[UPDATED 2023-01-27]
[UPDATED 2021-12-10]
[originally posted 2020-09-25]
There are several steps to ensure that your online activity is safe. There are a number of things that you'll need to change to ensure online safety to the highest degree. Some steps are easier than others and some will take huge amounts of discipline and will power to be able to accomplish.
1. Use a computer, not a mobile device. This is the most important tip of the six listed.
Besides
emails, all internet activity should be limited to full computers. The
biggest reason is that with computers like PC, Mac, or Linux etc, are
more fully capable of blocking AI (Artificial Intelligence), Ads, and
identity tracking types of software with Adblocking plugins, VPN
software, overlay blockers and other tools. Another reason is that
pretty much all mobile apps are designed to track your usage, and are
submitted to software that uses AI to determine what you might like or
might do next.
Do you want to see what I'm talking about? On any Android mobile
device, go to the Google Play Store and pretty much every single app
that exists will usually state that it contains ads. Even when it
doesn't say "contains ads" that app will probably force you to pay for
the App and spend money. The same could be said for the Apps in the
Apple AppStore.
Just a couple of quick examples would be
common apps like Facebook, or YouTube. The mobile versions of these apps
were designed to try to subject you to advertisements based on your
tracked internet activity. One time I was trying to watch a video clip
on YouTube, and I tried tapping the back button, and then tapping the
video again to try and skip ads but, YouTube just kept cycling the ads.
This happened up to twelve times before I could watch my video. I could
have waited for two ads to play fully through, but I prefer not to be
brainwashed.
They do not prevent blocking of ads and
purposely don't have mobile tools to block them. For years I've tried.
The blocking tools are just not as available or not available at all on
mobile platforms. So if you are using any kind of internet activity on a
smartphone, tablet, or mobile device, the chances are very high that
you will be subjected to advertisements while you use the app whether you like it or not.
However, browsing the full-site versions of
Youtube, and Facebook on a full computer grants the ability to install
security features on the internet browser. Only on a full computer can
you block advertisements via Adblocking plugins, VPN software, overlay
blockers and other tools.
2. Use Mozilla Firefox as your main internet browser on the computer.
There
are several other comparable browsers but Mozilla Firefox will allow you the security you need to block ads and tracking.
3. Install uBlock Origin security extension for the Mozilla Firefox browser.
- Download and install uBlock Origin - Firefox version
- then test it on this YouTube video that contains over 1,000 ads on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjiqIcIIvGc
In previous posts I had listed numerous plugins but this one replaces them all and is an all-in-one solution.
The biggest challenge here is switching all internet activity over to a computer and not using our super convenient handheld devices. This is just one way to help minimize our online presence and keep our information safe.
Every time you sign up for a mobile app
with your email and username, you are potentially setting yourself up
for getting more ads and are sharing your personal information to each
app and the AI that is behind them.
4. Use a VPN.
A
Virtual Private Network is a service that hides your original IP
address, and geo-location. There's a tonne out there that usually cost a
monthly or annual subscription. Just search the internet for "personal
use VPN". Some people will work for companies that can share their
corporate VPN to remote workers so that when they use internet, the
internet traffic gets funnelled back to the company network, which is
usually backed by several more layers of security.
The easiest free VPN I've found is called UltraSurf. It is available on most platforms for you computer, smart phone, or tablet. You install it, and it just automatically works. It makes your internet usage anonymous, changes your geolocation, and creates a secure network connection. There are some caveats with the free version though. You can't easily change the location of where you want your internet to be connected, and the speed is limited to around 20 Mbps. If you want to see where UltraSurf changed your location to, you can use another website called WhatIsMyIP while you are connected.
The higher subscription tiers, alleviates that and you can pick and choose different located servers, and the speed also increases. This depends on your willingness to spend real money and pay a monthly or annual fee though.
5. Use Qwant Lite instead of Google.
Qwant Lite (https://lite.qwant.com)
is an internet search engine that does not track usage. It is very
important to choose the "Lite" version so that it does not hijack your
homepage. Qwant Lite will not
keep a history of your user account, it will not keep your history of
searches, it will not track you. It will not leave any digital
footprints that make it easier for AI to access your personal usage
statistics or information much like how Google search does. Remember to bookmark Qwant Lite, or even use it as your homepage button.
6. Use NewPipe instead of YouTube on Android mobile devices.
On
an Android mobile device
then NewPipe is the best ad-free alternative for YouTube content. It
uses the YouTube API,
which essentially means that it is actually YouTube, but without
commercial advertisements and interference. If you have NewPipe, you
won't need to pay for YouTube Premium to get rid of ads. NewPipe also
has some awesome features like
'Background Play" which allows you to continue to listen to just the
audio portion of videos, while you press the power button on your phone
to turn off the screen and save battery life. It is
absolutely amazing for music playlists from YouTube. Unfortunately Apple
iPad and iPhone users are out of luck here.
- NewPipe (note: You will need to enable the option "Install from Unknown Sources" in your mobile browser.)
- Whenever Newpipe stops working, there is usually a version update
that you will need to install to make it usable and start playing videos
again. This can happen quite frequently.
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