Privacy Is Like Broccoli
Illustration: Em / Privacy Guides
If you are just starting the journey to improve your privacy online, you might feel overwhelmed by all the information you recently learned. This is normal, don't panic!
Em
Em is a full-time staff writer at Privacy Guides. She is a public‑interest technologist and researcher who has been working on various independent projects in data privacy, information security, and software engineering since 2018.
Em is passionate about digital rights, privacy advocacy, solid security, and code for the public good. In her free time, you can find Em on Mastodon giving privacy tips or boosting photos of cats and moss.
How To Improve Your Privacy and Security on Mastodon
Montage: Em / Privacy Guides | Illustration: @dopatwo@mastodon.social (1)
- Mastodon mascot by @dopatwo@mastodon.social and Mastodon logo used with permission from Mastodon gGmbH. This site is not otherwise affiliated with Mastodon gGmbH.
Increasingly, more and more people have joined Mastodon in recent years. The advantages provided by a decentralized network and using open-source software maintained by a nonprofit organization are undeniable. Mastodon offers much more robust protections for your privacy than commercial social media platforms do. This tutorial will show you how to make the most of it.
Privacy and Security on Mastodon
Illustration: Em / Privacy Guides | Logo: Mastodon gGmbH
Mastodon is an open-source and decentralized social network that has been growing in popularity for the past few years.
While most social media rely on commercial models harvesting users' data to sell to advertisers, Mastodon offers a human-centric alternative that doesn't seek profits from your data and attention. This means better social connections, better controls, and better privacy.
Queer Dating Apps: Beware Who You Trust With Your Intimate Data
Illustration: Em / Privacy Guides | Photo: Surasak Ch / Unsplash
When discussing the intersection of data privacy and LGBTQ+ experiences, it's inevitable to also talk about queer dating apps. Due to a smaller percentage of the population and a number of factors complicating in-person dating, people part of the queer community are more likely to seek online platforms to meet lovers and friends. Unfortunately, using queer dating apps can be very dangerous for privacy, and even for safety.
You Can Say NO
Photo: Gabby K / Pexels
In the age of facial recognition and age verification, it might feel like our data is being harvested left and right, completely outside our control or consent. Yet, we still have a powerful weapon to fight back against surveillance: The power to say no.
Stay Safe, but Stay Connected
Photo: Jiroe Matia Rengel / Unsplash
In data privacy, we often talk about the dangers of data collection and exposed data. It can get overwhelming to learn more about all the information that is collected on us, especially at the beginning. As a coping mechanism, some people react by downplaying concerns, disregarding dangers, and ignoring precautions altogether. Others react the opposite way: by isolating themselves, and no longer sharing anything with anyone. But neither is a viable solution.
Selling Surveillance as Convenience
Illustration: Em / Privacy Guides | Photo: Zeki Okur / Unsplash
Increasingly, surveillance is being normalized and integrated in our lives. Under the guise of convenience, applications and features are sold to us as being the new better way to do things. While some might be useful, this convenience is a Trojan horse. The cost of it is the continuous degradation of our privacy rights, with all that that entails.
The Importance of Data Privacy For The Queer Community
Illustration: Em / Privacy Guides | Photo: Chris Robert / Unsplash
Data privacy is important for everyone. But for some marginalized populations, data privacy is indispensable for social connection, access to information, and physical safety. For Pride month this year, we will discuss topics at the intersection of data privacy and experiences specific to the LGBTQ+ community.
Your Online Life Is IRL
Leon Seibert / Unsplash
If you, like myself, have been inhabiting the internet for a few decades, you're probably familiar with the old adage IRL: In Real Life.
The acronym was used a lot when the distinction between online life and offline life was much greater than it is now. In today's world, can we really keep referring to our digital life as being somehow disconnected from our "real life"?
KeePassium Review: A Flexible Password Manager for iOS and macOS
Illustration: Em / Privacy Guides | Photo: PicJumbo / Pexels
If you have been looking for a password manager giving you full control over your data, KeePassium is a fantastic option. The application available for iOS and macOS keeps your password database offline by default. KeePassium still offers synchronization and backup options, but allows you to choose which storage provider to trust with your database, and change it whenever you want.
Sam Altman Wants Your Eyeball
Photo: Flyd / Unsplash
Last week, OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman announced in San Francisco that the World project he co-founded, formerly known as Worldcoin, is opening six stores across the United States, allowing users of the project's app to scan their eyeballs.
Simply put, the premise is this: scan your eyeball, get a biometric tag, verify yourself, buy our apps (and cryptocurrency). The scary part is the for-profit company developing the project has now gathered millions in venture capital investment, powerful partners, and is ready to expand and impose its Minority Report style technology everywhere. Welcome to Dystopialand.
Age Verification Wants Your Face, and Your Privacy
Photo: Kyle Glenn / Unsplash
Age verification laws and propositions forcing platforms to restrict content accessed by children and teens have been multiplying in recent years. The problem is, implementing such measures necessarily requires identifying each user accessing this content, one way or another. This is bad news for your privacy.
In Praise of Tor: Why You Should Support and Use Tor
Illustration: Em / Privacy Guides | Logo and icons: The Tor Project
You might have heard of Tor in the news a few times, yet never dared to try it yourself. Despite being around for decades, Tor is still a tool too few people know about.
Today, Tor is easy to use for anyone. It helps not only journalists and activists, but anybody who seeks greater privacy online or access to information regardless of location. But what is Tor exactly? How can Tor help you? And why is it such an important tool?
Encryption Is Not a Crime
Photo: Matt Artz / Unsplash
Contrary to what some policymakers seem to believe, whether naively or maliciously, encryption is not a crime. Anyone asserting encryption is a tool for crime is either painfully misinformed or is attempting to manipulate legislators to gain oppressive power over the people.
Interview with Micah Lee: Cyd, Lockdown Systems, OnionShare, and more
Illustration: Jonah Aragon / Privacy Guides | Photo: Micah Lee
If you don't know who Micah Lee is yet, here's why you should: Micah is an information security engineer, a software engineer, a journalist, and an author who has built an impressive career developing software for the public good, and working with some of the most respected digital rights organizations in the United States.
Privacy Means Safety
Photo: Georgy Rudakov / Unsplash
Privacy is a human right that should be granted to everyone, no matter the reason. That being said, it's also important to remember that for millions of people around the world, data privacy is crucial for physical safety. For people in extreme situations, privacy can literally mean life or death.
KeePassXC + YubiKey: How to set up a local-only password manager
Illustration: Privacy Guides | Graphics: Yubico | Logo: KeePassXC
If you are looking for a good remote password manager you can use from anywhere, there are plenty of excellent options to choose from. However, if you prefer to only store your passwords locally, KeePassXC is what you need. In this tutorial, we will set up KeePassXC to work with YubiKey as an additional factor to secure your local-only password database.
Privacy is Also Protecting the Data of Others
Illustration: Em / Privacy Guides | Photo: J W / Unsplash
In privacy, we talk a lot about how to protect our own data, but what about our responsibility to protect the data of others?
If you care about privacy rights, you must also care for the data of the people around you. To make privacy work, we need to develop a culture that normalizes caring for everyone's data, not just our own. Privacy cannot solely be a personal responsibility, data privacy is team work.
How to Reset Your YubiKey and Create a Backup
Photo: Yubico
If you are not familiar with it already, a YubiKey is a physical security key produced by Yubico that can be used for various authentication and security purposes. One common usage is to use it as a second factor of authentication for a service or product. This tutorial explains how to reset a YubiKey to factory defaults and create a near copy of it for backup purposes.
The UK Government Forced Apple to Remove Advanced Data Protection: What Does This Mean for You?
Illustration: Em / Privacy Guides | Photo: Edward Eyer / Pexels
On February 7th this year, Joseph Menn reported from the Washington Post that officials in the United Kingdom had contacted Apple to demand the company allows them to access data from any iCloud user worldwide. This included users who had activated Apple's Advanced Data Protection, effectively requesting Apple break its strong end-to-end encrypted feature.