TheCoreWithin

Just because I am paranoid, it doesn't mean they are not after me...

So of course proper protection of sensitive files is a must. One of the tools that help with that is TrueCrypt.
It provides encrypted volumes on disk or file level, strong encryption, hidden volumes, and many other things. There are versions for windows and linux.

Of course this is just one piece in the puzzle, but it's a good start :)

To protect your anonymity while surfing the web, TOR is the tool: The Onion Router provides anonymity from your provider, the router itself, and the site you want to contact.

There are versions for many operating systems, and a plugin for Firefox, which makes switching easy.

http://tor.eff.org/