The personal

Conduct a privacy audit

Privacy audits are not just for governments and companies. People should audit their privacy practices, too. Here are a few quick ways to protect yourself and your loved ones:

1. Choose a browser for your phone, tablet and computer that puts privacy first. We’re partial to our own independent, non-profit backed browser, Firefox. It doesn’t have back doors for advertisers and is built for private browsing, but you have options.
2. Check your phone apps. Apps can hang on every word and move you make. We recommend establishing boundaries: check your settings to see which apps have access to your location, camera, and microphone. Investigate who an app shares your data with — if this information is creepy or hard to find, maybe uninstall.
3. Review your gadgets and household objects. Do you really want your coffee machine tracking your location and sharing personal data with third parties? Make sure privacy is included in the price tag, and review your setting options.
4. Keep your messages private. Make sure you are the one who decides who can read your messages by using end-to-end encryption. Our favorites include indie tech players ProtonMail for email and Signal for messaging and voice-calling.

Care about what you share

• Mis/disinformation
  When you encounter misinformation online, don’t engage. Commenting, “reacting,” or resharing (even when correcting information) draws more attention to it. Instead, report it directly to the platform or a fact-checking group in your region.
• Personal information
  Some things that seem personal — a picture of a friend’s kid taken at your home, your personal DNA — have implications for other people’s privacy. Ask for consent to share data that impacts others, and always research who will have access to your personal data, for how long, and if you can reclaim it.