Start Here

A Practical Guide to Living Privacy-First

  1. Identify what matters most • Your messages? Files? Home devices? Streaming habits?

Start small

protect one area at a time.

  1. Understand your threat model • You’re not Edward Snowden (probably). Choose what fits your reality.
  2. Replace gradually • Swap out services one by one: Gmail → ProtonMail, WhatsApp → Signal, etc.
  3. Self-host where it makes sense • Cloud ≠ convenience. You can run your own without being a sysadmin.

  4. Join the community • We share guides, configs, and best practices from real users.

    Privacy-First Mobile Setup • De-Googled Android: GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, LineageOS — differences, pros & cons. • iOS Hardening: Settings to disable analytics, limit tracking, and browser fingerprinting. • App Alternatives: FOSS app list (via F-Droid, Aurora Store) — privacy-rated. • Tips: • Avoid using your phone number for sign-ups • Use private DNS (NextDNS, AdGuard) • Manage permissions actively

    Private Computing on Desktops & Laptops • OS options: Linux Mint, Fedora, Qubes OS, etc. • Browser privacy setups (Firefox hardened, Brave, Mullvad Browser) • Avoid telemetry (disable crash reports, usage analytics) • Password managers, encrypted drives, and minimal trackers

    Smart TVs Without the Spyware • Why smart TVs are privacy nightmares • Open-source OS options (webOS OSE, Plasma Bigscreen, Kodi, etc.) • DIY: Convert a monitor or old PC into a privacy-first TV box • Recommended hardware: Raspberry Pi, ODROID, or privacy-friendly Android boxes

    Privacy in the Connected Home • Run local automation (Home Assistant, openHAB) • Replace cloud cameras with local NVR setups • Flash open firmware on IoT devices (Tasmota, ESPHome) • Avoid vendor lock-in (Amazon, Google, etc.)

    Self-Hosting for Humans • What you can host: Email, Photos, Files, Calendar, Passwords • Beginner setup using Docker or YunoHost • Recommended hardware: NAS, Raspberry Pi, or old laptops • Networking basics: domain, dynamic DNS, reverse proxy • Security: firewalls, automatic backups, HTTPS

    Build Your Own Privacy Hardware • DIY NAS with OpenMediaVault • Pi-hole and AdGuard Home as local DNS blockers • Custom router firmware (OpenWRT, pfSense) • Self-hosted AI and voice assistants (Rhasspy, Whisper + LLMs)

Privacy-Friendly Subscription Alternatives

Category Mainstream Privacy-First Alternative Music Spotify FunkWhale, Subsonic, Navidrome Video Netflix Jellyfin, Plex (local mode) Email Gmail ProtonMail, Tunanota Cloud Google Drive. NextCloud, Syncthing Notes Evernote Joplin, Standard Notes