The NinjaStik is a great idea, in fact it is an awesome idea, but it is not a new idea.

Research is very important when starting any new project and the NinjaStik was no exception.

When looking for other solutions to online anonymity, there are a number of very successful and well thought out offerings.  A simple google search will provide dozens of excellent examples that have already been developed but none that provided all of the features needed.

Some of the projects have been around for years, long before building the NinjaStik was even considered and all were a great inspiration.

Here are just a few of the many:

2002 - The TOR Project, check the wikipedia page for the complete story.  The NinjaStik would not be possible without the Tor Project.  If you just want to install TOR to your existing computer, they offer the Tor browser bundle - it is free.

2005 - Iron Key was a program started with assistance from the US Federal Government, designed to protect identity and information for law enforcement and extended to companies and apparently individuals too.

2005 - Torpark - TOR from a USB key on a computer running Windows.  This one too runs on Windows, making it very convenient as well.

2008 - There was the Freedom Stick offered by a group during the Beijing Olympics.  No longer offered, but it was aimed at assisting people who would be in Beijing during the Olympics and therefore under greater observation.

2008- Portable TOR - Designed to be run from USB on a Windows system.

2009 - TAILS The Amnesiac Incognito Live System, not only is TAILS a great privacy / anonymity system, they have a cool acronym.  The NinjaStik needs a cool acronym.

2011 - Surf Easy - a credit card shaped USB device that uses a VPN and a monthly subscription (and they are Canadian too!)

2012 - Tor-Ramdisk - runs a TOR server from ram memory.  Very cool, secure and easy to use.  Looks well thought out and worth looking at if you are interested in running a TOR server.

Others that I feel are worthy of note include:

Liberte Linux - based Hardened Gentoo, taking security very seriously, very well thought out.

TomatoUSB - designed for your router and can route connections through TOR

OperaTor - another cool name Opera-Tor, Operator.  Designed to run Opera through TOR off of a USB key.

Other options include installing Linux to your computer, dual booting, buying an anonymous VPN service, and installing privacy bundles to your Windows PC.

There are also numerous other little personal projects that have attempted to make anonymity and security easier - there are even a few that have copied the look and feel of the NinjaStik.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

IMHO the NinjaStik is different because it comes with full disk encryption already in effect - ready to use.  You only need to change the passphrase the first time you use it. Another proud feature is that it is built on a USB 3.0 drive.  The extra speed that a USB 3.0 drive offers is very VERY noticeable, even if you are only using it on an older computer.

I am obviously biased toward the NinjaStik, but the other choices may be a better fit depending on your needs / technical ability / available time / and cost.  The time required is worth considering.  If you are familiar with Linux and TOR then buying the NinjaStik would seem crazy - you can get it for free.  This is a comment I’ve received from many people in emails, comments and even on Reddit.  It is important to remember that not everyone has the time / desire / interest to learn how to install Linux, configure encryption, configure TOR and get it all working properly.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not hard but it does require time and desire.

If your time and desire are committed to other interests, but you want to use TOR - blog, post, shop, browse, etc anonymously, then the NinjaStik is a great choice.