There is a seven days free trial available in our iOS version. Once you have your subscription, you find detailed tutorials on how to set up your VPN here. Whenever you wish to protect your traffic, you simply turn on the VPN. Then your device connects to one of our VPN servers and establishes the secure communication channel. Everything between your device and the VPN server is now effectively cut out and can’t intercept your communication, including your ISP and other third parties. The service you are accessing now only sees the IP address of the VPN server. This unblocks content such as videos or websites that are blocked based on IP location.

]]> VPN Anonymity with Zero-Knowledge Auth (ZKA) https://blog.snowhaze.com/zero-knowledge-auth-en/ Thu, 16 Jul 2020 08:41:00 +0000 http://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=751

Our infographic visualizes the technology behind ZKA.

Zero-Knowledge Auth (ZKA) is our new protocol that ensures the highest level of anonymity for our VPN. Most VPN providers are not private at all because they store a lot of information about you, like your name and address, your payment information, and logs about your internet traffic.
There are trustworthy VPN companies who promise not to log your usage of their services. They mostly live up to their promise and do not collect data about you. However, we still put the trust into their hands. If they are subject to a data breach, personal information might still be leaked. And the company itself technically has the power to find out what sites you visit.

ZKA revolutionizes the entire process from registration up to the usage of the VPN. There is no longer the need to share personal information. When you connect to the VPN, you don’t even need an anonymized account number to log in. Continue reading below for a detailed explanation.

ZKA Registration

The first step in using SnowHaze VPN anonymously is to generate a cryptograaphic key pair (Read more about cryptography here). First a secret code is generated by performing random calculation on your device. This ensures that this code is strong. We call it Master Secret and it is the basis for all the following operation.
A key pair (private key and public key) is then derived from your Master Secret. The Master Secret acts as starting point such that the keys derived from it are always the same. Since you are the only one knowing your Master Secret, only you can derive your key pair. The public key is sent to the server, where it is stored as a new database entry. The server only knows the public key and will associate all information like payments and validity to your public key.
The server does not know about your Master Secret, which is why it has to be safely stored. If you loose your Master Secret, it’s impossible to recover your subscription.
Users not wanting to loose the Master Secret have the possibility to register with email and password, like most of us are used to from other accounts. In this case, your Master Secret is encrypted with your password and safely stored on the server. The server cannot see it, since it is stored in an encrypted form. Your email is also not visible for the server because it was hashed (Read more about hashing here). The server never sees neither your Master Secret nor your email nor your password. When logging in, you request the encrypted version of your Master Secret from the server, and decrypt it on your device. Now the Master Secret can be used to derive the key pair and sign in.
Note that at any point you can add email and password to your registration or unlink your email and password from your registration.

ZKA Payment

The next step is to activate your registration by adding a payment. You choose a subscription option and pay either by credit card, or anonymously using cryptocurrencies or cash. Your successful payment is sent to the server along with your public key. The server can then credit your public key. From now on, you are allowed to connect to the VPN server. In order to connect with a VPN server, you must prove that you have the right to access it. This happens using tokens.

ZKA Token Generation

The server regularly (e.g. once a week) generates login tokens. All the newly generated tokens are randomly grouped into boxes and every box is assigned to a user. The server doesn’t know which user gets which tokens, neither which tokens are together in a box. When you want to use the VPN for the first time, your device first requests the box containing the tokens and stores it on your device. After that the new box containing new tokens is regularly updated (e.g. once a week).

ZKA VPN Connection

Before connecting to a VPN server, your device randomly picks a token out of the box and sends it to the server. The server let’s you connect if the token is valid. The only information that is exchanged with the server is the token. Remember that the tokens were randomly put into the boxes, which were randomly distributed among the users. The server only knows the public key of a user, and simply sends the box of tokens to the user that requests it using the corresponding private key. There is nothing tracing back to the public key when you connect to the server.

ZKA VPN Usage

Since you have a valid token, the server let’s you connect. Your internet traffic is now encrypted and rerouted over the VPN server. The IP address that websites see is the one from the VPN server. This hides your true IP address protects your location. The server records nothing about your traffic and cannot tie two separate connections to a user. Enjoy the first truly anonymous VPN service.

ZKA Verification

If you are still reading this, we obviously got you interested. As a clever mind your might ask yourself “Sounds good, but how do I know that what you describe is the same as what runs on the server?”. Good question, we thought you might wonder. You can actually verify this yourself.

There is a dedicated process in an enclave of the server, which is in charge of generating and distributing the tokens. This technology by Intel called Software Guard Extensions (SGX) provides a guarantee that the code running in this enclave was not altered. Since all the code is open source, you can check that the fingerprint of the enclave is the same as the one for the code. This gives you the proof that we are running the very same code on our production servers.

Visit our Github page for the verification script and more details https://github.com/snowhaze/zka-sgx

]]> Infographic: Zero-Knowledge Auth Explained https://blog.snowhaze.com/infographic-zero-knowledge-auth-explained/ Tue, 16 Jun 2020 17:34:40 +0000 http://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=766

Read the text explanation here.

]]> About Business Ethics and VPNs https://blog.snowhaze.com/about-business-ethics-and-vpns/ Sat, 27 Apr 2019 10:54:10 +0000 http://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=740

When using a VPN service, you entrust your entire traffic to a single company. This company reroutes all your traffic to give you the advantages of spoofed IP address, encrypted connection, and uncensored internet. However, these advantages come at the cost that you are to some degree at the mercy of your VPN provider.

It is undisputed that the benefits of a VPN greatly outweigh the risks. But it is still worthwhile to take a closer look at the business ethics of VPNs. Shockingly enough, the VPN business makes up for some of the shadiest online companies. Yes, in a market advocating trust, privacy, and security, businesses do, concerning the business practices, not live up to the claims. Read below to learn about some of the most common lies in the VPN industry:

Affiliates

VPN companies use affiliates for advertising their services. Affiliates usually get a generous financial kickback for every signup they generate. Affiliates-marketing is an easy and cheap way for a company to grow sales and is not per se a problem. However, affiliates often engage in misleading customers, spam social media and e-mails, and run smear campaigns against other VPN providers, e.g., when PrivateInternetAccess distributed lies about ProtonVPN

No logs

The “no-logs” claim is an absolute standard in the VPN business. It means that a company is not keeping any logs or storing any other data on the VPN servers. I mean, who wants a company to keep track of what you do online? Not a lot of VPN users… So companies that openly advertise that they keep logs are at a disadvantage, I get it. But unfortunately, it has been shown over and over again that many VPN companies just claim to have a no-log service, while in fact, they don’t. While no-logs sounds super easy, in fact, it is not. It requires some extra effort from your side, from the data center, the software, the employees and so on. While no-logs sounds like default, it is definitely not. Depending on the jurisdiction of the VPN company, no-log services might not even be legal. Therefore, we can still assume that a large number of VPN providers just claim to be no-logs for business purposes but have not invested the time to make it no-log.

Tracking

Privacy-conscious users make up a significant fraction of VPN customers. For many, no-logs is a must and tracking from the VPN provider a no-go. I agree VPN providers have access to the entire traffic of a VPN user, and while some parts of the traffic are encrypted, the amount of data available is still dizzying. Privacy protection as a service is also part of the sales pitch of most VPN brands. I found an article on how to protect from tracking through Google on the website of a very renowned VPN provider. Sadly but not unsurprisingly, I also found a Google Analytics script on the exact same site. I guess a reasonable start would be to protect their users from their own services..?

White label solution

Running a VPN service is neither cheap nor easy. Especially, when you are running a no-log VPN service on dedicated servers, adequate resources are needed, as we know first-hand at SnowHaze. Many of the numerous VPN services are mere white-label services that license from wholesale VPN solution providers. In the white-label solution market, there is one (and only one) thing that matters: price. VPN providers that opt for white-label solutions, usually opt for the cheapest ones. These, however, rarely meet the privacy and security standards that are advertised.

Bought reviews

Whenever you search online for “best VPN” or something alike, hundreds of results with lists like “best VPN in 2019” or “top 10 VPNs for streaming” pop up. What seems like a helpful guide to get the best for your buck is actually paid advertisement and completely misleading for customers. Because most of these reviews are actually paid ones. The more a VPN provider pays, the better it ranks.

Summary

As I show in this article, dubious business practices are omnipresent. There are a staggering number of players in the VPN market that concentrate on phony advertising instead of providing a high-quality product for the customer. It is difficult for an advanced VPN user to assess the quality of a service, and it is nearly impossible for a novice user to do so. With the high competition in the VPN market, many successful companies focus on cutting the cost of the service with implications on privacy and security, to then spending the profits in dishonest marketing.

We know that the VPN market is oversaturated. There really is no need for just another VPN service. That’s why we decided to do it differently. Many VPN companies do not live up to their claims.

  • That’s why we decided to create the first VPN with privacy by design – our users can verify that we keep what we preach.
  • That’s why we don’t have user accounts – we know nothing about our users and hence cannot leak or log anything.
  • That’s why we refrain from dubious marketing practices – we instead spend our money on improving our product than paid reviews.

]]> How your WiFi setting is used to track you https://blog.snowhaze.com/how-your-wifi-setting-is-used-to-track-you/ Fri, 19 Apr 2019 07:31:35 +0000 http://blog.snowhaze.com/?p=735

Tracking happens not only when you’re actively browsing the web, but all the time. Some tracking methods used are really subtle and usually not noticed. Have you ever wondered how your phone automatically connect to your home network as soon as you enter your house? Your phone is constantly sending out signal in the quest of a known network. Your device is basically communicating with all nearby WiFi networks without taking a break. This communication is not restricted to known networks, but it happens with all networks.

The information that is shared with a network contains data about your phone but also a list of all networks known to your phone. Most users have connected with a lot of networks in the past. The combination of all these networks is almost unique for each of us and acts like the fingerprint of your device. This unique fingerprint is sent to all nearby networks and can be used to track you in real-time.

If you are in a mall, at the airport or simply moving around in your city, many routers belonging to the same network see your phone’s signal. This allows to follow your path very precisely. It is possible to see where you’ve been, how long you spent in a shop and when you take a break. This is valuable information when it comes to analyzing people’s behavior in order to better place advertising, decide a new shop’s location, or send location specific offers.

There are different ways to fight against that.

The first and simplest trick is to turn of WiFi when you’re not using it. Make sure to turn it off in the settings and not just from your Control Center as this doesn’t completely deactivate the WiFi signal.

Reset your network settings regularly. Each time you connect to a new network, your fingerprint gets more unique. Regularly resetting your network settings removes all WiFi network, VPN connections and restores the default settings. You will have to reconnect to your networks and reenter the passwords. However, it is worth it to do some housekeeping now and then.

The last trick is more advanced but very effective. Use a Faraday cage. A Faraday cage physically blocks all incoming or outgoing electromagnetic waves. As soon as you put your device in a Faraday cage, it becomes completely isolated from the outside world and cannot send or receive any signal. You can buy different kinds of sleeves depending on the item you want to protect. Sizes range from small for credit cards and passports to entire bags.

So next time you are on your way, there might be someone tracking your way around town by looking at your WiFi signal. Just try one of the tricks to remain unobserved.

]]>