Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has argued that privacy is no longer "a social norm." And former Google CEO Eric Schmidt once famously opined, "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."
However, in reality, many ordinary, law-abiding citizens are (justifiably) much more worried about online privacy than these famous executives are. Many individuals and organizations are concerned about a variety of threats: oppressive government regimes, hackers bent on stealing their personal information and corporate marketers who want to track their every move.
Fortunately, the open source community has developed a variety of tools to help you protect yourself from threats like these. Below are 60 open source projects that can help you keep your identity and your personal information safe. Note that these are not listed in order of their quality or usefulness – instead, they're organized into various categories. If you know of others that we should have mentioned, feel free to add them in the comments section below.
Anonymous Browsing
1. TorUsed by journalists, intelligence officers and other individuals who need to remain anonymous, Tor allows you to browse and communicate over the Internet without revealing your identity. It can also help you access Web services that have been blocked in particular countries. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
2. JAP
Like Tor, JAP hides your IP address while you're browsing online. However, because it is a research project, the service occasionally experiences outages and downtime. Operating System: OS Independent.
Anonymous Email
3. ZmailZmail describes itself as a "fake e-mail program" that allows you to send e-mail from anyone to anyone. It's useful for testing mail servers or for sending e-mail without using your regular account. Operating System: OS Independent.
4. Mixmaster
Available in both client and server versions, Mixmaster is a remailer that protects you from traffic analysis. With it, you can send e-mail anonymously or under a pseudonym. Operating System: Windows, Linux.
5. Mixminion
Another anonymous remailer, Mixminion passes e-mail through a network of servers that mixes them up and encrypts them in order to protect privacy. It hasn't been updated in a while, but a stable version is available. Operating System: Windows, Unix, OS X.
Anti-Spam
6. ASSPASSP (or "Anti-Spam SMTP Proxy") claims to be "the absolute best SPAM fighting weapon that the world has ever known!" It uses Bayesian analysis, penalty box trapping, realtime blackhole listing, and several other techniques to block spam at the SMTP server. Operating System: OS Independent.
7. MailScanner
Downloaded more than 1.3 million times, MailScanner combines the power of two other open source tools—SpamAssassin and ClamAV—to protect mail servers. Extensive documentation is available on the site. Operating System: Linux, Unix.
8. SpamAssassin
"The powerful #1 open-source spam filter," SpamAssassin from Apache uses an entire arsenal of techniques to find and block unwanted e-mail. You can deploy it on a mail server or locally on an individual e-mail account, but you will need to be fairly knowledgeable to set it up. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
9. SpamBayes
After you train SpamBayes by showing it which messages you like (the ham) and which messages you don't like (the spam), it will use special algorithms to sort your e-mail for you. It integrates with a wide variety of e-mail clients, including Outlook and Thunderbird. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
Anti-Spyware
10. NixoryNixory's job is to get rid of malicious tracking cookies. The new Active Shield mode removes cookies while your browser is open, without slowing down your surfing. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
11. xpy
For the many users still running Windows XP, xpy tweaks the operating system settings to give you better privacy. For example, it disables communication with Microsoft, removes Windows Messenger, and makes some changes to Internet Explorer. Operating System: Windows XP.
Browser
12. DoobleDooble is a newer browser built with a focus on security. Unlike the better-known browsers, it encodes all of your browsing information for better privacy. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
Browser Add-Ons
13. TorbuttonThis Firefox add-on makes it easy to turn Tor (see above) on or off for anonymous browsing. Note that when you are using it, you will not be able to access sites that use JavaScript, some CSS features, or Flash. Operating System: OS Independent.
14. HTTPS Everywhere
Many websites have the ability to encrypt traffic via HTTPS, but don't turn on that feature by default. This Firefox add-on, a collaboration between the Tor Project and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, rewrites requests so that you will automatically use HTTPS whenever it is available. Operating System: OS Independent.
15. Privacy Dashboard
This Firefox add-on from W3C (the World Wide Web Consortium) alerts you to the data being collected by the various websites you visit. Users also have the option of contributing to a project that is tracking how websites are doing at protecting users' privacy. Operating System: OS Independent.
16. Web of Trust (WOT)
Downloaded more than 23.5 million times, Web of Trust rates websites based on their reputation. While you're browsing, sites with a good reputation will show up with a green circle, bad sites get a red circle, and those in between will look more orange or yellow. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
17. SafeCache
This Firefox add-on helps prevent websites from accessing your browsing history. It works with your cookie settings to apply your desired level of privacy. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
18. BetterPrivacy
Even when you have your cookies disabled, Flash-enabled sites like YouTube, E-Bay and others can use Flash cookies (also called "SuperCookies") to track your activities. BetterPrivacy automatically disables those cookies. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
19. AdBlock Plus
Used by more than 12.5 million Firefox users, AdBlock Plus can be configured to block all advertisements or only those originating from domains known to install malware. To use it, you'll also need to subscribe to one of the filters that provide the type of blocking you desire. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
20. PasswordMaker
Instead of re-using the same password over and over, use PasswordMaker to generate completely secure passwords using a one-way hash algorithm. All you need to remember is the name of the site you're visiting and your master password. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
Data Destruction
21. BleachBitBleachBit protects your privacy in several ways: it cleans your cache, erases your Internet history, deletes cookies and gets rid of logs, temporary files and other junk you didn't even know your system was storing. It also includes a "shredder" to eliminate completely all traces of files you want to delete. Operating System: Windows, Linux.
22. Darik's Boot And Nuke
If you're getting rid of an old PC or you have other reasons for wanting to destroy all the data on a hard drive, DBAN is for you. It securely deletes all information from all drives it can detect on your system so that those files cannot be recovered. Operating System: OS Independent.
23. Eraser While DBAN erases your entire drive, Eraser securely deletes selected files and folders only. The website suggests it's ideal for eliminating all traces of "passwords, personal information, classified documents from work, financial records, and self-written poems." Operating System: Windows.
24. Wipe
If you need a tool like Eraser, but you're running Linux, check out Wipe. It also securely deletes files and folders by writing over the old data several times. Operating System: Linux.
Data Loss Prevention
25. OpenDLPThis tool for businesses or other organizations with large networks scans all the Windows systems on a network and identifies which systems contain sensitive data. That information is then sent back via a secure connection to a centralized Web app so that administrators or security consultants can see the results. Operating System: Windows.
26. MyDLP
Another tool for larger organizations, MyDLP monitors incoming and outgoing traffic on your network looking for sensitive data leaks. It's available in a free community edition or a paid enterprise edition. Operating System: Windows, Linux, VMware.
Encryption
27. AxCryptUsed by more than 2.2 million people, AxCrypt calls itself the "leading open source file encryption software for Windows." It integrates seamlessly into the Windows File Explorer—just right-click to encrypt a file and protect it with a password, or double-click to decrypt. Operating System: Windows.
28. TrueCrypt
Downloaded nearly twenty million times, this popular encryption tool can protect an entire drive or an entire partition of a drive. And its parallelization and pipelining techniques mean you won't notice any performance delays on your encrypted drive(s). Operating System: Windows.
29. Gnu Privacy Guard
GnuPG (aka GPG) allows Linux users to sign and encrypt their data or digital communications. This is a command line tool, but several front ends (including some we've featured on this list) are available. Operating System: Linux.
30. GPGTools
This project ports GPG for Mac users. Note that not all of the features will work with OS X Lion yet. Operating System: OS X.
31. Gpg4win
As you can tell by the name, this version of GPG encrypts files and e-mail on Windows systems. This version is a little bit easier for the less technically inclined to use than some of the others. Operating System: Windows.
32. Crypt
This encryption tool is extremely lightweight (44KB) and fast, and you don't have to install it to use it. However, that speed and light weight is due to the fact that it doesn't have a GUI, so you'll need to be comfortable working from the command line ot use it. Operating System: Windows.
33. NeoCrypt
Much easier to use, NeoCrypt offers right-click integration with Windows Explorer. It supports 10 different encryption algorithms, including AES and BlowFish, and it offers batch encryption capabilities. Operating System: Windows. 34. FreeOTFE
Short for "free on the fly encryption," this tool creates encrypted virtual disks on your hard drive. It can run from a thumb drive, and it supports multiple hash and encryption algorithms. Operating System: Windows.
File Transfer
35. WinSCPThe WinSCP client offers secure file transfer via SFTP or SCP. It also supports regular old FTP as well, for those times when you're not as concerned about protecting your privacy. Operating System: Windows.
36. FileZilla
Like WinSCP, FileZilla also supports secure file transfer. However, this project includes both a cross-platform client and a Windows-only server version. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
File Sharing
37. RetroShareMost file sharing networks open you up to all kinds of security and privacy concenrs, but RetroShare lets you set up a secure file sharing network only among those you trust. It encrypts all communication via OpenSSL and GPG, and it supports e-mail, chat, file sharing, streaming, VoIP, and more. Operating System: Windows, Linux, Unix, BSD.
38. MUTE
This file-sharing network protects your identity by avoiding direct connections between sharing partners. All requests for file downloads are routed through multiple connections so that it's impossible to tell a file's final destination. Operating System: OS Independent.
39. StealthNet
Like MUTE, the StealthNet network routes file sharing requests through multiple network nodes in order to provide anonymity. It offers fast download speeds and a user-friendly GUI. Operating System: OS Independent.
40. PeerBlock
This fork of PeerGuardian 2 (which is no longer in active development) protects your privacy while using peer-to-peer networks by blocking computers on "known bad" lists. It's been downloaded more than a million times. Operating System: Windows.
Gateway Security Appliance
41. UntangleWith Untangle, you can turn an old PC in to an appliance that protects your privacy and secures your network (or you can purchase a pre-configured appliance directly from the company). It's currently used by more than 1.7 million people at more than 30,000 organizations around the world. Operating System: Linux.
42. Endian Firewall Community
Like Untangle, the open source version of Endian allows you to turn an older PC into a gateway security appliance. It includes a firewall, anti-virus, anti-spam, Web content filtering, a VPN and more. Operating System: Linux.
43. ClearOS
ClearOS provides the software for building a combination security appliance/small business server complete with groupware, mail, filesharing, database and Web server capabilities. It's available in a variety of editions for home and enterprise users, and paid support is available. Operating System: Linux.
Intrusion Detection/Prevention
44. SnortThe "most widely deployed IDS/IPS technology worldwide," Snort boasts millions of downloads and more than 400,000 registered users. It uses signature, protocol and anomaly-based inspection to detect and prevent intrusions on your network. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X, others.
45. OSSEC
This intrusion detection system offers log analysis, file integrity checking, policy monitoring, rootkit detection, real-time alerting and more. Enterprise users can get paid support for OSSEC from Trend Micro. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X, others.
46. Open Source Tripwire
The standard version of Tripwire is no longer open source, but this project is built on the open source code from 2000. It alerts IT managers when changes have been made in network files in order to help them detect intrusions. Operating System: Linux.
47. AFICK Like Tripwire, "Another File Integrity Checker," or AFICK for short, detects changes in files caused by network intruders. It's easy to install and can be used from the command line or a GUI. Operating System: Windows, Linux.
Network Firewall
48. IPCopThis software for home or SOHO networks turns an old PC into a Linux-based firewall. It's fairly easy to configure and maintain if you're technically minded. Operating System: Linux.
49. Devil-Linux
In addition to firewall capabilities, Devil-Linux can also act as an application server. It can boot and run directly from a CD or a thumb drive. Operating System: Linux.
50. Turtle Firewall
Another tool for helping you create your own Linux-based network firewall out of an old system, Turtle can be managed via a Web interface or by modifying XML files directly. The website offers a helpful manual with info for both newbies and those with experience with firewalls and networking. Operating System: Linux.
51. Shorewall
Shorewall, aka "Shoreline Firewall," configures the Netfilter in Linux, making it easy to manage your own firewall. You can use it either to secure a network or on an individual Linux system. Operating System: Linux.
52. Vuurmuur
Like many of the other projects in this category, Vuurmurr leverages the built-in firewall capabilities in Linux. This one comes with a basic GUI, but you're still going to need to be fairly technical in order to use it. Operating System: Linux.
Operating System
53. quantOSThis variation of Linux Mint has been hardened for greater security. It includes integration with the Tor network and leverages several other security- and privacy-related open source projects.
Password Management
54. KeePass Password SafeOne of the best ways to protect your privacy is to choose secure, unique passwords for each site or service you use. KeePass makes that easier by storing your passwords in an encrypted database—you only have to remember one master password. Operating System: Windows, Linux.
55. Password Safe
Very similar to KeePass, Password Safe also stores your passwords behind one master password. This app also gives you the option of creating multiple databases so that you can have sets of passwords for different users or separate passwords for work and home. Operating System: Windows.
Portable Apps
56. DemocrakeyFor privacy on the go, Democrakey bundles together apps for anonymous browsing, anonymous e-mail and IM, encryption, file shredding and anti-virus into a suite that runs from a thumb drive. You can also purchase a USB drive with Democrakey installed from Democrakey.com. Operating System: Windows.
57. Tor Browser Bundle
The Tor project also makes a portable suite that you can take with you on a thumb drive. You can also download an IM version. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
Proxy Server
58. PrivoxyThis non-caching Web proxy server offers advanced filtering capabilities for removing ads and protecting your privacy. You can use it to protect an individual PC or an entire network. Operating System: Windows, Linux, OS X.
Social Networking
59. ReclaimPrivacy.orgThis site scans your Facebook settings and alerts you to data which you may have unintentionally made public. It's still a good idea to check your privacy settings manually, but this tool gives you a good second check to make sure you haven't divulged personal information that you didn't want to make public. Operating System: OS Independent.
60. Diaspora
Still an alpha release, Diaspora bills itself as an open source Facebook alternative that protects your privacy. Like Google+, it sorts your friends into groups so that it is easier to share information only with selected sets of people. Operating System: OS Independent.
Information Source -
Instead of using any open source tool i always use "Hotspot Shield" free VPN. It is very convenient and best VPN for Mac Security and privacy.
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