I just wanted to take a brief minute to say “Thank You” to those on the forum and for the very existence of Privacy Guides - for no other reason that it’s simply fantastic and full of incredibly bright, talented people who know far more than I about the technical mechanisms involved in privacy and security - extending far beyond the online world and personas, but also how to keep safe offline and in the ‘real world’.
Whilst I was doing everything I thought I could do to minimise my online footprint and stopping ‘big tech’ from misusing my data or having access to my deeply personal information, I have come to learn, through you brilliant people, that there’s so much more I could’ve been doing to enhance my privacy and security. In fact, I’ve done exactly that!
I first started ‘getting into privacy’ many years ago when I saw the likes of Zuc**berg slowly taking over the planet (Side note: I still think he is an alien from another realm sent here to ruin Earth… anyway…). I had WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat and everything else you can think of (I’m old enough to have had MySpace and Faceparty back in the day…!). All of these pernicious platforms are there solely to erode not only your privacy, but your mental health - as a recent thread has highlighted and prompted this post.
I find it wholly unnecessary to promote my life online. They call it ‘social media’, but it is far from it. It is the exact opposite of ‘social’ and, when you read half of the diatribe posted on it, I do wonder whether it’s ‘media’, too! We, as humans, are social creatures and we look for things in common with like minded people that we befriend and form kinships, communities and forge relationships with our nearest and dearest that, on the whole, align with our personal value and beliefs. But we aren’t robots. Yet. Although religious and political alignments have brought us together, it’s quite clear that these very subjects tear us apart - particularly communities and groups of people. I do not believe we humans are built for larger groups that otherwise cause segregation and unsafe spaces for conversations to flow and these relationships to be built. Although I’ve only been on this forum for a relatively short period, what has struck me the most is the congenial way that people can share their thoughts and expertise that I, personally, have taken a lot from.
That said, we must be mindful that online forums, although not ‘social media’ (?), can lead from discourse to disdain very quickly and such platforms are not impervious to political slants creeping in and dividing us - something, in my view, a recent thread is demonstrating. What is particularly disappointing here is the use of emotive words such as “fascist”. In a similar way that the term ‘racist’ is used inappropriately, sadly these emotive words lose their impact when not used correctly and allows fascism and racism (and other isms) to perpetuate by taking the focus away from events holding true to the meaning. Ironically, “fascism” includes the suppression of the opposition…
I think the knock-on effect of these types of threads is unsettling and can very quickly lead to chaos, poor engagement and, ultimately, bad for the users of the forum trying to navigate through turbulent, current affairs and help with their threat model set up. I do worry that one’s online safety, security and privacy can be dictated by an organisation or CEO political stance. To me this is mind-blowing, but I do respect that others may be able to employ alternative measures to seek the same high level of privacy. Not all of us have the same technology nor technical know-how to do this, so whilst I respect those for having such a high moral standing and applaud those for sticking to their principles, please spare a thought and not judge those who aren’t able to do so and who, for whatever reason, may be more comfortable and secure using the same products and services to which your moral compass may point in the opposite direction.
I do think society is shifting back to ‘the olden times’ (and by this, I mean early 2000s prior to Zuc**berg and co) and I am a firm believer that common sense does prevail eventually. We know that privacy is sacrificed for convenience and that ‘we are the product’ in nearly all of these nefarious outfits. What I am grateful for, living in the U.K., is that the our Government is unashamedly eroding the security and privacy of its citizens in such a short space of time that it is patently clear how dangerous they really are. Not just to those within the U.K., but everyone else around the world. They make it so obvious and they do not even hide their behaviour (although the ADP with Apple thing was sneaky, that sort of behaviour was always going to leak…). So, thankfully, whilst they continue to lie to people about their true intent (Psst: it isn’t child safety - never was, never will be), they are pushing people towards alternatives that go directly against their narrative and what they are intent (hellbent!) on doing. An incredible ‘own goal’ that highlights their utter stupidity and naivety.
I do not profess to be anywhere above ‘novice’ when it comes to this - and I don’t think this will change as I am more likely akin to what I now know to be a “Normie”. But that’s okay. Because I’ve got a wealth of articles to preen through via Privacy Guides, coupled with the recommendations on software and applications. For example, until fairly recently, I hadn’t even heard of ‘Ente’ and I had put everything on Proton, only to discover how flawed and primitive Proton Drive really is (particularly with photos!). I also had little idea how to configure DNS efficiently with the best block lists. I also discovered what a ‘Pastebin’ was (and now use that frequently!).
So, this is just a quick ‘Thank You’ to each and every one of you for helping a ‘Normie’ navigate the intricacies of an ever expanding and rather complex world of privacy, exacerbated by governments who have less of an idea about the ramifications of their actions than the average ‘normie’. Perhaps they should visit these forums and educate themselves before the consequences of their poor decisions come to fruition.
Irrespective of your creed: You are heroes. Every single one of you.
And I am grateful.