When starting to learn more about all the information collected on us, it can get overwhelming.
We might be tempted to unplug entirely and stop sharing anything with anyone online. But this approach risks other dangers that shouldn’t be downplayed either.
Keeping our data safe shouldn’t mean staying isolated online.
There are plenty of tools and practices we can adopt to protect our data online, while staying connected with our communities.
And this is especially important for the queer community.
YOUR SOCIAL HEALTH AFFECTS YOUR MENTAL & PHYSICAL HEALTH
Thank you for highlighting this very important issue. As someone who finds it hard to participate in online communities for fear of compromising my privacy, I needed to hear this. For some people, the internet is the only place where they will find kinship with others and it’s sometimes their best chance at meeting similar-minded people in real life.
In recent years, a lot of studies, articles, and books have been published about friendship and its decay in society at large. It’s been a deep interest of mine. A new concept I learned from Harvard social scientist Kasley Killam is the one of social health, which describes the overall well-being that stems from connection and community, i.e. relationships.
I couldn’t agree more. Another thing to consider is to avoid managing multiple accounts simultaneously in the same app or browser. Apps and websites like Twitter/X, Instagram, Reddit, and Google allow that. If you use different aliases, phone numbers, and IP addresses for 2 separate accounts in the same app, it is likely that the platform will make a connection between those two accounts, assuming they have the same owner, are therefore are the same person.
One thing I am curious about is if websites can make that connection when I use the same VPN IP address for 2 accounts that I use in different browsers. For example, one Reddit account on Brave, and another on Firefox.
This can also happen with aliases, but it’s definitely the case with VPNs. If you are going to use a VPN, make sure that you have 2FA enabled on your account first. From my experience, you are far less likely to trigger alarm bells if you use a VPN with 2FA enabled, because if you can confirm your identity via 2FA, you usually don’t encounter any problems, but it can still happen.
Recently, I got my Reddit account suspended out of nowhere. I believe it’s because I use an alias and VPN. I’ve had that account for years, and it was set up that way from the start. When I tried resetting my password, it didn’t work because I couldn’t receive the verification email at my alias address, which had been my account address for years. I haven’t been able to speak to a real person from Reddit support team to fix the issue. It’s been over a month, and I’m not sure what other recourse I have.
All this is to say, even with 2FA enabled, you can still trigger alarm bells for using a VPN or an alias, even if it happens years after using them every day for a long time. So be mindful of that. That does not mean aliases and VPNs are not worth using. They absolutely are.
METADATA PRIVACY:
I would also recommend visibly watermarking and password protecting any document you send to a company or person when it is destined for a single purpose.
For example, if you need to send a copy of your ID to your employer, watermark it with the company’s name and date so that if it’s ever used for a different purpose or a different party you did not consent to, there is proof.
I am still looking for a good free and privacy-friendly watermarking app/service. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know. I have yet to find a one that watermarks exactly how I want it to.
I have never had to send watermarked documents so far. However, my experience with password protecting PDF documents has been mixed. Two of my previous employers asked me to send it back without the password, even though I gave it to them, which was frustrating.
If you have experience with this practice, please share.
RSVP PRIVACY:
This is something I had very little consideration for until quite recently, when I was invited to an event and had to RSVP. I wasn’t just required to confirm my presence, but also provide additional info like my job, company I work for, and my dietary preferences. Although the invitation was sent to my Proton email, the RSVP was on Google Calendar.
Do you have any real life examples of when an RSVP had bad consequences?
I want to be able to use it as a reference if I ever have to justify myself for not officially RSVPing. I also think that if I am in a vulnerable situation, I shouldn’t have to divulge it to the event planners.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I wholeheartedly agree. It’s a question of finding the right balance.
We want people to protect their privacy, but also thrive. Rightly or wrongly, part of me believes that it can be very hard to persuade people to be more privacy conscious, or even just support your decision to do so, if they don’t see you thriving in life or perceive you as success.
I noticed that you didn’t link to any guides to strengthening privacy on Discord. Is there any?
I personally don’t like Discord, but a lot of support groups for a variety of communities have a presence there. Even though this post is primarily aimed at the privacy conscious, I think people who are not sensitized to these issues need to be more aware so they can protect their privacy.
There are popular mental health Subreddits that have Discords, and I have seen many members share pics of themselves, including minors, because people share their age too. Although I understand why they did it (agoraphobics showing themselves being outside), it was very irresponsible in my opinion.
That’s why we not only need to build and advocate for better platforms, but we should work on building communities on the platforms that respect our privacy.
