Oddbean

Privacy Checklist Step 1. Learn Linux It’s easier than you think. You don’t need the command line, and the software compatibility isn’t as big a deal as it used to be, because a lot is in a web browser now. Over the last 10 years, Linux has improved dramatically, while as Microsoft Windows has gotten worse due to their increased surveillance wasting more and more resources. Step 2. Get a DeGoogled Android It’s as easy to use as a regular Android! You can have all the same apps (although you should ditch some of them). You don’t need the newest and most expensive model, Pixel 6a or 7a are just fine. We sell them cheap, or do it on your own. Step 3. Slowly learn about open source alternatives. There is a lot of alternative software out there, and our site covers most of them. Kdenlive is just as good as Adobe Premier for 90% of stuff. GIMP is just as good as photoshop for most people. Try to replace one app a week or month, you’ll get there. Patience. Step 4. Get a VoIP line. Stop using the number on the real SIM card of your phone, otherwise the phone company sees what you’re doing. If you use VoIP with a VPN, then the phone company sees just a VPN tunnel. And the VoIP company just sees a VPN exit. The data is still unencrypted, but this is a huge separation of knowledge. Step 5. Transition to Crypto. Bitrefill, coincards, cake wallet, and many more vendors have a huge variety of stuff. This depends on your country and needs. But no country has no options. Don’t let pessimism keep you trapped in fiat. Step 6. Consider self-hosted email. If you’re not going to just use a bunch of burners, and you actually have real content going through email, then self-host on a VPS is the best way. It’s true that the VPS provider can still access it, but if you need business email, then this is your best choice. We offer to do the setup for you, or you can read guides on your own. Step 7. Start on-boarding your friends and family It takes two to tango. It helps to have the other side of your conversation secure as well. Our site has guides on how to approach them, but the answer usually lies in increasing your value proposition and friendship. And never in cursing them out. Target your pitch on what they know and care about. Step 8. Type your name in search engines. See what comes up. Are these accounts you can clean up, change, or delete? Step 9. Make the plunge: Delete Facebook. It’s a tough one. And most won’t do it. But I did, and I kept all the people I actually talked to in the real world in my life via different tools. Good time to pitch Nostr. Conclusion: When you first see this list, it will be overwhelming with what you ought to do. But I’m here today to tell you that I was once just like you, and I felt powerless with all this technical jargon I had to overcome. But remember, to some people Nostr or Bitcoin is complex. So it’s all what you’re used to. If you go through this list slowly over the course of a few months, I promise you that one day you’ll look back, and be surprised that you ever let it intimidate you. Now I need you to return the favor, and spread the knowledge you just learned. For the more people that walk this trail, the easiest the path becomes.