Follow these steps to completely disappear from the online world:  Most people don't even realize to protect themselves, and even fewer know how. On the dark-web markets, "fullz" - a full set of personal information, including social security numbers, birthdate, address, can sell for a few hundred dollars if the credit score is right.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      STEP 1. Only install software you absolutely trust, and run downloads through Virustotal, a free service that checks for malware by running files through dozens of antivirus services.  To protect your growing number of  logins, use two-factor authorization with every site that supports it, from Amazon to Snapchat to your online bank, and faithfully apply software updates to patch vulnerabilities. Enable full disk encryption-standard on Windows 10 and OS X Yosemite or later-which converts exfiltrated information into mumbo jumbo, making it worthless to prying eyes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                As a final precaution, revisit your passwords. All of them. Repeated names and phrases are a single point of failure; once cybercriminals break into one internet account, they have access to everything:  email, social media, banks. Use a password manager like LastPass to generate and store strong, unique passwords. Also consider buying a physical two-factor authenticator, such as Security Key ($20) or Yubikey 5 NFC ($45) from Yubico.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    STEP 2.  Avoid Detection:  If you're wary that Facebook manipulates users with AI to boost engagement, as critics charge, there's a simple fix: Delete your Facebook account. If you can't quite take that leap, at least reduce your footprint on social media. Unfriend everyone you don't know. Install Social Fixer to turn OFF Facebook's AI - ranked posts and ads; the plugin lets users choose from ready made filters that strip newsfeeds of unwanted subjects (like politics) or keywords. If you want to try something similar on Twitter, try Larry Filter.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Amazon Web Services provides image recognition technology to companies and developers on a pay-per-use model, and use of the tech is widely unregulated.  You can opt out of facial recognition on Facebook, with one catch:  The software has to remember you in order not to recognize you.  Instagram is no better:  Photos posted there are stored on Facebook's data centers, where the company pulls identities and content from the photos and stories. Next time you consider a selfie, ask yourself how much that Like is really worth.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  STEP 3.  Close the Blinds:  Ditch Chrome for Firefox. Google's business model depends on collecting and monetizing your data. Firefox is operated by Mozilla, a nonprofit corporation that promotes privacy. Also switch to an anonymous search engine like Start Page, Qwant or DuckDuckGo.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      STEP 4:  Cover Your Tracks:  It's time to disassociate from Verizon, Comcast or whatever internet service provider (ISP) gets you onto the web. Most people do this with a virtual private network (VPN), such as Nord VPN, which encrypts web traffic and assigns users a virtual IP address. This means no one can pin your internet use to a physical location. To stay truly anonymous, you'll want to purchase the VPN service through Tor, a group of volunteer-operated servers that let you surf the web anonymously, using a fake email account.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Use a prepaid Visa Card and a burner phone-preferably one bought with cash at a garage sale with cash. You'll also need your own Wi-Fi Router, not the cheap one that your ISP rents to you monthly with your internet service plan. Get a Linksys WRT3200ACM ($179) or ASUS AC5300 ($245)-Both are fast and customizable. No matter what you choose, pay for it with cash and bolster its defenses by installing DD-WRT-an open-source, Linux-based firmware that gives you additional security options.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  STEP 5.  Become A Nomad:  But there is a deeper level of impermeability. To become a true nomad, untethered from any fixed position on the internet, you need to boot your computer from a USB stick carrying TAILS, or The AmnesicIncognitoLiveSystem. This replaces default operating systems, like Microsoft Windows or macOS, ensuring your browsing activity is both anonymous and immune from forensic discovery.  Buy a USB stick with at least eight gigabytes of storage from a reliable maufacturer like San Disk or Kingston Technology.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Still, a thorough scan of your network activity could identify a Tor browsing session-a way in. The only unassailable defense: Make public internet connections in public cafes and libararies, and never return to the same location twice. Then and only then will you be truly a ghost in the machine.         - By STEVEN MAX PATTERSON  -  Gear Patrol