I just read in interesting and informative post from @Charger8232, and decided to write one of my own.
Perhaps there could be a megathread created?
EDIT: Items in italics are subsequent additions.
Be respectful! Some people are early on in their privacy journey, or have a lax threat model. Just because it doesn’t align with yours, or uses some anti-privacy software, doesn’t mean you can downvote them! Help them improve by giving suggestions on alternatives.
Don’t promote proprietary software! Proprietary software, no matter how good it may seem, is against the community rules, and generally frowned upon. If you aren’t sure, you can always ask! This is a place to learn. Don’t downvote people just because they don’t know!
Don’t focus solely on me! Since this happened in another one of my posts, I want to mention that this thread is not designed to pick apart only my setup. The point is to contribute your own and help others. That doesn’t mean you can’t still give suggestions for mine, but don’t prioritize mine over another.
Be polite!* This falls under “Be respectful”, but be kind to everyone! Say please, thank you, and sorry. Lemmy is really good about this, but there will always be someone.
Web browsing
I use Mullvad Browser for general browsing.
I use Tor Browser for extra protection, when necessary.
I use Konqueror for accessing websites where I want to stay signed in, such as CloudTube and Lemmy.
I use Firefox + Arkenfox User.js for general browsing on FreeBSD, as Mullvad has not yet been ported, the Tor Browser port crashes frequently, and the LibreWolf port has room for improvement.
I use Startpage for web searches, but I keep switching between different private options.
I always use ProtonVPN (free tier) through WireGuard.
I use NextDNS for extra content blocking.
I use Redirector (by Einar Egilsson) to redirect me to alternative frontends for popular services (e.g. YouTube -> CloudTube)
Desktop
I use several trusted Linux distributions, as well as FreeBSD, on my PCs and MacBook.
My MacBook’s UEFI is password-protected, but I have not done this on other machines:
I recently installed Tails, but I haven’t yet had cause to use it.
I use full disk encryption on everything, and I have a VeraCrypted pen drive for special cases
I cover all of my webcams with Blu-Tac or electrical tape
Many of my laptops are too old for this, but I am trying to make the switch from X11 to Wayland (as recommended by PrivacyGuides).
Mobile
I currently use hardened iOS until my iPhone burns out or gets obsoleted. Once this happens, I’ll be using DivestOS.
Again, I constantly use ProtonVPN (free tier) using the WireGuard app (as this is the only VPN client that both supports Proton and allows customising the DNS).
I use Safari + AdGuard, as the EFF’s Cover Your Tracks tool reported that it was less fingerprintable than Brave. It also means I can use Vinegar. I have disabled cookies in this browser.
I use Firefox to access certain privacy-respecting sites; namely CloudTube, PeerTube, and media.ccc.de
I have Onion Browser installed, for when I need more protection or if I need to access a .onion
I use an alphanumeric passphrase
I disable radios (i.e. WiFi, Bluetooth) when they are not in use.
I don’t use a privacy screen protector, but I will buy one for my next phone.
Messenger
Online accounts
Passwords are stored in Bitwarden, in which I have increased the encryption settings as high as they will go without being unusable on phones.
I use ente Auth and OTPClient to generate TOTPs. I also have a graphing calculator that can generate these.
I am in the process of partially anonymising my online accounts. However, I fear that the cat’s already out of the bag.
Video streaming
I use CloudTube to watch YouTube videos in Safari and Mullvad
I use PeerTube when possible (mainly to watch Techlore and The Linux Experiment).
I use FreeTube on desktop, but I am looking for a replacement as it doesn’t quite work on Void Linux with musl; and of course Electron bad.
AI
Social Media
The only non-FOSS social media I use is Tumblr, which is ranked B by ToS;DR.
I only use my real name on Mastodon, and even then I will probably change to my usual username when and if I next decide to change servers.
I use ProtonMail.
I have DuckDuckGo Email Protection as an alias service, which I use through Bitwarden.
Shopping/Finance
I rarely make online purchases. I am certainly being tracked, but I’m simply not producing enough data in the first place for this to be a big problem.
For physical purchases, I am trying to use cash more often. However, my sixth form cafeteria only accepts two forms of payment: biometric (handled internally) and debit card.
I use no subscription services at all, but I may use LiberaPay and OpenCollective in the future to support open-source projects.
Music streaming
I occasionally stream music from Bandcamp, but virtually everything I listen to is either on CD or a local file.
I occasionally listen to KERRANG! Radio using an MP3 stream, and BBC Radio 4 over FM.
TV shows
I use DVDs for most of my viewing, but I have sailed the high seas in the past
Some shows I enjoy (i.e. Helluva Boss) are released officially for free on YouTube (watched via CloudTube).
I do not own a smart TV.
Gaming
I generally don’t game.
When playing Minecraft, I use PrismLauncher and I’m always sure to install the Anti-Telemetry mod.
Programming
I code in Python using Micro. I also sometimes use Kate, but only if I’m running Plasma.
I use Codeberg to host my projects.
Productivity
I normally use LibreOffice.
I’m trialling a new workflow, using Markdown and Pandoc for text documents and presentations, and Gnumeric for spreadsheets.
Misc
I use an RSS reader for news.
My local timezone just happens to be the same as UTC.
I use a privacy-respecting smartwatch: the PineTime (from PINE64).
I don’t have a car, as I’m 17.
I use Bluetooth headphones out of necessity. I’m still salty about Apple removing the headphone jack and then every other phone company following suit. However, they are basic headphones which do not require an app, and so they should be more private than other similar models.
I will never use Amazon Echo or Google Home.
Thanks for reading!
Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.
[Matrix/Element]Dead
much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)
Try not to get one at all. You should have good enough public transport in the UK to get you around. Living in a place where everything you need is in easy walking distance is ideal, though not easily achievable for some. Also, (insert urbanism propaganda here).
The only places here with decent public transport are the major cities and a handful of towns. Where I live there’s only one bus, which stops for breakfast and lunch and doesn’t run after 7 PM. We used to have a train, but the tracks were removed in the '60s and half of what used to be the line is now underwater.
Not to mention that the Conservative government keeps finding new and inventive ways to cripple public services.
Then again, minimum wage isn’t enough own a car and pay for the insurance, so I probably won’t be getting a car anyway.
I suppose I do enjoy hiking…
Same here in the US, only major cities have somewhat acceptable public transport and the price of cars is insane. My advice for you, get a cheap used car (most older cars are good for privacy because the computers are lacluster at most.), and do some preventitve maintince to keep it out of the shop.
Interesting man. I like your setup. My is a little less private (using social media for friends sometimes and in my case as a 20 years old gamer, I’m gaming a lot on my steam deck so different accounts. Also I need to purchase online, hahaha, I live in a little remote place without good physical stores). But very nice setup. I would maybe recommend using KeePassXC. Nothing against Bitwarden, but I learned in this journey that you always need to have a encrypted local backup. You never know when a service is going to shut down. Maybe use cryptomator with a cloud service to sync to different devices.
Thanks for creating your own post!
This is a unique solution that I will add to my toolbelt for the future! Which calculator is it?
Data gets stale! It’s never too late to start, and it’s always better to prevent future disaster than to dwell on old ones. I used to use Instagram + as my main chat platform, and now I have no worries because what’s done is done and I learned better.
Dystopia… Have you asked if you can explicitly use cash? If you’re up for it, push for the use of it in your school. I know plenty of students that use cash religiously for lunch.
Hazbin Hotel is one of my favorites
That is truly a lucky thing, as it reduces a lot of fingerprinting.
Me too, but fret not, as there are adapters and (most likely, I haven’t checked) non-disposable USB-C earphones.
I will never use Alexa. Or really anything that turns my home automated.
“Alexa, open the door.”
“I’m sorry, your voice is not recognized and your plan has been cancelled. Please contact support and we will respond within 3-5 business days.”
Obviously that will never happen, but it’s not so unreal…
I used to stick to only one, but found out that it’s easier to be as private as I can and “move down the assembly line” until something works.
I withdrew almost all my funds from my bank and only used my card if I ran out of cash on a run.
No helping you there. I found out that even the smallest details I put out collectively could be used to uniquely identify me, after making only two posts.
If you can, great. Otherwise, just try not to get posted on their socials.
Really just use an open source BIOS and slap a password on it (with Heads if you want) and you’re all set. Careful not to brick your PC.
One note about privacy screen protectors: If your brightness (specifically white point) is too high, people can see it. You can enable “reduce white point” on iOS, and set it to 100%, and that works well even on max brightness. Smudges can also let people see. Turn your phone horizontal (if you’re testing in public) and tilt it slightly to see how much people can see in your current environment.
Good luck! You have a pretty good setup! I hope you make the improvements you want, and learn along the way!
It’s a Casio fx-CG50 (known as the Casio PRIZM in the USA). The TOTP generator is part of the Utilities app.
Cool! Thank you!
Not listened to Kerrang for a good many years. Well thought out post though! Lots of details.
Absolutely fantastic, considering your age! I was far, far worse than you are right now on this path to better privacy. Truly exceptional.
I commented in the post you reference, and I’d like to comment here too since I do see some things that can be improved (some of them, I employ for myself, whilst the others are still on my list to implement).
I came across a few tools which I hadn’t heard of before; thanks for the effort in creating your post. I hope you have a great time pursuing this path!
Well thanks! As for the questions:
Good work youngun!
My setup is broadly similar, the main difference being CalyxOS on a second-hand Pixel phone. I’m quite impressed with it actually - it allows VPN sharing via the hotspot, so I can essentially use it as a VPN router for WiFi connections as well as mobile data.
I also self-host a few things on a VPS, like email, website, file transfer and push notifications, all to varying degrees of success! If you’re interested in self-hosting have a look at YUNOhost. These days I’m mostly looking to connect to the internet as little as possible though!
Well done for using cash - it needs to be kept alive for many reasons, including privacy .
Thanks! As it happens, I have experimented with self-hosting before. It’s just that it can be expensive to do this and there are often age barriers (for some reason).
I have managed to host a static website completely for free, however. I used Codeberg Pages for the site, Cloudflare for the DNS (although I may move to FreeDNS), and EU.ORG for the domain. It’s not quite self-hosting, but it’s close!
I actually really liked this. I’m gonna have to do my own now ;) . What is your threat model ?
So funny story. I spent a couple of hours threat-modelling last year, and then I forgot where I put the docs. Really, I’m just maxing out everything as much as I can without it becoming too inconvenient. I’m mainly trying to reduce tracking and data mining by “evil” organisations (e.g. multinationals, billionaire-run companies, three-letter agencies, GAFAM).
If I find a template, I’ll be sure to send you a copy of my threat model.
I’m in the same boat. I wouldn’t consider myself a target in my current government regime but who knows what will happen in the future. Even though I don’t do anything illegal per se I just don’t trust politicians.
The goddamn mega corpos are just something else though. I’d appreciate the template!
for a 17 year young, that seems like a miracle.
thanks for taking the time to write this
Thanks!