This week I am featuring a guest writer and a good friend of mine. He has decided to keep his identity private and prefers to be called TheHegem0n. Here is his take on the importance of internet security.

TAILS: A Look At Net Security

TAILS. What is it? Why do you want it? Why is it important for the future? These are questions you should be asking, so let me explain. TAILS, short for The Amnesiac Incognito Live System, is a Linux-based operating system created solely for anonymity for files and web browsing. While it is not the most popular program in the world (for reasons I’ll explain later), it is still a very useful tool for you.

Jason Bourne without a gun

TAILS is extremely useful for people trying to keep their information or identity safe. Even Edward Snowden (or as I like to call him, real life Jason Bourne without a gun) used TAILS to hide his identity from the NSA (National Security Agency) while he was mining data from their servers.

Now, how does it work? Well, TAILS is usually loaded as a bootable flash drive or a CD. When the device is booted, it only uses RAM as a means of memory which means that every time you turn off TAILS everything you did is erased: files, passwords, bank information, and the like.

TAILS desktop...feel the nostalgia

TAILS comes with a wide variety of tools:

• Built-in online anonymity: the key feature that's going to appeal to most people is TAILS's built-in online anonymity (anonymity on the internet applies to any interaction a user has on the internet that protects his or her identity from being shared with another user or with a third party).

• This comes in the form of the customized web browser Iceweasel (a free software rebranding of the Mozilla Firefox web browser) built using the anonymous web browsing technology from Tor.

• Popular security extensions like HTTPS Everywhere for secure browsing. Tor will also let you browse the darknet (a computer network with restricted access that is used chiefly for illegal peer-to-peer file sharing). This is a key feature for many people, as you have access to information not on common search engines such as Google. It is always fun to browse around the darknet and take a peek, but please be warned of what you will find there.

• Adblock Plus to block ads and NoScript to block Java and Flash. Other than those features, the web browser works exactly like you'd expect a web browser to work.

• Built-in encrypted email and chat: additionally, you also get encrypted and private messaging. TAILS includes the Claws email client with OpenPGP for email encryption and the instant messaging client Pidgin with an OTR cryptography tool that encrypts your IM conversations.

• Built-in file encryption: when booting TAILS from a USB drive instead of a DVD, you can save documents to the thumb drive. The files are automatically encrypted using an encryption specification called LUKS. (Since the DVD is read-only, you can't save any files—which is its own form of security.)

• A full suite of editing software: on top of private web access, you also get a full suite of work and creative software. TAILS comes preloaded with OpenOffice for editing documents, GIMP for editing photos, Audacity for editing sound, and plenty additional software. My personal favorite is Electrum, a Bitcoin wallet where I store all my Bitcoin securely.

How Tor works on TAILS

You can find a great tutorial to download TAILS here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DiE5fmAtYg. *Warning, this is a tedious process that takes upwards of an hour. This is a small pain compared to the benefits.

The only hardware you will need is two USB drives over 4GB or CD of the same requirements.

The official TAILS site: https://tails.boum.org.

Now that you have TAILS, you can see all the really cool stuff you can do with it. However, let's get down the core problem.

TAILS is not meant to be a replacement for Windows or your favorite operating system, or even for your bouts of reading related articles on Wikipedia (I have a problem). It is not for browsing the clear net. TAILS is meant for security, and with security comes responsibility. This is a comprehensive way to keep your identity safe. Privacy is a right every human deserves. For those of us that like to keep our privacy secure, this is why TAILS exists.

The reason random browsing is not the main goal of TAILS is because it is not the fastest OS in the world, and Tor isn’t any better. Web pages load slowly, almost like you are in the 90's because of the Linux feel to it. It is not for pleasure, it’s for business! I highly suggest using it for work, important document reading, or transfer only! if you don’t mind not having any privacy on the web, TAILS and Tor are useless to you.

Tor reroutes your IP address to remain anonymous

Why did I ask Jon to help write this post? I made it because there is no such thing as privacy in our modern world without the use of extra programs like TAILS designed to keep it. Facebook, Google, your iPhone, your Android, chip credit cards, ATM's, the government, and countless businesses keep track of you -- where you are, what you are buying, and how you live your life.

There is no privacy in the world anymore. A pin could drop in China and a person in Sweden could know about it before it hit the floor. I firmly believe security and privacy are important. Net neutrality and the movement of free ideas is important. In our global climate, especially with the 2016 election coming, I firmly believe that the use of free Internet should be protected. As a note: no, I am not delusional or a prepper. I just like to know that whatever happens to this world in the future, I have tools at my disposal for my privacy to continue to be a basic right.

I highly condone that you should have TAILS for your important "my eyes only" work. You will be and feel safer knowing that nobody is watching you. If you actually read all of this, thank you, and please stay safe out there on the web and in the world. I consider myself to still new at navigating TAILS and I’ve had it for about 6 months now. It is a complex program that is extremely useful to me.

- TheHegem0n