The only way you can get your privacy back is to learn how to use the technology that you depend on.
You don’t need Netflix or Spotify if you know how to install a docker container and operate bittorrent. You’re not required a spyware laden OS if you can flash GrapheneOS onto a Pixel and install Linux on your PC. You don’t need to use Discord for voice chat if you can run a Mumble server. You don’t need your ISP’s DNS (which they collect/sell data from) if you can install Pihole and setup DNS over HTTPS .
As others have mentioned there are a spectrum of ways that you are tracked online and offline and you have to be aware of each of them and address them individually. This will require a lot of research and self-education (though the community is, mostly, helpful), it isn’t as simple as using LibreWolf or installing a VPN on your phone.
As to your question. For the average person, a VPN is useful if you’re on a public wifi and want to make sure the other people in the coffee shop can’t see your Facebook posts, or if you want to appear to be in another state/country to access streaming in other areas.
It can help you, to a limited extent but installing a VPN on a carrier-purchased phone that has Facebook, Instagram and Google services is like locking the door after the house has burned down.
It’s a lot of work to take your privacy back. The Faustian bargain that everyone has agreed to is that they give up all of their privacy in order to have easy access to the fruits of technology. Getting your privacy back means giving the convenience back too.
I don’t want to discourage anyone… It isn’t inconvenient forever. Once you learn become comfortable with the technology you can have even better setups than you can buy through any service. For example, my tv/movie streaming still has password sharing, I can even generate a link for a random person that allows them to download the media file (which I only do with non-copyrighted material that I’ve produced myself, of course). Amazon can’t delete the books from my e-reader, my streaming music never plays ads, if I need more cloud storage I don’t need to increase my subscription… I just buy a piece of hardware with storage in it and install it in my home server (which everything connects to via a private VPN) and now I have space forever, with no subscription!
1000%. But one thing needs to be mentioned here as i see this quite often and find it a shame (my background is in network/systems management).
Privacy respecting Operating Systems (and to some extent software/apps) are almost useless if once they’re installed they are used to acess services/apps that aren’t.
I see so many posts in self hosting forums about connecting google/apple/amazon cloud services to self hosted HomeAssistant, Nextcloud, etc. If the data is still being sent out to these “clouds” it’s not truly local/self hosted.
You can have the best door and lock in the world, but it won’t do anything if you leave it open.
Privacy respecting Operating Systems (and to some extent software/apps) are almost useless if once they’re installed they are used to acess services/apps that aren’t. I see so many posts in self hosting forums about connecting google/apple/amazon cloud services to self hosted HomeAssistant, Nextcloud, etc. If the data is still being sent out to these “clouds” it’s not truly local/self hosted.
Well said. That’s always the bargain. It’s easier to use Google or AWS, there are less hurdles that you need to solve… but solving those hurdles is how you buy your privacy.
The only way you can get your privacy back is to learn how to use the technology that you depend on.
You don’t need Netflix or Spotify if you know how to install a docker container and operate bittorrent. You’re not required a spyware laden OS if you can flash GrapheneOS onto a Pixel and install Linux on your PC. You don’t need to use Discord for voice chat if you can run a Mumble server. You don’t need your ISP’s DNS (which they collect/sell data from) if you can install Pihole and setup DNS over HTTPS .
As others have mentioned there are a spectrum of ways that you are tracked online and offline and you have to be aware of each of them and address them individually. This will require a lot of research and self-education (though the community is, mostly, helpful), it isn’t as simple as using LibreWolf or installing a VPN on your phone.
As to your question. For the average person, a VPN is useful if you’re on a public wifi and want to make sure the other people in the coffee shop can’t see your Facebook posts, or if you want to appear to be in another state/country to access streaming in other areas.
It can help you, to a limited extent but installing a VPN on a carrier-purchased phone that has Facebook, Instagram and Google services is like locking the door after the house has burned down.
It’s a lot of work to take your privacy back. The Faustian bargain that everyone has agreed to is that they give up all of their privacy in order to have easy access to the fruits of technology. Getting your privacy back means giving the convenience back too.
I don’t want to discourage anyone… It isn’t inconvenient forever. Once you learn become comfortable with the technology you can have even better setups than you can buy through any service. For example, my tv/movie streaming still has password sharing, I can even generate a link for a random person that allows them to download the media file (which I only do with non-copyrighted material that I’ve produced myself, of course). Amazon can’t delete the books from my e-reader, my streaming music never plays ads, if I need more cloud storage I don’t need to increase my subscription… I just buy a piece of hardware with storage in it and install it in my home server (which everything connects to via a private VPN) and now I have space forever, with no subscription!
1000%. But one thing needs to be mentioned here as i see this quite often and find it a shame (my background is in network/systems management).
Privacy respecting Operating Systems (and to some extent software/apps) are almost useless if once they’re installed they are used to acess services/apps that aren’t. I see so many posts in self hosting forums about connecting google/apple/amazon cloud services to self hosted HomeAssistant, Nextcloud, etc. If the data is still being sent out to these “clouds” it’s not truly local/self hosted.
You can have the best door and lock in the world, but it won’t do anything if you leave it open.
Well said. That’s always the bargain. It’s easier to use Google or AWS, there are less hurdles that you need to solve… but solving those hurdles is how you buy your privacy.
Wow. This text is… really big. I can’t really think of an equally big answer, but I value your efforts. Thanks, friend.
No worries, I’m glad to help folks.