Tools¶
You can find our full, printable handout on privacy-protecting tools here.
Here it is in bullet form:
Secure your passwords¶
Protects against: financial theft; identity theft; online harassment; communications monitoring…pretty much everything
- Easy: Use 2-factor authentication
- Medium:
- Set up a password manager (Dashlane, LastPass, or 1Password)
- Use it to share any shared passwords
- NEVER send passwords by email/text/chat
- Register for Have I been pwned? & change compromised passwords
- Advanced: Get a Yubikey for 2-factor authentication
Avoid being “phished”¶
Protects against: theft of credentials/data by someone pretending to be a legitimate party
- Easy:
- Don’t click on links or open attachments from suspicious emails
- Verify suspicious emails with the purported sender
Communicate securely¶
Protects against: interception; impersonation; wiretaps; tech companies getting subpoenaed
- Easy: Install and use Signal (encrypted chats and voice/audio calls)
- Medium: Verify Signal contacts’ “safety numbers”
- Advanced: Set up PGP for email, or pay for ProtonMail
Securely share documents¶
Protects against: lost devices; hackers accessing devices or storage services; tech companies getting subpoenaed
- Easy: Pass around an encrypted flash drive (e.g., Kingston DataTraveler)
- Medium:
- Share as “notes” in a password manager (as an attachment to the note, if necessary)
- Encrypt folders with VeraCrypt, then share on Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
- Send as a Signal attachment (one-time, one-to-one/one-to-many sharing of individual files)
- Advanced: OnionShare (one-time, one-to-one/one-to-many sharing of files/folders)
Secure the data on your devices¶
Protects against: theft, loss, or confiscation of computers, phones, or disks containing sensitive data
- Easy: Enable lock screen passwords & set devices to lock when idle
- Medium: Encrypt your computer, phone, or tablet’s storage (“full-disk encryption”)
- iOS, Windows, & Mac: enabled by default
- Android: can be enabled, but it’s less secure
Other protections to consider¶
- Protect Internet traffic from snooping:
- Secure your online account settings:
- Semi-anonymous payments (temporary card numbers): Privacy browser extension
- Hide your identity when browsing the web:
- Privacy-conscious search engines (e.g., DuckDuckGo)
- Tracker-blocking browser add-ons (PrivacyBadger, Disconnect, uBlock, Ghostery)
- Tor (if anonymous but easily noticeable is OK)
- How HTTPS and Tor Work Together to Protect Your Anonymity and Privacy (a handy interactive visual)