The really difficult problem is setting up apps to do what one actually wants them to do - the setup/menu/UI ergonomics on most of them suck big-time. Why apps

The really difficult problem is setting up apps to do what one actually wants them to do - the setup/menu/UI ergonomics on most of them suck big-time. Why apps are so bad in this regard ought to be the subject of much research as futzing with them wastes millions of human hours every year. Even after some 40/50 years, the IT profession essentially still programs for itself rather than what ought to be its principal consideration - the users of its services. Keeping one's tech quiet is actually pretty simple, that is unless one needs to be at the center of attention. If one does then the job is much harder as that's the essence of how Big Tech makes its money. My own aim isn't to hide from Big Tech completely, one can just about do so but it's generally too much trouble - my aim is to minimize interference from it and over the years I've been very successful. I essentially never see ads on webpages or on YouTube, email spam (especially targeted spam) is all but non existent, and I access the internet on my own terms and in my own time - except in special circumstances to suit myself, all notifications are either turned of of muted. Even the traditional telephone service falls into this category as I'm quite adroit at ignoring incoming calls. Strategies I adopt vary depending on platform - Android, Windows, Linux etc. and it'd take several long blogs to detail them so here's a brief list (not in any particular order or relevance): - Always use a collection of different browsers, use them for different jobs - ordering stuff online, news etc. - Turn off JavaScript by default, only toggle it on when absolutely essential. This stops the majority of ads, requests to join mailing lists, etc.,etc., and the big upside effect is the huge increase in web speed (it's quite dramatic, once one gets used to a JavaScript-free web one never looks back). BTW, there's nothing wrong with JS per se, it's just that websites use it to abuse the hell out of users, turning it off stops most but not all of that abuse. Note: websites that won't work at all without JS enabled are the ones I'd rarely want to visit anyway - that tactic goes with the territory (i.e.: low quality sites whose vested interest doesn't include you the user). - Set all browsers to clear cookies on exit, and do not accept third party ones. Even during sessions, if you change sites/topics/interests then flush cookies, cache etc. at every opportunity). - Set at least one browser (the one for general purpose browsing) to spoof the browser agent. Many browsers have plugins to make this job easy. - Don't use Chrome or Edge under any circumstances. Alternatives such as Firefox, Palemoon, Brave, Lightening, etc. are much more private (or can be me so with a little tweaking/plugins). On Android, actively disable Chrome. - Don't use Gmail (and Outlook if you can avoid it). If you must use Gmail then set it up with a spare phone/phone number that you don't use for anything else. Instead, use SMTP/POP/IMAP with programs such a Thunderbird, K-9 Mail etc. - With Gmail, setup your Google account to be as anonymous as is possible, provide junk but believable data. Change your name, DOB etc. to realistic alternatives, if possible use an alias. Again, use separate hardware for job especially so if using an Android phone (more on that in a moment). - Moreover, do not give your main email address out to anyone unless it's essential. Better still, use multiple email addresses for different jobs/purposes. If you're fussy even use different email clients and disposable email addresses (and where possible different ISPs) for 'worrying' once-off jobs. - Reboot your router regularly to change your IP address, if paranoid, use all the other hiding/spoofing tricks, DNS hiding, etc. -It hardly needs to be said but if you want to keep your tech quiet and don't want to seek attention then do not use Social Media! I do not use it - I wouldn't be seen dead on Facebook etc. (although in the past I've set up 'anonymous' test accounts both on FB and elsewhere for IT purposes (as one has to do)). - If family commitments etc. require you to use Social Media then again use dedicated hardware for the purpose. (A rooted Android phone is often the best solution as you can remove most of the spying junk from it.) - Use a rooted smartphone whenever possible. If you cannot root your phone then at least buy one where you can disable the Google apps and or change permissions to deny Google apps access to just about everything on your phone. - Also, on Android, reset the ad ID regularly. Note some phone manufacturers do not allow you to disable key Google apps such as Google Play services, Google Play Store, etc. You should always check before you buy your phone. - Install a firewall VPN on your Android phone and deny all apps with ads - in fact any app system or otherwise - access to the internet unless such access is absolutely essential to its function. ('Denying' (rerouting apps via an internet-blind VPN) means apps cannot access internet ad servers.) On non-rooted phones I'll even bootstrap the process, when, say, I cannot remove Google Play Store and Google's YouTube client apps I'll not only disable them but also deny their access to the internet in the firewall. (I use Karma FW firewall which is quite excellent but unfortunately its developer recently announced he'd be stopping further development). - If you do internet banking with Android then if you decide to root your phone be careful. Use Magisk/Magisk Manager and be very careful not to trigger the phone's security detect fuses (a special and detailed subject in and of itself). Just be warned! - On Android, even if you have a Google account (most of my Android phones don't) then use Aurora Store to anonymously access Google's Playstore. It's available from the F-Droid (non-Google) site. - Similarly, on Android disable Google's YouTube client then use NewPipe to access YouTube anonymously (it's also available from F-Droid). NewPipe also bypasses ads and lets you download files (I wouldn't be without it - it's so useful and easy to use that I use it in preference to the PC to download YouTube stuff). Again, there's much more I could add but that'll have to do for now. With that longish list, what I've said may seem contradictory with respect to my point about keeping one's tech quiet being a simple matter but it's not so. For starters, you don't have to do everything I've suggested to keep your tech pretty quiet (alternatively, a zealot could go much further). The key issue for quietening your tech is the degree to which you are prepared to go. It's a tradeoff between full access to the so called 'free' features from Facebook, Google et al and how quiet you want things to be. In my case it's dead easy in that I've no need of their Social Media services, etc. However I realize others are compelled say for family and business reasons to use them. Just keep in mind that even if you must use then there are still many alternatives available to you, with care they can kill most of the internet 'noise' or at least ameliorate it to a significant degree.