I'm not too impressed. They lead with a dramatic claim, but don't provide any source: As a result this just reads as fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Then they offer a limited selection of software...
I'm not too impressed. They lead with a dramatic claim, but don't provide any source:
You are being watched. Private and state-sponsored organizations are monitoring and recording your online activities.
As a result this just reads as fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
Then they offer a limited selection of software and don't provide justifications. KeePassXC is listed. Was the original KeePass determined to be a security risk?
They recommend Firefox but no other browsers (TOR browser is Firefox). What excluded the other candidates? Did they find something concerning in the source code? Did they find the privacy policies too onerous? Who knows.
Without any science or methodology, it just feels like some guy's list of favourite software.
It's not an all encompassing guide. They offer plenty of other resources and sites that provide even more suggestions here. That's actually been address here. They had other browsers (Brave) on...
It's not an all encompassing guide. They offer plenty of other resources and sites that provide even more suggestions here.
That's actually been address here. They had other browsers (Brave) on there but they get pulled if for an example a update has exploits. So until it's fixed they won't recommend it.
They have a Github page where everyone contributes and give suggestions. It's not a one man show.
I'm aware of PRISM from the US government, and the Great Chinese Firewall. Are there any other mass surveillance programs I should be aware of? In this case I would only be affected by PRISM, but...
I'm aware of PRISM from the US government, and the Great Chinese Firewall. Are there any other mass surveillance programs I should be aware of?
In this case I would only be affected by PRISM, but not on this site nor on most others. The majority of the internet is now protected by TLS. When browsing these websites I'm under the assumption that I cannot be watched by "private and state-sponsored organizations". I have faith in the encryptions and protocols that we use online. Even with very smart people working to unravel them, they still have the laws of physics to deal with, and breaking encryption isn't easy.
So at most my DNS provider can narrow down to the domain-level, but no more beyond that. This will be mitigated (though not completely solved) with DNS over TLS. In the mean time I use CloudFlare's DNS which is routinely audited, and I have sufficient confidence in that process.
What information they can gather (via insecure websites or network headers) is almost certainly being sucked up into a big database. I don't doubt that at all. But even that is a far cry from "You are being watched". It's more like some aggregate data that might include my public footprint has the potential of being viewed or used in a computer model at some point in the future. That's a lot less scary to me.
Honestly, I don't even disagree with what they're trying to say. It's good for netizens to be conscious of what they're putting out there. But I don't like their use of scare tactics and emotional language.
Yes, they cannot literally guarantee that any person, in particular, is being monitored. They're just using rhetoric to urge the reader to take action on something that has a high probability of...
Yes, they cannot literally guarantee that any person, in particular, is being monitored. They're just using rhetoric to urge the reader to take action on something that has a high probability of being true. And the phrase "beware: there's a high probability you're being watched" carry a lot less weight. I don't see a problem here, especially because they supply links with a more nuanced approach to the topic. I understand that, right now, Tildes is a highly technical-prone environment, but rhetoric is not essentially evil.
Since Tildes is about privacy. I thought this site might serve well as an intro to others who want to better protect their data/privacy. "privacytools.io provides services, tools and knowledge to...
Since Tildes is about privacy. I thought this site might serve well as an intro to others who want to better protect their data/privacy.
"privacytools.io provides services, tools and knowledge to protect your privacy against global mass surveillance."
I actually think having a privacy group to share similar knowledge might beneficial to community.
I'm not too impressed. They lead with a dramatic claim, but don't provide any source:
As a result this just reads as fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
Then they offer a limited selection of software and don't provide justifications. KeePassXC is listed. Was the original KeePass determined to be a security risk?
They recommend Firefox but no other browsers (TOR browser is Firefox). What excluded the other candidates? Did they find something concerning in the source code? Did they find the privacy policies too onerous? Who knows.
Without any science or methodology, it just feels like some guy's list of favourite software.
There’s actually a community behind it, it’s not just one guy.
It's not an all encompassing guide. They offer plenty of other resources and sites that provide even more suggestions here.
That's actually been address here. They had other browsers (Brave) on there but they get pulled if for an example a update has exploits. So until it's fixed they won't recommend it.
They have a Github page where everyone contributes and give suggestions. It's not a one man show.
Do you mean to say that you are not aware of any mass surveillance programmes conducted?
(plus they cited sources below if you scroll down)
I'm aware of PRISM from the US government, and the Great Chinese Firewall. Are there any other mass surveillance programs I should be aware of?
In this case I would only be affected by PRISM, but not on this site nor on most others. The majority of the internet is now protected by TLS. When browsing these websites I'm under the assumption that I cannot be watched by "private and state-sponsored organizations". I have faith in the encryptions and protocols that we use online. Even with very smart people working to unravel them, they still have the laws of physics to deal with, and breaking encryption isn't easy.
So at most my DNS provider can narrow down to the domain-level, but no more beyond that. This will be mitigated (though not completely solved) with DNS over TLS. In the mean time I use CloudFlare's DNS which is routinely audited, and I have sufficient confidence in that process.
What information they can gather (via insecure websites or network headers) is almost certainly being sucked up into a big database. I don't doubt that at all. But even that is a far cry from "You are being watched". It's more like some aggregate data that might include my public footprint has the potential of being viewed or used in a computer model at some point in the future. That's a lot less scary to me.
Honestly, I don't even disagree with what they're trying to say. It's good for netizens to be conscious of what they're putting out there. But I don't like their use of scare tactics and emotional language.
e: typo
Yes, they cannot literally guarantee that any person, in particular, is being monitored. They're just using rhetoric to urge the reader to take action on something that has a high probability of being true. And the phrase "beware: there's a high probability you're being watched" carry a lot less weight. I don't see a problem here, especially because they supply links with a more nuanced approach to the topic. I understand that, right now, Tildes is a highly technical-prone environment, but rhetoric is not essentially evil.
Sorry, what? They absolutely are, it's hardly a crackpot conspiracy theory
Since Tildes is about privacy. I thought this site might serve well as an intro to others who want to better protect their data/privacy.
"privacytools.io provides services, tools and knowledge to protect your privacy against global mass surveillance."
I actually think having a privacy group to share similar knowledge might beneficial to community.
This website is a great resource and I cannot recommend it enough.