Mask your Identity with Anonymous Email & Other Tips

The world of the digital web has given us amazing and unprecedented access to information, people and resources that were once unthinkable for some and only available in small libraries to others. Small communities once segregated by open expanses of land are now tightly joined with people around the world. Unfortunately with all that sharing has come a need for anonymous email and the need to remain anonymous.
The main reason for this is that even though you do not put your personal information online, others do. When you sign up for most things, use many services or enter into many contests you expose yourself to corporations and entities that will sell your information to even less scrupulous sources that will resell it and distribute it widely.

This means that not just hackers, but anyone interested can find out almost anything about you if it has ever been written down anywhere but in your diary. (Sometimes even then) So, here are a number of tips to stay anonymous online.
Install a Firewall - The firewall isn't exactly the last line of defense between your PC and an infiltrator but it is one of the most robust. Take note however that not all firewalls are created equal. Operating system based firewalls are rather sparse on options and a miss click at the wrong time can leave you wide open to an attack. The most powerful firewalls allow you to monitor all ports and traffic in real time but require a much greater understanding of how the machine works to be effective. You will need to find a good balance for yourself. A good consumer level firewall is ZoneAlarm.
Use an Anonymous Proxy - There are free services as well as paid services that grant you the ability to surf anonymously on the web. The paid services are the most ideal because you're allotted more bandwidth and a cleaner route online. Free services, like Tor, don't cost you anything but connections are often extremely slow as you're routed through an array of online services to hide your "footprints"
Ecrypt your Data - Some operating systems such as a few versions of Windows 7 include encryption software such as BitLocker. Again, prepackaged software doesn't exactly offer the best control or security. Try a program like TrueCrypt which encrypts data to a level that even the government would have a difficult time cracking.
Use Meta Search - You find the idea of some of the major search engines having the options to auction off or freely link your search queries or mishandle your IP a bit disconcerting. One way around this is to use a meta search engine that does not tell these corporations anything about the querent. Metacrawler is an example of one such meta engine.
Email safely - If you want to send an anonymous email there are quite a few services that will let you send an anonymous email through their services without having to worry about being outed or sold out.
Disguise your Machine - When you are online there is always the threat of machine identifying code being slipped out through the cracks. These numbers, like your CPU ID and MAC address can be blocked or hidden behind false numbers with certain applications. Do research on applications that mask your machines identity.
Use Social Privacy - FaceBook, also known as Facebeast in some small circles for its penchant for devouring personal information, is becoming quite ubiquitous. Many of the social sites like FaceBook come with their privacy settings set to "shoot me, I'm right here!" with a big target bouncing over your message box. Take the time to ratchet the security down in all the various areas of your profile and settings.