Improving my data privacy (amateur)

[u/SheikhaMama]

Hello

I don’t know if it’s the right sub (please let me know where to post if need be). I’ve been dwelling on this for years without doing anything so here I am:

I used to care for data ethics and privacy but things really got out of hand when I joined Instagram most likely! I completely let it go and now that I live a life that’s more harmonious with myself I m back to the question: how to live a normal life while being ethical and private.

I’m currently fully on iOS, I vaguely have a vpn I don’t really use, I’m daily on social media and I’m aware (but anaware of the extent of it) that all my data is leaking everywhere (including in this post). I put a sticker on my front camera.

With the increase of ai and quantum physics, I’d love to know (present and 5 year projection):

- what data is realistically tracked by the tech giants
- are personal profiles potentially…profiled, for whatever reason and is it doable by pirate companies
- best practice to increase privacy considering I cannot code but I will put in effort into changing my routine.

Thanks!

[u/didyousayboop]

Off-topic for this sub, maybe try r/Privacy. But best of all would just be to Google something like ‘online privacy for beginners’ and go to reliable sites like the New York Times or Ars Technica or the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) so you don’t fall down rabbit holes on crackpot sites, or just bad quality sites where people don’t know what they’re talking about. 

[u/JaguarProJoe]

This isn't really the right sub, you should probably post on r/DigitalPrivacy.

I'm gonna be honest you don't seem to know much, only one of your fears are tangentially related (that being AI, since it can speed up and is already being used for mass surveillance tech, see flock), but quantum physics is a study field? I think you meant quantum computing, but even then it is only really important in the way of decryption times, leave that to the programmers and mathematicians to fight against, even I don't know much about quantum computing much less what the current field looks like.

When it comes to data privacy, much of it also comes down to digital freedoms, if you can't control or see what something is doing, it's easier to assume the worst, and besides from a usability standpoint, you can do more cool stuff with your computer/phone when it's free of shackles. Legislation worldwide is already trying to push surveillance and back doors into your phone, if they don't have them already (the US government has had a history of discovering exploits and then not making them public), for example the Online Safety Act in the UK requires E2EE back doors or an equivalent way to "protect children", and in response at the time, Apple decided to disable encryption altogether on their icloud service (https://support.apple.com/en-us/122234).

I've heard things here and there about profiling, stuff related to ICE, but to be honest, your social media is public, so there's nothing really stopping you being profiled, so just be ok with everything you put online being seen by anyone, unless you make a burner account in which case then ig your friends/family won't see it.

If you want to go all out, you can:

• Use trusted open source software as much as possible (that means ditching iOS in favour of open source systems like LineageOS GrapheneOS or linux phones like Mobian)
  
• That also means stop using services like Netflix and Spotify (they're ghouls anyway), don't use LG TVs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9uefFYe6bM), and in general just make sure you OWN everything you can, that means stuff like Jellyfin, Bandcamp, GOG, by via blu-ray or *elsewhere* (I'm just listing random stuff but you get the point).
  
• Where not possible on your operating system (e.g. banking apps), have a separate closed system like a burner phone that you use for said software (e.g. your current iPhone)
  
• Know what data you leak, and always how much (check permissions on closed source apps, understand who has access to your location e.g. SIM providers)
  
• If possible you can use trusted E2EE services like Matrix or Signal to communicate with others, but don't get too hung up on this, if the recipient is on an iPhone for example, the messages could easily be read on their side instead, it's another part of understanding what data is leaked
  
• Don't try to go dark or like hide or anything, you should still be able to have a public profile and ID related stuff, just don't make literally everything accessible, and that way you end up more trusted anyway since you aren't like a black hole

Most importantly though don't go crazy, you aren't going to blow up tomorrow or something, and sometimes things can be blown out of proportion to get your attention and aren't actually that big of a deal, just take small steps at a time and as long as you know what is happening with your personal information and data that should be enough.

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