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cmc <hello@cleberg.net> · 2025-10-03 22:24 UTC

publish new post: privacy-toolkit

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

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