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:
  • HTTPS Everywhere
  • Paid VPN services
• Secure your online account settings:
  • Facebook privacy checkup
  • CrashOverride COACH
• 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)