cmc/cleberg.net

  1#+date:        [2025-10-03 Fri 4:23:00]
  2#+title:       My Privacy Toolkit
  3#+description: The tools I use to keep my data private.
  4#+slug: privacy-toolkit
  5#+filetags:    :privacy:
  6
  7* VPN
  8
  9I use a few different VPNs for different purposes. For general use, I use
 10[[https://mullvad.net/en][Mullvad]] due to its private account creation process, support for private payment
 11options, and rock solid consistency. This is by far the most stable and
 12high-speed VPN I have used over the last ~10 years.
 13
 14I also use [[https://njal.la/vpn/][Njalla]] whenever I need to use a service where Mullvad is blocked. I
 15have found that the Njalla IP I was provisioned is not blocked anywhere, so it's
 16useful for software that seemingly has blocked all major VPN providers. There is
 17no client, but they provide OpenVPN and Wireguard support.
 18
 19Finally, I use [[https://airvpn.org/][AirVPN]] on my server's torrent service due to its support for port
 20forwarding. I don't use it for any other purpose, but it works great with
 21Transmission via Docker.
 22
 23* DNS
 24
 25Using a VPN on every single device is not possible. For all of the other items
 26on my network (IoT, Apple TVs, etc.), I enforce [[https://nextdns.io/][NextDNS]] via the [[https://github.com/nextdns/nextdns/wiki/UnifiOS][UnifiOS script]]
 27they provide. This lets me control the DNS on my network, avoid the ISP's
 28default DNS, and enforce blocklists at a LAN level for my home network.
 29
 30* Data Removal
 31
 32I use [[https://www.easyoptouts.com/][Easy Opt Outs]] due to its low price of $20 per year. There are other
 33options that promise more utility, but I find that this service is adequate.
 34Using this has dramatically reduced the spammy, "<person> info here" results on
 35web searches.
 36
 37Regardless, it's a low price to pay to make sure public information is not used
 38against you and reduces the surface of information available via low-effort
 39searches.
 40
 41* Passwords
 42
 43I use [[https://bitwarden.com/][Bitwarden]] due to its use-friendly interface, which is important to the
 44people I share secrets with. Bitwarden allows for seamless username and password
 45generation, multi-device syncing via its own provided service, built-in password
 46strength and duplicate analysis, wide range of device support, and general UI
 47(after its recent UI refresh).
 48
 49If I were only keeping passwords for myself and didn't need to support
 50non-technical users, I would strongly prefer [[https://keepassxc.org/][KeePassXC]]. This would allow me to
 51use Syncthing or another personal syncing solution that would avoid a
 52centralized server that controls my passwords and authentication to access the
 53passwords.
 54
 55* MFA
 56
 57I use iOS, which is limited in options for great MFA apps. If you use Android,
 58just use [[https://getaegis.app/][Aegis]].
 59
 60For iOS, I currently use [[https://bitwarden.com/products/authenticator/][Bitwarden Authenticator]], which is a different app from
 61Bitwarden. You can use this /without/ linking it to a Bitwarden account and use it
 62as a standalone app, if you're not a fan of storing your passwords and MFA
 63methods in the same location. If you don't care, you can just use the MFA fields
 64within Bitwarden itself.
 65
 66The other options on iOS really aren't worth discussing, so I'll leave it here.
 67
 68* Communications
 69
 70For private instant communications, I use [[https://signal.org/][Signal]]. This is currently the gold
 71standard for private direct messages. It is centralized, but it is very stable,
 72provides forward secrecy for messages, and has a proven track record of not
 73spilling data.
 74
 75#+begin_quote
 76As of 2026, I've started using [[https://simplex.chat/][SimpleX]] and I think it will replace Signal for
 77me.
 78#+end_quote
 79
 80If we talk about other communication channels, I usually opt for emails
 81encrypted with [[https://gnupg.org/][GPG (PGP)]]. This isn't the best solution, but it does provide a
 82trustworthy encryption method if you need to use email.
 83
 84I am not a fan of the current landscape of private messaging apps outside of
 85Signal (Matrix, Session, etc.), so I'll leave my thoughts here with Signal and
 86PGP.
 87
 88Want real privacy? Talk to someone in person when possible.
 89
 90* Browser Extensions
 91
 92#+begin_quote
 93As of 2026, I've completed switched over to [[https://www.torproject.org/][Tor]] on my desktop and [[https://onionbrowser.com/][Onion Browser]]
 94on my phone for browsing.
 95
 96With these browsers, I've removed all extensions and set the browsers to the
 97highest privacy levels possible in the settings page.
 98#+end_quote
 99
100** Firefox (Desktop)
101
102[[https://ublockorigin.com/][uBlock Origin]] is a no-brainer. This add-on provides domain-level blocking for
103resources, allowing you to block or allow specific domains, scripts, styles, and
104more with a click.
105
106If you prefer to avoid mainstream websites and browse via alternative
107front-ends, I suggest using [[https://libredirect.github.io/][LibRedirect]]. You can configure this add-on to
108automatically redirect your requests to privacy-respecting alternatives.
109
110** Safari (iOS)
111
112Since uBlock Origin doesn't work on Safari, I opt for [[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ublock-origin-lite/id6745342698?platform=iphone][uBlock Origin Lite]], which
113is a decent alternative.
114
115Similar to LibRedirect, I use [[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/privacy-redirect/id1578144015][Privacy Redirect]] on iOS to redirect websites to
116private alternative front-ends.
117
118* Payments
119
120If you're just trying to avoid your bank collecting and using information about
121your purchases, you can try something like [[https://www.privacy.com/][Privacy.com]], which lets you mask the
122purchase information from your bank.
123
124If you're paying in person, I vote for paying with cash. Withdraw a certain
125amount per paycheck and use for all in-person payments, whenever possible.