No-nonsense tools for thriving in the digital space

I'm convinced that the human existence in the cyberspace would be significantly better off if everyone were using those. All the tools in this section have something in common – they are open-source. This is an important aspect of trust since anyone can independently inspect the source code (even you) to evaluate its functions.

Bitwarden

You need a password manager. Adopt one early if you still aren't using one already. Bitwarden is a fantastic choice. I highly recommend to explore and get its premium features although you can use it for free. Proton Pass seems to be a solid choice as well. If you wish to go fully offline without relying on any providers, then go for KeePassX.

Protonmail

Your e-mail provider matters. Proton was established in Switzerland by a team of scientists at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) with a vision of Internet where privacy is the default. It is open-source, ad free, privacy oriented and very secure. Since then, Proton has grown up to provide several more services developed in the same philosophy. E-mail is however still the most central one.

Signal

State-of-the-art end-to-end encrypted communication messenger. If you should install only one app on your mobile phone, this is the one. Conversations are stored exclusively on your and recipient's device – not on any servers on the internet. Moreover, it is free to use without any ads. No other messenger app is comparable to Signal's privacy and security features. If you can, consider supporting the Signal developers with a donation. They definitely deserve it.

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Taking it to the next level

These are optional, however if you are concerned about security and privacy in the cyberspace, then it is essential to know the basic use of the following technologies:

DNS

Nearly everything you do on the Internet begins with DNS. Each time you visit a website, there is a request asking some DNS server for its IP address. Most people never change DNS settings on their devices, so why bother? Three reasons: speed/performance, security and privacy. Whoever controls the DNS can see in the logs which sites you're looking for or visiting, can blocklist certain content or in extreme scenarios do nasty tricks to your traffic. That is why DNS monitoring is loved by governments to gather intel on the internet use and by internet providers to use the data for marketing purposes. If this is not convincing enough, choosing the right DNS servers will often speed up and enhance the performance of your internet connection.

Your device will by default check with the DNS servers of your ISP (Internet Service Provider). However, DNS servers can easily be changed to any of your preference. It is crucial to choose the right ones. Just set it up once (each time when you get a new device like a phone or a laptop) and forget about it. You will typically find DNS options under the networking settings of your OS.

VPN & Tor

If more people were using VPN's, the digital world would be a significantly safer space to navigate. Broader user base would ultimately lead to the normalization of VPN usage and higher acceptance. It would also help those who are dependent on using these services to get hidden within a larger crowd.

VPN which stands for 'virtual private network' sends your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a remote VPN server. Typically, this is a server in another country which will mask your real IP address. VPN session keeps your browsing data protected even over untrusted internet connections – like public or airport WiFi, foreign mobile networks, or any other internet hotspots. Another, different solution for private browsing is to connect to the Internet via Tor. In that case will all traffic get routed through a worldwide, volunteer network of relays that conceal your location and activity.

The downside is that VPNs, and especially Tor, are causing significant friction in the overall browsing experience. As of now, too many digital content providers directly dislike when someone tries to access their services privately. They will spam you with captchas, extra verification steps or even block you from visiting their sites. This is often a form of penalty hidden behind terms as 'fighting bots' or 'content rights' to force you to stop using the privacy services which prevents them to gather (and sell) your user data or to gain profits from ad revenues. If you're using VPN, you kind of stand out from the mainstream due to the relatively low adoption, so they can still afford to do that.