Privacy

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A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

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much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

founded 5 years ago
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I'm aware that carrying a phone means that I can be tracked with cell towers and that's fine.

But is there some sort of tracking that can be done on modern dumb-phones that make relevant ads show up(on spotify/youtube) that are based on where the phone has been?

Thanks I'm a newb

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Majority of exposures located in the US, including datacenters, healthcare facilities, factories, and more

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turns out durov's bullshit is bullshit. huh.

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What encrypted messenger do you use most that isn't Zucking Meta's Whatsapp and Signal?

Edit Also, besides iMessage and RCS. Sorry thanks

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There is no forum for this service and it's privacy related so I think it's best sub when I can ask. When I try to loggin there is yellow error which says "there seems to be an error logging you in. please try again shortly"

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submitted 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Please help promote the hashtags #Deadline2025, #BigTechWalkout2025 and #Reclaim2025 to reach those still using big tech platforms.

And share this great video that a friend of mine made showing how lame the big techbros really are.

If we starve big tech of data, their power diminishes.

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So i downloaded Brave on windows 10 a few months ago and i remember that it was pretty easy without any hiccups but last week when i tried to download librewolf a message poped up saying that it may be harmful for your computer even tho i downloaded it from the official source

Is it just me or is microsoft getting more and more desperate to collect our data?

*Edit: Sorry it wasn't bitdefender it was something like Antimalware service executable or something like that which i think is a microsoft product

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/* */

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submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

I'd appreciate any insight ppl can offer, especially relative to mullvad VPN: could a casual privacy valuer benefit from this over mullvad now or in the future?

Has anyone seen this one listed on VPN comparison sites?

Same:

They take straight monero and generate accounts from no personal info

Pros:

It's something like 1$/device/mo, so sometimes cheaper than mullvad.

Doesn't use gmail or centralized servers like mullvad, argued here; went over my head

Something about improving browser privacy

Cons:

Beta; small project; haven't found credible endorsements

36
 
 

this happens on a samsung galaxy android device. i have a foss keyboard set up and never use the samsung keyboard app.

whenever i copy text, the toast message flashes that samsung keyboard has pasted from my clipboard.

i cant find any option to control clipboard access. how does one turn this off altogether?

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/31440973

The tool Lynis is an auditing tool used to audit Unix systems. Is it still relevant? Worth using?

It used to be fairly widely used years ago. Is it still worth its salt or are there other better options? Do you guys think it's needed at all with common sense now days.

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I am currently using Obsidian. I like it; it is great. The graph is a bit of a gimmick but very rewarding. The formatting is easy. The search can be great and powerful, but Markdown can also be a letdown sometimes; it is just so limiting sometimes.

I think Obsidian is almost boring. It works, and my main gripe is syncing it to my phone. I have tried using Syncthing, but I often get clashes with versions of notes or even lose notes, even when using Syncthing versioning.

But then there is Notion. Let me first say, I have not used Notion at all. I made an account, saw all the great stuff, especially the database feature and all the APIs, but something felt off.

Of course, I researched the privacy of Notion and realised it is a complete dumpster fire.

My work is confidential; I really can't use something like Notion. But then, for my personal stuff, I also don't want AI to be trained on it or used for marketing to me or on me.

Are there alternatives to Notion that someone can recommend to me?

39
 
 

I've been interested in switching over to a phone that isn't a gold mine of my data for random companies etc. I've seen stuff for calyx, fair phone, graphene, and Linux phones. I'm curious as to how I would go about switching over. As of right now I use Android and mostly message through signal unless it's for work and I'm unfortunately on Verizon. Which privacy first smartphones would people recommend for US users and how does it work putting it on a network? Do they go on the regular networks like at&t, sprint, Verizon etc? Or do they have their own or privacy first networks? Sorry if these are dumb questions I'm just interested in switching and figured this would be a good place to find info.

40
 
 

Hey.

My phone is a Pixel 8A Graphene OS Phone. I Want to make this phone a Hardended phone. A safe phone. Privacy friendly phone. Not a Watched or tapped into phone. Basically limit the spying and intercepting and get control of the spying mechanisms that may be at play.

The phone has Sandboxed google.play services.

(grapheneos) and 1 profile (owner)

The phone has a kyc sim card. ( currently no way out)

Thanks.

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Mullvad gives you a discount if you pay with crypto, and monero is supposed to be the private crypto. What is the best way to get Monero? I'm in Canada

https://mullvad.net/en/pricing

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/30825750

Skip Timestamp and Generated Summary below:


Video Description:

Award-winning investigative journalist Max Blumenthal, who has long spoken out against Israel’s genocidal war crimes in occupied Palestine, was recently detained by Customs and Border Protection officials at Washington Dulles International Airport after returning from a personal trip to Nicaragua.

The agent who stopped him mentioned catching a recent Blumenthal appearance on former judge Andrew Napolitano’s TV show.

Guest hosts Russell Dobular and Keaton Weiss discuss the experience with Blumenthal, and expand the conversation to address the harassment many others — some of whom are not even politically active — have faced when returning to the country from abroad.

Read Max's work at The Grayzone here: http://thegrayzone.com/

Follow Max on Twitter: / maxblumenthal

Follow Russell Dobular on Twitter: / russelldobular

Follow Keaton Weiss on Twitter: / thatkeaton

Due Dissidence on Substack: https://substack.com/@duedissidence

Skip Timestamp:

  1. 28:47.000 - 28:59.549 Unpaid/Self Promotion

Generated Summary:

Main Topic: Increased scrutiny and harassment of travelers, particularly journalists and activists, by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), especially those returning from countries deemed "high-risk" or with dissenting political views.

Key Points:

  • Max Blumenthal's Experience: Blumenthal recounts being questioned by CBP upon returning from Nicaragua and anticipating similar or worse treatment upon returning from Iran. His contacts were more concerned about his treatment by the US government upon return than about Iran itself.
  • Increased Border Scrutiny: The discussion highlights a trend of CBP targeting individuals for questioning, device seizure, and intelligence gathering, even without warrants, based on their travel history, political affiliations, or even their names.
  • Erosion of Constitutional Rights at the Border: The video emphasizes that constitutional rights are diminished at international borders and airports, allowing CBP greater latitude in questioning and searching travelers.
  • FBI Harassment: The FBI has been approaching journalists and scholars who have traveled to Iran for interviews without warrants.
  • Advice for Travelers: The video advises travelers, especially those politically active or with perceived risk factors (e.g., Arab names, travel to certain countries), to prepare for potential device seizure and questioning. Suggestions include using burner phones, backing up data to the cloud, and understanding their rights (e.g., the right to remain silent without a warrant or lawyer).
  • Israeli Influence: The discussion touches on the influence of Israeli security practices and training on US border security, leading to a perception of all citizens as potential threats.
  • Immigration as a Pretext: The speakers argue that the focus on immigration is being used as a pretext to expand the security state and mass surveillance capabilities, even though deportation numbers are not necessarily increasing.
  • Shock and Awe Deterrence: The detention and questioning of travelers, including international students, is seen as a "shock and awe" tactic intended to deter dissent and discourage travel to or from certain countries.
  • Political Motivations: The Trump administration's actions are attributed to a desire to satiate its base's desire for revenge against foreigners and to create a political power base from anti-communist expats.

Highlights:

  • Blumenthal's description of the CBP agent referencing his appearance on Judge Napolitano's show, suggesting political targeting.
  • The anecdote about an activist declining an award in Canada due to fear of being unable to re-enter the US.
  • The recommendation to use Graphine OS for enhanced phone security.
  • The discussion of the Israeli security consultant training Boston's Logan Airport staff to profile travelers.
  • The argument that the focus on immigration is a pretext for building a police state.

About Channel:

"I don't criticize Democrats cuz I side with Republicans, I criticize Democrats Cuz THEY side with Republicans.

Our fight is not Left/Right anymore, it is Us vs.Them.

We have 2 corporate party's that serve Wall St/War Machine/Corporations & crush everyone else. #UniParty @0rf"^[[1] https://twitter.com/jimmy_dore/status/1559374176904814594]

#TheJimmyDoreShow is a hilarious and irreverent take on news, politics and culture featuring Jimmy Dore, a professional stand up comedian, author and podcaster. The show is also broadcast on Pacifica Radio Network stations throughout the country.

“Jimmy Dore is outrageous and outraged, bothersome and bothered. A crucial, profane, passionate voice for progressives and free-thinkers in 21st century America. Jimmy will anger you if you’re a conservative and enrage you if you’re a liberal.”—Patton Oswalt


Edit:

  1. Fixed Title, From "Is What Terrified People About My Trip to Iran!" To "This Is What Terrified People About My Trip to Iran!"
43
 
 

Receiving a spam call puts you in a bit of a dilemma, or at least it does for me: How do I deal with this call that doesn't alert the spammers that this is an active number that they can call again? Answering the call is obviously the wrong choice, but I always assume that rejecting the call outright will also be detected as a deliberate action and therefore a person is on the other side. Some people have suggested answering the phone but not talking, so they think it's a dead number, but I want something more definitive.

My idea is to have a "spam" button on the incoming call screen, that answers the call but doesn't connect the microphone. Instead it plays either the standard "the number you're dialing is not assigned, please check your number and try your call again" recording, or a fax/modem sound to make them think the phone number belongs to a machine and not a human.

Would this work? Or would they still be able to determine that the recording is spoofed by the phone itself? Does anything like this already exist?

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cross-posted from: https://feddit.org/post/13725656

I'm getting a 403 error on Kagi when using Mullvad VPN. Can anyone confirm they're blocking VPN users now? I'll immediately cancel my Kagi subscription if this turns out to be the case.

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An Italian parliamentary committee has confirmed that the government used the Israeli-made spyware Graphite, developed by the offensive cyber company Paragon, to hack the smartphones of several activists working with migrants.

The committee confirmed that Paragon provided Graphite to two Italian agencies, including the country's external intelligence service, starting in 2023. The version of Graphite provided did not include the ability to activate the phone's microphone or camera, the report said. Instead, it only enabled its operators access to encrypted communications on the hacked devices.

The report also confirmed that Graphite exploited a vulnerability in WhatsApp that Meta identified and patched in December 2024, one month before the spyware's activity was publicly disclosed. The vulnerability's discovery also caused "panic" at Israel's military intelligence Unit 8200, according to the recent Israeli television report.

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I have 2nd hand pixel 8a with grapheneos and i havent putted sim card in it since i have it, in my country i have to have registered sim card, iam afraid of IMEI be linked with sim card and once i put it in im f**ked, the reason i need to put card is to verify bank which need sim card being in device.

I did some research but became dumb from too much information

(sorry for my english :D)

Edit: also i want to be private because of my feature, idk if i wont live in country where propaganda is normal

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What is DNS4EU? DNS4EU is an initiative by the European Commission that aims to offer an alternative to the public DNS resolvers currently dominating the market. Supported by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the European Union's DNS4EU secure-infrastructure project provides a protective, privacy-compliant, and resilient DNS service to strengthen the EU’s digital sovereignty and enhance digital security for European Union citizens, governments, and institutions.

The program provides robust DNS security for public institutions and their employees, ministries, local governments or municipalities, healthcare, education, and other critical services such as telecommunications providers. By working with the latter, for example, it ensures DNS resolution service for all of a telco’s customers, with minimum manual overhead for their teams.

Additionally, the DNS4EU solutions aid organizations in complying with regulatory requirements (such as GDPR) to keep data within European borders.

As these organizations often face challenges to independently developing and maintaining high-level cybersecurity measures (such as election cycles or funding), the DNS4EU project solves these challenges by providing a Europe-based, centralized, scalable solution to ensure the highest standards of security and privacy, compliant with EU regulations.

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