The world is changing fast and your private data is at risk whenever you go online. Numerous entities, both public and private, are working hard to track, monitor, and record your digital activities. There are many reasons for this:
- Advertisers (including Google and Facebook) want to know everything about you, including your web browsing history, location data, contacts, and more. This makes it easier (and more profitable) to serve you targeted ads and influence your purchases.
- In an age of pandemics and lockdowns, many governments around the world are working hard to track movement and biometric data of their citizens.
- ISPs (internet service providers) are spying on their customers and feeding this data to various third parties, including advertisers and government agencies. In many countries, this is not only legal, but required. See for example in the United Kingdom (with the Investigatory Powers Act), United States (Senate Joint Resolution 34), and now also in Australia (mandatory data retention).
- The internet is also becoming less free due to censorship efforts and content blocking. Whether it is China, Germany, the UK, or the United States, various groups are working hard to censor content online.
But don’t get discouraged. Alternative technologies are experiencing a renaissance as awareness about these issues grows and people seek out solutions. Indeed, for all of the problems listed above, we find excellent solutions to give you more privacy, security, and freedom in your digital life. And that is the purpose of this guide: to give you solutions. Here’s what we’ll cover in this guide:
- Secure and privacy-focused browser
- Virtual Private Network
- Ad blocker
- Password manager
- Secure and encrypted messaging
- Private search engine
- Private email
- Operating system
- Antivirus software
- Conclusion
But before we begin, one key consideration is your threat model. How much privacy and security do you need given your unique situation and the adversaries you may face?
Most people today are seeking protection against online tracking by advertising networks as well as a higher level of privacy and security. Others, such as investigative journalists working with sensitive information, would likely need an even higher level of protection. So keep this in mind as you proceed. Everyone is unique in their approach to privacy and security; there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
So here’s what you need:
1. Secure and privacy-friendly browser
Everyone needs to be using a secure and privacy-friendly browser for three important reasons:
- Browsers have a large attack surface and can be compromised in many ways.
- By default, most browsers contain lots of private information, including your browsing history, usernames, passwords, and autofill information, such as your name, address, etc.
- Browsers can reveal lots of identifying information about your location, system settings, hardware, and much more to third parties.
Secure Browsers: Based on my own tests and experience, here are the most secure browsers that also respect your privacy:
- Brave – Brave is a chromium-based browser that is very privacy-focused right out of the box. By default, it will block ads and trackers, and it’s also customizable, fast, and has built-in protection against browser fingerprinting.
- Firefox (modified) – Firefox is a great browser for both privacy and security after doing some modifications. It is highly customizable to give you the level of security and privacy you desire, while also being compatible with many browser extensions. See our guide on how to modify Firefox for more privacy.
- Tor browser – The Tor browser is hardened version of Firefox that also utilizes the Tor network by default (but this can be disabled).
- Ungoogled Chromium – As the name suggests, Ungoogled Chromium is a stripped-down Chromium browser that has been “Ungoogled” for more privacy. Source code is here.
Of course, there are many browsers on the market and choosing the best one all comes down to your own needs and tastes. Chrome, Opera, Safari, and Vivaldi also get some attention, but they’re not the best choices from a privacy standpoint.
Worth mentioning: Don’t use a browser-based password manager, which will store your usernames and passwords in plaintext, thereby leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. Passwords saved in browsers are popular targets for hackers.
2. Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Using a good VPN (virtual private network) is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect your privacy, secure your devices, and also access blocked content online. A VPN is a critical tool to be using, especially with internet service providers spying on their users.
Here are some of the problems that VPNs solve:
- ISP Spying – A VPN will encrypt and anonymize your internet connection. This makes your traffic completely unreadable to your ISP and other third parties.
- Blocked content – A VPN will let you easily get around blocked content and censorship. Simply connect to a VPN server in the region you need and access the website or stream as normal.
- IP and location tracking – Many websites and advertisers track users through their IP address. With a VPN, your IP address and location will be replaced by the VPN server’s IP address and location.
- Copyright issues – Torrenting and streaming media from third-party sources can come with some risk in the form of copyright issues. A VPN will anonymize your IP address and help keep you safe.
I have tested all of the popular VPN services and the results can really vary. Below are our current recommendations that are private, secure, fast, and reliable on many platforms.
Above are the top three VPNs that performed well in testing for the respective reviews. We have other recommendations and providers in our guide on the best VPN services.
And if you are new to VPNs, we have a general VPN overview here, which covers all the important details.
3. Advertisement, tracker, and malware blocker
A good ad blocker is essential for privacy and security reasons. From a privacy perspective, it’s important to block ads because they also function as tracking by recording your online activity to create an intimate user profile. This data is then used for targeted ads and/or sold to other parties.
Ads are also risky from a security perspective because they can contain malicious code that can infect your device when a web page loads – no clicks required.
Effectively blocking all ads is the only way to go. Here are a few different options from our guide on the best ad blockers:
- Browser ad blocker extensions – Browser-based ad blocker extensions, such as uBlock Origin are quite popular, but they also come with some tradeoffs. Online ads may still be using up resources and tracking you, even if the ads are not being displayed. Choose your ad blocker carefully – some ad blockers, such as Ghostery and Adblock Plus will collect user data for profit and/or show you “approved” ads.
- Ad blocker apps – A dedicated app will most likely do a very good job blocking ads on your device. One popular and well-regarded option is AdGuard.
- VPN ad blocker – Another option is to use a VPN that offers an ad blocking feature (VPN ad blocker). I tested various options for the VPN ad blocker guide and found most to work well.
- Ad blocking on a router – Ad blocking on a router can be accomplished various ways – from using ad blocking DNS to loading custom filter lists onto your router.
- Pi-hole – Pi-hole is a network-wide ad blocker that functions as a DNS server and can be deployed in various ways. It is most often used on a Raspberry Pi, connected to your home router (but there are many other different setup options).
The best ad blocking setup will depend on your situation and needs. If you have numerous devices you use at home, setting up a network-wide ad blocker would be a good solution for blanket protection. uBlock Origin remains a popular option for browser-based ad blockers. However, I like NordVPN with the CyberSec feature as a simple, all-in-one solution for VPN and ad-blocking.
4. Password manager
The topic of passwords is actually quite large, encompassing password strength, password management, and password storage. In this section we’ll focus on password management and storage. Many people store passwords directly in the web browser — but this can be risky.
A more secure method is to use a dedicated password manager app. And note that a dedicated password manager can also offer browser extensions that are convenient and secure. Here’s a screenshot of Bitwarden, which is one of our favorites:
Here are the best password managers we have tested:
- NordPass – From the makers of NordVPN and NordLocker, NordPass is a secure, user-friendly password manager that has also passed a third-party audit. (See the NordPass review here.)
- Bitwarden – A free and open source password manager that is user-friendly and secure. (See our Bitwarden review.)
- 1Password – Another great option is 1Password, with many features and strong security standards for all types of devices (our 1Password review has more info).
- KeePassXC – As a locally-hosted password solution, KeePassXC differs from the others on our list. See the pros and cons of this password manager in our KeePass review.
Start using a good password manager today. See also our guide on how to create strong passwords.
5. Secure and encrypted messaging apps
Many people are turning to secure and encrypted messaging apps over concerns with privacy and security of other popular messengers. For example, WhatsApp collects and shares data from your phone with Facebook, the parent company of WhatsApp. If you find this concerning (and you should), then consider some of the secure alternatives below.
Additionally, with the inherent limitations of email, we recommend a secure messaging app for those wanting the most secure messaging platform possible. The secure messaging apps below utilize strong encryption standards and work well for teams or individual use on various operating systems and devices.
- Signal – This is probably the most popular secure messenger with a rapidly-growing user base. It is free, open source, and very secure. We really liked how it performed in our Signal review — but also noted some drawbacks, such as the need to use your phone number for verification.
- Wickr Me – This is another great option for secure messaging, with some unique privacy and security features. Like Signal, Wickr Me is also free. See our Wickr Me review for the good and bad.
- Wire – Based in Switzerland, Wire is another great option that is secure, user-friendly, and fully featured. While there is a free version for personal use, it is hard to find, as described in our Wire messenger review.
- Threema – This is one of the few paid encrypted messengers, but it’s only $2.99 for a lifetime license. Threema is also based in Switzerland and is open source. See our Threema review here.
- Telegram – Telegram is a very popular encrypted messaging app out of Russia, but it also is not encrypted by default. See the pros and cons in our Telegram review.
With all of the people abandoning WhatsApp and going over to Signal, there’s a better chance to connect with people you know on a secure platform. This trend kicked off early last year and we hope to see it continue!
Note: Also keep in mind that standard SMS text messages are not secure or private. They can be read by your phone service provider and are susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks and also eavesdropping by Stingray devices. When privacy matters, use a good secure messaging app.
6. Private search engine
The big search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) record and track your searches, which helps them to build a user profile for their advertising partners.
Consider these privacy-friendly search engines instead:
- MetaGer – An open source metasearch engine with good features, based in Germany.
- Searx – A privacy-friendly and versatile metasearch engine that’s also open source.
- SwissCows – A zero-tracking private search engine based in Switzerland, hosted on secure Swiss infrastructure.
- Qwant – A private search engine based in France.
- DuckDuckGo – A private search engine based in the US.
- Mojeek – The only true search engine (rather than metasearch engine) that has its own crawler and index (based in the UK).
- YaCy – A decentralized, open source, peer-to-peer search engine.
There are also a few “private search engines” that are now owned by advertising companies. For example, Startpage was bought out by System1, a pay-per-click ad company. For more information, see our guide on private search engines.
7. Private email
Many of the popular email providers, such as Gmail, Yahoo, and iCloud are not good choices when it comes to privacy. Would you want random people having full access to your emails, collecting data for targeted ads, or passing the information on to third parties? This actually happens.
- Gmail gives third parties full access to emails and also tracks all of your purchases by reading the receipts in your inbox.
- Advertisers are allowed to scan Yahoo and AOL accounts to “identify and segment potential customers by picking up on contextual buying signals, and past purchases.”
- Yahoo was found to be scanning emails in real-time for US surveillance agencies.
And while Gmail remains the most popular service in the world, you pay with your privacy. Consequently, as awareness about these issues grows, many people are seeking alternatives to Gmail.
If you care about privacy and the security of your data, consider these secure email services. And if you want to learn more, check out these reviews:
- ProtonMail Review
- Tutanota Review
- Mailfence Review
- Mailbox.org Review
- Hushmail Review
- Posteo Review
- Fastmail Review
- Runbox Review
Note: We also have a guide on encrypting email.
8. Operating system
Consider using the free and open source Linux operating system. There are many different versions of the Linux operating system designed for different types of users:
- If you want the look and feel of Mac OS or Windows, check out Elementary OS.
- Ubuntu, Mint, and Debian are other popular options.
Tails is another privacy-focused operating system that can be run live on a USB drive, CD, or SD card.
Problems with Windows and Mac OS
Windows – The latest version of Windows (Windows 10) is a platform built for total surveillance – giving corporations and governments complete access to everything you do on your machine. Aside from data collection concerns, most malware targets Windows users – another serious drawback and security risk.
Mac OS – While Apple may be slightly better in terms of privacy, it too has problems. Just like Microsoft, Apple has configured its operating systems to collect vast amounts of your private data, whether it is browsing history through Safari, connection data, location services, and more.
9. Antivirus software
While not necessarily a “privacy” tool, using good antivirus software may be wise depending on your situation. The problem, however, is that many antivirus solutions abuse your privacy and may come with some invasive and “unwanted” additions.
Just like with sketchy free VPN services, free antivirus software can also be problematic. In testing eight popular free antivirus suites, Emsisoft discovered that seven of them were bundled with PUPs (potentially unwanted programs), which can be harmful and very annoying. Tip: avoid free antivirus software!
Another major issue is privacy. Many popular antivirus suites utilize invasive data collection, to include browsing history, “suspicious” files, metadata, and more. Carefully read through the privacy policy of your antivirus before installing.
Although Restore Privacy does not devote much attention to antivirus software, one solution that offers the highest levels of security while also respecting user privacy is Emsisoft. Another potentially good option, which is entirely FOSS, is Clam AV.
See also the antivirus privacy guide.
10. Data removal tools
As regular readers of this site know, personal data is valuable. In fact, there massive companies working behind the scenes to collect, compile, and sell your private data to third parties.
While there are good solutions for how to delete your digital footprint, there are also tools that take an active approach in targeting these data brokers. These types of tools and services are becoming increasingly popular, especially as the data collection problem becomes increasingly worse.
Here at RestorePrivacy, we will be testing and removing various data removal tools in the months ahead. So far, we have tested out Incogni, which is a service offered by Surfshark. Check out our full Incogni review here, or click the button below to learn more Incogni’s features and solutions to the never-ending data collection problem.
Conclusion: Restore your privacy and take control of your data in 2022
That’s all for now, although this guide will continue to be updated with more privacy tools and information.
If you have any feedback, tips, or suggestions based on privacy and security tools you are using, feel free to drop a comment below!
Response to Tombfrye and other win OS box users…maintenance, privacy, backup.
Till Sept 4th,2022 you can get the O&O Power Pack of (O&O Defrag26Pro, DiskImage17Pro, SafeErase17Pro, and AutoBackup6Pro all full versions) for $30. on 1 PC and $39. on 5 PC’s.
Separately costing $129.80 on 1 PC or PPack $59. – Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8 – – This is the newsletter link to the deal- https://shop.oo-software.com/36/purl-oopp2022
NOTE: ONE license key valid for up to 5-PC’s if you go the $9. more on the family buy. That is one license key each x’s 4 programs and your downloads good till 03/2023. I was looking at the O&O Defrag26Pro for 30. alone. I’ve used the earlier versions of SafeErase 17 Pro and find it helpful.
Clarifying I use both in platter and solid-state drives. The O&O programs for or with interactions of your drives can distinguish a type for the drive and respond appropriately executing the task. Most of my PC is on solid-sate drives, I have one platter for storage in the PC file system, my other 3 are contained storage books as sold w/USB for PC file access. Songs, movies, documents in such access.
Here’s some PRIVACY news you should not miss.
Americans Deserve More Than The Current American Data Privacy Protection Act
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2022/07/americans-deserve-more-current-american-data-privacy-protection-act
FTC Safeguards Rule Checklist: How Many Have You Done?
The December 2021 amendment to the GBLA Safeguards Rule has prompted organizations to take a range of actions, from simply making small tweaks to their infosec programs, to frantically building one from scratch. Regardless of where your organization falls on the scale, it’s helpful to have a definitive list of action items you can review to help ensure you’re in the clear by December 9th, 2022.
In December 2021, the FTC released “The Final Rule,” an amendment to the Safeguards Rule that encompasses a variety of changes, including an expansion of the FTC’s jurisdiction and specific requirements for executing an information security program.
The Safeguards Rule was relevant to organizations that the text of the rule defines as “financial institutions.” In the latest amendment, the FTC changed the definition of “financial institution” to include a host of new businesses. The Rule lists out who is now obligated to comply, including:
auto dealerships,
mortgage brokers,
tax preparers,
payday lenders,
collection agencies,
non-federally insured credit unions,
“finders,”
and any other business that significantly participates in financial activities, or affects people’s ability to access financial products or financial services.
The purpose of making these changes to the FTC Safeguards Rule is to maintain protection of customer data in a world with increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. The original Safeguards Rule was released in 2003—since then, advancements in tech and public comment have persuaded the FTC to mandate appropriate safeguards for the year 2022.
The Safeguards Rule (known fully as “Standards for Safeguarding Customer Information”) is one of three major guidelines that comprise the Federal Trade Commissions’s Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GBLA). It mandates organizations defined as “financial institutions” to implement safeguards that prepare and protect customer data from breaches and security incidents. Customer data in this case is defined as any nonpublic personal information a customer gives to an organization.
In December 2021, the FTC released “The Final Rule,” an amendment to the Safeguards Rule that encompasses a variety of changes, including an expansion of the FTC’s jurisdiction and specific requirements for executing an information security program.
The Final Rule also lists out reasonable steps that a financial institution’s information security program can take to build out digital and physical safeguards for data. We’ve simplified them, and assembled them here in a checklist for you.
https://www.virtru.com/blog/ftc-safeguards-rule-checklist-how-many-have-you-done
So we have a view to consumer privacy of the national as well states growing efforts coming abreast to the electronic data age finally as acts and rules to maybe lead in laws following with teeth of the medium where business(es) move in modern commence reaching more people nationally than yesteryears.
For those of you who have ever wondered which products and services protect their privacy, Mozilla has published a guide. I was pleasantly surprised about that some Android smart watches and ear buds even get thumbs up.
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/
Hard core privacy facts usually will be found in an offerings Terms of Service and their Privacy Policy pages as all businesses need to include these facts…translating the legalese will need a deep understanding. Mostly found in the PP pages, if you are see 50 ways your information is shared to the east, west, up and down directions all before noon I’d say pass on it.
A strong incentive pf privacy is when primary business states and business that they need to run their own business will adhere and live up to there own privacy terms purposed as sold to you.
This guide and like are good only to weed-out the field and narrow the choices for short listing.
corrected-
if you are to see 50 ways your information…
A strong incentive of privacy is when a primary business states any business…
For Windows users concerned about their privacy, the best way to enhance privacy protections on a Windows-based computer is to replace the operating system with a Linux distro such as Fedora or Ubuntu. If doing that is not doable now, then I suggest downloading Safing. It is a free and open source portmaster that enables a Windows user to manage and restrict network activity.
https://safing.io/portmaster/
Abandon ship not so good? Invested in – so look into all the following.
Yes more in an investment but better than trying to sq. peg a round hole.
Especially if Windows is required for work needs…
https://www.getblackbird.net/documentation/
https://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/index.html
https://www.emsisoft.com/en/why-emsisoft/
https://adguard.com/en/adguard-windows/overview.html
https://www.r-wipe.com/
https://privazer.com/en/
https://www.revouninstaller.com/
A good password manager and a good disk cleaner offering defrag and you are set.
Seems we are all on the same Privacy River – just can’t see well of clear sight the path for all the bends it transverses.
Defragging a ssd is generally not a good idea for it’s life. Old style platter drives are in need of drefrag though.
Tombfrye maintenance is still required.
Your right in a sense of old, but this problem doesn’t just apply to hard disks but to SSDs as well. Over the course of time SSDs save file fragments over more memory cells than are necessary. This in turn, leads to a continuous slowing down of the read and write processes, just as we experience on hard disks. The SSD controller tries to counter this phenomenon on a rudimentary level but is unable to do so on account of its not having an overall view of the data structure.
Invalid data can quickly build up on an SSD. Solid-state drives can’t delete entire blocks of data when some of the data within a block is still valid, leaving behind invalid data and forcing the drive to go through the process of moving and deleting data when space is required.
To make matters worse, solid-state drives cannot write data over existing data, having to delete the existing data before performing the new write. These issues can make writing new data take more time, reducing the write performance of the SSD more and more as time goes by.
TRIM is a command that can be issued to an SSD, forcing it to go through the process of cleaning blocks to remove invalid data. This can improve the performance of your solid-state drive by taking care of this work while it would otherwise be idle rather than during a data write. Your SSD maker usually offers their own TRIM program too.
But if you run mixed drives or just want the SSD done automatically try this.
https://www.oo-software.com/en/products/oodefrag
O&O Defrag “Install & That’s All”: After installation, no further settings need to be configured. The program selects and implements the defragmentation method best suited to the system. By combining the snippets of a file and writing them one after the other to the hard drive or SSD. In addition, the files are reorganized so that the access times when loading are minimized. This saves you time and protects your data volumes. If you use O&O Defrag regularly, the access speed and the overall performance of your Windows system will increase noticeably. And so that you never have to worry about “file snippets” again, O&O Defrag can also be run completely automatically in the background.
Hi Mick,
Thanks a lot for your advice. I will have a look at portmaster.
Does a vpn block the total surveillance with windows, ios? or at least help with this?
Yes it is a tool that will help to hide your IP address and encrypt traffic, but when it comes to Windows telemetry and privacy issues, a VPN will not fix these issues. See our guide on Windows privacy here.
Sven that link only points to the VPN working for Windows OS in 2022.
Ron should have a look at – https://www.getblackbird.net/documentation/ and https://www.sphinx-soft.com/Vista/index.html
For telemetry blocking purposes.
Here Sven is the link Ron maybe should have got
https://restoreprivacy.com/windows-privacy/
Ron I see all comments left there.
Thanks JMO, you are correct. I just updated that link above.
With all of the concerns people have about Firefox’s low and shrinking user base, there is one thing Mozilla is doing that could help revive interest in the browser. About seven years ago, Mozilla tried to introduce FirefoxOS to compete with Android and iOS. Needless to say, it went nowhere and the group ended up officially sacking the project in 2017.
However, a software company forked FirefoxOS to develop their own operating system for smartphones called KaiOS and recently Mozilla agreed to help develop and support it. KaiOS is now the 3rd largest smartphone operating system in use.
https://www.kaiostech.com/kaios-technologies-and-mozilla-partner-to-enable-a-healthy-mobile-internet-for-everyone/
June 30, 2022 – https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/LSB/LSB10776
On June 21, 2022, the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced the American Data Privacy
and Protection Act (ADPPA), H.R. 8152, which would create a comprehensive federal consumer privacy
framework.
There is a way to make payments by credit card online anonymously. Pay With Privacy creates virtual credit cards for one time or limited transactions directly from your browser. They have apps available for iOS and Android.
https://privacy.com/
Only available with a US address, I believe
Have you had the feeling since the lockdown that things are changing fast and some morphing for the worst as that you could ever remember in your history? The US financial outlook has already started resembling the tough times of the 1980’s, we (adults’ living then) can remember. Our leaders here seem about as lost now as back then. This was meant to be about privacy the world over as we adapt to the digital medium and it’s data generated. So let’s go!
First I’ve seen SEYCHELLES mentioned around here and Ctemplar referenced it as the business HQ for the privacy to their business and personal data knowledge required of customers.
SEYCHELLES
The Data Protection Act (the ‘Act’) was enacted in 2003 (Act No. 9 of 2003) with the aim of protecting the fundamental privacy rights of individuals against the use of data concerning them without their informed consent. The Act will come into operation on such date as the Minister notifies in the official Gazette.
As of January 2020, the Act has not yet come into operation.
Say compared to FINLAND
The General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (GDPR) is a European Union law which entered into force in 2016 and, following a two-year transition period, became directly applicable law in all Member States of the European Union on May 25, 2018, without requiring implementation by the EU Member States through national law.
A ‘Regulation’ (unlike the Directive which it replaced) is directly applicable and has consistent effect in all Member States. However, there remain more than 50 areas covered by GDPR where Member States are permitted to legislate differently in their own domestic data protection laws, and there continues to be room for different interpretation and enforcement practices among the Member States.
Territorial Scope
Primarily, the application of the GDPR turns on whether an organization is established in the EU. An ‘establishment’ may take a wide variety of forms, and is not necessarily a legal entity registered in an EU Member State.
However, the GDPR also has extra-territorial effect. An organization that it is not established within the EU will still be subject to the GDPR if it processes personal data of data subjects who are in the Union where the processing activities are related “to the offering of goods or services” (Article 3(2)(a)) (no payment is required) to such data subjects in the EU or “the monitoring of their behavior” (Article 3(2)(b)) as far as their behavior takes place within the EU.
Look up Privacy Facts here:
[https://www.dlapiperdataprotection.com/index.html?c2=FI&c=SC&t=law]
[https://www.privacypolicies.com/blog/privacy-law-by-country/]
[https://www.privacypolicies.com/blog/privacy-law-by-country/]
The UNCTAD Global Cyberlaw Tracker is the first ever global mapping of cyberlaws. It tracks the state of e-commerce legislation in the field of e-transactions, consumer protection, data protection/privacy and cybercrime adoption in the 194 UNCTAD member states. It indicates whether or not a given country has adopted legislation, or has a draft law pending adoption. In some instances where information about a country’s legislation adoption was not readily available, ‘no data’ is indicated.
[https://unctad.org/topic/ecommerce-and-digital-economy/ecommerce-law-reform/summary-adoption-e-commerce-legislation-worldwide]
Dup – was to be
https://unctad.org/topic/ecommerce-and-digital-economy/ecommerce-law-reform/summary-adoption-e-commerce-legislation-worldwide
If someone is at risk for targeted attacks, Google’s Advanced Protection Program might be a good option to consider. There are services one can buy to achieve the same result as Google’s GAPP, but they are offering theirs for free. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).
https://www.howtogeek.com/404450/what-is-google-advanced-protection-and-who-should-use-it/
But which phone OS should one choose for best privacy? iOS or Android? Using custom ROMs is out of the question since it breaks a lot of basic functionality on the phone, like the ability to use banking apps, 2FA apps etc.
Also I see you recommend Ubuntu. It also has built-in telemetry, but it’s easy to remove.
You won’t like it, but there is no phone platform best for privacy.
With Android makers there are some who allow the bootloader unlock and then root with a recovery. This was working with banking and pay apps not so long ago with a newer root method.
Apple has always discouraged purchasers from messing under the hood so to say.
From cells there are no privacy achievements really. Your tracked, listened too, watched and your data processed. Much easier than on a pc I’d say.
@Svenny as to alternate OS’s, for Android the two best ones are Calyx and Graphene. iOS is a tougher nut to crack but it can still be done. There are some Linux distros that can replace iOS and some even look like it too such as Elementary, Trenta, and Zorin.
If you have iOS, be aware replacing the OS on your device may invalidate any Apple warranties. Same may also apply if you do the same on an Android device.
That root method I couldn’t remember what it was named.
Magisk: If you want to root without tripping SafetyNet, your best option is Magisk. Not only does the popular mod give you systemless root, but it also provides a framework that lets you install modules and perform system-level mods.
List of Phones with Unlockable Bootloaders -updated 3/5/2020
[https://android.gadgethacks.com/how-to/list-phones-with-unlockable-bootloaders-0179751/]
Updated 2/5/2020 Best phones for Rooting & Modding
[https://android.gadgethacks.com/how-to/best-phones-for-rooting-modding-2020-0175988/]
Once there was offered the Black Phone, it has adapted to this now.
The Silent Phone app provides enterprise-grade end-to-end secure voice, video, conference calling, and messaging. No additional hardware is required.
[https://www.silentcircle.com/looking-for-blackphone/]
&
[https://www.silentcircle.com/looking-for-blackphone/]
I have come to understand that Google has been enhancing security measures for Android and, as a result, the majority of hack attacks are conducted against iOS devices. This as opposed to before where it used to be the other way around. So for all of Google’s ridiculous spying on their users, the most secure device to have right now is Android.
Best of all, you can keep an Android phone longer than an Apple iPhone as there are ways to get OS and security updates even after the period guaranteed by Google has expired. You can also change your Android phone’s operating system down the line and it is easier to do on an Android than an Apple device.