If you are realizing that your online activity is not as private as you once thought, you're on the right track. You might be surprised at how much of your sensitive information can be seen by others online. If you are worried about your privacy now as you browse the web, write an email, or chat with others, take a look at these tips so you can get some peace of mind the next time you go online.

1. Install Anti-Spyware Software

One of the best places to start to increase your privacy is to install anti-spyware software. This can help protect you from everything from annoying adware to spyware that seeks to steal your passwords, account numbers and other sensitive information. TopTenREVIEWS offers a list of anti-spyware software that can protect your computer from adware, spyware, phishing, keyloggers, malware, Trojans and other invasions of your privacy. Just choose the one that has the features you need and gets the best reviews.

2. Use a VPN Server

A VPN is a Virtual Private Network that can increase your privacy on the Internet. The way it works is by developing an encrypted channel between a remote server and your computer. This way, only the VPN server can see your data, while your Internet service provider cannot. As long as you choose a VPN provider that does not keep logs of your online activity you should be able to browse the Internet securely.

3. Use Anonymous Payment Methods like Bitcoin

Another way to increase your online privacy is to use payment methods that allow you to remain anonymous online. Bitcoin is one example of such a method. You can buy Bitcoins anonymously by refraining from using your regular email address since you do not want to give out any personal contact information. Instead, use an anonymous email address and then use a new Bitcoin address for every transaction you partake in. If you are not able to buy your Bitcoins anonymously, you can buy them from an automated exchange and then use a mixer service that swaps them with others so they cannot easily be traced back to you.

4. Secure Your Email

The conventional way of securing your email is to encrypt it. In particular, PCWorld advises that you encrypt your email messages, including any that you've stored in your cache, along with the connection between your email provider and your computer. Otherwise, it's possible that others on your network could see your password and the contents of your email. When you encrypt your email, the messages are unreadable until they reach their destination. Luckily, some email providers have encryption tools built in, but if yours doesn't, you can download add-ons or software to do the job.

5. Secure Your Text Messages, Instant Messages, and Chats

Privacy is also important when it comes to texts, instant messages and chat sessions. Some services such as Google Talk and Google Hangouts have an off the record setting so your chats are not stored on the server. If the services you use do not have this setting, you can install an application like Pidgin that features an encryption layer. In addition you can use HTTPS Everywhere, which automatically goes to the encrypted version of any website to make sure you have secure socket layer connectivity.

Author Bio
This article is written by Roscoe Crowell,  a freelance writer and privacy advocate. You can follow him on Twitter (@RoscoeCrowell)