Context: my gf mentioned getting a vpn for privacy, and I tried to explain that it “does” help, but it’s more like type of windows on a house. It certainly can be part of the package, but it’s no where near the foundation.

So i tried to explain the best that i could That if she was worried about online privacy the first step wasn’t to mask traffic, but to not submit personal data to anything online like FB, not use Google services that package everything on you together to sell to advertisers, and to limit phone apps to essentials.

But I’m curious on what other steps you guys would consider the “foundation” of online privacy that should be prioritized before a vpn. Any thoughts? Or am I way off base?

Note: this is in context of vpn for privacy. Using vpn to avoid Geo blocking and censorship I see as incredibly valid for those that need it.

  • Imprint9816@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    I think you and your girlfriend should read about “threat modeling”. You need to figure out what you and her are trying to keep private and from whom. Without knowing that, its impossible to say if a VPN is a good solution.

    For example if she is trying to hide her web traffic from her ISP then a VPN is a great solution, if she is trying to be annoymous on the web then a VPN won’t do much as you are still easily fingerprintable amongst other things.

    People all to often act like privacy is some sort of list of sub items that you can check off like completing a quest in a MMO.

    Each individual’s privacy goals are different, privacy is not a one size fits all problem or solution. Your girlfriends needs may be drastically different then your own.

  • wiLD0@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    2 months ago

    Here are some things you can do, roughly ranked:

    • Use a password manager
    • Assume anything you post/do online/financially can and will be used to build an advertising profile on you/train AI/be shared with government authorities
    • Disable ad personalization/history/sharing of information via privacy settings of mobile phone, mobile apps, Google, Facebook, banks, credit cards, ISP, cellular service, everything
    • Turn off third-party cookies.
    • Use an ad-blocker on desktop and mobile. They also help prevent a lot of tracking.
    • Don’t use Chrome. Consider Firefox/Brave/whatever else
    • Avoid using ad-supported services/companies. Consider using paid alternatives. This means using alternatives to Google Search, GMail, Facebook for photos, etc etc.
    • Use a profile deleting service like https://monitor.mozilla.org/
    • Different browser profiles: general use, Facebook, personal (GMail / Google Docs), and maybe more
    • Use a VPN w/ secured DNS
    • Many Google accounts: one for general, YouTube, Google Docs/personal, and maybe more
    • Use a different email address to sign up for every account. I use StartMail’s aliases
    • Don’t use your personal phone number for most things (finance/healthcare excepted). Get another number via a call and SMS forwarding service
  • §ɦṛɛɗɗịɛ ßịⱺ𝔩ⱺɠịᵴŧ@lemmy.mlEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    Running as much open-sourced privacy oriented software as possible. This includes on computers, routers, and phones. While this is 100% a marathon, not just a quick change, it’s well worth the time. Utilizing an encrypted DNS would be another solid move. NextDNS is a fantastic choice as it has a free option which still provides granular control of what is filtered online. A trusted VPN mixing your internet traffic with others is great, but like you said, it’s not a magic bullet whatsoever.