Context: my gf mentioned getting a vpn for privacy, and I tried to explain that it “does” help, but it’s more like type of windows on a house. It certainly can be part of the package, but it’s no where near the foundation.
So i tried to explain the best that i could That if she was worried about online privacy the first step wasn’t to mask traffic, but to not submit personal data to anything online like FB, not use Google services that package everything on you together to sell to advertisers, and to limit phone apps to essentials.
But I’m curious on what other steps you guys would consider the “foundation” of online privacy that should be prioritized before a vpn. Any thoughts? Or am I way off base?
Note: this is in context of vpn for privacy. Using vpn to avoid Geo blocking and censorship I see as incredibly valid for those that need it.
Nobody mentioned JShelter yet. It may not make browser fingerprinting impossible, but it’s the easiest way to make it harder. It’s easy to use, just turn it down for any sites that it breaks which you’d prefer to be not broken.
Also, use firefox and clear out all your cookies and site data regularly. Make exceptions for sites you actually want to identify yourself to. Noscript is another thing to consider, though I haven’t used it recently myself. Use Tor Browser if there’s something you want a little more privacy than usual for.