The data world
We are living in a digital world where data is a commodity that can be exchanged without our consent. Sometimes, I wonder how many big corporations know about me and how exposed I am on the Internet. Actually, that phrase wasn’t entirely accurate; big corporations cannot compare to Data Brokers in terms of collecting our data.
If 30–40 years ago, privacy meant locking the door, closing the windows, and shutting the curtains, nowadays, privacy involves messaging with end-to-end encryption, multifactor authentication, and more (but don’t forget to close the door).
I have discussed this topic a lot with my friends, but none of them have shown much concern about it. I don’t blame them—of course, when you share your data, you often have a better experience. But is it worth it? This question cannot be answered by a single individual; we all have different needs, and I respect that.
My setup
To be honest, despite having beef with Meta, Microsoft, or Google, there are applications I still have to use on a daily basis. However, if there were any alternatives, I would switch. Here are the tools I am using:
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Browsers | Librewolf as my main browser, Ungoogled-Chromium if I need to use Chromium base browser. Currently switching to Zen with more customizable features. |
| VPN | Ex-MullvadVPN user, a bit expensive for student like me. Currently, using Proton VPN. |
| Virtual Machine | UTM great support for Mac ARM64 architecture. A better performance alternative is VMware Fusion Pro |
| Search Engine | |
| Note | Obsidian with pen and paper. |
| Mail service | Proton Mail with tons of security features (encryption, tracker block, phishing prevention)1 |
| Message app | Signal |
Update! Jun 21st, 2025.
This article has been around for years, I was blindly trusting it. Turns out, DuckDuckGo was not as ‘Private’ as they claimed. A secret partnership between DuckDuckGo and Microsoft, which allow Microsoft to receive a certain amount of tracking data from it’s browser.2
“So DDG risks misleading users and undermining its own reputation as a pro-privacy business.”
Even though, this was about its browser, still I will not believe in such sketchy business. That’s our privilege these days, to stay with what feels right, and dump what isn’t telling the truth.
I am always promoting using open-source applications and tools. Everything is public and transparent, which is so rare nowadays.