Biometrics is a terrible idea all around.

People who decide what software to use based on what others will label them as are cowards.

I think VPN’s are not a magic bullet but they serve a purpose.

I use ProtonVPN and am happy but not sure if they allow port forwarding.

I already use Trisquel; libre kernel; Abrowser; DivestOS; SearXNG; Nextcloud; Matrix; XMPP; Session; Odysee and Peertube; KeePassXC; Tutanota and Protonmail; ProtonVPN. Not sure How much further I can go without going with a Talos II.

On my desktop/laptop I use Abrowser. On mobile I use Mull. You could say I have been doing my part for years but thanks for joining me.

Jitsi would be my choice.

https://meet.jit.si/

Signal requires a phone number which is a non starter for me. I refuse to bend to that. I’ll stick with Session; XMPP; Matrix; etc.

My question regarding stuff like this is how do they know ? iOS is totally closed source. Even if Androidf isn’t perfect it has some open parts to it. Also you can use a DeGoogled OS which you have zero options for something similar on iOS. No closed source OS should be considered private or secure in my books.

While I can’t say I would have use for it myself I wish you luck and will spread it around where I can.

You can say how FOSS programs don’t equate to privacy because people may not catch things or be watching but with closed source options nobody gets to audit the code at all outside the project. How is that better for privacy ? FOSS at least gives us a chance at privacy.

I use an unnoficial Bitwarden app on Ubuntu Touch. I would prefer KeePassXC or KeePassDX as my go to password managers but have found no reason to distrust Bitwarden thus far.

Telegram is closed source on the server side. I don’t trust it. Lots of better options:

https://alternativeto.net/software/telegram/?license=opensource

I don’t use software made by the likes of Meta. I have plenty of better Twitter alternatives that I trust more.

I use Matrix; XMPP; Session; Jami; and am looking into Briar. Some of what the article says is valid but other parts are weird such as when they list Riot as “the Matrix client”. Matrix has many clients. I don’t use Riot at all. I use Fluffy Chat and Cinny Mainly. A lot of their list of issues don’t apply to me. For instance my phone number isn’t tied to my Matrix account and while they may get my IP I am usually on a VPN so that limits what they get. They talk of Matrix being centralized but that only really applies if you use the Matrix home server, there are many alternatives.

In the end they have some valid concerns but it really depends on what Matrix is being compared to. Even with these issues is it betetr than Discord for privacy and security ? Yes it is. Discord is clsoed source so nobody knows what it gives up or does in the background. No closed source program can be trusted over a FOSS option. If you want to trust any of the options I mentioned over Matrix then feel free to but don’t trust Discord over it.

I use both Tutanota and Protonmail and love both. Protonmail is based out of Switzerland where Tutanota is based out of Germany. Germany is part of fourteen eyes so I give the win to Proton there. Tutanota has lower prices. Tutanota has apps available in App Image and Flatpak for Linux where Proton is only in the AUR and as a .deb. Tutanota has an Android app on F-Droid where Protonmail you have to navigate their site to find a standalone apk. Both are on the Fediverse but Proton did leave for a while where Tutanota stayed and was more active. Overall both are good choices.

Your article neither lists what it deems as good alternatives to Linux; nor does it specifically say that what advice I gave was bad. It also lists people at the end as credible views of which half work for Google. Overall I don’t view your article as able to be trustworthy or really changes any views I have.

I don’t use Youtube; Chrome; or Google Search. I use Abrowser which doesn’t play with DRM so I don’t visit those sites. I use Ublock origin; Jshelter; Privacy Badger; and LibReDirect. I did this for years before even coming to this thread. It’s as simple as making choices which support your values. Google and the like will never change to support your values. Just ditch them and change your behavior.

Age is only part of the equation. Older ones can be more secure but you have to go further back and think of more than just the hardware. The big thing is to try to get a laptop that is sold using a non stock BIOS or be comfortable doing the work yourself. Libreboot; Coreboot; or something like it. After that try to use as free as an OS as you can such as Trisquel; Guix; Hyperbola; etc. There are lots of stores that sell laptops that are more secure out of the gate:

https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/

https://configurelaptop.eu/nv40-series/

https://minifree.org/

https://store.thonkpeasant.xyz/

https://tehnoetic.com/laptops

https://store.vikings.net/en/?route=common%2Fhome

Basically a computer is only as secure as you are willing to make it. You are limited by the hardware but you choose the hardware so you’re only really limited by yourself.

I never got around to figure out how to use crypto but if you ever accept Paypal or Stripe in any way i’d be happy to donate.