The $0 Digital Privacy Guide

Last few days, I have been exploring privacy & security tools. When I do such stints, I go deep, often to a point where I neglect everything else. So it is safe to say I explored a lot of options.

Here is a digital privacy & security guide that requires NO investment. So anyone can get started without spending a dime.

(1) Browser

Do not use Chrome. Chrome is the worst in terms of privacy. Use Brave or Iridium, or Firefox. On phones, use Firefox. It is way better than Chrome as it supports the uBlock Origin Ad-Blocker Add-On. So you will not see any ads.

(2) Cloud Storage

There are encrypted cloud storage services like Mega and pCloud. But maybe you do not trust them since these companies are relatively new or have shady origins. In that case, you can use either CryptoMator or BoxCryptor. Both are free. Use them to encrypt a folder inside your Google Drive, One Drive, or whatever cloud service you use.

(3) Password Managers

BitWarden is an excellent open-source, free, syncing password manager. So there are zero reasons you should not be using one. Get it. If you do not like your passwords stored in the cloud (even if they are encrypted), use KeePass.

(4) Note-Taking

Did you know that most note-taking software doesn't encrypt your notes? Yes, developers at Evernote can read your stuff if they want. So what to do? You can use the specific encrypt feature in these apps that let you encrypt parts of your data. Apps like Evernote or OneNote or Apple Notes come with that. If you want full e2e encryption, use Joplin Notes or Standard Notes.

(5) Secondary email

A simple way to solve some privacy concerns is using a secondary email. Use that secondary email for online purchases & using certain websites. It will prevent BigTech from creating a complete persona of you based on your activity using one email. A disclaimer - I am not sure how well it will work. But it is worth trying.

(6) Web Content Blocking

You can use Ad and Tracker blocking extensions to prevent websites from tracking you. Some popular extensions are uBlock Origin, Decentraleyes, and Privacy Badger. Install them.

(7) VPN

Unfortunately, good VPNs will cost you money. But you usually do not need them unless you are doing something illegal. If you do decide to spend money on a VPN, I would recommend NordVPN.

(8) Search Engines

Google tracks you. But you already knew that. An alternative people use is DuckDuckGo. But maybe you do not like its search results. In that case, you can use Startpage(.)com. It uses Google under the hood, except the google search runs on their server. So you get complete privacy without sacrificing google search results.