this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2024
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Privacy

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What steps do you feel like are before a VPN? (lemmy.world)
submitted 6 months ago by ericbomb@lemmy.world to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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Context: my gf mentioned getting a vpn for privacy, and I tried to explain that it "does" help, but it's more like type of windows on a house. It certainly can be part of the package, but it's no where near the foundation.

So i tried to explain the best that i could That if she was worried about online privacy the first step wasn't to mask traffic, but to not submit personal data to anything online like FB, not use Google services that package everything on you together to sell to advertisers, and to limit phone apps to essentials.

But I'm curious on what other steps you guys would consider the "foundation" of online privacy that should be prioritized before a vpn. Any thoughts? Or am I way off base?

Note: this is in context of vpn for privacy. Using vpn to avoid Geo blocking and censorship I see as incredibly valid for those that need it.

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[–] wiLD0@lemmy.world 17 points 6 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

Here are some things you can do, roughly ranked:

  • Use a password manager
  • Assume anything you post/do online/financially can and will be used to build an advertising profile on you/train AI/be shared with government authorities
  • Disable ad personalization/history/sharing of information via privacy settings of mobile phone, mobile apps, Google, Facebook, banks, credit cards, ISP, cellular service, everything
  • Turn off third-party cookies.
  • Use an ad-blocker on desktop and mobile. They also help prevent a lot of tracking.
  • Don’t use Chrome. Consider Firefox/Brave/whatever else
  • Avoid using ad-supported services/companies. Consider using paid alternatives. This means using alternatives to Google Search, GMail, Facebook for photos, etc etc.
  • Use a profile deleting service like https://monitor.mozilla.org/
  • Different browser profiles: general use, Facebook, personal (GMail / Google Docs), and maybe more
  • Use a VPN w/ secured DNS
  • Many Google accounts: one for general, YouTube, Google Docs/personal, and maybe more
  • Use a different email address to sign up for every account. I use StartMail’s aliases
  • Don’t use your personal phone number for most things (finance/healthcare excepted). Get another number via a call and SMS forwarding service
[–] msage@programming.dev 5 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Use Firefox, don't use Chrome or any of its forks.

[–] dojan@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

I concur with this. Any Chromium based browser is still under the chokehold of Google. A great example is Manifest V3 being forced on all Chromium browsers. Honestly, Google controlling such a significant browser marketshare should be a worry to more peoople. To a lot of people they are people's access to the internet, via Google Search, and they also control people's window to the internet, via Chromium.

In short; Google by and large is the internet, meaning they can do whatever hell they please and there's not much in the way to stop them.