If a site requires any of these, visit somewhere else. Be very reluctant to compromise on JavaScript, Flash and Java.Tails will notify you at startup if an update is available. Ideally you should update each time you begin a session, or at least daily. Whether you use Tails or build your own workstation from scratch or with Whonix, update frequently to ensure you are protected from the latest security vulnerabilities. Remember that your computer must be kept up to date.Even if you are in a country where rubber hosing is legal, such as the UK, encrypting your data protects you from a variety of other threats. BitLocker might be safe as well, though you still shouldn't be running Windows. TrueCrypt might be safe, though it's not nearly as well integrated into the OS. Current versions of LUKS are reasonably safe, and major Linux distributions will offer to set it up for you during their installation. If you are using persistent storage of any kind, ensure that it is encrypted.

It's absolutely critical that outgoing access be firewalled so that third party applications cannot accidentally leak data about your location. If you can't construct your own workstation capable of running Linux and carefully configured to run the latest available versions of Tor, a proxy such as Privoxy, and a web browser (with all outgoing clearnet access firewalled), consider using Tails or Whonix instead, where most of this work is done for you.Vulnerabilities in the software in TBB figure prominently in both the NSA slides and FBI's recent takedown of Freedom Hosting. This also means don't use the Tor Browser Bundle on Windows. The internet is aflame with the news that the National Security Agency may be spying on phone calls Read more What the NSA Spying Scandal Means for You

Using tor safely