Hardening Your Desktop Linux System's Security
There are a number of procedures you can follow to make your Linux desktop system more secure, some more advanced than others. We cover some general techniques here.
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Should You Use GrapheneOS or CalyxOS?
GrapheneOS and CalyxOS are often compared as similar options for people looking for an alternative Android OS for their Pixel devices. Below are some of the reasons why we recommend GrapheneOS over CalyxOS.
Removing Metadata From Your Photos, Videos, and Other Files
When sharing files, it's important to remove associated metadata. Image files commonly include Exif data, and sometimes photos even include GPS coordinates within its metadata.
Move Fast and Break Things
Mark Zuckerberg does not look comfortable on stage. Yet, there he was proclaiming that “the future is private”. If someone has to tell you that they care about your privacy, they probably don’t.
Firefox Privacy: 2021 Update
A lot changed between 2019 and now, not least in regards to Firefox. Since our last post, Mozilla has improved privacy with Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP). Earlier this year Mozilla introduced Total Cookie Protection (Dynamic First Party Isolation dFPI). This was then further tightened with Enhanced Cookie Clearing. We’re also looking very forward to Site Isolation (code named Fission) being enabled by default in the coming releases.
Virtual Insanity
Not so long ago, the world was predicting the end for Facebook. Now it is no more. Gone from the face of the planet – never to be seen again. Except it isn’t.
Facebook has not disappeared. No, not even the damning ‘Facebook Papers’ can shut it down. Mark Zuckerberg stood up on stage, and announced that it had changed its name to: Meta.
Welcome to Privacy Guides
We are excited to announce the launch of Privacy Guides and r/PrivacyGuides, and welcome the privacy community to participate in our crowdsourced software recommendations and share tips and tricks for keeping your data safe online. Our goal is to be a central resource for privacy and security-related tips that are usable by anybody, and to carry on the trusted legacy of PrivacyTools.
Security, Privacy, and Anonymity
We may think that we know the differences between privacy, security and anonymity, however we often mix them up. People will often criticize a product or service as “not private” when they really mean “not anonymous.” Privacy, security, and anonymity often complement each other, but they are not always dependent on each other, and they are definitely not the same thing. A service can be private without being anonymous, or even secure without being private. Which one should you prioritize?
Why I Decided to Run a Tor Relay
It makes me smile when I come across someone struggling with the decision of whether to get a VPN. It makes me smile not because of the indecision and relative lack of knowledge, but because it wasn't so long ago I was in exactly the same position—perceiving VPNs to be some kind of extreme measure only the paranoid and the criminal resorted to. How wrong I was.
Relisting Startpage.com
Dear Privacy Guides Community,
In October 2019, we learned that System1 had become the majority shareholder in Startpage.com via a new System1 subsidiary, Privacy One Group. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the acquisition and the initial lack of clear communication from the Startpage team towards the privacy community, we were forced to delist Startpage from our search engine recommendations.