How To Really Use Facebook Privately: 15 Do’s and Don’ts

facebook dislike graphic behind glass with water droplets

I see a consistent level of posts on privacy subreddits asking if it’s possible to use Facebook while still retaining some level of privacy. So, is it possible? Yes, of course! Today I’m going to share with you how I would go about creating a Facebook account if I had to use it for whatever reason.

Read more

Everything You Need To Know About The F-Droid App Store

close up of f-droid app logo on electronic screen

It’s common knowledge these days that by using a stock Android device, you expose yourself to an inordinate amount of tracking and privacy invasions by Google and possibly by many negligent or malicious apps available on the Google Play Store. However, there is an alternative: meet F-Droid.

Read more

Can VoIP Calls Be Traced?

man in shadow sitting with laptop talking on cell phone

Even if you’ve never heard of the term Voice-over-IP, or “VoIP”, calling, you’ve probably used this technology to place a call before if you’ve ever used Skype or Google Voice. VoIP allows you to make calls over the internet, rather than a traditional phone line. VoIP technology is very useful for privacy as you can set up many phone numbers on one device at a low cost.

Read more

Top 12 Raspberry Pi Project Ideas For Privacy Enthusiasts

close up of raspberry pi circuit board

In this post, I’ve rounded up the best Raspberry Pi project ideas with the privacy enthusiast in mind. I’ve broken up the list into self-hosting projects, media center projects, and networking and VPN-related projects.

A Raspberry Pi is a small, low-powered computer that you can purchase for under $100. Many tutorials exist all over the web for cool projects people have made with this tiny machine, from creating an classic gaming console to reading sensors in a garden, the possibilities are endless.

Read more

How To Watch YouTube Without Tracking Or Advertisements

youtube logo behind glass with water droplets

It’s common knowledge that Google tracks nearly everything we do on the internet, including the YouTube videos we watch. They have a detailed profile on every one of us which is used to sell targeted advertisements, serve personalized search results, and is likely used for other undisclosed purposes. All of this data is extremely powerful and in aggregate leads to Google knowing the average person better than their closest friends and family members, arguably even better than they know themselves.

Read more

Top 25 Low Effort Steps To Protect Your Data From Hackers

woman in dark lighting with green ones and zeros projected onto her

This list of low effort, privacy-protecting measures was written for someone who’s threat model includes hackers, identity thieves, and other types of criminals and fraudsters but who does not care about big data AI, surveillance capitalism or government tracking. Most of these steps you will have heard before, as these are the basics that should apply to nearly everyone.

Read more

10 Real Reasons Why You Should Care About Google Tracking

close up of woman with google logo in eyes

If you’re a typical Google user, you may use Gmail as your primary email, have an Android phone, use Google Chrome while signed into your Google account, have a FitBit tracking you at all times, and have a Google smart speaker listening to all your conversations.

You may be thinking, why should I care about Google tracking all of this information? I like getting search results and advertisements that are personalized. Isn’t giving my data in exchange for extremely convenient, easy to use services a fair trade? Today I will be tackling these important questions and summarizing the top ten reasons why you should care about Google having your data.

Read more

Personal Privacy Threat Modeling (With LOTS Of Examples)

man in suit pointing revolver in black and white

Threat modeling is the most important foundational concept to consider when figuring out how to protect your personal privacy. The concept applies much more broadly than personal privacy, though, as threat modeling is critical to businesses, militaries, and governments as well.

Read more