Great guidelines! I’ve shared this with others and will cross post later.
I also use Proton services for mail, cloud storage, VPN - which I run at all times (on my iPhone, too) disabling only when a site I need to use blocks me. Then it becomes even more important to have a good privacy browser. I currently use Opera for most things, Tor when I really want to be sure I’m protected.
I stopped using Amazon years ago for a variety of reasons, not least of which is how they flood the market with cheaply made Chinese goods most likely manufactured from the theft of American intellectual property. Knowing now how complicit they are in the authoritarian globalist agenda, I’m glad I cut the cord then. I did cave twice in the intervening years because there were a couple of things I could not get elsewhere, despite many hours of searching. I swear I still feel guilty about it.
I’m a bit of a contrarian, so I’ve long made it a practice to use alternatives to companies such as Microsoft, Google and Apple whenever possible. I rarely use any of the default apps on my iPhone, seeking out independently developed apps instead, and have everything possible shut down to minimize invasion of privacy. It’s also a good idea not to use default texting apps, especially for important things, since surveillance is constant.
Update: I went back to Brave browser and scrapped Opera as they were bought out by a Chinese consortium. It may be fine, but I don't mess around with anything potentially connected to the CCP.
And just scrapped Opera, as well. The Norwegian company was acquired by an investment group headed by a Chinese consortium. Here's the board: https://investor.opera.com/corporate-governance/board-of-directors. Maybe they're okay, maybe they're not, but I don't want a hint of potential compromise. Honestly, this is just ridiculous. I previously used Brave and that's where I'm headed again. See Michael Ginsburg's stack https://actionabletruth.substack.com/i/126308952/private-web-browsing - and make sure you investigate everything for yourself.
Agreed! I fell into the convenience trap of paying by card for too long. I have moved back to using cash and shopping locally as much as possible. I also stopped donating my labor to stores by using self-checkouts, which just enables them to eliminate more jobs. I can be impatient about getting in and out of the store, but I remind myself that going to the cashier helps keep their job relevant. Sadly, some places are no longer providing the option of a human to check out your purchases, at least at certain times of day. (Usually chain retailers, which is another good reason to go to independent retailers.)
I also use a well-established, community-based credit union and have urged others to do the same. There's the local aspect, which is more important than ever, and shareholders (depositors) are the owners, not stockholders. You can cultivate a relationship with your credit union that could be essential in times of difficulty - not really an option with impersonal corporate banks.
Yes! I went to the Chase ATM a couple of days ago. I pulled my card out, and waited for my money and receipt...NOTHING! I went into the bank and they told me I needed to take it up with my credit union, etc. The funds were eventually credited back to my account and my credit union was very nice, and helpful. STAY AWAY FROM BANKS! Lesson learned!
This is just cautionary - a word to the wise - While credit unions are a much better choice than establishment banks, they too are and have moved toward ESG. I've always said you only need to look at the propaganda, that the industry consumes, to know what they are aout.
For those interested, search "credit unions and ESG" or a variant of that and read their news letters and association publications. They are littered with ESG and the benefits it gives to their members.
You can’t opt out. If you want to do anything online, you are in the system, by definition. The system is built that way.
You can only limit your exposure to the system - by not using it. Live offline. Make real friends, in real world. Do not use PIMs, calendars, smartphones, or any cell phones - you don’t need it. Use your memory, enjoy making appointments with your family or friends mind-to-mind - and learn to keep your word. You will be amazed how much a small phone destroys your social reliability simply because you can send a message and call off whatever YOU wanted to have just a few hours ago.
You don’t need GPS. Learn your surroundings. Drive and learn. Jog and learn. This is your life, your world - all around you, not in a 4” Mind-Limiter.
If you like biking, don’t use all those fancy meters. You don’t need them. What difference does it make whether you ride at 10 or 11 mph? Stop pretending to be an achiever - enjoy your rides. Try new routes, watch the trees, enjoy the wind on your face.
Throw out that headset. Walk out, enjoy all sounds. Listen to your environment. Stop dumbing your mind with constant music, news, or whatever you are addicted to listening.
Never go out with a cell phone. You don’t need it. Look around. Enjoy where you are - you won’t live anywhere else. This is the only space you have in your life.
If you like hiking, enjoy. Have a turned off phone hidden deep in the rucksack and don’t use it unless a real real emergency happens. Use wrong trails, get lost, find your trail back, waste a lot of time, get tired, become exhausted. This is what hiking is about. Learn your limits and learn to respect the nature. You don’t need any email account for it.
I have a beef on the topic of censorship, which is gently waded into in this article:
“DuckDuckGo is probably the most mainstream out of the above list, but lately, they have developed closer ties to Microsoft and are using more search results from Bing which has greater amounts of censorship. I’m not saying to stop using it but just to be aware and maintain caution.”
You are much too generous with Duck Duck Go here.
Duck Duck Go, for almost 4 years, had been the unquestionable reigning champ of having the most censored search engine. In that regard, it is worse that Google, worse than Yahoo, worse even than Bing. I’ve written a thirty page report on that topic. I do not believe Duck Duck Go belongs in this list. It deserves only a dishonorable mention in this article. The Bing results sadly improve the Duck Duck Go results. Its management team somehow has figured out how to be even more heavily censored than a Bill Gates owner search engine (Bing).
That report elaborating on why Duck Duck Go is the absolute most censored of all the majors is here https://RealStevo.com/search
These are all good suggestions. I'm always pleased to see these lists and find that I've done most of them already. I can personally vouch for most of the suggested alternatives.
Proton (of Proton Mail) also has a very good zero-knowledge cloud storage setup now.
One thing I can tell you is that going cold turkey on Amazon takes patience. I pulled all my content off Amazon about two years ago, and have been avoiding them for virtually all purchases now. I have only made two purchases in that time, in both cases because it was something I needed and could not find anywhere else after a diligent search.
3. You missed the obvious one - Firefox. Or at least Librewolf.
There's also getting off mainstream social media. The Fediverse has grown massively in recent years - Mastodon, Frendica and Kbin or Lemmy. It's all well and good to detox from Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Google (Alphabet) but if you're still using Facebook and it's messenger, they still have your private data.
You are spot-on about mainstream social media. I’ve purged personal info and deleted accounts. Sadly, I can’t do anything about the fact that they already mined that data before I deleted it (or replaced it with fake info), but I don’t have to keep giving up new data.
I used Firefox for nearly 2 decades before developing concerns that privacy was compromised. I somehow knew nothing about Librewolf - will do some research on that one. I like having alternatives since most tech options seem to eventually end up debased in some way.
I am still using Firefox, but the biggest concern that may have me switching is not so much privacy, but rather the expressed desire by the CEO to indulge in "moderation" (= censorship) of what people get to see. It wouldn't be too hard to build that into a browser if they get serious about that.
I've deleted my Amazon account, use cash and shop locally MOST of the time. I was in the dog house so many times on FB that I left for a year, just returned so I could catch up with a few international friends in one group and stay out of the political fray. FB "virtually" stunned my one of a kind art doll business by blocking me and true posts on the scam we've had to navigate over the last four years. Losing 5000 "friends" on FB was mighty unfriendly but worth the price to shed light on the global crimes, eugenics, and atrocities we face daily now. I've rid myself of chase, twit, Instagram, weeding out gooooooewgle, started using brave, qwant, proton mail and totally dis wickedpedia. Not dem or repub or any of the other parties of the same demented crew, wearing different colors and hats. Life IS so much different since 2019. Not as enjoyable. That joy is returning......one peacefully noncompliant moment at a time.
Funny how songs in the past provide lyrical guidance to the life situations we’re in now . Couple especially: From Hotel California:
"We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave"
and from the Beatles:
“ Once there was a way to get back home..”
There’s no returning from the internet, computer s, smartphones and the digital world. It’s how do we stop the Technocrats and the Elites from trying to control us entirely.
Respectfully, DuckDuckGo is a TERRIBLE recommendation for a search engine as an alternative to Google & Bing. Proton are also technology partners of the WEF!
I reached out to them regarding this and they claim the only reason why they are on the WEF website is because they were nominated for some kind of an 'award' by them.
Exploring other options now and making plans to migrate to other services for mail, VPN, calendar, etc. I’m not taking chances with this s**t. Thanks so much for the warning.
Looking at Mailfence right now. I like that they also have a calendar. I’m so tired of finding out after the fact that I’m using compromised services - or funding my own destruction - despite doing what I thought was thorough research on a company. Of course, when I started using Proton, I was at the start of my education regarding evil-shadow-cabal-seeking-world-domination, so I didn’t fully know then what to look for.
Prepare to meet the challenge of the "NEW FRONTIER"!
We are the (Digital) Early Pioneers on a different landscape now.
It's as exciting and uncertain, as it is daunting!
Our liability and assets are drastically evolving. (even Einstein would be scratching his head)
New skills you never thought you would ever need become an education of wisdoms.
The speed of which is no longer a snails pace. It's like lightning bolt fast.
Keep a note pad like a secret diary of days gone by, and write down dates and passwords/codes.
Don't use the same password for everything.
Be creative then jot them on down on paper.
I have kept a copper wire land line next to my desktop in the office.
As was the case in days gone by if the power was out at home, the low voltage telephone line was still in service as long as the power poles lines remained unaffected and intact. I think it is still true.
Learning to use a password manager/safe will help with the proposals. I use KeePass or KeePassXC when on MacOS by importing my primary database occasionally. I only add new passwords to my primary database. I have the primary on a USB stick on my daily driver and make copies on other machines if I need a new password.
If you use syncing then learning to run your own server would be a great exercise. It allows the access of your passwords and browser tabs from any device. I don't use internet on my phone so do not miss the feature but would be loath to sync with an outside party that could monitor usage or control access to my information.
This is great! I'm already doing most of these things, and have for several years, we are also off grid for power(solar, wind and diesel), grow a lot of our own food too. I think the most important thing to do is use cash for all face to face transaction; anonymity is going to be just about our most important asset into the future. If we can retain cash, anonymity, avoid SMART phones(tracking, radiation and back door 'spying')then I think we will win this. Our difficulty is that there are a lot of people out there who are blissfully ignorant of reality and what is coming down the line. Those people are the Achilles Heel of our endeavors.
Also go look at Gabriels Libre substack as he has done an enormous amount of work on this already and broken it down so you can work on one part at a time.
Great guidelines! I’ve shared this with others and will cross post later.
I also use Proton services for mail, cloud storage, VPN - which I run at all times (on my iPhone, too) disabling only when a site I need to use blocks me. Then it becomes even more important to have a good privacy browser. I currently use Opera for most things, Tor when I really want to be sure I’m protected.
I stopped using Amazon years ago for a variety of reasons, not least of which is how they flood the market with cheaply made Chinese goods most likely manufactured from the theft of American intellectual property. Knowing now how complicit they are in the authoritarian globalist agenda, I’m glad I cut the cord then. I did cave twice in the intervening years because there were a couple of things I could not get elsewhere, despite many hours of searching. I swear I still feel guilty about it.
I’m a bit of a contrarian, so I’ve long made it a practice to use alternatives to companies such as Microsoft, Google and Apple whenever possible. I rarely use any of the default apps on my iPhone, seeking out independently developed apps instead, and have everything possible shut down to minimize invasion of privacy. It’s also a good idea not to use default texting apps, especially for important things, since surveillance is constant.
Update: I went back to Brave browser and scrapped Opera as they were bought out by a Chinese consortium. It may be fine, but I don't mess around with anything potentially connected to the CCP.
And just scrapped Opera, as well. The Norwegian company was acquired by an investment group headed by a Chinese consortium. Here's the board: https://investor.opera.com/corporate-governance/board-of-directors. Maybe they're okay, maybe they're not, but I don't want a hint of potential compromise. Honestly, this is just ridiculous. I previously used Brave and that's where I'm headed again. See Michael Ginsburg's stack https://actionabletruth.substack.com/i/126308952/private-web-browsing - and make sure you investigate everything for yourself.
I started using Reagan.com for email..I think they're ok.
#10 Cash is the biggest and most important item here IMO. I'd add to find a local credit union to do your banking with as much as possible.
Agreed! I fell into the convenience trap of paying by card for too long. I have moved back to using cash and shopping locally as much as possible. I also stopped donating my labor to stores by using self-checkouts, which just enables them to eliminate more jobs. I can be impatient about getting in and out of the store, but I remind myself that going to the cashier helps keep their job relevant. Sadly, some places are no longer providing the option of a human to check out your purchases, at least at certain times of day. (Usually chain retailers, which is another good reason to go to independent retailers.)
I also use a well-established, community-based credit union and have urged others to do the same. There's the local aspect, which is more important than ever, and shareholders (depositors) are the owners, not stockholders. You can cultivate a relationship with your credit union that could be essential in times of difficulty - not really an option with impersonal corporate banks.
Hence the reason for a hundred years "CASH IS KING" !
At least the 1916 bunglers and stealth of wealth burglars of Jekyll island fame left cash
in play. Trouble is they monopolized FED /USD , as being the only product in town.
The next chess move on society is bound to be a mind blower of control. Kaboom!
Yes! I went to the Chase ATM a couple of days ago. I pulled my card out, and waited for my money and receipt...NOTHING! I went into the bank and they told me I needed to take it up with my credit union, etc. The funds were eventually credited back to my account and my credit union was very nice, and helpful. STAY AWAY FROM BANKS! Lesson learned!
This is just cautionary - a word to the wise - While credit unions are a much better choice than establishment banks, they too are and have moved toward ESG. I've always said you only need to look at the propaganda, that the industry consumes, to know what they are aout.
For those interested, search "credit unions and ESG" or a variant of that and read their news letters and association publications. They are littered with ESG and the benefits it gives to their members.
Case in point: https://news.cuna.org/articles/120999-the-esg-effect
We need to start looking for other alternatives.
Right now - aside from metals - until cash becomes obsolete, it seems to be the best non-trackable option. Buy a safe, then keep your mouth shut.
You can’t opt out. If you want to do anything online, you are in the system, by definition. The system is built that way.
You can only limit your exposure to the system - by not using it. Live offline. Make real friends, in real world. Do not use PIMs, calendars, smartphones, or any cell phones - you don’t need it. Use your memory, enjoy making appointments with your family or friends mind-to-mind - and learn to keep your word. You will be amazed how much a small phone destroys your social reliability simply because you can send a message and call off whatever YOU wanted to have just a few hours ago.
You don’t need GPS. Learn your surroundings. Drive and learn. Jog and learn. This is your life, your world - all around you, not in a 4” Mind-Limiter.
If you like biking, don’t use all those fancy meters. You don’t need them. What difference does it make whether you ride at 10 or 11 mph? Stop pretending to be an achiever - enjoy your rides. Try new routes, watch the trees, enjoy the wind on your face.
Throw out that headset. Walk out, enjoy all sounds. Listen to your environment. Stop dumbing your mind with constant music, news, or whatever you are addicted to listening.
Never go out with a cell phone. You don’t need it. Look around. Enjoy where you are - you won’t live anywhere else. This is the only space you have in your life.
If you like hiking, enjoy. Have a turned off phone hidden deep in the rucksack and don’t use it unless a real real emergency happens. Use wrong trails, get lost, find your trail back, waste a lot of time, get tired, become exhausted. This is what hiking is about. Learn your limits and learn to respect the nature. You don’t need any email account for it.
"There ain't no easy way out"
I won't back down.
Yeahhhhh I'll......
I'll stand my ground...
and I won't back down.
(repeated refrain often)
1 MILLION 👍🎯 In other words, do it like we used to!
Cool article on privacy. Thank you.
I have a beef on the topic of censorship, which is gently waded into in this article:
“DuckDuckGo is probably the most mainstream out of the above list, but lately, they have developed closer ties to Microsoft and are using more search results from Bing which has greater amounts of censorship. I’m not saying to stop using it but just to be aware and maintain caution.”
You are much too generous with Duck Duck Go here.
Duck Duck Go, for almost 4 years, had been the unquestionable reigning champ of having the most censored search engine. In that regard, it is worse that Google, worse than Yahoo, worse even than Bing. I’ve written a thirty page report on that topic. I do not believe Duck Duck Go belongs in this list. It deserves only a dishonorable mention in this article. The Bing results sadly improve the Duck Duck Go results. Its management team somehow has figured out how to be even more heavily censored than a Bill Gates owner search engine (Bing).
That report elaborating on why Duck Duck Go is the absolute most censored of all the majors is here https://RealStevo.com/search
Thank you again for the post.
Allan
Censorship, top results from Wikipedia and other manipulated sites... it all speaks poorly of DuckDuckGo.
Notice that they run TV commercials as product marketing.
When a product is so great to a user/consumer, this is never required.
Ever see a Tesla TV ad from Elon Musk?
You will read all types of printed auto opinions and writer video over it. But no TV ads.
Look what he said about his "X" advertisers this week. He is on a rodeo roundup again.
Head em up and move em out....Rawhide.
Especially since it went mainstream with ads in T. V.
These are all good suggestions. I'm always pleased to see these lists and find that I've done most of them already. I can personally vouch for most of the suggested alternatives.
Proton (of Proton Mail) also has a very good zero-knowledge cloud storage setup now.
One thing I can tell you is that going cold turkey on Amazon takes patience. I pulled all my content off Amazon about two years ago, and have been avoiding them for virtually all purchases now. I have only made two purchases in that time, in both cases because it was something I needed and could not find anywhere else after a diligent search.
This website is ultimately all most people need: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/
3. You missed the obvious one - Firefox. Or at least Librewolf.
There's also getting off mainstream social media. The Fediverse has grown massively in recent years - Mastodon, Frendica and Kbin or Lemmy. It's all well and good to detox from Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Google (Alphabet) but if you're still using Facebook and it's messenger, they still have your private data.
Speaking of which. Use Signal.
You are spot-on about mainstream social media. I’ve purged personal info and deleted accounts. Sadly, I can’t do anything about the fact that they already mined that data before I deleted it (or replaced it with fake info), but I don’t have to keep giving up new data.
I used Firefox for nearly 2 decades before developing concerns that privacy was compromised. I somehow knew nothing about Librewolf - will do some research on that one. I like having alternatives since most tech options seem to eventually end up debased in some way.
I am still using Firefox, but the biggest concern that may have me switching is not so much privacy, but rather the expressed desire by the CEO to indulge in "moderation" (= censorship) of what people get to see. It wouldn't be too hard to build that into a browser if they get serious about that.
Censorship is oh-so-fashionable these days! What a shame. I really loved Firefox - and other Mozilla products - all those years I used them.
Agreed, and early on was a remarkable easy switch and transformation.
Easily adaptable similarity without the baloney sideshow of Gates domains.
I've deleted my Amazon account, use cash and shop locally MOST of the time. I was in the dog house so many times on FB that I left for a year, just returned so I could catch up with a few international friends in one group and stay out of the political fray. FB "virtually" stunned my one of a kind art doll business by blocking me and true posts on the scam we've had to navigate over the last four years. Losing 5000 "friends" on FB was mighty unfriendly but worth the price to shed light on the global crimes, eugenics, and atrocities we face daily now. I've rid myself of chase, twit, Instagram, weeding out gooooooewgle, started using brave, qwant, proton mail and totally dis wickedpedia. Not dem or repub or any of the other parties of the same demented crew, wearing different colors and hats. Life IS so much different since 2019. Not as enjoyable. That joy is returning......one peacefully noncompliant moment at a time.
Funny how songs in the past provide lyrical guidance to the life situations we’re in now . Couple especially: From Hotel California:
"We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like
But you can never leave"
and from the Beatles:
“ Once there was a way to get back home..”
There’s no returning from the internet, computer s, smartphones and the digital world. It’s how do we stop the Technocrats and the Elites from trying to control us entirely.
Respectfully, DuckDuckGo is a TERRIBLE recommendation for a search engine as an alternative to Google & Bing. Proton are also technology partners of the WEF!
https://actionabletruth.substack.com/i/126308952/private-search-engine
Uuuuuuugh, I checked and Proton ARE right there on the WEF site as tech partners. God help us. 🤦♀️
Yep. It's not a recent thing either.
I reached out to them regarding this and they claim the only reason why they are on the WEF website is because they were nominated for some kind of an 'award' by them.
Make of it what you will...
Exploring other options now and making plans to migrate to other services for mail, VPN, calendar, etc. I’m not taking chances with this s**t. Thanks so much for the warning.
I made some recommendations of specific services which you may (or may not) find helpful. For email I personally use Mailfence now due to Tutanota's (or Tuta as per their recent rebrand) woke attitude with regards to the Trans agenda specifically. https://actionabletruth.substack.com/i/126308952/how-can-you-fight-back-against-surveillance-by-governments-and-their-intelligence-apparatus
Looking at Mailfence right now. I like that they also have a calendar. I’m so tired of finding out after the fact that I’m using compromised services - or funding my own destruction - despite doing what I thought was thorough research on a company. Of course, when I started using Proton, I was at the start of my education regarding evil-shadow-cabal-seeking-world-domination, so I didn’t fully know then what to look for.
I hear ya. We've all been there...
"...the United States with its vibrant history of democracy and open freedoms."
The key word here is "history".
WOW...good reminder for certain.
In days of yore......I once was King of my castle.
But the illusion of my kingdom became not worth it's hassle.
The New Frontier has rang it's pilgrims spirit bell.
As the road we are on, seems headed for Hell.
Own nothing and be happy???? Really? Never happen! We are limitless beings! Watch us!
Tor was set up with Navy intelligence and DARPA money. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_(network)
So did the Internet (which used to be called DARPANet initially) as well as Bitcoin most likely.
None of this will work.
Prepare to meet the challenge of the "NEW FRONTIER"!
We are the (Digital) Early Pioneers on a different landscape now.
It's as exciting and uncertain, as it is daunting!
Our liability and assets are drastically evolving. (even Einstein would be scratching his head)
New skills you never thought you would ever need become an education of wisdoms.
The speed of which is no longer a snails pace. It's like lightning bolt fast.
Keep a note pad like a secret diary of days gone by, and write down dates and passwords/codes.
Don't use the same password for everything.
Be creative then jot them on down on paper.
I have kept a copper wire land line next to my desktop in the office.
As was the case in days gone by if the power was out at home, the low voltage telephone line was still in service as long as the power poles lines remained unaffected and intact. I think it is still true.
Learning to use a password manager/safe will help with the proposals. I use KeePass or KeePassXC when on MacOS by importing my primary database occasionally. I only add new passwords to my primary database. I have the primary on a USB stick on my daily driver and make copies on other machines if I need a new password.
If you use syncing then learning to run your own server would be a great exercise. It allows the access of your passwords and browser tabs from any device. I don't use internet on my phone so do not miss the feature but would be loath to sync with an outside party that could monitor usage or control access to my information.
This is great! I'm already doing most of these things, and have for several years, we are also off grid for power(solar, wind and diesel), grow a lot of our own food too. I think the most important thing to do is use cash for all face to face transaction; anonymity is going to be just about our most important asset into the future. If we can retain cash, anonymity, avoid SMART phones(tracking, radiation and back door 'spying')then I think we will win this. Our difficulty is that there are a lot of people out there who are blissfully ignorant of reality and what is coming down the line. Those people are the Achilles Heel of our endeavors.
Also go look at Gabriels Libre substack as he has done an enormous amount of work on this already and broken it down so you can work on one part at a time.
Consider presearch.com for a search engine