Amino Lair
Explorer
Zip, I appreciate you giving me the chance to write about something that matters a lot to me.
What follows is my "AL" list of steps to take if your goal is more privacy and better security. Maybe you're doing it for self-protection, maybe you just don't want big tech and the government tracking your every move. Either way, the outcome doesn't change: you're looking out for yourself. A few of these already appear in this thread:
1)
I covered this in a post a few weeks back. It's just a modest extra layer of privacy. Can't hurt.
2)
Each one is different and each has downsides, for example needing a phone number or other details before you can sign up.
- Signal is awesome, but yes, you do need a phone number. More on that below.
- Telegram? OK... still a phone number, but it's foreign-based, so gov't obtaining information is much more difficult than, say, WhatsApp.
- Discord? Might be OK for you if you use a totally random email to sign up that is not connected to any of your other activities. But Discord servers are all USA-based, so good luck.
3)
Oh... and YOU should also use Proton or Tuta if you're ordering. I do not understand why vendors here use Gmail. It may be an inability to access Proton or Tuta from China.
4)
This is probably the best thing you can do to protect yourself. After installing GrapheneOS, go to a public Wi-Fi and download Mullvad VPN, pay with on-chain crypto, set up DAITA, multihop, quantum resistance, and enable DNS blockers. Use this phone only for ordering.
5)
Someone mentioned it above, and KUDOS for that! Tails OS is an awesome way to protect yourself. Use it when you're on this site if you use a PC browser. It leaves no trace and routes all the PC's network activity 100% through the TOR network. However, add another bit to this — make sure to request a bridge from TOR. Otherwise, your ISP knows you're connecting to TOR a lot. With a bridge, the first connection to the TOR network is way less recognizable and mixes your encrypted internet traffic with all the other traffic. It is just good practice.
6)
Silent Link is zero KYC and you can pay via crypto.
7)
This is also a big one. Obviously purchasing crypto, sending to an on-chain wallet, then sending to a vendor can be tracked. But isn't it better to use that route rather than just send a wire transfer or some other fiat method that clearly identifies it's you?
OK, so some of this does require an investment, and I completely understand not everyone can afford to do this. However, you might be able to do a few of these to help protect yourself.
Thanks if you've read this!