20 Jul 2025
Privacy tips with no brand names and no links
Previously: practical tips for limiting web tracking
Two problems.
Public sector organizations can’t recommend specific privacy tools or services.
A lot of the tips that are supposed to be good for privacy are ineffective at best, or actively harmful at worst. One example is
Adblockers are easy to find and install
. Many of the ad blockers that are easiest to find with a web search engine or on browser extension directories are adware or malware.
So it’s tricky to make a list of effective privacy tips that can be put on a public sector site. Here’s a first attempt at a list of generic tips without links or brand names.
Find a trusted local source of security and privacy help. Privacy is not just about protecting one individual at a time, it’s a shared effort. Every additional person who gets better protected is helping to build better privacy for everyone. The better-informed a privacy person is, the more they’re motivated to help others with their—our—privacy. Privacy help is out there.
If your family or place of worship has an informal
IT support
person, check with them about privacy.Visit an established local computer store or repair shop. Many local businesses offer a configuration
tune up
service where they will check your software and settings.Ask at your local public library if there is an IT support session or repair clinic.
If you are enrolled in school, check if support and training is available to students.
If you follow privacy issues on the Internet, you will probably get a
lot of confusing and conflicting advice. Some of it is mild, trying to
sell you a legit service in a confusing way, and some of it is directly
harmful, like an urgent support
call or text. Check any privacy
advice with a local support person you trust.
If you are the local support person, use an RSS reader and email subscriptions to follow IT news sites, and your state’s privacy enforcement agency, to keep up with changes to the privacy threat environment. Even if you, personally, don’t use a service, the users who depend on you will probably have questions about how to use it as safely as possible. Set a good example by using secure communications methods by default, but be able to support those who must use less safe services for now.
Check privacy settings on mobile devices. Phones and
tablets come with a variety of security and privacy defaults. Look in
the Settings on the device for Privacy
and Security
settings that you can set to the more secure or private option. (Don’t
forget to scroll down. Sometimes an important option is near the bottom
of the list.)
Consider using the features intended to limit screen time
or
build healthier usage habits. When you’re spending less time with apps
that surveil you, you’re not just saving time, you’re limiting the
amount of your information they get.
Sign up for an Authorized Agent service. Ask your local support person for a recommendation. This service will contact data brokers for you, to remove your personal information or limit its usage. (Unfortunately a lot of data brokers still have bugs or issues with how they handle Do Not Sell or Right to Delete contacts from authorized agents. This tip will get more effective over time as more companies come into compliance.)
Learn about the business models of the apps and services you
use. Over time, most of the companies you interact with online
are honest. But sometimes an offer looks too good to be true, or a
free
service looks like it would be expensive to operate.
Understand where the money is coming from, and avoid services whose
business model depends on deceiving or discriminating against users.
For complex apps or offers, reading the privacy policy can sometimes
be helpful to figure out if there’s a catch,
but usually privacy
policies are similar and not very informative. Your feeling that
something isn’t right
about an app or service is generally more
reliable.
Check privacy settings on services you use regularly. If you use a service regularly, go through the privacy and security settings.
Use the web instead of the app when you can. A web browser can generally be set up with privacy settings and extensions to protect you from unwanted uses of your data. Mobile apps are less flexible. If you have a choice to use the same service from a browser or from a native app, use the browser.
Check privacy settings on TVs and smart home
devices. Internet-connected devices can collect a lot of
information about you. When setting up or updating the device, check the
security and privacy settings. Or, when shopping for a device, ask the
store or seller if they will set the security and privacy settings for
you.
Give your browser a security and privacy check-up. Check with your local privacy support person for recommended settings, and extensions if any, for your web browser. Be careful about installing extra extensions until you understand the extension and its business model. If you decide to turn on the Global Privacy Control, visit one of the sites that will test that it’s working.
Set a calendar reminder to remove unused or unwanted mobile apps. This is not just a privacy tip. You can save battery life, and often money, by removing extra apps from your devices.
Follow privacy-related updates from your state. If your state has a privacy agency, sign up for their email newsletter. If you’re not already getting the email newsletters from your state Senator and member of the Assembly, sign up. Privacy is a shared concern, and sometimes the most effective protections can come from understanding and participating in the process at the state level.
There it is, a whole list of privacy tips with no links and no brand names. Any more ideas?
Bonus links
You
have rights to your property, not to control others – Orange County
Register By Steven Greenhut. You can move into a homeowners’
association, with covenants that give the designated overseers the right
to fine you for keeping your garage door open for too long—but that
involves a contract of your choosing. Municipal zoning, however, began
in Baltimore to keep African Americans out of white neighborhoods, so
it’s rooted in government limits on freedom. It let politically powerful
people enjoy their property by restricting others’ ability to enjoy
theirs.
(Good points but realistically HOAs are more of a cartel
than a voluntary contract in many areas of the USA.)
sometimes,
I think of ponies by Solarbird. Have you ever noticed that every
projection about
AGI
and superintelligence
has an and
then a miracle occurs
step?
China’s
‘nightmare’ youth revolution was lit by its neurotic authoritarian
leader, Mao Zedong. What can we learn from it? by Wanning Sun.
Mao, motivated by political neurosis, set out to foment a new
revolution.
Modern
Hi-Fi: What Really Happened to the High-End Stereo Market by Justin
Colletti. (2013) What happened really to the high-end consumer stereo
market is that the kinds of people who used to buy Hi-Fi gear just
started buying personal studio gear instead. Yesterday’s stereophile is
often today’s aspiring producer. And those kinds of people are listening
to music on speakers that are as good or better than the old ones ever
were! They just don’t cost as much anymore.
(Sort of like what
happened with the workstation
and gaming PC
markets but
the other way around?)
Prime Day is a
scam by Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims. Amazon Prime
Day is a four-day sale promoted by the mega-retailer as a rare
opportunity to secure “deep discounts” on a variety of consumer items.
In reality, Amazon deploys deceptive tactics to exaggerate its markdowns
and create a false sense of urgency. Featured items are often available
at similar or lower prices at other times.
RFK Jr.’s health department calls Nature “junk science,” cancels subscriptions by Beth Mole. (Heartbreaking: The Worst Person You Know Just Made a Great Point)
Alameda
Electric Rates to Increase by 4% Starting July 1 but the cost of
our electricity will still be 44.5% less than people in neighboring
cities…