I feel like when I started to look at ways to better limit the ways my personal data is used online, by both big tech companies and especially once I begun looking for services outside of the US, it felt really overwhelming and my first thoughts were really, where do I even start? *looks around at EVERYTHING

So I made a list. Before we get there, I want to stress just how much this is something to do slowly, over time, and as you feel like you can. Technology should be enjoyable. Tech should be usable and beneficial for you, so please feel free to take what you want from this series and leave what doesn’t fit for you. Maybe some of these recommendations feel like too big of a change right now, that’s fine. This is really more of a process, than a one off exercise, but you can always come back and pick up where you’ve left off.

My goal with this list, is that I’ll dedicate a post to each of the items below. When I have a post, I’ll update the list item to a link you can follow for more information and the process I used to make my decision, plus at least couple of privacy-centric solutions for each.

Updating Your:

• Browser, Browser Extensions and Search Engines
• Email
• Password Manager
• Photo and File Storage
• Social Media

Please read

Note: Opinions can vary on any online service or service provider, in terms of the level of security and how privacy-preserving their services are, as well as the ethics of the companies themselves. I encourage you to think about what you consider important factors when choosing a service offered by a specific company or organisation, and your own risk profile (what you feel the likelihood and impact of a breach of privacy would be), as this can vary greatly from person to person. For example, certain professions can be more likely targets for organised criminals, nation state actors, etc. and this can feed into the level of security and privacy required of any services they use.

Any products, tools, or services mentioned on this blog are shared solely based on personal experience or preference.They are not sponsored, endorsed, or guaranteed in any way. Readers should evaluate and use them at their own discretion and risk.