Un Diario

Privacy Tips

Spanish

  1. Whenever possible, use operating systems with little or no bloatware—those junk apps added by manufacturers that only serve to track you and drain your device’s resources. For PCs, there’s Linux (it depends on the distro; I recommend doing some research before installing) and for Android, I recommend using stock versions, such as those that come with Motorola devices, or—better yet—using Google Pixel devices to install a specialized custom ROM, such as GrapheneOS

  2. Try not to leave too much of a digital footprint online; create accounts only on platforms you actually need, and delete the ones you don’t use—they might be using your private data for other purposes

  3. Prevent your browser from storing too many cookies and delete the ones you no longer need; if you’re not using a privacy-focused browser (not recommended), try to prevent other sites from storing cookies from the site you’re currently on by using the “block third-party cookies” option. I also recommend using a browser like Brave or something cleaner, such as Firefox forks, which don’t include AI or telemetry by default

  4. Avoid telemetry and ads; some apps contain built-in trackers designed to compromise user privacy, and ads do the same. Whenever possible, use a private DNS with blocklists, or an Adguard Home or Pihole server to prevent all that content from loading. Services like Google also offer the option to disable personalized ads, which make it feel as if your device is listening in on your conversations

  5. Similarly, avoid Android apps or programs that contain viruses; many of them could be spying on you or causing irreparable damage to your device

  6. Google, Microsoft, and Apple are the biggest tracking companies; don’t use their services unless strictly necessary. In any case, there are open-source alternatives that could be just as useful—or even better, organizations such as Disroot, Proton and Tuta are good alternatives

  7. Don’t use the same password for everything; use random passwords whenever you can to prevent anyone from gaining access just by guessing. Two-factor authentication is also important; platforms like KeePass let you do this (and more) from a single app and offline via an encrypted file

  8. VPNs can be useful for hiding your IP address, but they drain your battery unnecessarily since they run in the background. I only recommend using them if you’re under extreme surveillance and/or the platforms you use most often are being blocked by your government... Remember: If a VPN is free, you're likely to fall victim to a scam

  9. If possible, use private messaging apps when sharing private information; apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger aren't the best options, as they're owned by Meta, a company that doesn't have a good track record when it comes to protecting this type of data. Here's an interesting video on the topic

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