The false illusion of online anonymity

Browsing the web anonymously in business is not that easy for many users: professionals carrying out sensitive investigations, companies conducting competitive intelligence, or even individuals concerned about their privacy. Many mistakenly think that activating a private browsing window is enough to disappear from radars... which is far from being true. Explanations.

Digital identity is based on numerous technical parameters:

• The IP address, which betrays your location and your access provider,
• Fingerprinting, which analyzes your device, browser, and operating system,
• The cookies, which records session and tracking information,
• DNS queries, which show your browsing history.

In February 2025, Google will allow advertisers to exploit fingerprinting, using your IP address, browser, operating system and time zone as an alternative to cookies. This practice, strongly criticized by the ICO in the United Kingdom, further reduces users' control over their personal data.

How can you guarantee a completely anonymous and secure web browsing?

There are several approaches to hiding your digital identity. However, they have limitations when used individually. Here is an overview of best practices:

1️⃣ Hide your IP: VPN vs VIPN (Invisible VPN)

One of the first reflexes to anonymize your connection is the use of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The latter encrypts your traffic and masks your IP address by giving you that of another server. But traditional VPNs have some drawbacks:

• Some providers keep connection logs,
• VPN IPs are sometimes detected and blocked by websites,
• They don't fully protect against fingerprinting and it leaves other digital fingerprints visible.

The solution? The VIPN to Virtual & Invisible Private Network. Unlike a traditional VPN, a VIPN guarantees total invisibility of the source IP during your browsing by preventing any correlation between the user and the output IP.

2️⃣ Remote Browser Isolation (RBI): remote isolated navigation

The Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) is an advanced technology that executes web browsing on a remote server instead of the local computer. Concretely, the user only receives a video stream of the web pages, thus eliminating any risk of malware intrusion and cyberattacks into their infrastructure.

Benefits of RBI:‍

• Fingerprinting masking: impossible to expose your IP, browser, operating system or hardware characteristics (CPU, graphics card, RAM...), because the navigation takes place on a remote server,
• ‍No access to local cookies: sites cannot use cookies stored on the user's device, thus preventing advertising tracking,
• Enhanced security : no threat can reach the user station, ideal for professionals (SOC, OSINT, companies, investigators) who must analyze suspicious sites without risk. or to inject malicious code into the machine, thanks to a protocol break.

Although browsing is isolated, some sites may detect the IPs of cloud providers hosting this virtual browser solution. It is therefore necessary to couple the RBI with a VIPN for maximum invisibility.

3️⃣ The ultimate combination: VIPN + RBI

The alliance of a Invisible VPN that masks the IP and encrypts the traffic, and a Remote Browser Isolation That isolates navigation from online threats therefore represents the most effective solution to navigate. anonymously and without risk. This approach is already being taken by Security Operations Centers (SOC) or professionals fromOpen Source Intelligence (OSINT) who need to investigate cyberattacks without being detected.

The benefits of RBI + VIPN navigation:

• ‍Full anonymization : no fingerprints left online,
• ‍Advanced security : protection against malware and phishing,
• ‍Compliance with regulations : compliance with standards such as The ANSSI PDIS standard.

Becoming invisible and untouchable on the web is therefore possible 😎

At a time when tech giants like Google are changing their tracking policies, it's critical to take proactive steps to protect your online anonymity. Private browsing and traditional VPNs aren't enough to guarantee total anonymity. For eliminate all traces and risks of cyber threats, the ideal solution is the combination of a Invisible VPN and Remote Browser Isolation.

VirtualBrowser in partnership with Snowpack, propose a solution ultra-secure and anonymous browsing, meeting the requirements of professionals and companies concerned about their confidentiality.

🔗 Find out here how VirtualBrowser protects your online anonymity

👉 And for a demonstration of how it works, do not to contact us.