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The programs/sites I have recommended are obviously not paying me to promote them. I am not a shill. This is just some advice from one internet user to another. Check them out if you value your privacy, and if you don't, then don't. But if you don't, you should. In fact, if you don't care that all these companies have access to all your sensitive information such as passwords, browsing history, addresses, personal images etc. then you might as well give all of that to me as well. What difference does it make? Send me your nudes. Tell me what kind of porn you like to watch. Give me your credit card information. Tell me where you live. Even data that seems trivial to you, like what brand of ice cream you prefer, will be used against you as long as you keep providing it to companies that store it and sell it. It's wrong and it's creepy. Your data is like gold to them. Be vigilant. All of that stuff is YOUR business. You CAN mitigate* the spying of corporations and governments on you, and below I've written a few ways to get started.**

Proprietary software is evil. Use Free Open Source Software! (note that 'free' means freedom respecting - as in freedom, not price, and open source means that anyone can view the code. Price is irrelevant but FOSS programs are almost always free of cost anyways and typically accept donations instead of charging users) For example, instead of Microsoft Office, use LibreOffice. It's not hard to find Free and Open Source Software online - HERE is an entire directory of free software. There's an alternative for just about everything. If, however, you MUST use proprietary software for work or school, it's best to do so on a separate device or in a virtual machine. But if you can use these alternatives, please consider doing so. Proprietary software almost always spies on you and does not give you the same freedoms as FOSS alternatives. Now, if you end up finding a program that claims to be private and secure but IS NOT open source, avoid at all costs. If we cannot audit the code ourselves, how can we be sure that it isn't doing malicious things behind the scenes? Proprietary privacy software is often not what it claims to be. Just look at the ANOM phone

Google is spying on you and selling your data. Stop using Google services. Switch to SearX or Brave Search. You can also use DuckDuckGo but be aware that they have admitted to censoring search results. If you find SearX or Brave Search image results to be bare, consider using Startpage or Whoogle if you want results identical to Google (these serve as a proxy i.e. their servers access Google instead of your computer directly) However beware that Google also censors search results.

Use a privacy respecting email service, meaning one that doesn't ask for personal information like your real name, phone number etc and offering encryption is definitely a bonus. Personally, I use Skiff, DNMX and cock.li (cock.li is invite only so email me at duckyp@skiff.com if you want an invite code). Other privacy respecting email services include ProtonMail or Tutanota, which may be a bit more work/school appropriate and reliable compared to cock.li or DNMX (I use Skiff for that kinda stuff - many people have issues with Proton and Tutanota and I don't want to enter that debate, do your own research and make that decision yourself). Do keep in mind that even though these email services are more private than things like Gmail and Outlook, email itself is a fundamentally less secure system. For circumcstances where secure correspondence is crucial, don't use email, and if you MUST use email, use GPG encryption, which I've written more about just below.

GPG - short for GNU Privacy Guard is an encryption tool that allows you to sign and encrypt your data using a dual key management system. Basically, a user generates a pair of keys. One key is private, and the user should not reveal this to anyone. The other key is public, and the user sends this to whoever they want to correspond with. Let's say I want to send an encrypted message to you. You would first need to give me your public key. I would then use your public key to encrypt my message. I would then send you the encrypted message, and you would decrypt it using your private key. This message can only be decrypted by YOU (assuming you never gave your private key to anyone else). This encryption cannot be broken.

Your browser is also probably spying on you. This can be minimised by switching to a privacy respecting browser such as Brave, (comes with a great ad/tracker/fingerprinting block out of the box - the easiest and best option for the majority of people) You can also use Tor, which isn't so great for casual browsing as its significantly slower, but is very great for anonimity as it makes it very hard to track activity back to the user since it passes your traffic through three separate relays (out of thousands) with a separate layer of encryption on each. These relays are all hosted by volunteers making the network decentralised. Ungoogled Chromium (if you just want the exact same thing as Chrome but without the Google spyware - be sure to install uBlock Origin), GNU IceCat (Many websites will not work because it disables non-free javascript) or Mozilla Firefox but make sure you HARDEN IT! because Firefox by default is not good enough or use LibreWolf, which is a fork of Firefox that comes with uBlock preinstalled as well as some other privacy features. uBlock Origin is really the only extension you need, and you should ALWAYS be using it (unless you're using Tor since adding extensions to the Tor browser will compromise your privacy/security. Tor browser comes with NoScript preinstalled, so just stick to that). Sponsor Block is neat if you hate sponsor segments in YouTube videos, and there are a number of extensions that allow you to create custom redirects or simply just redirect automatically to privacy respecting frontends. One of these is LibRedirect. Keep your browser extensions to a minimum, because too many will increase your fingerprint. If you use userscripts, Violentmonkey is a better choice than Tampermonkey because Tampermonkey is not open source. Also be sure to enable HTTPS-only mode, which should be a setting in your browser without the need for extensions. Personally I use LibreWolf primarily, but have used all of the above and occasionally still do switch to Brave or Ungoogled Chromium when the need for Chromium arises.

59% of people use the same password everywhere and 90% of passwords can be cracked in less than 6 hours. Use an OFFLINE password manager such as KeePassXC which can generate extremely strong passwords and stores all your login credentials in an encrypted database. The best passwords consist purely of random characters (alphanumerical, special characters and extended ASCII) Avoid using words, especially ones that can be found in a dictionary! A 20-character length password following all these rules looks like this: ó¯¸÷äêßx¾$õq΢eíÍ_bú - obviously near impossible to remember and a real pain in the ass to type, which is why you copy and paste from your database. KeePassXC also has a function that automatically clears your clipboard after a few seconds, giving you enough time to paste it and log in without worrying about accidentally pasting it somewhere bad later on. If you hadn't noticed, increasing your privacy and security involves a few sacrifices in regards to convenience, but it's worth it. Online password managers are not recommended, for obvious reasons. You definitely should backup your database to a storage device or different machine. Or you could just write your passwords down on pen and paper. Also use this site to see if your credentials appear in any known data breaches.

Social media companies do not care about your privacy either. These platforms are able to remain free of charge because YOU are the product. Use alternative frontends (these allow you to view the exact same content as everyone else without having to create an account) such as Nitter for Twitter, Teddit for Reddit, and Piped for YouTube. An expansive list of alternative frontends can be found HERE. You may also want to consider using alternative services such as Mastodon instead of Twitter, Friendica instead of Facebook, Element or Revolt instead of Discord, Lemmy instead of Reddit, and PeerTube or Odysee instead of YouTube. These are all open source and decentralised (except for Revolt which is not decentralised but is still open source), meaning they don't run on central servers operated by a single entity. (If you must use Discord, disable data collection in settings and use in a browser rather than downloading the program).

DONT FALL FOR THE YOUTUBER ADS! VPNs are NOT a perfect means of attaining privacy and you probably don't even need one. They may be great for location spoofing to access region-restricted content, or stopping your ISP from bitching and moaning when you pirate content but that's about it, since instead of your ISP seeing what sites you access, your VPN company can now see all that instead. Before you say "Oh, but it says here on there website that they don't keep logs" I want you to actually prove that to me. VPNs are not hiding your web activity, you are simply shifting your trust to a different entity. (It is worth mentioning that neither ISPs nor VPN companies can see exactly what you search for or what exactly you're doing on a website. For example, they can see that you have connected to google.com, but they cannot see your exact search. They can see that you are connected to youtube.com, but they cannot see what video you are watching. Google, however, can see these things when you use their services, which is why it's always best to use alternatives, and Google DOES keep logs of what you do search. Some of these VPN services also come from questionable backgrounds, such as ExpressVPN which was purchased by a company known to inject ads through browser extensions. A good rule of thumb is that if a YouTuber is sponsored by a product, it might not be such a great idea to use it. A lot of the times these YouTubers are given a script to read and are completely oblivious to the fact that what they are saying may lead viewers to a completely false understanding of how VPNs work and what exactly they do for the end user. I have seen VPN ads that basically amount to "If you do not use our VPN you WILL be hacked!" which is total retardation. Also, VPN companies WILL hand your data to law enforcement if asked to do so. They are not willing to break the law just because you pay a few dollars a month for their service, and like I said, there is no way that they can actually prove that they don't collect your data even if they pinky promise that they don't. If you do need a VPN, it's best to sign up to one that does not require ANY personal information. Mullvad VPN allows you to generate an account (rather than sign up with an email address, you just click a button and it gives you a personalised code) and also allows you to pay with a range of cryptocurrencies (including Monero) or even cash! Yes, you can literally just send them cash in the mail, which is great and I think more online services need to provide users with this option. Just remember, even when a VPN service says that they don't keep logs, there's really no way to be entirely sure, but allowing users to sign up anonymously (no emails or credit cards or whatever) immediately puts them way above all VPN companies that don't offer this option. Sometimes just using tor is fine. Dont use tor and a VPN simultaneously. If you don't want your ISP to know that you're using Tor, connect to a BRIDGE, NOT A VPN! READ THIS. Do not listen to the VPN shills that say you do need a VPN for tor.

Windows and macOS are also, unsurprisingly, spying on you. I'd advise you to switch to Linux (Mint is a great distribution for beginners, I have a Linux page here ), but if you're unwilling to change for whatever reasons you may have (which is fair enough) There are a number of ways to increase your privacy on Windows and macOS. Unfortunately, I have zero experience with Mac machines, but this guide might be worth checking out (I can't fully confirm, because like I said, I have never used a Mac, sorry lol) but for Windows you can remove bloatware and disable telemetry and other spooky services such as Cortana by running THIS script through Powershell as an administrator. A video guide can be found HERE. Also worth mentioning is Tails, a Linux distribution specifically built for user privacy and anonimity. It connects through the internet entirely through the Tor netork and is designed to be booted live from a USB without installing the OS anywhere on your disk which means it leaves no trace of your activities on your machine once you reboot it. It comes with a number of privacy oriented tools, including the Tor browser. Though not ideal for daily casual use, it's worth checking out. Also worth checking out are Whonix and Qubes OS

Smartphones are an issue. Ideally, you should not have one at all if you care about privacy, but, since they have been so deeply entrenched into our lives, telling the average person to just ditch their cancer-causing personal tracker is essentially useless advice. iPhones are perhaps the worst offenders for a number of reasons. Sure, they let you disable tracking by the apps you download... kind of. The two problems with this are: 1. They give you the option to ASK the app not to track you, rather than fully blocking it. Some apps will still be allowed to track you. The second problem is that this only applies to third party apps. You still have zero choice when it comes to official Apple applications. They will still track you and use your data. Another problem with Apple is their restrictiveness. Currently, you cannot sideload apps or use an alternative app store. You MUST use the app store that Apple has provided and you must only download the apps that Apple approves of, and it's a major problem when a company tells you what you can and can't do with your own property. There's a reason why 'jailbreaking' your phone is called that. This, however, MAY change in the future, but we'll see.. and if it does, that still doesn't excuse Apple from the other stuff they do. They incessantly censor, spy, and do not support the right to repair. If your iPhone is repaired by someone other than a technician licenced and authorised by Apple, your phone may commit suicide. Yes, it will brick itself if you replace a part yourself. Not because you fucked up the repair, but because there is software in place to stop you from repairing the thing that YOU bought and are supposed to OWN. iPhones are not a great choice. If you want a privacy respecting phone, an Android based phone is a great choice as long as you install an OS such as LineageOS,GrapheneOS or CalyxOS which are free and open source and do not come with proprietary software (though you can still install proprietary software if need be) and do not come with telemetry either. GrapheneOS and CalyxOS are only available for Google Pixel phones, and have a number of increased privacy features not included as part of LineageOS, though LineageOS is available on Samsung phones as well as many, many other Android phones. I use GrapheneOS on a Google Pixel 6a and the install process is very simple and can be done entirely through your browser.

As for mobile phone messaging services, Session is a great option. Signal is a good option, and Telegram is an okay option. In Telegram, E2E encryption is not enabled by default, unlike in Signal and Session. Unfortunately, Signal and Telegram require that you sign up with a phone number. You could always get yourself a cheap burner phone and use the number from that if that option to purchase one anonymously is available to you. Session does not require a phone number OR email address (it generates an ID and passphrase for you), uses E2E encryption by default, and messages are directed through an onion routing network. It might be worth noting that you can hide your phone number from other users on Telegram, but not on Signal as far as I know. DO NOT USE WHATSAPP OR FACEBOOK MESSENGER. DO NOT USE SMS. Also, before signing up to a site or downloading a program, READ THE PRIVACY POLICY!!!!!!!!! I know it's probably seems boring but you'd be surpsied at what kind of spooky stuff they ADMIT to doing, let alone what they DON'T admit. Definitely check out the Spyware Watchdog neocities site for more information on the software you use.

Using a privacy oriented DNS service is a lot better than using the one provided to you by your ISP. I use AdGuard DNS, which blocks most ads and trackers before they can even reach any devices (this includes phones and smart TVs) if you set it up on your router. If you're interested in using their public (completely free to use) DNS servers, they can be found here. Quad9 is another good choice, but they do not block ads/trackers, only malicious sites. To set these up on the router level, simply access your router config by typing your default gateway into your browser address bar (usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1), sign in (credentials are usually just "admin" and "password", if not they can be found in the manual), navigate to the 'Internet' or 'Network' tab where your DNS settings should be, and enable custom DNS configuration. To use AdGuards default public servers, type '94.140.14.14' into the Primary DNS box, and '94.140.15.15' into the Secondary DNS box. Click 'apply' or 'save settings' or whatever it says in your interface. If you would like to use Quad9 instead, use '9.9.9.9' and '149.112.112.112'. AdGuard also has a family friendly option which blocks adult content. To use this, use '94.140.14.15' and '94.140.15.16'.

When making purchases online, if you want your transactions to remain private, use crypto whenever you can. Monero (XMR) specifically if your vendor accepts it. If not, buying prepaid cards with cash is great. When using crypto, stick to KYC-free services (KYC means Know Your Customer, so KYC-free means identifying information is not required). A list of KYC-free services can be found here, including crypto exchanges as well as other services which all accept cryptocurrency. When making purchases irl, use cash.

If you use a Kindle, do not create a Kindle/Amazon account. If you have one, delete it. Use your Kindle exclusively in airplane mode. Get all your books for free from Library Genesis(I have yet to find myself in a situation where the book I'm after cannot be found here). I like to download books as EPUBs and then convert them to MOBI using Calibre, rather than downloading MOBI files straight from LibGen, because for some reason the MOBI files I downloaded directly from there don't really work properly (My Kindle had this issue of losing the page I was up to with them, but this doesn't happen when I download an EPUB and convert that to MOBI myself). If you're opposed to downloading free books, you might as well just buy a physical copy and then download the ebook afterwards or something.

You do not need an antivirus. These things are arguably malware themselves as they slow your computer down with shit that you don't need. All you need is common sense. Do not click weird links or ads. Do not download from shady sources and do not run random exe files. Use your brain. A good tip is to make your OS always show file extensions, so that you don't accidentally fall for the old mp4.exe trick

If you torrent, DON'T use uTorrent. Use qbittorrent because it's free, open source, and does not have ads in it. If you do feel the need to use a vpn while torrenting, which again, you don't always need to, but if your ISP likes to bitch about it, use Mullvad like I mentioned earlier. Don't use some shady free vpn and please for the love of God DO NOT use the Tor network for torrenting because it strains the network.

Avoid 'Internet of Things' devices. These are things such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, as well as any "smart" appliances in general such as refrigerators with WiFi capabilities. These things are stupid and unnecessary and the more of these things you have, the more vulnerable you are. Please just use a normal dishwasher instead of one that listens to you and requires software updates to function.

While not exactly a direct privacy issue, you should take a stand against DRM and support the right-to-repair movement, because you, as a consumer, should NOT be told what you can and can't do with the things that you purchase and should rightfully own, and you should not have to put up with invasive DRM software. If you want to modify or repair your devices by yourself or with third-party hardware, you 100% should have the right to do so without anyones permission. If you want to make copies of a movie or piece of software you bought, or access it offline, you should also have the right to do so. But corporations don't want you to do this. They want to decide what YOU do with YOUR shit. They want to repair and modify your things for you, so they can continue to make money, and will punish you if you attempt to do things your way. Some examples of invasive DRM and infringing on the right to repair include: HP printers preventing you from using any brand of ink besides their own using chips installed in the ink cartridges, smartphones and laptops bricking themselves after installing unauthorised hardware and/or making unauthorised repairs (which are significantly more affordable than authorised repairs), vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla and BMW paywalling the performance and features of their cars (the cars already have the necessary hardware, you just need to pay extra to bypass a lock that's purely software - for example, BMW is selling cars that require you to pay a subscription to use heated seats, which is ridiculous considering the fact that you've already paid for the car and the heating coils are already physically present inside the seats after paying for the car). I could provide many, many more examples, but I don't really feel like typing out fifty more pages.
Learn more about DRM and the right to repair, and also check out Louis Rossmann on YouTube or Odysee.

* Complete and utter privacy can only be attained through disuse of the internet entirely

** I am not a certified expert, I'm just a hobbyist, but I try my absolute best to make sure that all this information is accurate, up to date and beginner friendly. If there are any inaccuracies or outdated information, or you feel that I'm missing something important, please let me know

Thank you for reading and I hope this has been of some use to you :)