What steps do you feel like are before a VPN? (lemmy.world)

submitted 6 months ago by ericbomb@lemmy.world to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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Context: my gf mentioned getting a vpn for privacy, and I tried to explain that it "does" help, but it's more like type of windows on a house. It certainly can be part of the package, but it's no where near the foundation.

So i tried to explain the best that i could That if she was worried about online privacy the first step wasn't to mask traffic, but to not submit personal data to anything online like FB, not use Google services that package everything on you together to sell to advertisers, and to limit phone apps to essentials.

But I'm curious on what other steps you guys would consider the "foundation" of online privacy that should be prioritized before a vpn. Any thoughts? Or am I way off base?

Note: this is in context of vpn for privacy. Using vpn to avoid Geo blocking and censorship I see as incredibly valid for those that need it.

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[-] barbara@lemmy.ml 4 points 6 months ago

Imo, router is a very very big step for a normal person.

[-] shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 months ago

If you're talking OpenWRT, then I totally agree. But something like Asus Merlin is a relatively easy change and still provides additional protection. While part of the Asus code is closed-source, most is open-sourced and Asus has implemented improvements developed by the Merlin team. This shows Merlin knows what they're doing and are trustworthy too.

[-] Lemongrab@lemmy.one 0 points 6 months ago

Yes, but learning about tech is a necessary step to understanding how it is used to undermine our freedom and privacy.

this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2024

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