# 🛡️ Security and Privacy

Information about how to increase your privacy and security - with your devices and at home.

PrivacyGuides.org is an awesome all-around guide for increasing your all-around personal and digital security. The site advertises itself as "an impartial, non-profit organization that is focused on building a strong privacy advocacy community and delivering the best digital privacy and consumer technology rights advice on the internet."

# 🖥️ Computer

General computer security/privacy tips.

# AI (artificial intelligence)

This Instagram reel discusses how quickly and easily AI can be used to spread disinformation. For example, after Hillary Clinton's hearing on the Epstein files on February 26, 2026, a photo circulated of her and Epstein:

However, by using sites like TinEye, you can reverse-search that picture and find out it has no matches anywhere else on the Internet:

Yet if you upload a picture of Trump and Epstein, for example, you'll find it has many matches:

Anthropic has refused to let the U.S. government use their AI technology for mass surveillance and autonomous killing of citizens:

Update February 28, 2026: Looks like OpenAI is set to work with Pentagon after Anthropic dropped Trump. "CEO Sam Altman claims military will not use AI product for autonomous killing systems or mass surveillance."

Check our resist and unsubscribe section for alternatives to mainstream AI services.

# 🔑 Encryption

It's a great idea to encrypt your data at rest in case your laptop/desktop is ever lost or stolen.

Mac
Macs have a built-in program called FileVault that will encrypt your disk at rest.

Windows
Most modern Windows systems support Microsoft BitLocker by default.

# 🕸️ Web browsing

Many Web browsers are now packaged with an AI component that hooks into your email, calendar, etc. - thus making the browser a bit of a privacy nightmare.

Instead of one of the leading browsers (Chrome/Firefox/Edge), you might consider:

# ✉️ Email

Pick a good email provider
Lawyer Liz Oyer shared a great post about how a copy of your Gmail account could be handed over (without your consent) to DHS.

You might want to change over to a solution such as Proton, which is based in Switzerland and offers a slew of privacy and security features.

Use a strong password
Use a great password generator to generate strong and unique passwords for every online account you have. NNdWcxLqY5bCxRTVtmV4 is a great password. Winter2025! is not.

Use multi-factor authentication
A strong password pairs well with turning on multi-factor authentication (a.k.a. MFA), where you have to authenticate with a passkey, text message or authenticator code in addition to your password. More information about MFA for Proton mail here.

# 🏠 Home

Recording video inside/outside your home has security benefits, but commercial cameras may have iffy security/privacy settings. Thus we feel this is a complicated topic, with many philosophical approaches and vendors to choose from, etc. However, we offer some general considerations below:

Ring

According to this EFF article, Ring cameras could be a security nightmare.
During the Super Bowl, Ring advertised a feature that would crowdsource video footage to help us find our lost pets. Many interpreted this as, "Ring can use our video footage without our consent to find anything...like our vulnerable neighbors." To turn off this "feature" navigate to Ring app > hamburger icon (looks like 3 horizontal lines > Control Center > Search Party > Search for Lost Pets and set it to Disabled. Might want to also disable this feature for Natural Hazards (Fire Watch) as well.

Note: on February 12, 2026, Ring announced the cancellation of the Ring/Flock partnership, claiming the relationship "would require significantly more time and resources than anticipated."

You might want to consider an alternative to Ring - see our resist and unsubscribe section for more info.

# 📱 Phone

Tips to use your phone/apps more securely.

# Apps

Signal is a secure text/audio/video communications app. It encrypts everything you send, however there are some extra steps you should take to make sure your chats stay private in case your phone is lost or falls in the wrong hands. Check out these handy guides:

Signal security tips

Also, the takeactionmn account recently shared a few key settings to increase privacy between iOS and Signal:

# General security

For iPhones:

Turn on lockdown (hardcore security/privacy)

Consider putting your device in lockdown mode (also, check out this story about a Washington Post report who had her phone confiscated, but authorities could not break into it thanks to lockdown mode).

Disable Apple Advertising

In Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising set the Personalized Ads to Off.

Disable Apple Intelligence Report

In Settings > Privacy > Apple Intelligence Report set the Report Duration to Off.

Disable biometrics

Disable biometrics, as authorities cannot compel you to reveal your password
Pro tip: short of going "full lockdown" mode, there's a nice little trick where you manually force PIN unlock just *one time (h/t to randahl).

To do this, push and hold the iPhone power button + volume up button, and then cancel the keypad prompt that pops up. The phone will then require a PIN for just the next unlock, even if you normally have Face ID enabled!

Disable (some) notifications
Under Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Allow Access When Locked, switch Notification Center to Off. This is a good setting to have set if your phone is ever stolen - because the thief cannot turn off airplane mode or see your notifications without unlocking your phone.

Disable USB connectivity when locked
Under Settings > Privacy & Security > Security, make sure Wired Accessories is set to Automatically Allow When unlocked.

Stop leaking your location
Instagram user etchaskej shared a post about various privacy concerns associated with your phone - and how it continually leaks your location data by default. To lock it down (instructions below are for iPhone but etchaskej's video covers Android too):

Go through every app on your phone and make sure none of them track your location at all times (set each app to use your location only while using - or Never)
Under Settings > Privacy > Tracking and set to Allow apps to request to track.
Delete the cached location history stored by iOS. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations & Routes - toggle it Off and also tap Clear History.

Turn your phone FULLY off
Even when your phone is "off" it's not really off (more info via this Instagram reel). So you might want to consider a faraday bag such as those offered from MOS equipment.

Instagram user thatnickpowersguy has a really helpful post about how to setup a Siri shortcut which will do all of the following in one click (after setup):

Record a video clip
Send the clip - and your location! - to a defined list of recipients
Save the clip to Dropbox (optional)

# 👤 Personal

This Instagram reel goes into more detail and discusses these points:

Retain an attorney now. Don’t wait until you’re detained. If you can't afford an attorney, there are so many doing this pro bono right now as well as local and national non-profits.
Carry a letter on your lawyer's letterhead WITH you stating they represent you. Keep it on you at all times.
The "Sharpie Hack." Memorize your lawyer's phone number AND write it on your arm in permanent marker. No one will be able to say they didn't have your lawyer's contact info!

If you are detained, say THIS (and nothing else):

"I'm exercising my right to remain silent. I want my lawyer. My lawyer's name is [Name] and their phone number is [Number]."

(No debate. No arguments. Just that sentence.)

# 🧳 Travel

This Instagram reel offers some good tips:

Park in front of the hotel
Use the main entrance (not stairwells and side entrance)
During check-in, guard your personal space (don't let anybody see your room number)
Wait until the elevator door closes before pushing your floor
While riding the elevator, stay within a few inches of the emergency button
Scan the space for surveillance devices
Put an alarm under the door crack