Online Privacy - A beginner's guide

Today, advancements in technology have resulted in being better connected with our loved ones, but it has also led to serious lapses in our individual privacy.
To understand why online privacy is a thing to be wary about, let me narrate a real-life incident...

There is a restaurant downtown that I often visit for lunch. Back when I had an Android device, I constantly received ads for other eateries in the area. It baffled me! How could Google know that I ate at that specific restaurant?

As it turns out, Google was collecting data from my phone (such as location) to show me personalized ads.
Outrageous! It's like having a person follow you into the toilet to "personalize your toilet paper".
(Before I forget; you can view the magnitude of data collection here)

If you're still not convinced, here's a link that show you all the data Google has on you: https://www.google.com/takeout

Now, let's begin the guide...

1. Browser

Your browser is the core of your online activities. That's why it's imperative to get yourself a good one. Here are my recommendations:

a. Firefox

Pros:

• Open source
• Great support for extensions
• Massive privacy-minded community

Cons:

• Mozilla has a shady past
• Known to have run experiments on its users

b. Brave Browser

Pros:

• Open source
• Privacy out-of-the-box
• Closest to Google Chrome experience

Cons:

• Owned by an ad company
• Has Google core, so some tracking may still go on
• Sometimes allows trackers; protection not perfect

2. Privacy extensions

Extensions are assistants to your browser. The following extensions improve on privacy

a. uBlock Origin

For the privacy-minded, this extension is an absolute essential. It is a content blocker that removes a lot of the junk online (ads, trackers, etc.)

b. Cookie AutoDelete

Even with extensions like uBlock Origin, certain "tracking cookies" can be left in your browser. Use this extension to clear your cookies when a tab is closed.

c. Pure URL

Online tracking has evolved; your activities can be tracked through UTM Codes. Pure URL removes these parameters from the websites you visit.

d. HTTPS Everywhere

This extension tries to upgrade all insecure connections to HTTPS (if supported), so that your data is not leaked over insecure networks, or to your ISP.

Many guides may also recommend Privacy Badger, however I feel it's rendered obsolete due to uBlock Origin.

3. Privacy friendly alternatives

For improved privacy, consider switching from Google to these privacy-friendly alternatives

a. Search

Duckduckgo.com (or dgg.gg for short)

• Consolidates results from Yahoo and other search engines.
• Most popular alternative to Google
• Results aren't that great

Startpage.com

• Consolidates results primarily from Google (with complete privacy)
• Gaining popularity
• Result quality is comparable to Google

b. Email

Protonmail

• Free plan has 500MB storage
• Very popular
• Strong Encryption

Tutanota

• Free plan has 1GB storage
• Also quite popular
• Strong Encryption

c. Online Video Platform

Invidio.us

• Pretty much YouTube without all the tracking
• View all Invidious instances here

d. Video Calling

Jitsi Meet

• Great quality and no tracking

e. Maps

OSMAnd Maps

• Has offline maps
• Sources data from openstreetmap
• Sadly no traffic navigation yet

f. Online Collaboration

Cryptpad

• Encrypted "pads"
• Has rich text, sheet, poll, presentation, kanban
• 50MB storage

g. Cloud Storage

Host your own cloud server using Nextcloud

• All your data stays with you
• Open source

Thanks for reading till the last line. Here are some extra links that you may find helpful:
Prism Break
PrivacyToolsIO
The privacy subreddit