Privacy is Power — A proof of the crimes committed against the "digital" you

Carissa Véliz, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, Oxford University, published her book “Privacy is power”, which became an Economist best seller of the year of 2020. By doing so, she brought attention to the most data economy asset misappropriation the world has ever known while also offering a way out for our long-lost privacy.

Nobody can deny the most infamous data scandals, of Cambridge Analytica, and how low they hit their end-users all along, with more cases such as Google and Facebook included in this book; however, discussing the gravity of the situation is not the aim of this article; rather, the countermeasures to be taken are.

Be careful what you're sharing

“You are one of the biggest risks to your own privacy” the author says emphatically. Nowadays, with what I call “Sharing fever” pushing people to invite social media into their private lives (including the “unsharable”), it is very difficult to control the amount of precious data you’re leaking to the eyes of an audience waiting for this gold opportunity to use it against you in a variety of scenarios, ranging from personalised ads to blackmail or even worse.

The other's privacy matters as well

Understanding the strong link between my privacy and yours is not rocket science; this entails the duty to respect other people’s privacy before your own; there is no need for random photographs of your pals shared on Instagram stories as a “joke,” it’s time to act differently.

Create privacy spaces

When compared to a few decades ago, the space where we may completely enjoy our privacy has shrunk dramatically, with some people having none. We absolutely need a tech-free, constantly increasing environment where we can be ourselves without having our activities recorded and saved as a CSV file.

Don't be afraid to deny

When it comes to your privacy, the rule should not be implemented because of the desire to be pleasant, or sometimes just to get rid of the matter you approve things. Yes, I’m referring to the unnecessary cookie consent on every website, among other things.

Smart devices is a not a smart decision

By using the term of smart devices I’m not just talking about smartphones here, but about the entire ecosystem of smart homes and beyond. The thought of having a smart device around that records and stores your personal data in the cloud may appear to make your life easier, but unfortunately this is not always the case. Think carefully before allowing a smart device into your little circle of intimacy; it might cost you a lot more than you realise.

Messaging apps: Choose wisely

Messaging applications are a crucial factor in the privacy equation; apps such as WhatsApp claim to have the most secure encryption techniques, but its connection to Facebook is my personal reason for not adopting it in sensitive data conversations.
As the author mentions, as a user of these apps, I can confirm that they are worth a try for their features and data control policies. I discovered that Telegram and Signal are the greatest options.

Email apps: Again, choose wisely

It is a truth that emails are not secure. Due to data protection legislation in the countries where they are headquartered, several alternatives to well-known email services (such as Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo) tend to give better data management policies:

• ProtonMail in Switzerland.
• Tutanota in Germany.
• Runbox in Norway.

Furthermore, not every app requesting your email is worthy of receiving it; instead, provide fake emails or create a second email address just for that type of apps.

Search engines

The majority of evil is contained inside search engines, specifically Google. Except for some use cases where the requirement for that particular search engine is present, there are other use cases where some of the following privacy-friendly engines can be utilised instead:

• DuckDuckGo
• Qwant

Personally, I use DuckDuckGo as my primary search engine and Google when required.

Browsers

When it comes to browsers, the same narrative can be stated as it is with search engines. Browsers may keep information based on your behaviour, therefore utilising multiple privacy-friendly browsers for different activities sounds like a smart idea because it is. For instance, Brave for work and Opera for gaming.

Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi are the most well-known privacy-friendly browsers; however, with the addition of appropriate privacy extensions (such as DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials), Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be added to the list.

Tor is commonly recognised for its user illicit actions, but you may create an exception for yourself. For some private activities you may want to keep hidden, you may wish to utilise Tor for its encryption layers that make tracability difficult.

Privacy extensions and tools

There are tools that can supplement your browser’s behaviour and assure better privacy, and I include the following:

• DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials (from Chromium based browsers).
• Ads and trackers blockers and (My favorite is the integrated Brave Browser Adblocker and Privacy Badger).

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)

VPNs are considered as an effective measure to keep the private, private; nevertheless, bear in mind that some VPNs, such as Facebook’s Onavo Protect, can be used to acquire your private data.
As the saying goes, if the product is free, you are mostly the product.

Cherry on the pie

In addition to to the previously stated taken measures, there're more to consider:

• Treat every solution as privacy-unfriendly, and use caution when granting permission.
• Remove or archive unneeded digital material to conserve space and safeguard your privacy, among other advantages.
• Choose strong passwords and consider multi-factor authentication methods like two-factor authentication apps (Authy or others) and YubiKeys.
• Use obfuscation: when forced to supply data, provide fake data, such as a fake email address.
• Minimize your reliance on digital solutions. When there is a traditional option, such as reading a hard-copy book instead of a digital version, you will benefit from less eye strain as well. Purchase and read the press to stay informed and to defend its independence from the government and businesses.

Privacy is Power

In my opinion, Privacy is Power is a modern life vital book, since it calls for a global privacy demand. Many of its aspects are not the focus of this article, but I strongly suggest reading it in order to be aware on the other side of the cube.