Due to the advanced privacy features it provides, the Tor browser can sometimes be slower than other browsers. Many privacy-focused browsers, such as Firefox, Brave, and Brave, offer enhanced protection against tracking tools and provide more customizable privacy settings.
If you prefer not to switch browsers, there are browser extensions that can block tracking tools within Chrome. Both Ghostery and Privacy Badger by the Electronic Frontier Foundation can block tracking tools, with Privacy Badger only blocking ads if they specifically track you.
Outside the web, embedded tracking devices in your mobile phone applications can collect data about your activity. On Android, you should turn off personalized ads through Google’s Ad settings by switching the setting to “Opt out of Ads Personalization.”
Additionally, delete your device’s advertising ID by going to Settings, Privacy, Ads, and clicking on the option to Reset Advertising Identifier. There are also Android apps that can block in-app tracking, such as DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser or Tracker Control developed by the University of Oxford. If you are using iOS, go to Settings, Privacy, Tracking, and turn off “Allow Apps to Request to Track” to prevent apps from tracking you across apps and websites.
The author suggests that a Virtual Private Network (VPN), such as a VPN from Mullvad, might be useful for some individuals to prevent their internet service provider from knowing their web traffic. However, VPNs can still see your online activity, and some retain logs, posing a potential issue. Mullvad’s VPN is open-source and accepts cash payments sent to its offices in Sweden.
Choose the Most Privacy-Friendly Option. Each application, website, and service you use is likely to collect some data about you. However, some collect more data than others. Choosing services that intentionally do not collect data or use full encryption, preventing companies from seeing the contents of your communications or data transfers, can help reduce your exposure on the web. Generally, avoid major technology companies.
For messaging applications, Signal collects very little information about users and encrypts it by default, meaning it cannot see the contents of the messages you send. For search, DuckDuckGo, Brave, Kagi, StartPage, and Mojeek are the author’s choices among privacy-friendly search engines.
For email, Proton and Tutanota offer free end-to-end encryption options. OnionShare uses the Tor network to allow you to share files anonymously, Proton Drive provides online file storage, and Apple’s advanced data protection settings enable end-to-end encryption for iCloud storage once enabled.
If you use a laptop or phone for work, keep in mind that your employer can likely see most, if not all, of what you do on those devices. If you are looking for a new job or handling personal tasks, you probably want to do those on personal devices.
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