With clueless politicians, the media, and scared citizens calling for a ban on encryption, it can feel like the Internet is under attack. Such basic rights to privacy are the foundation of the net -- once we lose them, it can be impossible to get back.
Unfortunately, even mundane aspects of computing, like operating systems -- which should fade into the background -- are threatening our privacy. Windows 10, for instance, sends much data to Microsoft, while Android is partly a means for Google to collect data. Traditional Linux distributions are not inherently privacy-focused, but generally speaking, many are. For the gold standard in privacy and security, Tails -- a distro recommended by Edward Snowden -- can be used. Today, the first beta of the 2.0 version operating system becomes available.
