Privacy Focused New Year’s Resolutions

Make a privacy focused New Year's Resolution!

When making your New Year’s Resolution why not make a privacy related resolution.

Make a resolution focused on something that you won’t quit in 2 weeks or 2 months, but a lifestyle change to help your life actually be private and not to be manipulated by Big Gov, Big Tech, and Big Pharma.

You don’t need to adopt all these resolutions, but pick one and next year, at this time, I hope you have stuck with it.

Privacy New Year’s Resolution Suggestions

Use Cash

The biggest impact you could have on your privacy is to start using cash. Money that is yours (and the taxes are already paid, of course!) is nobody’s business with what you do with your cash. Cash is freedom. With Big Gov and Big Tech drooling over the possibility of Digital ID’s and Digital Currency the importance of using cash is even greater. Unfortunately we cannot pay everything with cash, but try to as much as you can.

Especially retail places that won’t take cash, these places need to know they are losing your business.

Imagine a world where every dollar you spend is logged and tracked. The day cash is gone is the day your freedom is gone. This could be a reality in our lifetime.

Read a Book

You might think this is a strange one but, instead of the time you spend doom scrolling, read a physical book instead. Stop feeding the algorithm.

Dump Google Chrome as a Web Browser

Google has the best search engine, the best maps, and Android Auto. It is very addictive because they work well. The price, however, is your privacy.

Google just got nailed for a $5 Billion fine for lying about “Private/Incognito” mode in Google Chrome. People believed Google’s “private mode” was private. Wrong! Google’s Chrome web browser was still collecting everything you were doing in the “private sessions” they just blocked out everyone else. Sneaky! Read more.

With Apple and Google recently getting exposed for giving your phone notifications to Big Gov it has really been a bad privacy year for Google. Read more.

Remember, there is a difference between Google services like Maps and Gmail versus their web browser Google Chrome. Even if you want to continue to use Google services, stop using Google Chrome. Switch to Brave or Firefox.

There are ways to use some Google services privately; GrapheneOS just announced they have a sandboxed Android Auto working. There will be a blog in the first of 2024 about what Google services to stay away from and how you can use other Google services privately.

Phoneless Activities

Way back when, I remember the days you would go to a house party and that house had a phone attached to the wall. I did not bring a phone (I did not have a mobile phone). If someone needed me they could call the house phone. My travels then were private and I did not occupy my time at the house party on my phone doom scrolling.

Now house phones (landlines) are almost extinct and everyone brings their phone with them. Nobody goes anywhere without their government tracking device.

Leave the phone in the car, better yet leave it at home. Go for a walk, visit a neighbor, or go out to dinner. I challenge you to leave your phone behind. Don’t cheat by wearing a smart watch to get your notifications.

If you can’t be away from a phone because the babysitter might call or you are “on call” then get a “date night phone” with just calling. No apps, no Internet, just a simple phone number.

Digital Diet

I talked a lot about Digital Diets this year. So I will just point you to that blog.

Use Private (Encrypted) Email

Switch your email to providers like Tuta, Proton, or Skiff. Traditionally your emails were only private if you sent emails to people that use the same provider as you. Secure/Private email providers are now embracing PGP which will allow those providers to send email to the each others services and still be encrypted. I am very excited about this. This January, I am going to setup Proton, Tuta, and Skiff accounts and blog about the experience.

My Resolution: Build Private Phone Number App

For the record, I have not used Google Chrome for years, my work phone is a Google Pixel with GrapheneOS, and my personal phone is a Privacy Society Jellybean.

Every time you turn on your phone it connects to the nearest cellular tower and your location is then recorded. Your phone and phone number is associated with your identity that you gave to your phone plan provider, and now anywhere you go is forever recorded. This is over and above from what Google Maps is recording.

I am currently working on an app that you can have a phone number for calls and text but will not need a phone plan and will not be associated with your identity. A phone with Wi-Fi and this app can text and makes calls without your location being tracked. More details in Q1 2024.

In Closing

Without privacy there is no freedom. When cash is gone, when we all drive EVs that track every mile so they can tax you on usage, when the phone in your pocket reports every activity, you will need to comply the current mind virus or have your digital money, transportation, and activities reduced/monitored/governed like school children. Welcome to the nanny state.

How do you resist?

Use cash, drive vehicles that don’t track you, use digital products that take privacy seriously, and enjoy time with those that matter most in the real world.

What is your privacy New Year’s Resolution?

Please leave a comment about your privacy focused New Year’s Resolution!

Happy New Year!
~William