edric

I use eufy as well. The only issue they recently had was that thumbnails were stored in their cloud if you chose to enable them on notifications. If you just select the text option, none of the footage is stored online and everything is local.

They download apps for all kinds of bullshit because all their friends and people they follow are on there. They won’t install a messaging app if none of the people they interact with are there. It’s not specific to messaging. I was able to convince my immediate family to move to Signal just for our family group chats. It’s not much but it’s a start.

Lol and the two biggest are close in color as well. At least make those two clear distinct colors.

+1 for veracrypt. Very convenient.

I use a box cutter to to cut a shallow square around the label, then tear it off. It’s much easier than peeling it off with your fingers.

Same, except I use Mullvad’s DoH for my phone and router.

Not a direct answer to your question, but you can use passphrases instead to make it easier and faster to type. This is assuming your only option to log on to your computer and unlock your screen is to type in your password (e.g. no biometrics or hardware token options).

I posted this before when another user posted a similar problem. Obviously yours is particular with google so some parts may not apply, but the gist is that you need to figure out your threat model.

You need to step back and review your threat model, then figure out the balance point between privacy and convenience/QoL. There is no such thing as complete privacy unless you go completely offline and live like a hermit. So something has to give, and your threat model will help you identify that. Figure out first what exactly you’re protecting, and from who. Then you can assess which ones you will deem non-negotiable when it comes to privacy, some where you can relax a bit in exchange for covenience (and this has levels as well), and lastly the ones where you have no choice because blocking something will make it cease to function. Having this threat model will also help you figure out what extent you would want to expose yourself depending on the service. Don’t put everything into the same tier because that will be impossible. Good luck.

This is the same for most businesses that offer customers to delete (or stop selling) your data. You have to fill out forms with a bunch of very personal information for them to delete your data, which is a hassle. You don’t even know what data they have on you and may very well be providing even more info than what they have just by requesting to delete it. IMO they should just ask for a name. Hell, if you have an account with them, then it should be straightforward to proceed if it’s requested by a user who is logged into their account. They can even send a confirmation email or something to ensure the account wasn’t compromised.

Not small, but I think you’ll have better chances with the mid level commuter cars. You’ll probably get some error messages on some of them, but if you can ignore them, they wouldn’t stop the car from running.It’s the high end ones and EVs that have a higher chance of bricking if you disable the antenna.

You need to step back and review your threat model, then figure out the balance point between privacy and convenience/QoL. There is no such thing as complete privacy unless you go completely offline and live like a hermit. So something has to give, and your threat model will help you identify that. Figure out first what exactly you’re protecting, and from who. Then you can assess which ones you will deem non-negotiable when it comes to privacy, some where you can relax a bit in exchange for covenience (and this has levels as well), and lastly the ones where you have no choice because blocking something will make it cease to function. Having this threat model will also help you figure out what extent you would want to expose yourself depending on the service. Don’t put everything into the same tier because that will be impossible. Good luck.

For people in this community, sure. Compared to the general population, not really. Imagine an international airport on a typical busy day. The number of people going through that aiport who are using burner phones is almost negligible.

While using a clean phone with nothing on it sounds like a good plan, it also looks very suspicious and can attract more attention. So take that into account when traveling regardless of the destination. Just like anonymization on your browser, the goal is to blend in, not stand out.

Honestly, it depends a lot on where you’re coming from and what you look like. And to be frank, it’s a little overblown to be paranoid enough to go that far, unless you are a high profile person of interest like a journalist or someone involved in politics. If you’re just an ordinary bloke going on vacation or attending a conference, you will be fine with basic precautions.

What about the IPv4 versions? I use Mullvad and ControlD on my router that only accepts IPv4 for DNS configuration.

You can maybe add a residual risk section as a way to assess what level of risk remains after implementing a control.

Not the exact (and only) solution, but some manufacturers may have a Do Not Sell My Information request form. Subaru has it on their website and I submitted a request for myself. Obviously we won’t know if they actually follow through, but it’s worth a shot. Some people have experimented with going in and actually disabling the antenna that the car uses for telemetry, but that’s at your own risk and likely voiding warranties in the process.

I think using carplay/android auto isn’t as bad since the infotainment system is just projecting your phone’s display, so your phone’s privacy policies apply. Whether you trust those policies is of course up to you. Cars that force their own systems (like GMC I think) are more risky because you are using it directly.

The first one (ads). I’m not a heavy user, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen ads or sponsored messages even in unencrypted chats. I use Mullvad’s DNS blocker.

Huh, I clicked the link and it’s blocked by my DNS content blocker. Have you tried using an adblocker on your phone?

I’m imagining cars like Framework laptops and you can install an open source OS of your own choice to operate it.

Maps is admittedly a google service I actively use because it really is reliable and up-to-date for navigation, so this is good news.