Alternatives for Privacy Online

With the recent revelation that Facebook allowed user data to be used for political purposes (shocking, I know!), apparent political bias and subsequent testimony by Mr. Zuckerberg, many people are looking for alternatives to FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google). In this post, I will provide some tips on how to further secure your personal data and privacy.

Social Media Alternatives
This blog post is written on a social media platform called Minds (www.minds.com) and it is one of the best features, I think. It allows me to write a blog post without forcing others to be members of the platform. Otherwise, it is a familiar mix of people, groups, newsfeed, etc. I think it has a lot of potential and will be interacting with it more.

The other alternative that seems to be on fire right now is called MeWe (www.mewe.com). MeWe has a lot of features that will be familiar to regular social media users, but I find the format much more enjoyable. No ads! Less clutter, chats can easily be done one-on-one, one-to-many and group wide. I started a couple of groups on MeWe about 3 years ago and then got bored with it because there was no activity. Now, those groups are very active and growing!

Both of these fine sites also offer mobile apps which are just as feature rich as their web counterparts and they don't ask for unnecessary permissions or require a separate app for chats.

There are other alternative social sites popping up as well. Do your homework, give 'em a test drive and see if you like it.

Alternative Browsers
Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge and Apple Safari are just about on every PC, Mac and iPhone and they are a popular target for malware authors. PASS.

I like Google Chrome, but it creeps me out at the same time. Here are some well known alternatives and some not-so-well known:

Mozilla Firefox - (firefox.com) - Probably the most popular alternative browser
Opera - (www.opera.com)Another popular alternative that includes a free VPN (more on that later)
Brave - (brave.com) - My personal favorite, Brave is a less well known alternative derived from Mozilla Firefox that blocks ads and trackers and saves you time.

One thing to note - almost all browsers offer an "incognito" or "private" tab that allows you to use the web, but does not keep a history or cookies for those sessions. Handy for when you are on a public or friend's computer.

PRO TIP: These browsers are also available on mobile devices and tablets!

Again, there are many more. Do your homework, give them a test drive, choose wisely.

Alternative Search Engines
Search engines are to the Internet as the phone book was to telephones a few decades ago. All of that searching data is valuable to advertisers and it's how Google got on the path to being the giant company it is today. I'm not adverse to paying for something that I use, but I don't like putting all of my eggs in one basket either. Here's a couple of alternatives:

Duck Duck Go - (duckduckgo.com)
Startpage - (www.startpage.com)

Both offer trackless searching and privacy. Even though it is "enhanced by Google", Startpage allows you to view results through their proxy service and keep your searches private.

PRO TIP: You can be tracked via DNS. Use a secure DNS like 1.1.1.1
Learn more - https://1.1.1.1/

VPNs - Virtual Private Networks
VPNs are another layer of privacy you can add to keep prying eyes out of your business. One way you can be tracked is via your IP address, which can also reveal your general geographic location. With a VPN, a secure "tunnel" is created between your device and the remote VPN server which then appears to the outside world to be you. You can only be tracked back to the VPN server and with some of the services available, you could be anywhere.

OPERA (the browser mentioned earlier) offers a VPN, but I haven't tried it out.
PIA (www.privateinternetaccess.com) - This one I use and will run you about $40 per year, but that's not bad for what you get. Once you sign up and download the client or smartphone app, you get an anonymous user ID and password. Once you log in, you can choose from a long list of servers or allow the system to pick the best one for you. Once in a while it looks like I'm searching from somewhere in Europe, but most of the time I get a good U.S. server. This is a great way to keep your service provider from snooping on you.

Here's a more in-depth article if you want to learn more.
Again there are many choices - make an informed one.

Other Tips
Think before you post: What kind of information are you sharing? A recent Facebook post asked what was the car you learned how to drive stick on. It seems harmless enough, but did you also use that as the first car you owned when you answered your bank account security questions?

Who can see your post?- Friends only? Friends of friends? Everyone? Do you know?

Secure that email address! - Don't use a weak password or one that you've used somewhere else as your email password. Once someone gets that password, you can be locked out of almost every online account you have.

Turn on Two-Factor Authentication - Usually this involves downloading an app to your phone that periodically generates a random code. When logging in from an unknown place or computer, it will ask for the code. This keeps people out of your accounts - especially e-mail!

Use secure passwords! - Most sites will not allow you to create a weak password when you sign up now. GOOD!

Lock your mobile device - use biometric features such as fingerprint or facial recognition if your device has it. PINs, swipe codes, etc... anything is better than just leaving it unlocked... If it's ever lost or stolen, you'll thank me.