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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[-] morgin@lemm.ee 4 points 6 months ago

First big step I took was going through all my emails and deleting inactive accounts/making deletion requests. It was a major hassle but made me feel a lot more secure about my email and digital footprint. Plus built a real basic understanding about taking a more minimalist approach to the internet, suddenly I wasn’t getting emails every hour and random notifications, it was nice.

Other then that ublock origin and your password manager of choice that hopefully isn’t attached to the browser, oh and 2fa

this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2024

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