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Could you please suggest tools other than a VPN for protecting privacy? I am guessing this would be along the lines of adblockers and custom browser configurati

Could you please suggest tools other than a VPN for protecting privacy? I am guessing this would be along the lines of adblockers and custom browser configurations. I am told VPNs may not be that great for blocking newer forms of advertising tracking (owing to advances in fingerprinting) -- but I have very little on hand to substantiate this notion.

eindiran 6y ago
There is a big continuum between better privacy and better convenience. You have to find a balance that works for your needs. Some recommendations, from across this continuum: Use a VPN, from a company that you trust. Firefox - use containers to get some separation between services. NoScript - for blocking JS. This takes some time to get used to but is definitely worth it. After you have a whitelist going, it is much less painful. uBlock Origin - for blocking ads. This one is a super low hanging fruit. Privacy Badger - occasionally catches some trackers missed by Firefox and uBlock Oigin. Decentraleyes - to avoid big CDNs. OpenDNS instead of your ISP’s or Google’s DNS. Or consider setting up a Pihole. Switch your search engine to DuckDuckGo. Tor (or even Tails) - significantly more privacy, but at a much higher convenience cost. The biggest privacy win will be no longer using services from companies that don’t respect your privacy. This is doubly true of mobile. Many people cannot go without a smartphone (I still use a smartphone) but it’s worth considering whether you can drop it.
- lilsoso 6y ago
  Thank you! I hadn't heard of Decentraleyes, the project looks great. As you mention, tracking of smartphones is more troubling. I was dismayed to learn how many applications were tracking me via Facebook identifiers. For this reason, I restrict most apps from accessing 'cellular data' and 'background app refresh' on my iPhone in hopes this might help mitigate the problem. And the tracking done via bluetooth + bluetooth beacons by companies such as Gimbal is insidious.

eindiran 6y ago

There is a big continuum between better privacy and better convenience. You have to find a balance that works for your needs. Some recommendations, from across this continuum: Use a VPN, from a company that you trust. Firefox - use containers to get some separation between services. NoScript - for blocking JS. This takes some time to get used to but is definitely worth it. After you have a whitelist going, it is much less painful. uBlock Origin - for blocking ads. This one is a super low hanging fruit. Privacy Badger - occasionally catches some trackers missed by Firefox and uBlock Oigin. Decentraleyes - to avoid big CDNs. OpenDNS instead of your ISP’s or Google’s DNS. Or consider setting up a Pihole. Switch your search engine to DuckDuckGo. Tor (or even Tails) - significantly more privacy, but at a much higher convenience cost. The biggest privacy win will be no longer using services from companies that don’t respect your privacy. This is doubly true of mobile. Many people cannot go without a smartphone (I still use a smartphone) but it’s worth considering whether you can drop it.

lilsoso 6y ago
Thank you! I hadn't heard of Decentraleyes, the project looks great. As you mention, tracking of smartphones is more troubling. I was dismayed to learn how many applications were tracking me via Facebook identifiers. For this reason, I restrict most apps from accessing 'cellular data' and 'background app refresh' on my iPhone in hopes this might help mitigate the problem. And the tracking done via bluetooth + bluetooth beacons by companies such as Gimbal is insidious.