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.
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Set a realistic threat level that meets your balance of privacy/convienience and stick to it. I know it is easier said than done, but once you start to get used to it, then you can think about making slight adjustments to better your privacy here and there. If you try to go full privacy right off the bat, you are going to get frustrated.
Start with changing 1-2 things at a time and go from there. Perhaps just change your browser/settings and your email. Adjust from there after a few months
Creating a threat model is probably a good idea. Having something to reference when making decisions would really help with the way my brain works. Thanks for the suggestions!
Love the point about it being a "balance". A lot of us are cautious about privacy because we're technophiles who understand how our data is being harvested and exploited, but are still passionate about new & useful tech, and want to take advantage of it. Part of my philosophy is giving in to specific tech ecosystems that I like, and just accepting the privacy downsides. I use an Android phone, which is on me at all times, so to me it isn't an issue to use Google Home devices since they aren't getting much (if anything) from those that they couldn't easily grab from my phone already.
Do what you can. I use WhatsApp even though I despise it..why because I need to for elderly family and friends. I have signal also and will opt for that and use that where possible. Its a marathon not a sprint. If you need to use fb or instagram use the website with ublock for example.
Of course you can avoid them too but its not always realistic. Like some bank apps won't work without google play services for example. So make up a bullshit google account and use that. Then use your real email in k-9 mail for example.
Need to sign up for something use aliases such as mozmail duck.com or simplelogin.
Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. We are social creatures by nature.
Using Linux with Firefox and ublock for example is a great start. Then work on limiting stuff you don't want out there, closing old accounts. Using a password manager for example keepass xc. Signal if you can.
I didn't have a reddit profile but I made one here as I'm ok with sharing stuff here on my terms. There is no trackers or corporation or nasty ads.
Awesome, thanks for the tips! I like the "marathon not a sprint" analogy.
No problem, happy to help 😊
No problem. Happy to help 😊
Honestly it’s easy to turn good privacy hygiene into an unhealthy obsession and it can strain your relationships with friends and family. You have to be aware that things are going to change constantly and that’s ok. Your probably not using internet explorer anymore and you’re happier without it so switching to the new mullvad browser is no big deal. Your friends probably use Snapchat and WhatsApp but i bet a more of them are on signal than you think. It used to be enough to not give your phone number to websites and not have your name in your email address but threats have evolved and so have our protection tools. You are probably not on the run or in witness protection so a small leak with your info isn’t life threatening just take a deep breath and keep trying to make good choices.
Not sure I have much of a solution, but if it makes you feel better you're not alone. I do the same thing. Right now I'm back on an "improving my privacy" kick, but I to tend to get burned out and get more lax.
Thanks. Honestly knowing I'm not the only one is very helpful in a way haha. It's easier not to get hyper focused knowing there's more of us just trying to figure this stuff out.
Accept that privacy is important, but being able to live normally is more important. That means if you have to choose between the two, you compromise and do the not-really-privacy-friendly thing.
A common example might be WhatsApp. Depening on where you live and your circle of friends, not having it has serious real-world consequences - social exclusion, missing out on important information. If that's your situation, you get it. You can still use Signal with any contact that has it and ask "do you have Signal instead" if someone offers you their WhatsApp contact and explain why you prefer it, but absolutism doesn't work.
The most important thing in all these things is to actually consider what you need, and what your're willing to pay for it. The Internet is both extremely good and telling you about niche but really really good sorts of things, while really really bad at not making perfect the enemy of the good.
So, as an example - look up any product category. The highly advertised options are rarely the absolute best option, but the absolute best option is often like getting sold on a McClaren when you need a Toyota. Or an F350 when you really need Ranger.
So - in privacy, often the online people are talking about avoiding government "Enemy of the State" type surveillance and risks (look up the movie if you don't get the reference). And that level of opsec and precautions are going to do the job, but at a huge cost in practicality and connection with the rest of the world. Now, are you going up against a government? If not, you have to figure what you are going against, @RandomDude said - do a threat assessment.
I will say one thing - I won't publicly disclose my own threat assessment for several reasons, but I'm sure online there are some examples you can look up. Are you looking to weaken Google / Ad tracking? Are you looking to not send all data to your ISP for marketing? etc. And there are reasonable things you can do there.
So many great comments here, from thinking people who often struggle with the same thing. I have my own story with its ups and downs.
My view of privacy these days for the most part is of owning my data. If my information is on my own server/devices and off the cloud then I have it private for the most part.
This can sound contradictory at times, for example: Signal is not private to me because my chats and data is still only available through their app and only their app, and a plain text file ilcan be more private if only stored locally. For the most part though, this model works and allows me to think id something is intended to be private or public.
Yeah, I've been interested in going that route, but man have I become dependent on cloud services haha. Also, self-hosting email might be a bit much for me haha. Thanks for the thoughts, and best of luck on your journey!
How do you all find a balance that works for you? Or do you just change things constantly?
Honestly, for me it's a hobby to see how far I can take it while also having all the ease of modern life, and my partner supports that but doesn't follow it all himself. It takes some time researching and setting stuff up, but after that you cán have most modern ease and fancy things. As it's a hobby for me, I never felt burned out by it.
That being said, if it's not your hobby I can totally understand it feels like a rabbithole and becomes a bit much. Just remember that everything you do is better than nothing. If it's getting too much, take a halt, and take satisfaction in what you did already do instead of worrying about all that you didn't. Every step taken is one, they all count.
There is always more you cán do. Everything is hackable, if not technically then by social hacking. Nothing is 100% safe. In the end, there is always a risk somewhere. If that risk is likely, is a different question. So just look at what is worth it for you, how far yóu want to take it. Understand that understanding the risks doesn't mean you have to block it. It just means you can do a proper assessment about if something needs to be done about it or not. Sometimes, it's ok to say the risk is acceptable. It depends on your situation really.
Thing is with all or nothing, once you start learning more about just how much services can really get on you, you'll realize that you'll never have a perfectly private existence as long as you're on the internet at all. Being online at all is the comprimise that breaks the all or nothing mindset haha. Just take all the steps you're comfortable with, you definitely don't need to go all in. You don't need to go into running custom roms on a fairphone, but you certainly can do small things.