Is this Privacy Setup Sufficient?

Questions
21

(Apologies in advance if some people have already hit on some of these points before, I didn’t have enough time to read through all the replies)

Good choice! Just be mindful of some of the potential security drawbacks.

I’m not sure why you would disable ResistFingerprinting. If you’re going to use LibreWolf, it’d probably be best to stick to the defaults as best as you can. If not, then you’re probably better off using Firefox or Brave with their respective recommended configurations.

Furthermore, Mullvad Browser just seems overall much better than LibreWolf. Even though you’re using ProtonVPN, you should still get pretty much all of the benefits with Mullvad Browser. The only thing you’d be missing out on is their proxy features with their browser extension, but with LibreWolf + ProtonVPN you’re already missing that regardless. (Well… that and the Mullvad Leta search engine which I’m not a fan of)

Another consideration is security. Firefox seems to fall behind Chromium in regards to security, especially on Linux and Android. Personally, I love Firefox too much to abandon it on desktop, but if that’s a concern for you, Brave might be a better choice for you. Just be sure to install the Brave RPM rather than the Flatpak, as per the recommendation of Privacy Guides.

That should be fine. Of course, it also depends on the instance(s) you use.

That’s also fine. Just be aware of what VPN services are actually useful for. There’s a lot of disinformation surrounding what benefits there are to using a VPN service.

It’s recommended to stick to using the DNS provided by your VPN service whenever you’re connected to their VPN servers.

If you’re looking for a new phone or mobile OS, I’d recommend sticking to Privacy Guide’s recommendations. Assuming you’re unable to afford a new Google Pixel to run GrapheneOS, DivestOS would be the next best option if they support your device. There’s many reasons to avoid LineageOS, and depending on your threat model, you might be better off sticking with the default distribution of Android your phone came with if you’re unable to switch to DivestOS.

Would you be able to elaborate on why you’re required to use Gmail?
(Sort of unrelated, but you should be able to use another email client if you want. It should at least allow you to store a local copy of your email. It probably doesn’t provide much of a privacy benefit, but it does mitigate your reliance on Google by a little bit.)

You can always use Cryptomator!

2 Likes
22

Alright, lets start from 0.
Now currently I’m using;
Fedora Workstation, Proton( VPN For public Wi-Fi), DoH (Cloudflare), Skiff E-Mail, Brave Browser, SearXNG.
The settings are pretty much hardened and with the scope of Privacy Guides guidelines.

I’ve either disabled or limited the permissions on my Phone to all Google services.
Other than that same suite of apps on my phone too.

The only thing I couldn’t resolve was Google Drive which I’ll be just using it with Cryptomator.

Thank you all for guiding me for better privacy.
Also sorry for my mishaps in my writing, I’m just a bit sleep deprived while switching all my e-mails etc.

1 Like
23

First and foremost, I’d like to express my gratitude to all of you for steering me towards better privacy practices.

Here are the changes I’ve made and lessons I’ve learned along the way:

  1. I’ve transitioned from Gmail to Skiff Email, aliasing all my emails to prevent them from being traced back to my main account.
  2. Google Search has been replaced with StartPage/SearXNG for enhanced privacy.
  3. I’ve switched from Google’s ecosystem for apps like Calendar, Notes, Gallery, Phone, and Contacts to the FOSS (Free and Open-Source Software) alternatives provided by Simple Mobile Tools.
  4. My web browser has changed from Firefox (specifically LibreWolf) to Brave, configured in accordance with privacy guides.
  5. I’ve made the move from Windows to Fedora as my operating system of choice.
  6. I’m consistently using ProtonVPN, which is always active on my Android phone and used on my laptop when I’m on public Wi-Fi or networks.
  7. I’ve implemented DNS over HTTPS (DoH) with Cloudflare and DNSCrypt for added security.
  8. On my phone, I’ve disabled nearly all Google apps, with the exception of Carrier Services and Google Play Services, but I’ve revoked all their permissions.
  9. To obtain apps, I now rely on F-Droid and Aurora Store, although I’ve retained Google Play Store as a backup with all permissions revoked, just in case.

Currently, my most challenging privacy point to address is Google Drive/Photos. Unfortunately, as a cash-strapped college student, I couldn’t find a complete alternative. I’m mitigating this by using Cryptomator to ensure that Google can’t access my online backups. While Google Photos might remain a privacy compromise due to its convenience, I’ve done my best to safeguard my privacy.

Once again, I’d like to extend my appreciation for all your recommendations. I believe I’ve reclaimed my privacy to the best of my ability.

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24

I get the argument that you should better trust 1 party than 2, but isn’t there still an argument for adding encrypted DNS and VPN?

  • the DNS provider doesn’t know who you are as you’re behind the VPN’s IP
  • the VPN provider doesn’t get your DNS requests so only sees which IPs you want to connect to but in today’s world with VPSs and CDNs and Cloudflare there can be many websites behind the same IP
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25

Not even GrapheneOS?

26

GrapheneOS isn’t always the answer, it’s hardly the most accessible option for most people. In this case, it’s not compatible with the device in the OP :slight_smile:

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27

But…would you agree some custom ROMs are a better choice than stock Android and iOS?

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28

Yes, GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, DivestOS. I’d pretty much stop there though. Verified boot, and just overall focus on security is important. If you’re on a phone with lots of privacy-invasive bloatware, and your only way out is to flash an official build of LineageOS, then I would say do it. But otherwise, avoid it. And, in the best case, buy a phone compatible with one of the three operating systems listed above (preferably also in the order I listed them).

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