How To Hide Browsing History From Network Admin
Years ago, hiding your online activities like your browsing history will make you appear suspicious. People were under the notion that only people with illicit or illegal activities would think about hiding their online activities. And this was true to some extent many, many years ago.
Today, this line of thought is already backwards. Hiding your online activities does not necessarily mean that you are engaged in illicit or criminal affairs. With the rampant occurrence of cybercrimes, hiding your online activities have become a must these days. Online security has become more and more fragile as technology and the internet become more and more enhanced and advanced.
Table of Content
- How to hide your browsing history from your network admin
- Why would network administrators look at your browsing history
Cyber criminals seem to have thought of every way to break through the security of internet users. Email scams, phishing, identity theft, fraud, and many other crimes are constantly being uncovered, and people who do not protect themselves against these crimes are very vulnerable. Hiding your browsing history and other online activities is one way of actively protecting your security.
Aside from security, another valid reason for hiding your browsing history is privacy. They say that privacy is really non-existent in the world of internet. However, privacy is and should still be present even on the internet. There are still millions of people out there who value and care so much for their privacy. It is quite spooky to know that anyone can just see what you are doing online, even when you are not doing anything illegal or shameful.
One of the people who have free access to your online activities is your network administrator. He or she is responsible for maintaining the system of computers, printers, and other devices that are interconnected with each other. This network can be at your home (home network), or at work (work network). Your Internet Service Provider or ISP is also considered as a network administrator as it oversees every device that connects to them via the internet.
Again, let us emphasize that all these people have free access to everything you are doing on the network. This is why if you value your privacy, you would need to hide your online activities, and one of which is your browsing history. By hiding your browsing history, other people cannot see what you are doing, or where you have been on the internet. Hiding these things from your network administrator is actually valid and should not a source of suspicion.
How to Hide Your Browsing History from Your Network Admin
The question now is; how do you actually hide your browsing from network administrators? Is deleting your computer’s cache and browsing history enough? The answer to the second question is a resounding NO. Even when you delete your browsing history, your network administrator can still access it and see what sites you’ve been visiting and how long you spent on a specific webpage.
The only way to hide your browsing history from your network administrator is by getting out of the network. You can do this virtually by using a virtual private network before connecting to a website or webpage. Here are two main reasons why a virtual private network can help you hide your browsing history from network admin:
1. You will be assigned a different IP address.
When you are within a network, your IP address will show that you belong to that particular network. Thus, your network administrator knows who is using a particular IP address. If you use a VPN, you will be assigned a different IP address which does not belong to the network anymore. This way, you can freely browse through the internet without fear of someone peeking through your browsing history.
2. Data packets are transmitted with encryption
All the things you send and receive on the internet are called data packets. When you are connected to a network, the network admin can intercept all data packets and see what they contain. Therefore, network admin will know what you are doing online. However, if you connect to a VPN, all data packets you send and receive will be heavily encrypted, making it difficult and even impossible for network administrators to decrypt them and see what the packets contain.
LimeVPN, one of the best VPN service providers, makes use of military-like encryption that will make it impossible for even your ISP to know your online activities.
Why Would Network Administrators Look at Your Browsing History?
There could be a number of different reasons why network administrators want to know your browsing history. If you are connected to your work network at the office, your boss and the company’s management would want to know if the sites you are accessing affect your productivity and performance. It is their call, so you better use a Virtual Private Network for valid reasons only.
Most Internet Service Providers, on the other hand, keep a record of everything you’ve done using the internet. They also store your data, including the text messages and calls exchanged through their network. ISP Verizon, stores the record for one year, followed by Sprint who keeps the same record for eighteen months. T-mobile stocks this list for five years, while it is seven years for AT&T.
Alarmingly, however, Verizon keeps the actual contents of your text messages. They store it for five days, while the other ISPs – Sprint, T-mobile and AT&T – do not store actual contents of your text messages at all. Aside from all these, other data that ISPs are tracking include the following:
- The exact time you connect to the internet;
- The websites you visit and their specific URLs;
- The specific pages you open in each website;
- How long you were online;
- How long you visit websites;
For those who are also using your mobile phones, ISPs can obtain the following:
- Your call logs – everyone you talked to using the internet;
- Your text logs – everyone you exchanged text messages with, online;
- Your actual text messages – if your ISP is Verizon;
- The apps you are using and how much time you spend on these apps;
- How frequently you use your apps.
In Conclusion
While network administrators have different reasons for tracking your online activities, users also have varying reasons why they want to hide. Hiding your browsing history is one of the ways in which you can protect your online privacy and security. One of the most effective ways to uphold your security and privacy while browsing the internet is to subscribe to a virtual private network. You should do away with the backwards notion that only people who are engaged in illicit activities would hide their browsing history. You should start actively protecting your privacy by subscribing to a VPN service provider, one which is LimeVPN.
Rachael Chapman
A Complete gamer and a Tech Geek. Brings out all her thoughts and love in writing blogs on IOT, software, technology etc
