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this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2023
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Privacy
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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.
Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.
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- Posting a link to a website containing tracking isn't great, if contents of the website are behind a paywall maybe copy them into the post
- Don't promote proprietary software
- Try to keep things on topic
- If you have a question, please try searching for previous discussions, maybe it has already been answered
- Reposts are fine, but should have at least a couple of weeks in between so that the post can reach a new audience
- Be nice :)
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I need to get into this for sure :D. I know it’s time consuming but I really liked going through setting up my own Ubuntu server for Minecraft
just a note on that: ubuntu isn't considered the most private linux distro because it includes closed-source software which might run in the background and track the user. i'm not entirely certain on exact details though, especially not for ubuntu server, so i'm probably wrong lol. also, minecraft, owned by microsoft, is closed-source and the bedrock edition and most recent versions of java edition have telemetry and collect user data. if you want to stick with minecraft, use the 'notelemetry' mod, otherwise i suggest the minetest engine with the mineclone2 game. ok long rant over.
You can start by looking up your name on major search engines and delete social accounts that are yours, and for the people search websites some of them have opt outs but most are really annoying and don’t comply (in my experience)
Consider using a privacy respecting browser like Firefox with the extension uBlock origin. Keep it to a max of two other extensions because it makes your browser more identifiable.
Consider using open source software over closed source software (just because it’s open source doesn’t mean it’s always safe)
For email I use proton mail and I’ve been very happy with it along with there other stuff.
As some other people have mentioned, self hosting is a good option if you have the time for it, and a spare computer laying around.
Depending on where you live, you can request data removal and they are supposed to oblige.
Never create an account unless it is seriously necessary.
Delete old content.
https://justdeleteme.xyz/ has direct links for removing your accounts. You can also make requests to places like archive.org to have things removed.
Thanks a ton.
My advice would be to take things gradually. This endeavor can be a bit overwhelming if you're one to hyperfixate.
In addition to the other comment, for places and things where you cannot delete yourself, or where you cannot avoid tracking even if you do, you can use stuff like , which sends out random queries to hide your actual interactions. Got my interest profile on Google completely generic after a few months.
TrackMeNot is a neat idea. Doesn't look maintained but if it still works go for it!
Alternative search engines like Mojeek are a good idea too.
I would look to someone such as Michael Bazzell, he has a great podcast "the privacy, security and OSINT show. He offers loads of information on privacy and can advise on what you are looking for. Check his website : https://inteltechniques.com/index.html
@solarzones I can recommend the book “Beginner’s Introduction to Privacy” by Naomi Brockwell and Michael Bazzell’s work at Intel Tecniques.