A Plan (Sort Of) for Privacy
Like I write in my first post, I want to have more freedom from big companies. I want to be able to change fast and still experiment good services, apps and Operating Systems.
In this path to more freedom one thing that is keeping in my mind (and in my YouTube feed) is the privacy. YouTube channels like The Hated One and Techlore made me thinking more about this and one thing that started to make total sense to me is avoid some of the big companies.
I don’t want to be extreme, but I want to gradually reduce my connection to companies like Meta, X, Microsoft, Apple, Google and some of the new ones emerging with the AI era. I also have the desire to stop using Meta's services completely, because day after day I get more screwed with their rules and motives.
But this is something that will take time and seems like a long-term plan. As I said, I don’t want to be extreme! I’m connected with people through some services provided by companies like WhatsApp, which belongs to Meta, but that I use to communicate with friends and family. Also I use a lot Instagram to share things with my partner. So to leave all this services I need a plan to guarantee I don’t break completely my connection with people I love.
So my plan (kind off) is to start small and without a timeline.
Some changes I’m already implementing other are on my backlog. Here is my checklist (that is not fixed and can change a lot)
- Email aliases - for login on social media, services, etc (Addy.io)
- Custom domain (Hey mail - not the most private but I least if from a small company that made a different product)
Web Surfing
- Use a VPN service (probably Mulland)
- Use a more secure Browser (I’m using Zen Browsers now, but something like Brave may be an option)
- Get closer to the project Ladybird browser (a completely new browser that is not based on chromium, firefox or safari)
Social Media
- Leave all Meta services (Instagram, Threads, Facebook, WhatsApp)
- Use more social media from the Fediverse like: Mastodon, Bluesky and Pixelfed
- Hide all my personal information on X (or even delete completely my account)
Notes and Passwords
- Use Obsidian with theirs Sync service instead of iCloud (as I’m doing now).
- Delete my account from a long list of apps I have tested but I don’t want to use like Notion, Evernote, …
- I have been using 1Password for more than six years, but I'm considering whether I should switch to a more secure service.
The more polemic topic
- Leave my iPhone and start using an Android with a more secure distribution, possibly one that doesn't include Google Services by default.
I don’t want to call this a plan because it’s something evolving and changing with my experiences and learning.
I’m going to make some updates to it in the next few months. Stay tuned.