Very ignorant newbie, advice please!

[paigegirl]

Hi-I know VERY little about tech stuff -liberal arts major (lol) -also a girl-not that girls can't be good at tech stuff. But, this is the scenario-I do some "private" research which is nobody's business, but still, the "powers that be" would disapprove. So tell me this-I take my laptop to the local library, which doesn't have security cameras-it's a nice library, but in a small town with a very low crime rate. So I go to an alcove so I can't be observed, Never enter any personal information, & always use TOR. Does this seem secure? The only problem I can think of is maybe the ISP Provider might be watching, but can he see anything but the encryption? And it's hard to break, from what I hear. I might add-never been arrested (* speeding tickets-lol). also-I'm not trying to over-throw the government. So, am I safe or am I overlooking something? Thanks for any advice!

[gordo]

Basically, TOR hides your ip address, but doesn't encrypt your data. A vpn hides your ip address and encrypts your data. More below....

http://www.hotspotshield.com/learn/tor-vs-vpn
Tor advantages
No one can trace the sites you visit back to your IP address.

Since the network is distributed, it makes it extremely difficult for any government or organization to shut it dow
Tor disadvantages
It is very slow – Because your data is routed through a number of relays, using Tor is very slow. Therefore, it is not recommended for browsing or streaming geo-restricted video content.
Some ISPs actively search out and block Tor relays, making it difficult for some users to connect. China particularly is getting better at blocking Tor relays.

Since the traffic at the exit node is unencrypted, anyone (the police, the government, or a hacker) that is running the exit node can see your internet traffic. Furthermore, anyone can setup a Tor exit node and there's nothing to prevent that person from spying on the users. So if you are sending anything sensitive, be sure to use secure websites (with HTTPs).
VPN advantages
Connection speed is a lot faster compared to Tor since there's only the VPN server that stands between your computer and the requested site.
VPN provides better privacy and security than Tor.
Some VPN providers include malware protection in the client software.
VPN disadvantage
A good VPN service costs ***** (~$*0-60/year), although it is not very expensive. There are also free VPN services, but those have ads.

[mat1]

You'd better use VPN. It is much easier to connect with just a click of a mouse. Google it for some information. I think your good at searching based on your description so try it.

[mat1]

Hi Paigegirl,
I hope you are up and running now and that this forum gave you ideas on how to pick the right internet service provider.

[Curtis Raab]

thanks for the information and help

[Jekyl]

TOR is a great way to hide your true location and goes an extra step further than VPN's and Proxies. However unlike VPN's it doesn't encrypt your traffic so you are still capable of being Identified. The best bet is to use TOR and a VPN together check out this Blog it has a lot of good Internet Privacy and Securityinformation and is geared to newbies prevsec.org.