Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETPrivacy has become a keystone for keeping your information safe and preventing third parties from creating consumer profiles that could then be used for targeted marketing… or worse.To that end, there are countless products and services that promise to keep you and your information private. Some work, and some are nothing but snake oil. For me, the best route to privacy goes through Linux and one of the many privacy-focused distributions. Recently, I stumbled upon another such distribution, Securonis. The name reminds me of the Arconis cybersecurity solution, but I’m confident the Linux distribution and the proprietary business software have nothing to do with one another. Securonis is based on the Debian testing branch and automatically, out of the box, routes all traffic through the Tor network, which means it’s private and secure from the jump. It also includes a good number of applications geared toward keeping you even more secure. Also: I found the most private and secure way to browse the web — and it isn’t incognito modeSecuronis can be run as a live distribution (directly from RAM without installing it on your drive) or it can be installed with the easy-to-use Calamares installer. All of this might sound complicated. After all, you’ll find several preinstalled apps that might make you go, “Huh?” But even with added software like I2P Router, PxrtalCrypt, Securonis DNSCrypt, System Knight, VesperaCrypt, SecDNSChanger, and Wireshark, this distribution can be used like a standard OS — only more private. And with Securonis defaulting to the MATE desktop, anyone, regardless of skill level, will feel right at home. Even the web browser (FireScorpion) is geared toward privacy. Also: The best Linux VPNs: Expert tested and reviewedWhat is Securonis like to use? I approached it as if I knew nothing about Linux, Tor, or any privacy-focused tools, and here’s how it went. My experience with Securonis I decided to go the installation route, which was incredibly simple. I answered a few quick questions, typed my user information, and the installer was off. After roughly five minutes, the installation completed, and I was ready to log in. After logging in, my first impression was that Securonis looks like any other Linux distribution with security and privacy in mind. The MATE desktop is as simple as it gets, and the theme is the usual dark take on the desktop. There are some application shortcuts that have me curious, such as the launchers in the top bar. One is named Seconionis (not a typo). This is the Securonis take on the Onion network. When I click that icon, a window appears with options such as Start Tor Routing, Stop Tor Routing, Tor Status, Restart Tor, Set Autostart, and more. Essentially, Seconionis is my gateway to the Tor network, which makes it an important tool. More