What is your personal approach? Or do you simply don't care? 
Can we talk about online privacy and anonymity again?
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If privacy here does not encompass my credentials, I am very tolerant regarding its breach.
"I use the bare minimum of extensions and third-party software to preserve my security!"
In my humble opinion, Windows 11 (and even 10) is more of a service than a product, and services need to communicate with servers to function properly, so disabling more of them will lead to more problems to deal with.
In my humble opinion, Windows 11 (and even 10) is more of a service than a product, and services need to communicate with servers to function properly, so disabling more of them will lead to more problems to deal with.
You need a privacy is an illusion choice.
One simply can not obtain true privacy on the Internet without breaking websites. They have to many ways to track you, and if you block/disable all of them, you will render the website useless.
Consider going on the web like going out into public, someone is going to see what you are doing. There is no privacy and you need to act accordingly. The best you can do is minimize what you divulge where you visit, just like real life, you don't tell everyone everything about you and your private life do you? Treat the web the same.
One simply can not obtain true privacy on the Internet without breaking websites. They have to many ways to track you, and if you block/disable all of them, you will render the website useless.
Consider going on the web like going out into public, someone is going to see what you are doing. There is no privacy and you need to act accordingly. The best you can do is minimize what you divulge where you visit, just like real life, you don't tell everyone everything about you and your private life do you? Treat the web the same.
I change some settings in the Windows settings (without breaking its functionally like @lokamoka820 mentioned above), routinely use Brave, and a VPN. That's about it regarding privacy compared to security (browser extensions, AV's browser protection etc.)
I no longer expect privacy; the web is nothing compared to the outside. Just read up on Flock Safety ALPR camera's that do a LOT MORE than ALPR. You can reconstruct individual pattern of life if you really so desired.What is your personal approach? Or do you simply don't care?
Flock’s Aggressive Expansions Go Far Beyond Simple Driver Surveillance | ACLU
Build it (an authoritarian tracking infrastructure) and they (expanded uses) will come
www.aclu.org
If you want to know where they are located in your town:
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I am interested in reducing my exposure to privacy breaches that could also compromise my security.
This small goal can be achieved with a series of measures that start at the operating system level and end in the browser.
I don't have any 007 secrets on my PC that would sacrifice browsing speed, so no VPN, TOR, etc.
The use of a wide-spectrum content blocker, therefore the only extension certainly present in almost all security configurations, may be the right move.
The vote that best reflects my opinion is:
I use the bare minimum of extensions and third-party software to preserve my security!
This small goal can be achieved with a series of measures that start at the operating system level and end in the browser.
I don't have any 007 secrets on my PC that would sacrifice browsing speed, so no VPN, TOR, etc.
The use of a wide-spectrum content blocker, therefore the only extension certainly present in almost all security configurations, may be the right move.
The vote that best reflects my opinion is:
I use the bare minimum of extensions and third-party software to preserve my security!
I do care about my privacy, but I'm not a freak blocking half of the web just to create illusion of privacy.
ControlD (HaGeZi Pro Plus) & Firefox ETP (Strict) + uBlock Origin are more than enough for me. Additionally, I also never give my real information online (full name, address, DOB) unless it's really necessary and companies are trustworthy. I don't use any social media except TikTok and every website I don't trust doesn't have my personal e-mail address. This is how I keep spam away from my inbox.
VPN only for unblocking geoblocked content, nothing else.
ControlD (HaGeZi Pro Plus) & Firefox ETP (Strict) + uBlock Origin are more than enough for me. Additionally, I also never give my real information online (full name, address, DOB) unless it's really necessary and companies are trustworthy. I don't use any social media except TikTok and every website I don't trust doesn't have my personal e-mail address. This is how I keep spam away from my inbox.
VPN only for unblocking geoblocked content, nothing else.
My setup shows an above-average concern for privacy, but I'm not going mad over my efforts by any means. I'll admit that I had a period where I was quite a bit more lax.
A no-logging VPN + DNS and Brave diminish the ability of my ISP and websites to track my every move. My email provider isn't an advertising company, and I use many different email aliases online. My DNS is configured to block OS and application level analytics (Windows and Android) after trying to optimize settings for privacy. I don't actively run a ton of third-party software.
A no-logging VPN + DNS and Brave diminish the ability of my ISP and websites to track my every move. My email provider isn't an advertising company, and I use many different email aliases online. My DNS is configured to block OS and application level analytics (Windows and Android) after trying to optimize settings for privacy. I don't actively run a ton of third-party software.
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Online privacy… bah, it’s like those miracle diets: everyone talks about them, nobody sticks to them, and in the end the only thing you lose is time. Digital anonymity is more like cosplay: you dress up as a ninja with VPNs and blockers, but you’re still wandering through a shopping mall full of cameras. Sure, you can make life harder for those who snoop too much, but all you really get is turning your browsing into a frustrating escape room. Anyway, just like in that other thread I opened for anyone who wanted to join in and have some fun, it’s more ritual than protection. I’ve already accepted that my ‘life pattern’ is basically meme material. 
As preferring security over privacy, I select ControlD (TIF), even if Pro plus contains partial TIF; let the trackers feast
I think most tracking is done for advertising purposes. Other than that it is the state who is taking an interest in you. I don't think I am of the latter kind. And regarding advertisements I belong to a group that doesn't have much disposable income, and don't buy much. My interest is in cybersecurity. I ain't interested in politics. I dress conservatively so fashion doesn't matter much. I do go to restaurants, but restaurants don't advertise much, I have an old car, so they may think I'm in the market for a new one, but they don't know about the medical condition I have - I can't drive. My digital foot print is small, just a few forums and security news sites. And I have an adblocker. So you can't advertise much to me. You can collect info of my comings and goings about the inet, but it won't do you much good.
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semi-related longer than usual story. I was shopping for a car, had a good experience and decided yes at the dealership. My FICO (credit score) is excellent, but of course I have THE 3 credit agency reports (CRA) frozen (combo security and privacy). Dealer uses 1 bank nationwide (call it Bank A), very low rate, dealer submits short form application, me forgetting my credit reports are frozen. Bank A is stymied. I manage to unfreeze Equifax over the phone at the dealer, but it took about 30 mins. All good, dealer says please take the car home this afternoon. Later that night I re-freeze my credit reports. One month later, I get a letter from Bank Z, we could not get a score from Equifax, so we contacted fallback 2d-tier credit agency (not one of the three everyone knows) in a city 1000 miles away which has no credit history for you, and gave you the lowest score possible, loan declined. I'm thinking WTF, how did Bank Z get involved, and is someone impersonating me, same transction / different transaction (identity theft), and is my credit score now all mucked up??? Apparently car loans and perhaps other financial products, car dealer uses a 3d-party agency to process the car loan, and in addition to the primary bank, they do some sort of shotgun approach and submit it to other banks undisclosed to you the buyer. So if you have your big 3 credit reports frozen, the money men can bypass the normal sources of info. So digging deeper, I understand there are two other secondary fallback agencies that nobody ever hears about absent this type of experience, and now I have those two 2d-tier CRA frozen too. Federal law (US) gives you the right to freeze your credit reports to help protect against identity theft. So I like my new car, I have my low interest loan at Bank A since day 1, now have 5 credit reports frozen, and it appears the big 3 CRA have no record of this funky transaction. (side story -- about 3 years ago, someone sucked $8000 from my brother's bank account and he's a Ludite, doesn't even have smart phone! __it happens! (can happen).
On the computer, I use a vpn about half the time, ubo, standard stuff...
Bank A is stymied. I manage to unfreeze Equifax over the phone at the dealer, but it took about 30 mins. All good, dealer says please take the car home this afternoon. Later that night I re-freeze my credit reports. One month later, I get a letter from Bank Z, we could not get a score from Equifax, so we contacted fallback 2d-tier credit agency (not one of the three everyone knows) in a city 1000 miles away which has no credit history for you, and gave you the lowest score possible, loan declined. I'm thinking WTF, how did Bank Z get involved, and is someone impersonating me, same transction / different transaction (identity theft), and is my credit score now all mucked up??? Apparently car loans and perhaps other financial products, car dealer uses a 3d-party agency to process the car loan, and in addition to the primary bank, they do some sort of shotgun approach and submit it to other banks undisclosed to you the buyer. So if you have your big 3 credit reports frozen, the money men can bypass the normal sources of info. So digging deeper, I understand there are two other secondary fallback agencies that nobody ever hears about absent this type of experience, and now I have those two 2d-tier CRA frozen too. Federal law (US) gives you the right to freeze your credit reports to help protect against identity theft. So I like my new car, I have my low interest loan at Bank A since day 1, now have 5 credit reports frozen, and it appears the big 3 CRA have no record of this funky transaction. (side story -- about 3 years ago, someone sucked $8000 from my brother's bank account and he's a Ludite, doesn't even have smart phone! __it happens! (can happen).On the computer, I use a vpn about half the time, ubo, standard stuff...
Thank you for letting us know about this @simmerskool as I have the big 3 frozen as well.
I am driven by security more than privacy. My general excuse for not "caring about" privacy is that I can't afford the expenses, time, efforts, inconveniences, and anxiety it would require. I do use Firefox, extensions like uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger, a VPN (to avoid exposing my IP on some sites), filtered DNS (for Android), and email aliases wherever I can. I also follow some discussions and recommendations on privacy guides and other resources.
De-googify? Probably more like, "till death do us part." I am sure Google knows more about me more than I know myself. Pixel and GrapheneOS? If I could only get the former. Chinese devices (not good for privacy, and their security practices seem questionable)? They are pretty much eliminating the low-end options from anyone else who might seem respectable.
De-googify? Probably more like, "till death do us part." I am sure Google knows more about me more than I know myself. Pixel and GrapheneOS? If I could only get the former. Chinese devices (not good for privacy, and their security practices seem questionable)? They are pretty much eliminating the low-end options from anyone else who might seem respectable.
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It depends on what I'm looking for.
I live in South America where there aren't any serious laws or penalties for torrenting a movie, for example. But I do care about privacy, to an extent.
I live in South America where there aren't any serious laws or penalties for torrenting a movie, for example. But I do care about privacy, to an extent.
- I don't use my ISP's DNS. Instead I use another secure and private one.
- I use Kaspersky's tracking protection functionalities.
- I reduce ads, data collection and fingerprinting to a minimum, using a couple of extensions.
- I do use a VPN when I need to hide my ass a bit more, as well as a MAC spoofer if needed.
Everything I can use I will use. I've been on forums since the 90's and used most of the privacy tools that have come and gone, read all the books, do all the seminars.
The problem is basically no one using or practicing safe privacy, so now I just use the basics Vpn, offshore email, E2EE apps. Nothing special. You don't need much more now.
Sad to see some intelligent people in the privacy space disappear but I guess that's the nature of the beast.
The problem is basically no one using or practicing safe privacy, so now I just use the basics Vpn, offshore email, E2EE apps. Nothing special. You don't need much more now.
Sad to see some intelligent people in the privacy space disappear but I guess that's the nature of the beast.
After reading many of your comments I came to the conclusion that you can either go all in or just stick to the basics. Something in the middle is possible, but will probably just make things worse. If one reads a few articles about fingerprinting, then he would come to the conclusion, that installing extensions like CanvasBlocker or other anti-fingerprinting extensions save you from that. In reality, they make you more unique, as fewer people use them to spoof their fingerprint than users that just stick with the default browser settings. So no, don't do that.
So either one goes real, real deep down the rabbit hole or you just use ad and tracker blocking as the majority of people and simply stick to the basics. In the end, I would say the latter is the most efficient solution. For now.
So either one goes real, real deep down the rabbit hole or you just use ad and tracker blocking as the majority of people and simply stick to the basics. In the end, I would say the latter is the most efficient solution. For now.
Agree it all starts with a adblocker or blocking tracking and flows from there. But once you start down the rabbit hole its hard to stop at just adblocking.
There are people who need privacy & anonymity tech and their lives depend on it (activists, whistleblowers, criminals, hackers). But they rarely comment online about it.
Android with GrapheneOS is currently the only non commercial solution. There are others but this one is the cheapest.
You can onion out of GrapheneOS as the only method of it reaching out the rest is firewalled.
Bittium Tough Mobile™ 2 - Ultra Secure Smartphone for normal joe
If you are a US GOV then ask about fishbowl.
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