A comprehensive list of utilities and best-practices for anyone to improve their privacy and security online.
Hopefully becoming a webpage soon. Feel free to contribute via PR if you have anything to add.
- Browsers
- Browser Extensions
- Messaging
- VPNs
- Search Engines
- Password Managers
- Productivity
- YouTube Alternatives
- Video Conferencing
- Cloud Storage
- Miscellaneous Tools
- Extreme
Here are a few things you can do right now to check how bad (or good) your privacy practices are online:
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Access https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to check what data of yours has been leaked in the past
- For developers, you can also use their API to check if any of your passwords have been leaked (and cracked). It's a genius system built on a k-anonymity model that preserves your privacy while allowing you to check for password leaks. See this video and this repo for more info.
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Sign Up to Mine to see who owns your data and request its deletion with one click.
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Use a privacy-focused browser: Most browsers these days are feature-rich and provide a good user experience. Why not pick one that values your privacy then?
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Use strong passwords: Really. Use a mix of numbers, upper and lowercase letters, symbols, and make sure your passwords have a good length. This goes a long way. Easy passwords will be broken at some point.
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Do not re-use passwords: Try as hard as you can not to re-use passwords. This is a bad practice that makes multiple accounts vulnerable if only one password leaks.
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Use a password manager: A summary of the points above. Keeping track of long, one-use passwords is hard. Get a password manager to do it for you.
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Use multi-factor / two-factor authentication: Using 2FA or multi-factor authentication makes it significantly harder for anyone to break into your accounts.
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Never ever use websites without HTTPS: HTTPS, usually represented by a green lock next to the URL on your browser, ensures your connection to websites is securely encrypted. This means you can send data (mostly) without any risk of it ending up in the wrong hands. Websites without HTTPS are dangerous and likely to leak your data.
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Try out a privacy-focused search engine: Its results will probably not be as good as Google's, but it will likely get the job done most of the time. You can always go to Google if you can't find a result.
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Cover your webcam: Need to use your webcam for an online meeting? Fine. Otherwise, keep it covered with a sticker or a designated webcam cover thingy.
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Do not send private pictures over the internet: Better if you don't take them at all. But hey, if you gotta take 'em, and you gotta send 'em, at least omit your face.
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Stay as far away from Big Tech as possible: If you truly care about your privacy, you should avoid Google, Facebook, and gang as much as possible. They have horrible track records when it comes to data privacy. This is quite hard, I know. After all, I'm writing this on a Microsoft service.
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Prioritize Open Source Software: Open Source means that the code for the software is open and available for all to see and test. This means it is more likely (not certain) to be well-tested for vulnerabilities and privacy issues.
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Avoid doing anything important on public Wi-Fi networks: Public networks make you subject to attacks. Avoid accessing your bank account on them, for example.
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Enable 'Do Not Track' headers on your browser Search your browser's settings for 'Do Not Track' or 'DNT' header preferences. Enabling this makes your browser indicate to websites that you do not wish to be tracked. It doesn't ensure you will not be tracked, far from it, but it could help if the website respects the header.
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Start slow: Trying to switch your whole lifestyle to enhance privacy doesn't happen overnight. Small steps are the way to go.
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefox | Well-Established, Privacy-Focused Browser | Free | Most Users |
| Brave | Privacy-Focused, Fast, Open-Source Browser | Free | Most Users (+ Crypto Enthusiasts) |
| Opera | Privacy-Focused Browser with Free VPN and Ad-Blocker | Free | Most Users |
| DuckDuckGo | New, Mobile-only, Privacy-Focused Browser with built-in website privacy rating | Free | Experential Users |
| Tor | The Holy Grail of Private Browsers - Default Onion Routing | Free | Experienced Users |
| Waterfox | Fully-customizable private web browser | Free | Somewhat experienced users |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials | Ad Blocker, Website Privacy Rating, HTTPS Upgrades | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Terms Of Service; Didn't Read | Summary and grade for Terms of Service of available websites | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| AdBlock Plus | Most well-known ad-blocker in the market | Donation-based | Most Users |
| HTTPS Everywhere | Upgrades your connection to websites to an encrypted one if possible | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Clean URLs | Removes unnecessary data from URLs that can be used to track you, without harming the user experience | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Ghostery | Blocks trackers and ads, improves browser speed | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | Open-Source, End-to-End Encrypted Messenger (Edward Snowden's choice) | Free | Most Users |
| Telegram | Security-focused, Well-established, Bot-friendly Messenger | Free | Most Users |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | Feature-rich, well-established VPN | 4-12$ per month | Most Users |
| TunnelBear | Easy-to-use, well-known VPN | 500MB free per month (Premium for 3-6$ p/mo) | Most Users |
| ExpressVPN | Robust, well-established VPN | 7-12$ per month | Users able to spare some extra cash |
| ProtonVPN | New VPN with onion routing and a no-log policy | Free with Premium Options (5-10$ p/mo) | Everyone (Free Option) |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| DuckDuckGo | Top privacy-focused search engine in the market with good additional features | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Qwant | Privacy-focused search engine with Google-like UI | Free | Most Users |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacOS Keychain | Built-in encrypted notes & password manager for MacOS | Free (For Macbook users) | MacOS Users |
| Dashlane | Well-established, intuitive password manager | Free with Premium Options | Most Users |
| 1Password | Feature-rich password manager and authenticator app | 3-5$ per month | Users able to spare some extra cash |
| Bitwarden | Open-source password manager with storage solutions | Free with Premium Options | Most Users |
| KeePassXC | Self-hosted, open-source password manager | Free | DIY-type Users |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProtonMail | Go-to option for privacy email services (Switzerland-based) | Free with Premium Options | Most Users |
| Tutanota | Private email service with 1GB of free storage (Germany-based) | Free with Premium Options | Most Users |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable | Flexible, Markdown-based local note-taking | Free | Users familiar with Markdown |
| Libre Office | Free & Open-Source Office Suite (Spreadsheets, Text Editor, etc.) | Free | Microsoft & Google-Averse Users |
| Keybase | One Stop Shop for secure messaging, file storage, crypto wallet & git repo hosting | Free | Most Users |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invidious | Platform for watching any youtube video without having to login or access YouTube, preventing tracking | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jitsi Meet | End-to-End Encrypted, Feature-Rich, No-Installation Video Conferencing | Free | Most Users |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tresorit | Well-established, intuitive, end-to-end encrypted cloud storage | Limited Free Option (10-30$ p/mo) | Most Users (In need of Cloud Storage) |
| Nextcloud | Self-hosted, Open-Source cloud storage solution | Hosting costs up to you | Experienced Users |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Have I Been Pwned | Website and API to check if your data and passwords have been leaked | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Mine | A website that scours the web for all services that have your data and allows you to request its deletion with one click | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Privacy Tools | Website containing tips, services, and product recommendations for privacy-centric users | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| r/privacy | Subreddit for all things privacy & comprehensive wiki | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Stand Out of Our Light | Book about 'Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy' | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Watch Your Hack | Website with comprehensive explanations and suggestions of services for enhancing privacy and security | Free | Everyone ⭐ |
| Name | Main Selling Points | Pricing | Recommended For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tor | The Holy Grail of Private Browsers - Default Onion Routing | Free | Experienced Users |
| Tails OS | Top choice for anonymous & private operating systems | Free | Experienced Users |
| Lineage OS | Open-source Android-based mobile OS for Apple & Google-averse users | Free | Experienced Users |
| Pi-Hole | Open-source network-wide ad blocking | Free | Experienced Users |
| Grin, Monero, ZCash | Privacy Coins for anonymous spending | N/A | Experienced Users |