I am new to these concepts. I would like some advice on how to maintain anonymity online and the basics of different security protocols. Also, the strengths and weaknesses of different applications such as tor, bitmessage, tor chat, etc...
I am fairly intelligent, and learn fast so this shouldn't be too time consuming or frustrating! Most of my concerns are with tor, so I am looking for someone very well versed in this application.
Everything you could want to learn and more is freely available online.
When using TOR, the most important thing is not revealing yourself accidentally. Photos and documents store enough metadata to give away plenty of information about your computer, location, and personal info. Search "dox" on pastebin.com, and you will see what I mean. People who were trying to remain anomymous had their name, IP, facebook, email, address, phone number, parents and siblings names, photos, and more, all found by one small slip of information.
You should also read these links:
https://www.torproject.org/download/download-easy.html.en#warninghttp://mashable.com/2007/07/16/anonymous-coward/http://photographylife.com/how-to-delete-exif-dataBottom line: Use disposable emails, phone numbers, and fake names and addresses, erase all file metadata, avoid browser plugins except for NoScript and HTTPS everywhere.
