As the title suggests, I’m about to share my thoughts on finding and using this website.
OK, you persuaded me that it’s very important to not let all your data be given to the big techs…
But then you left me alone with a monument that doesn’t’ have any clear steps. Like I need to read it, analyze… do my own research, etc.
Of course, that’s cool you have all that info. But you know what? I doubt that an average user will have enough motivation to read through all of this.
So why don’t you simplify it? Why can’t you give me a solution and then explain it if I want?
I don’t really know about you guys, but I suppose your goal here is to convert as many people as you can.
That being said, I want to explain my story.
Everything started with me just wanting to reinstall Windows. I use a very good tweaker app, and I also do some kind of “advanced” (to a regular user) adjustments.
So, I reviewed my system again and got curious about the browser I’m using. Just wanted to pick the best one.
I opened the first YouTube video of “ultimate browser tier list,” where a guy with a really annoying voice used the only criteria—privacy.
Basically, that’s how I dived into the topic; later, I stumbled on you guys but lost the motivation quickly.
You can say I’m lazy. Maybe you’re right, but I think it’s wise to be more productive in the things I like.
So, yeah, I’m choosing to not waste my whole free time solving a problem a random dude from the internet just made up for me.
Btw, the recommendation category has become the most useful to me.
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK AFTER ALL
No need to get disheartened. Everything has a beginning.
If you are using Windows, there is no need for tweaker apps. Everything can be done via group policies. There are predefined security policies provided by Microsoft (Security Baselines), you can install them.
There is recommended software section on PG. You can start doing trials with them. Not everything will be fit for you but you need to find out what is good and what is not.
Because I see the community striving to develop it.
So I suggest creating a simple instruction with everything you recommend instead of an overwhelming amount of information.
And I don’t understand why expressing emotions is considered rude.
Your assumption that we want to convert people is wrong to begin with.
We want to give you the information to decide what you want to do about privacy yourself.
Certain things can’t be more simplified than how they are.
Learning creates frustration but it pays back. Try to master playing a song in a electric guitar, it will take time and be infuriating but, you will feel so good afterwards.
Yes, it is overwhelming and you’re far from alone. See this topic:
Just take one step at a time. Choosing a browser first is a good first step as this is usually what people use the most.
Then you can just go one step at a time on where your usage is vs time to implement.
For instance, this community pushes a lot towards Linux, but switching might be too much for you in the beginning.
Here’s a roadmap I would recommend. The first 3 steps are easy wins. Don’t rush. Just do one step at a time or you’ll burn yourself out:
1- Pick the right browser for you;
2- Pick the right VPN for you;
3- Change your DNS settings on your router;
4- This one will take longer: go through all the apps you use and determine which ones you use the most. Then check if they are “privacy-safe” to use. This will take a while.
5- Switch to Linux (I haven’t done this yet) or follow the guide to remove Telemetry on Windows.
All of those steps have guides. Let me know if you need links.
Please don’t tell people to switch to Linux like it’s going to solve all their privacy issues, or even as a solution without knowing a lot more about their threat model, especially in a thread about being a frustrated newcomer, even the simplest distros can take a bit of work and investigation to make sure they function properly, that’s a guaranteed way to make them never use Linux.
OK, you persuaded me that it’s very important to not let all your data be given to the big techs… But then you left me alone with a monument that doesn’t’ have any clear steps. Like I need to read it, analyze… do my own research, etc.
Of course, that’s cool you have all that info. But you know what? I doubt that an average user will have enough motivation to read through all of this.
At this time, privacy in technology is not simple. PG provides this information in as much of a friendly way as possible while explaining what it all means. We can’t motivate anyone to read anything.
So, yeah, I’m choosing to not waste my whole free time solving a problem a random dude from the internet just made up for me.
Comments:
Its not a made up problem. Its defined on the Why Privacy Matters page if you read it.
Whether or not this problem is important to you, is up to you. If it isn’t important, then no amount of “follow these 3 easy steps” will convince you.
If you believe its important so long as the steps are super easy, then as you said skimming the recommendations and seeing what is easy is probably good enough.
So why don’t you simplify it? Why can’t you give me a solution and then explain it if I want?
That is what the Recommendation Page pretty much is. Those are all solutions to help solve different privacy problems. It explains what it solves, and you can decide if you want it. Is there something missing on these pages, or is there something you explicitly wanted? Again, “follow these 3 easy steps” won’t really work.
The only thing I can think of an improvement for PG would be to have a highlighted article or feature that describes some of the easiest and simplest ways to improve privacy from scratch using the recommendations. Even then, that is up to interpretation.
