How to protect your PC from PRISM surveillance

Subscribe to a VPN

In the same vein, consider signing up a virtual private network, which creates an encrypted "tunnel" to another server, which then acts as an agent on your behalf. Eric Geier's piece on how to set up a VPN explains how to do this. Note that the performance of your PC may suffer somewhat, as the latency to funnel communications back and forth (some solutions use servers based in the EU, for example) may take some time. But security layered upon the encryption applied by other solutions may provide some additional reassurance that your communications are private.

Watch those hotspots

Wandering from coffee shop to library to free cafe may provide another layer of security, as your client IP address will vary by location. Just make sure that when you're roaming from location to location, someone isn't trying to sniff your PC--or worse. Preston Gralla's story on protecting yourself at hotspots also contains advice tailor-made to protecting your privacy while on the go, including nailing down older apps that might allow an intruder inside your PC.

Obviously, block that malware