Internet Privacy for Everyone
by Addie Noyes
I spend the majority of my time around Engineering students, so I know many people who are far more tech-savvy than I am. I am ashamed to say I didn't know how to clear my cookies until I was well into college. However, I do care about my privacy, and I find it frustrating many people seem to think keeping your own data private requires a degree. There are many services you can use to help kepe your data away from AI and data brokers.
Messaging
Signal is the best private messaging service, hands-down. Apple many have good encryption, but ultimately, all of the information about where, when, and to who your messages are being sent is stored in iCloud. That's not private. Signal is pleasant to use and is dedicated to never collecting your data, keeps all of their code open-source, and operates as a non-profit, so it's free. I encourage people to start using it when possible. Just mind who you add to your group chats.
What's an alternative? Olovid and Session are two alternatives I've heard good things about. You can also make iCloud messages more private by disabling iCloud backup on your devices.
Search Engine
The search engine I use is Kagi. It has a great search algorithm, it has an attractive and user-friendly interface. It allows you to use 100 free searches before you have to choose a plan to continue ($5 for 300 searches per month and $10 for unlimited searches.) Is it expensive? Yes. But my hatred for ads, Google Gemini, and sponsered search results is well worth $5 a month for me. They follow the same model as Signal, with open source code and saving the bare minimum of data required for their service to operate.
Some free alternatives are Duck Duck Go and Ecosia. I don't like their algorithms as much, but they have many of the same privacy features as Kagi. It just may take you longer to find what you need.
Documentation
Recently, Microsoft added an automatically turned-on feature to their services called "connected experiences". It's a package of various features, but arguably the worst part is that it collects your data and writing to feed into AI training algorithms. If you don't want this, you can turn it off (by going through multiple submenus), but the better option is swtiching to LibreOffice. I prefer LibreOffice anyways, I find it to be more user-friendly than Microsoft or Google products. It's also free.
If you can't get away from Microsoft, you can turn off Connected Experiences by going into Word, then Home > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Privacy Settings, then unclick the box labeled "Turn on Connected Experiences". It's not intuitive. If you really want off the grid free-writing in Microsoft, just use Notepad. Proton also offers a document editing option with their cloud service, which I will talk about in a later section.
Artwork and Photography
A greater concern for many artists and photographers is use of their images in AI generative image models. If this is you, then please go check out Glaze and Nightshade. These programs are free to download and allow you to protect and poison your work against AI. There's a lot of misinformation about these programs right now, with AI art enthusiasts arguing that they don't work. I assure you that they do, I have experimented with them myself. These programs essentially scramble the data in your image so that it looks about the same to a human, but is complete nonsense to a computer. These programs are free to download, and I encourage every artist to use them.
Email, VPNs, and Storage
Currently, Proton is the most affordable and user-friendly service when it comes to VPNs, cloud storage, and email. They offer email, calendar, VPN, storage, password storage, and bitcoin management services as a part of their platform. You can use the basic function of their services for free (I used their VPN for a year before paying for the upgraded version). If you like it, you can get a basic plan for $3.99 per month, or upgrade to unlimited usability for $9.99 per month.
There a many alterniatives to Proton, but I like that their services are "all in one".
E-Commerce
The best way to prevent your data and banking information from being collected by E-Commerce sites and corporations is just using prepaid debit cards. You can purchase these at Dollar Stores and most groceries, anywhere where they sell gift cards. These are also a great way to limit yourself if you struggle with impulsive spending. I use these when I need to make a purchase from a website I don't 100% trust.
A lot of you probably noticed many of these services cost money. If you were to use all of these that I have recommended with their most expensive tiers, it would cost you $25.98 per month. That is for Proton and Kagi Unlimited. In practice? I pay $14.99 per month. Proton is also usable without payment, and if you use an alternative to Kagi, you can keep your info private for free.