Use a password manager, a spam email address, uBlock, pay attention to app permissions… Don’t rely on algorithms shaping what you see from the world and confining you in a filter bubble. Have some secrets you don’t share with everyone. Be aware of things and learn about the platforms and software you use often, and what they do behind the scenes. Don’t give away your identifiers to everyone (phone number for sign-up, credit card number, real name and address, …)
Sperate browsers for work and private
Use Facebook as little as possible, but it’s ok to be on there I think, if it’s needed to stay on touch with people.
Disable location for most apps
Use AdBlock and a cookie blocker
Use DDG or something else then Google for search
Use different usernames on different sites
Don’t dox yourself
Use at least two emails, one primary and one you give away to get random deals or whatever else. Let all the emails here go to a folder that is automatically marked as read, just so you can check it when you want to
I created a new Reddit user every year or so, but that might be too far for some.
I use Facebook for some hobby groups, and I only use Safari to view it… the other day my daughter and I were watching The Fast and the Furious movie and I started getting my feed full of all the cars from the movie… so we did some experiments saying words like KFC and beer while the screen was opened, and we started getting beer and KFC ads in the feed… i dont know if the app makes it worse, but it was certainly a bit of an eye opener
Don’t post on social media, especially under your real name.
This includes posting when you’ll be out of the house (I.e. vacation), or the details/names of family members.
Run an adblocker with strict tracker protection on every device you use, and opt for the web version of a product, rather than an app.
Use aliases and throwaway email addresses to anything that requires an account. If they end up being something you use, and are required to provide real information, move forward with caution.
Really, though, the worst thing you can do is post on social media.
- Don’t post your information. It will always be distributed, compiled, and sold no matter how well you think you’ve locked it down. Preventing information flow on the Internet is virtually impossible. If you post it, it’s out there forever. You have to believe this.
- All photos are public. If you take a picture and it ever touches the Internet, you have to assume that photo is out there forever. To be safe, never take photos of anything sensitive such as the front of your house, your driver’s license, or your passport.
- If a service is free, you are the product, usually in the form of your data. Never forget every business seeks a profit.
- Review your privacy settings regularly. This can help reduce your exposure, but you should still never share sensitive information.
- Carefully scrutinize all requests. Don’t take requests for your information lightly. Take your time, and any attempts to rush you is a glaring red flag that you’re dealing with a scammer. Do business physically where possible, such as in person at your actual bank instead of over the phone where you could be speaking to anybody.
- Foster a humble ego. This makes you harder to exploit by scammers, and it means you’ll spend less time talking about yourself and risking accidental over-sharing. Recognize that most people don’t need to know and don’t care about you.
- Foster independence. The cloud is just someone else’s computer that you don’t control. Manage your own information and keep it local to your devices.
Privacy is a process not a destination, but I think these ideas will help you get started. You need to use your brain. Privacy comes from being a private person, maintaining control of your information and your business.
“you have to assume that photo is out there forever”
You have to also assume that someone had to have saved it too, to their devices.
You must assume that someone is furiously jacking it to your photo.
Big change for me was stop using “[email protected]”, I was giving that info to so many random ass websites and app and services. Just create another email and connect that with your “main” one, that’s trivial to do with gmail.
Search for your name on images and see if anything comes up. If yes, try to clean that up. It’s usually profile pictures in services.
Don’t leave your strava profile public. It’s crazy to me that people do that. I don’t want even my friends knowing where and when I exercised.
On the same topic, make sure your facebook photos and connections aren’t visible to non-friends. It’s insane the amount of people who just put everything out there for anyone to see.
