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Index Privacy Guide Braindump Offline
In this world, it can really feel like some things are impossible, or at least an exercise in masochism.
"Keeping a private life? In this day and age? Don't you know that the Overlords have such immense resources
that anything you do is futile and in fact just putting a bigger target on your back? Do you have something
to hide?"
I don't have any more to hide than the average person; I, however, enjoy the idea that I can *choose*
to share things, rather than that being the involuntary decision made for everything. We are free humans, thank
you very much.
On the topics of privacy, anonymity, and security, many say things along the lines of:
"You have to give up a lot for even a little privacy, it's not worth it."
"It's not really possible nowadays - if they tried, you'd be doomed."
"xkcd_538, bro..."
All of these to which I say: "Don't be a fuddie".
First of all, there are levels to this, so thinking that your only option is to go full sleeper agent is silly.
Secondly, even IF it was impossible, you can gain a lot of "humanityPoints" in life by trying to do things that others
tell you isn't possible, and in the same way that putting up a wall in Fortnite might only be delaying the inevitable of
getting shot, that delay can be time to think, and almost always beats the alternative of immediately getting shot and losing.
For the third point (and also still related to the "if they tried, you would be doomed" point), a primary
goal is to not get to the point where someone already has you tied to a chair with your laptop in their hands.
Also, if you were REALLY pressed with something of utmost importance on your machine and they couldn't risk
using other methods for fear of some self-destruct sequence, you can probably think of plenty of ways to
prevent even yourself from having the password:
all the beatings in the world can't make you remember the
comically long random-character password written on a piece of paper that you burned and scattered when you
started to suspect your time was running out.
You don't actually even need to do all those spy shenanigans, I'm just making up scenarios to point out that
you can come up with solutions (of varying effectiveness) with very little thought.
The main reason why I'm writing this is because I had a thought:
"Maintaining privacy is a lifestyle choice, like maintaining physical health".
Yes, in some ways there is a "price to pay" for choosing to be like this. With privacy it may include things
like being careful about the pictures or information you put on the internet, and with fitness it may include
things like being careful about the food or substances you put in your body. Both of these can cause feelings
of exclusion and loneliness if you're around people who disagree - you might be a "schizo" for not wanting
to be in a stranger's picture, or a "weirdo" (or religious, lol) for not wanting to drink at a party.
Yes, it is a choice that you make. In some ways it can be hard socially, in other ways it can truly just be harder
to do, like in countries with extensive surveillance or where healthy food is harder to
come by (whether by scarcity or price). However, the point of this "article" is to inspire some hope.
You CAN maintain a decent bit of privacy, just like you can keep yourself healthy.
You CAN also give yourself some slack at times, in the same way you can eat some junk food if you keep within reason.
You CAN benefit from protecting your privacy*, just like there are benefits to improving physical health.
* Benefits are mostly mental health, which bleeds into the rest of your life too :)
also, I would say it DOES outweigh the "mental health tax" of "knowing how bad things are". I'm of the opinion
that knowing is almost always better than not knowing. With knowing, you have the ability to make better.
And finally:
You CAN sprinkle in better decisions into your life and slowly make a change - you don't need to wake up and
become someone completely different.
So please consider giving a bit more value to your own sense of privacy and security - it's not as hard as people
might make it out to be.
This was more of a "persuasive piece" rather than a privacy guide - I'll be making that sometime in the future.
In general what I try to do when tutoring others is I take what I know, and look for a way to make it
straightforward and comprehensible. This is kinda what all tutors and teachers do (or should do), but I think
I've found myself quite successful at it because I sometimes toe the line of "smartness",
making me smart enough to quickly understand the teacher while still normal enough to "put things in layman's terms", I guess.
Anyway, if you don't necessarily care to wait for my "simplified privsec guide" and want to get straight into
things, here are some links that you may find useful (might add more if I find some in the meantime too):
AnonymousPlanet
GoIncognito
Remember, even if at times things may seem dire and/or confusing, you can take a step back to keep at a level
where you're interested and still learning without overloading yourself. Eventually, you'll be able to come
back to things that were difficult and find them easy - so keep finding ways to have fun, and your life will
find itself becoming better. :)
I hope you grow wonderfully.
- Me.
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