/x/ - /x/

real hackers teach themselves

>>5370
I’m not trying to be a hacker, I just care about my privacy

>>5372
Thank you, will read

VPNs are a must. I'm extremely paranoid myself and am super conscious of being tracked.
What you need to understand is that it's not FBI agents looking at your browser history but algorithms placing you in a certain category that will be used to predict your needs and behaviour for ads.
I personally decided to be so nonsensical in my online activity that I become an outlier in the databank and the AI will throw me in the trash.

I'm the same way anon. I really hate social media companies with a passion but I love using the internet. I completely abandoned all my social media and I also only use discord but only because all my friends use it

>>5376
Most vpns do next to nothing for privacy and are 100% willing to turn their logs over to the feds

>>5376
my smart tv has a VPN pre-installed and it makes me feel like theyre a total scam.

>>5384
My Samsung Galaxy phone has a VPN pre-installed too and I also don't trust it. Just sounds like a way to get people to not use a VPN on mobile

>>5369
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag1AKIl_2GM&t=3s
He sums up everything and how to escape. Mental Outlaw also has good videos on going more private, but some of his advice for specific programs is outdated. Do not use duckduckgo or brave as they are spyware. Use searx instead, get linux, get librejs plugin, umatrix plugin, use librewolf (not 100% private more like 90%, get otter browser if you want total privacy), use chromium (multiple browsers is nice), if you get kubuntu or lubuntu (not ubuntu, more spyware pre enabled) delete and disable any spyware. But getting non-ubuntu linux would let you skip this step of disabling spyware, albeit ubuntu based distros are easiest for beginners to learn. I own 6 PCs (I am studying IT) and after 4 years of linux (all 6 PCs have different distros), arch is the least headaches for me due to how easy it is to install any niche program using terminal (I use yay not pacman). But arch based distros like endeavor is fine. PureOS and other GNU website suggestions is for hardcore paranoid privacy people, which I doubt you are the type. VPNs are trash, my ex had every single one of his passwords leaked and got irl address doxxed due to his trash vpn. Just virtual machine tails os albeit vm makes it slightly less private (also to add - i hear allegedly it is not totally private anymore as of late) or live boot it.

This is what I could think off the top of my head. If i do not forget, I will maybe return to this thread again to add more info since I am a privacy freak and a giant Linux + PC nerd. I like people going ''ah shit i need privacy, help'' not enough people give this a try.

That said, here is one of the handiest websites you can try to help guide you: https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/index.html

>>5592
>>5369
Forgot to add: graphine OS for pixel phones (maybe works on other phones too) or whatever it is called for android phones. Android has too much spyware you cannot remove. Worst case scenario get a pinephone.

more - trying private programs on windows is counter productive if everything you do and type is documented and sent to microshit, including them backdooring their way in and installing crap on you, downloading your files, etc. Do not be afriad of linux due to games. I am a gamecholic and have over 400 steam games, everything literally works. Always followed protondb if a game needed to be configured. I have a ton of emulators and all run well games too. I sometimes needed to do tech support for 5 friends i got kubuntu for because they did not know how to install something niche.

There is also always alternatives for art and work programs.

>>5384
VPN, duckduckgo, etc etc is all how technologically illiterate yet privacy concerned boomers make themselves feel better, they do very little when the services you use and your phone's OS gather that data anyways.
I once met a woman who put a bandaid over her microphone yet kept her location on to play pokemon go, lmao(not that turning it off actually hides you anyways)
Once me and my LDR bf move on together I won't need a spyphone anymore, either for keeping in touch with him or entertainment, and I'll get rid of it.

reading through this thread and reading the guides… im having trouble even understanding the basics of this stuff. how do i know these guides are legit when i don't have tech smarts? where do i even start? there's so much i would have to change, my browser, my computer os, my chat client, my email. im curious but so overwhelmed, i dont know how you guys know so much about computers and computer privacy.

>>5376
If you're using consumer VPN I'd bet a lot of money on it being a honeypot. Especially the ones with suspiciously large amounts of budgeted ad-time. Good for hiding from your ISP and nothing else.
>>5604
The low effort solution to data privacy is to just not use the internet for anything private. Having a low profile is a better defense than high profile + loads of security effort. Don't use socmedia & don't download anything off of the internet and you're less at-risk than most of us.
>>5593
Hardware-level backdoor in over the counter phones regardless of make. Manufacturers were quietly began to install after the FBI got demickey so don't put anything important / illegal on a smart phone. Not sure why you'd want to anyhow.

>>5382
It's an issue if you're wanted for a crime, but for general privacy, it's a good help. Google won't subpoena your logs to get ad data.
>>5379
Discord kind of worries me: no privacy at all, they own anything posted.

I used to be tech paranoid before but honestly i don’t see a point in that anymore. We’re all fucked so who gives a shit? Everyone allows access to their locations and their data and everything. Millions of people. I am not paranoid about it anymore. Honestly the way i look at tech paranoia is either someone who is genuinely paranoid which is someone i’d rather avoid or a criminal that i would also rather avoid. This is the new world order, s. Embrace it 666

>>5787
this is exactly where I'm at as well

>>5604
>i dont know how you guys know so much about computers and computer privacy.
I'm studying in IT school with specialty in programming and cybersecurity. Ez.

I also don't have friends outside hackerspace (C.C is the only female space I have left these days).

Good thread. Just remembered that Pokémon go has been contributing to mass surveillance. It is a shame, I don’t think there will be any location based game that isn’t building a spyware.
Though at least if the dataset were open source that would be a bit more interesting.

>>12152
Makes sense why that boring ugly shit was shilled so much to millennials and gen z alike. According to Forbes:
>Pokémon is a multi-billion dollar empire and officially holds the title of the highest-grossing media franchise in history.

Linux mint if you still use windows

>>12271
What if I want to still be able to do work on my computer?

>>12152
Grok says this (yeah yeah):

The second sentence (“I don’t think there will be any location based game that isn’t building a spyware”) is too absolute and cynical. Location-based games must collect and process real-time or near-real-time location data to function at all; without it there is no game. That inherent requirement means significant privacy trade-offs: sensitive movement data, potential for re-identification, stalking risks via social features, and the possibility that data is retained, aggregated, shared with partners, or later monetized in ways players did not fully anticipate. Many free apps (games included) also embed ad/analytics SDKs that collect extra signals, and location data brokers have obtained signals from large numbers of apps.

However, this does not make every such game “spyware.” Spyware typically implies covert, unauthorized, or malicious collection beyond stated purposes (e.g., hidden keyloggers, unauthorized camera access, or data exfiltration without disclosure). A transparent location-based game that only uses location for gameplay, discloses it clearly, minimizes retention/sharing, and avoids unnecessary trackers is not spyware—even if the data is sensitive. Privacy-respecting designs, stronger regulations (GDPR-style purpose limitation, opt-ins), on-device processing, or paid models without ad tracking are possible in principle, though the commercial incentives for free-to-play location games often push toward more data collection. Academic work on location-based games has documented interpersonal risks (e.g., other players inferring locations) and design shortcomings, but does not conclude that the category is inherently spyware.