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Cube's Privacy Masterdoc

A collection of reputable guides, tools and services for improving your online privacy

E-mail clouds [at] cubes [dot] link for help, clarification or suggestions

This page is a major WIP! The list is incomplete and everything may be rewritten or re-phrased, and there may be missing links.


Navigation


Alternative Frontends

Access pages from social media sites and other services without having to go to the service directly.

Benefits: No tracking from the original service, no bombardment of "sign up!" prompts, no personally tailored recommendations designed to keep you hooked on the service, the identity the original service sees is the collective identity of everyone using that specific instance, URLs follow the same format as the original service meaning links from the source can easily be converted to the alternative.

Drawbacks: No direct interaction with the service e.g. making posts or uploading videos, no logging into the service directly therefore private pages cannot be viewed.


Android

Useful Android specific tools


E-Mail

E-Mail services and related tools


Fingerprinting

Fingerprinting is a general term for collecting data from users with the intention of using it to personally identify them later, or elsewhere on the internet. There are lots of different ways to be identified across the internet, all with varying degrees of accuracy, by far the most accurate being a process known as canvas fingerprinting. Another form of fingerprinting is browser fingerprinting.


General Tools

Tools to help navigate the good, the bad, and the ugly


Instant Messaging

Privacy respecting real time communication services


Minecraft

Information and tools regarding the recent developments in Minecraft


Search engines for use in any type of web browser. Using multiple, especially different instances of decentralized ones, spreads out your search history across more platforms than just a single central one.


VPNs

A VPN routes your traffic through a server somewhere else in the world in order to add a degree of separation between you and your internet activity.

Contrary to popular belief, a VPN does not instantly make everything you do completely anonymous and untraceable. It is one piece of a very complex puzzle, that requires time and effort to solve. Some facets to consider are, what do you log into? If you are logging into Google, Microsoft, etc. accounts you are immediately proving who you are. It is also worth considering how your browser and/or browsing activity might give your identity away.

It is also important to consider what a VPN service actually offers, and what they're otherwise tied to. Many mainstream VPN services that are advertised will be willing to hand over internet activity logs to law enforcement or governments, if not located in jurisdictions that legally obligate them to. Free VPN services will be using internet activity logs for marketing or other exploitation. A good rule of thumb is to look for a VPN that is based outside of the 14 eyes and is open and transparent about how they handle user data. Preferably, claiming not to save logs. You should also avoid VPNs involved in affiliate schemes or "top 10 lists". Finally, it is worth avoiding services that require an inordinate amount of identifiable information, such as your full name or even personal e-mail address.

At the end of the day, it is up to who you personally trust to handle your real IP address and associated activity logs

For the particularly paranoid, or just privacy conscious, the best way to pay for a VPN is with cryptocurrency, especially Monero. This in itself is a moderately complicated ordeal that I will not be explaining here, but it means that the payment for a VPN does not show up on Paypal or bank statements, adding a layer of protection to the trail. Instead, all your bank and/or Paypal knows is that you bought Bitcoin. If you use Monero, the trail dies once you have converted from Bitcoin as Monero is a privacy coin.

Finally, as mentioned before, there is no such thing as a free VPN. Read it again! And then read it again. Do you understand? If a VPN is offering its services for free, you are not being protected you are being exploited. Your data/activity is likely being logged and sold on or used for marketing purposes.

Web Browsers