"Caring about privacy almost ruined my life."

Support my work on Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/ericmurphy
Overwhelmed by all the steps you have to take to be private online? Feel like there's no use in fighting the man? You might have privacy fatigue. Let's talk about how to have privacy online without completely losing your sanity.
My website: ericmurphy.xyz
Watch my videos on Odysee: odysee.com/@ericnmurphy
Credit to opsec101.org for the lock analogy I used in the video.
0:00 Intro
2:45 What's your threat model?
8:10 Compromises
11:32 Conclusion

[@AndreasMolnar-Dev]

The problem is that most people don't care anyways

[@hyplayer]

True

[@hyplayer]

"Why would i care about it? I'm not doing anything bad!" Why do you have locks? Why do you have clothes? Why isn't your credit card and browser history public? Why don't you just give me your phone and passwords since you don't care about it? Oh! You don't care about the "good boys" seeing it 💀 Damm really then why don't you go ahead and sell your data to advertiser your self 💀💀

[@MacroAcc]

@@hyplayer i have locks so that thiefs don't enter my house. guess what else would keep thiefs out of my house? CAMERA SURVEILLANCE!!!!!!!!!!

[@writer9999]

Biggest problem is when you realise this ignorance universally spreads to critical ideas of what is best for humans as an individual even outside the realm of computers

[@ThePyramidBox]

@@MacroAcc Does your camera surveillance around the house is owned by government? If not - why don't give them access to it? Is it too much?

[@Loronline]

We need more people to care. Don't let predatory groups get away with constant privacy violations.

[@sparky6757]

Okay, you're claiming I should care. Tell me why. Tell me why I should care about something that has never affected me in any noticeable, negative way. Tell me why I should care about a "problem" that has had visible positive impacts in my life (for example, Google automatically collects my passwords so I can sign in instantly subsequent times). Sure, a data breach must've happened at some point and someone got a debit card number of mine. They attempted a purchase, it was flagged as uncharacteristic, I was notified, I froze that card, nothing came of it. There are protections in place that make it basically impossible for you to lose everything to bad actors on the internet so long as you're vigilant to unusual activity on your accounts. Can something catastrophic happen out of nowhere? Sure, technically it's possible. Another thing that's technically possible is the wiring in my house malfuncfions and causes a fire, or an earthquake destroys everything I own, or I suddenly have a completely unforseeable heart attack and am out of work and buried in medical bills, or any number of other disasters - so trying to minimize the particular risks that are already minimal seems like a waste of time and energy to me. I'm not telling you not to care. But me not caring has negatively impacted me less than caring would have - so why should I care?

[@T1Oracle]

You say into the number one privacy theft entity known as Google...

[@Akab]

​@tan_ya980so people rather do something that might never benefit them instead of doing something that might benefit them... Yeah. That's the issue.

[@TexMackerson]

​@@Akab 🫵🏻😆

[@TechnoMinded-qp5in]

Lawyers need to man their wallets or we will shutdown the law by force and the Internet what can be created can be destroyed you abuse it you lose it.

[@lv1543]

Big data be like: “I like you, and i want you. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is yours”

[@CyanRooper]

I'M A WARRIOR

[@brennanlaurent4748]

Don’t make my ruin that butt

[@Name_cannot_be_blank]

It's not that simple, you can decide how much data you give. Like for example, you dont want google to know your browsing history. Ok, switch away from chrome browser and dont use google for searching. Its the specific things, its not a 0 OR 100. Its how far you want to go and where you want to stop.

[@T1Oracle]

​​​@@Name_cannot_be_blankno you can't. You're on a Google property right now. They know more about you than you think! Everywhere you browse you'll be hit by Google Ads or Google Analytics if not more like you are right now being on KZbin.

[@lv1543]

@@Name_cannot_be_blank i see youre choosing the hard way. You can have all dem VPNs and Browser extensions. It dont make no difference.

[@IgorFerreiraMoraes]

"I use Kali Linux and Tor to log into my Google Account and watch KZbin"

[@false_positive]

and multiple docker containers to access gdrive where I keep my darknet passwords.

[@BenParkes-wz5bd]

Igor I hope that was sarcastic

[@Dxxxxc227]

But what did it cost?

[@DesenhoBoy]

Genuine question, wouldn't doing such things like this still be better than just doing them via Google Chrome and Windows 11? Or accessing a Google/KZbin account really cancels out everything?

[@BenParkes-wz5bd]

@@DesenhoBoy Yes, it is better, but it is still bad. Google and youtube require cookies and javascript, which can compromise your browser privacy, and lead you to get fingerprinted. And if you make an anonymous google account using TOR, you can watch it, but it is still risky. And if you log into your non-anonymous google account using TOR, you can kiss your OPSEC and privacy goodbye. And Kali linux is a decent OS for privacy, coming from a amateur pentester and bug bounty hunter, its not that great. And Kali might store some data on your drive. So yes, it is better, but still a terrible idea. I use Mullvad browser for stuff I can afford to be watched on by the government, but not corporations, but I use alternate youtube frontends to avoid google spying. And TOR for when I need to get pass censorship and don't trust Aussie privacy laws. Ironically, here I am using microsoft edge and a non-anonymous youtube account on a work PC, so there goes my privacy LOL.

[@scotty3024]

The biggest problem for me is the constant microphone surveillance that phones have.

[@no_name4796]

I don't think phone spy on us costantly with microphone (unless you are target by some government). For most people google or social medias are way more of a privacy threat

[@Clanps]

Change your phone OS

[@magicalnoodles]

The solution to that is to either disable the mic, except when you need to use it, or to install a privacy oriented phone OS. A good example of a private and de-googled OS is GrapheneOS. As an added benefit, this OS also lets you have absolute control over what permissions apps have on the phone. So, you can even make Google have no actual access to your phone, except for the bare basics it needs to work. Anyhow, your problem only requires only a few hours of initial setup, and then you can relax and go about your day as usual

[@brettlaw4346]

Mic-Lok. ASsuming the genuine article doesn't get replaced with some kind of bad usb/omg.cable.

[@sllkevin8885]

Don’t install apps which have those permissions. If you’re going to still use Facebook, Instagram etc. at least get those apps off your phone. Use the website instead.

[@rustymustard7798]

I keep a lock on my toilet seat so nobody steals mah shit.

[@TechnoMinded-qp5in]

Who ever is collecting my data right now I will tell them see them in court!

[@chongjunxiang3002]

Do your house has own septic tank? If it is still connect to a main sewer line, big sewer might still know about your diet...the absolute privacy breach!

[@rustymustard7798]

@@chongjunxiang3002 Nope, i'm not connected, i'm off grid with composting toilets. That's valuable fertilizer y'all are just flushing down the drain, brown gold!

[@MarkusGeheim]

You can make it even more secure with a burner, which burns all of your shit, after you dumped it - So nobody knows about your shit at all!

[@max-abobea]

​@@rustymustard7798The word "Brown Gold" will forever be stuck in my mind until the day I become a fertilizer myself. Shame on you

[@brettlaw4346]

A journey begins with a single step, and that step is an inflatable t-rex costume which you will use to purchase electronics in cash while leaving all other forms of electronics, active and passive, at home. You will not park in the parking lot associated with your purchase. Get your friends to do the same. There is safety in numbers.

[@yourlocalidiot69420]

Correction: You won't drive a car there (or at least a newer model) because they spy on you.

[@Akab]

Almost all electronics are "smart"(tracking devices with a bunch of sensors) nowadays... including your car.

[@deedikjepijn]

Not the old ones (well if you ignore the cameras scanning license plates) ​@@Akab

[@Macandsteel]

@@deedikjepijn so, you gotta ride a bike!

[@deedikjepijn]

@@Macandsteel cameras with facial recognition still exist, you should minimize the data you are sharing while not decreasing your quality of life... Remember the reason you care about privacy (probably to make sure your quality of life stays intact or as good as possible).

[@lamron1202]

I feel like it’s getting to a point there needs to be new laws for in place to give citizens more privacy with companies constantly restricting users abilities to use their products through new terms of service. It’s either LET US SPY ON YOU or you don’t get to use the product YOU PAID FOR.

[@a.randomjack6661]

Dreaming is still permitted... for the moment.

[@coderxgamer]

i don't think general digital space right now is a privacy problem, because you can still be private on the internet. i think whats far more important is regulating intrusive things in your life, like your car and home, to make sure they aren't spying on you. right now cars are a big problem because lots of modern ones have invasive tracking systems, and if electric cars are mandated this will make the problem 100x worse because most electric cars fit the typical "modern car" type, including all the spyware.

[@Gigachad-mc5qz]

Yeah you think the government would do that? They are working hand in hand with corporations to destroy the environment, prevent working class solidarity and manipulate the masses

[@Akab]

​@@coderxgamer also, why is every computer that isn't my pc so locked down that I often don't know what it's doing even if I wanted to? Like, if corporate ain't got nothing to hide, why put everything in a blackbox?

[@BalaenicepsRex3]

This is absolutely the US government's fault. They've let their local tech companies do this for a profit, which paved the way for companies all over the world to do the exact same. Even the EU is faster at convenient consumer-oriented regulations. If the US had stopped this when they had the chance, the entire world would look a lot different right now.

[@xxXXuser69420XXxx]

impressive, very nice now let's see mental outlaw's video on privacy fatigue

[@BeTechAware]

Is this guy the 3rd Luke Smith?

[@binder.u]

@@BeTechAwareyes but he reached privacy nirvana and disappeared from the grid

[@GospodinJean]

Who is 3rd luke smith?

[@octopusonfire100]

@@GospodinJean Exactly.

[@Vipersrule]

@@octopusonfire100lol

[@rustymustard7798]

Having friends is bad opsec.

[@hyplayer]

Basic common sense

[@bito782]

trvthnvke

[@hariranormal5584]

Yeah, no wonder those privacy people are just pathetic. I like Linux, but the moment someone starts with their Privacy BS I am like "yeah nope no use don't talk/chat with this person"

[@bnorrish]

The secret to privacy is to simply use the internet. Don't live your life on the internet.

[@RuloGames1]

😂 im guessing you dont even understsnd this big problem

[@matias-ww4bf]

200 IQ

[@yourlocalidiot69420]

Me who lives on the internet probably more than I do the real world: (Yes, I know it's not something to be proud about)

[@farouqstray1411]

Except, study, work, entertaining, some socializing,,, all happen on the internet. If you don't care they will know everything about you,, it's all there, a profile about you that's never deleted from the internet

[@eradication.]

@@RuloGames1 it's privacy for those who dont live their lives entirely online

[@lussor1]

My philosophy is: if there is a decent alternative I use it, if not fk it. Like KZbin, Whatsapp or Discord, nobody is going to install a program just for you

[@nupersu6307]

Well telegram is much better than whatsapp

[@om1cael]

I live in a country where WhatsApp is widely used, even for business. After trying to convince people to use Signal and failing I've just come to the conclusion that even if I managed to convince those people (friends, family), I would still need to use WhatsApp for work or something related. So, now my philosophy is: does it affect other people? If so, don't mess with it.

[@lussor1]

@@nupersu6307 not really. I would use whats before telegram because messages are not E2E encrypted

[@overlord3481]

​@@nupersu6307Not many people use it

[@daviddanielng]

Exactly, how would I convince people to move from telegram and Whatsapp to signal. Not even saying how boring and featureles signal is.

[@notyetdeleted6319]

My main thing is to have the ability to be totally unmonitored, not to always be off the grid. Its simple enough really, leave the phone at home, drive an old car without GPS or bluetooth features. Atop that, just use cash when you can in purchases. Banks don’t need to know your every transaction,

[@nou712]

Well, wouldn't that incur some major data bill every month? Unless your company and phone os provider are in cahoots this doesn't work. Maybe if you're in america this is a concern though i wouldn't know.

[@AhidoMikaro]

@@nou712 Who are you responding to?

[@the_mariocrafter]

My car DOES have bluetooth, and a UI straight out of 2010, actually runs Windows CE, but no WiFi, no spyware. 100% private

[@Akab]

​@@the_mariocrafter Bluetooth still allows things like triangulation for positional tracking and pinging for additional info though. Also, especially older versions of Bluetooth are quite unsafe.

[@BalaenicepsRex3]

​@@Akab Lmao. The shattering of the privacy comfort zone is what leads people right into the privacy fatigue road. I don't know if I should laugh or cry.

[@RainbowGod666]

And you know whats more annoying? *_Big Data has, rationally, no reason to have all that constant data harvesting. Like some things are fine and understandable but why the fuck does my TV and desktop ask for geolocalization? They aint goin anywhere bruh_*

[@theglowcloud2215]

they ask for location access so they can serve you those sweet ragebait articles, litter your browsing experience with intrusive scams, and tell you about hot GILFs in your area

[@TheOutsider69]

​@@theglowcloud2215 O based show me them grannies

[@Nick-bn6ch]

As someone with a felony charge, my threat model is increasingly looking like "don't use the internet and live in the woods"

[@Gogglesofkrome]

is it a conviction, or just charges? If I were so concerned with my own fate, I would run away to alaska. People don't ask questions up there.

[@vikingaxe2702]

This video came right on time, it's so easy to get paranoid about online privacy. I already switched search engine and started dabbling with Linux, but it goes deeper and deeper.

[@tcbobb1613]

even moving to Linux is good first step

[@false_positive]

you can keep using google search engine, just use it in separate browser, private mode, without login to google

[@mihairomulus2488]

​@@tcbobb1613 I moved for a tiny bit more privacy then stayed because I genuinely love it

[@Ashinle]

I think it's just that people confuse privacy with anonymity. It's about only making public the things you are ok with and making anything that doesn't need to be public private. Also you explained this very well a concept people don't get so easily.

[@star_duck]

Sisyphus

[@darksidegryphon5393]

One must imagine him happy.

[@Name_cannot_be_blank]

I dont see how that works here, you dont try something over and over again with privacy. You do as much as you want to protect yourself and then thats it.

[@Villagerwarrior]

​@@Name_cannot_be_blankEdge!!!

[@david-al-sayyid]

@@Name_cannot_be_blankI think he means it in the sense that once you think you've become private enough, you find something else that makes you realize you're not private at all, so you strive for that, achieve it, and the cycle restarts. Sisyphus is pretty fitting for privacy maximalists I'd say.

[@patrickday4206]

You can get syphilis from lack of privacy? Sometimes I feel like life is just being forced to do a thing just to have to do it again and again and I never make any progress

[@zadock6370]

you do bring up something important that most don't think about. many people are either "it don't matter" or "I need to hide from everyone and everything", then they try to push that on others. my dad is an insane privacy nut to such a degree that he made it difficult to even get signed up for school, extra curriculars, college, or do literally anything. he turns jumping a hurdle into climbing a mountain, then forces it all onto me as well. he has no friends, he has no life, he is a complete schizophrenic paranoia who thinks the world is going to end any day and everyone one is after him. you bring up a good point that no one talks about which is that while it is good to care and take steps for your online privacy, but if you go off the deep end, you will essentially ruin your life, get yourself paranoid and delusional, and even try to ruin other people's lives by forcing the same type of behavior on other people. because of him, I have tried to NOT be like him, but still take REASONABLE steps to help protect my privacy without making it too hard to do regular stuff. basically taking care of my privacy to a reasonable degree without getting myself paranoid or just making hurdles larger than they should. I thank you for bringing this up. not enough people talk about this.

[@BENSTER489]

You should be ashamed of yourself.

[@dry4smash946]

@@BENSTER489?

[@chongjunxiang3002]

Wow, for a privacy nut like this how does he even know your mom? Do you even know your father real name? Or everyone knows him only by his forged driver license and passport?

[@zadock6370]

@@chongjunxiang3002 you completely misunderstood what I said. the video guy has no affiliation with my mom or my family whatsoever. where did you even get that idea? I know my dad's real name, but he almost never tells people the name unless he has to. never his last name, and he only usually tell people his nickname rather than his actual first name. and while he doesn't forge his ID, he does scribble a bunch of stuff out and forbids people from scanning it and argues with them about it.

[@zadock6370]

@@BENSTER489 is this a joke, or are you being serious?

[@ERAOR-10110]

This is one of the best videos about privacy ive watched yet, Im going to share it with my friends and hope it gets them caring more about their privacy. Thank you

[@itsarian.]

The thing is, by the time someone wants to care about privacy the trillion dollar companies already have enough data on them to sell it for a profit

[@knightmaremedia7795]

I'm not privacy fatigued, I'm surveillance fatigued. Point is all this, all of it, stops the moment we all collectively say "thats enough" and mean it. Until then, unless you have that cabin in the woods , and even then it's impossible to eliminate all of it. It's the way it is.

[@iluvyunie]

this, privacy fatigue implies that you're at fault for protecting your information

[@greenchair5615]

@@iluvyunie no, it implies that protecting your information can be fatiguing, because it can be hard or inconvenient

[@dimitrilium3912]

Privacy < Data poisoning You can't stop data collection, but you can drown the data collector under a pile of garbage data.

[@numberformat]

My uncle was pretty tech savvy. He'd talk to us about privacy online all the time. At family get-togethers, he'd go on about encryption and stuff, which worried us a bit, but we didn't think much of it. One day, he freaked out at a train station and got detained. He came home that day shaken up. That's when things started to unravel. He kept getting more paranoid. Eventually, he opened up to his family and they got him help. I'd imagine it was a tough journey, but he started to find his way back. Even then, he still struggled with his fears and obsessions. It's a reminder that behind all the tech, there's a person dealing with their own battles.

[@theglowcloud2215]

the glowies came for him at the train station, eh?

[@luisaguilar5343]

A lot of preys on people who are prone to paranoia and the fear mongering begets more fear which begets even more fear mongering

[@literallybarbie]

this video came in the perfect time for me, i couldn't thank you enough! I definitely started getting super overwhelmed about all the steps to achieve "true absolute privacy" and was getting paranoid. Again, thank you, really. Your videos are a breath of fresh air in this space.

[@xTacticalGammerx]

My problem was that Ive done so much for privacy and security that my friends and family were my weakest link.

[@shroudedinmyth8229]

Unironically, friends and family are a security risk. He made a joke about living in the woods and writing a manifesto, and that is literally how the unabomber was caught. His brother recognized his writing.

[@tech-bore8839]

"It's incremental" That's definitely a pitfall for newcomers that doesn't get talked about much, or it's quickly mentioned then forgotten about. Nobody instantly becomes a doctor, without YEARS of study and practice.

[@fabulo19]

The fact that it requires so much knowledge is part of the problem imo. The defaults of most OSes and services is that you're giving up a boatload of data, both through actions you take within them, and by just leaving it running (looking at you, Google Play Services). Which means you need to research and replace your existing services with alternatives with better defaults, or more configurability, which takes a lot of work. Granted, companies like Google have improved the granularity of their settings with time, but they're very hidden away, and not granular enough. And they don't address Play Services, which is their MITM for nearly everything that happens on your phone. In an ideal world, we'd have better defaults across the board.

[@tech-bore8839]

@@fabulo19 "requires so much knowledge" I'm a bit mixed when it comes to this angle. To an extent you're right. Even for someone like me (above average, but not an expert), there's a ton of stuff to keep up with. On the other hand, the average person can no longer remain tech illiterate/ignorant. They don't need to become an expert, but they should at least have some basic tech skills & knowledge.

[@fabulo19]

@@tech-bore8839 My view mainly comes from my previous job as an in-store tech support for a major retailer, and the droves of people I ran into who don't know a lot about technology. They obviously trended older, but not everyone was. When people barely have enough of a grasp to get by on whatever defaults are on their devices, I have a hard time seeing them actively swapping out anything. The knowledge delta is just too big. Ironically, older people are in my experience more weirded out by incessant data collection than younger people. I agree that some level of tech litteracy is more and more of a requirement, and a fair number of people my age (young millenial/old gen Z) have the ability to make some changes. Switching browsers, email providers, DNS provider, installing uBlock, that sort of thing. But to actually make an informed choice about those things, it does require a fair bit of IT knowhow. VPN marketing is a classic example of this, where you need to have some grasp of how they work to vet their claims, and understand what a VPN actually does.

[@tech-bore8839]

@@fabulo19 Funny you mention the older crowd. In my experience, I've seen the older crowd not really care about the data collection. The attitude is either "why would someone target me" or more often "they can't do that because it's illegal". Seems like they care more about whether or not something functions (i.e. app or device), more than privacy. A couple decades ago, people would question why someone needs your SSN. Now people give it out willingly for "free stuff". "Informed Choice" is partly why I have a channel. Despite all the sh!t-posting, there is a point to my content. I'd rather people had an honest view on certain products, versus sugar-coating the truth like certain channels do. I'd rather have someone choose an iPhone knowing it isn't private, versus thinking "it's private and secure" just because some clean-cut kid told them so.

[@Faminetheblack]

Where is someone who doesn't know much about this supposed to start?

[@alpacamale2909]

I'd care about Privacy if I mattered.

[@garrettrinquest1605]

Don't care about privacy more than your care about your friends. Instead, care more about privacy than most of your friends care about it.

[@user-dc9zo7ek5j]

I agree to what you've said. Never had fatigue, never probably will. Be pragmatic with the things you do. Limit apps from accessing the internet when they don't need it with firewall (there are client firewalls that are incredibly simple) on both pc and phone. Limit the third party javascript being ran with ublock. Use a password manager. Create professional accounts but don't use them for personal activities. You're set! The end result is your computer doing less work, improving your loading speed and your hardware's lifespan.

[@wrathofainz]

In the last few days I've been decompiling an android game, trying to make it run from a backup because it's vendor-locked to Google play... The sheer amount of garbage that Google shoves into apps for advertising and tracking purposes is *_astounding_*

[@filip0x0a98]

If I may ask, what are you using ? apktool or something else ?

[@mr.normalguy69]

If achieving privacy means I have to cross the 7 seas. Then I'm willing to do it. Not because I care about my own privacy, but because I want to give governments and corporations the biggest middle finger I can possibly give.

[@KitSowka]

So true... I don't even want to talk about the cost I paid for the chase after privacy. Too bad there weren't videos like that back then. I still think people must think about privacy. And people who don't care allowed all that massive privacy violations to happen. And it is possible to increase privacy with minimal convenience loss... And I'm grateful to the people who share knowledge about privacy, but, at the same time... Their “complete privacy guides” are actually destroying some people's lives. Please, be careful, don't fall into black and white paradigm. You don't need to give up on privacy. But I dare you not to try to become completely “private” in every day life!

[@jaytea6516]

yes, living under a totalitarian surveillance state has mental health cost

[@VanillaChai42]

Thank you for talking about threat modeling. There's too many people who don't understand they may have different privacy needs than people like Edward Snowden lmao

[@mikubrot]

exactly! random people who don't do much other than basic work stuff on the internet aren't in as much danger as whistleblowers

[@ArcSine-]

I never ever upload my photo, video, voice on anywhere on the internet,especially when deepfakes are getting better and better so much that people can't even that it is fake or real , i don't want my face or voice on those. & and this only going to become much worse in the coming 2 or 3 years with these new video Generation Models.

[@grafando]

I've been thinking about this a lot but it gets way too deep. Sure, don't post anything, but imagine how many recordings you've been in the background of that were put online and AI models are training with actively. No matter what you do, you can't fully prevent it. Hell, you think phones aren't sending your data to AI training, such as when you're on a call?

[@Rudxain]

With all due respect, I believe that's ridiculous paranoia. Even humans can do voice impressions, and a talented artist may perfectly re-recreate a face. It doesn't matter how much you fear AI, humans can be a "threat" too

[@grafando]

@@Rudxain It's not paranoia. There's actually reports of people receiving calls from scammers except using their family members voices, recreated with AI from online recordings. Pretty soon they'll be doing it with our faces too.

[@Rudxain]

@@grafando True! In that case, it could be said that AI makes scammers' "jobs" easier. Paying a voice actor to do something illegal is way harder than using a free "robot parrot". And not everyone can make perfect 3D models of someone's face (let alone making a photo-realistic drawing of a face). I guess I was partially incorrect, and will be 99% incorrect in the future, because AI will advance. BTW, I already was convinced that AI should be regulated in some way! Especially if we're heading towards AGI or "The Singularity", which implies self-aware (and possibly sentient) machines. Like, imagine how horrible it'd be if someone is born as a slave of their own "parents"

[@tid418]

Same. To the best of my knowledge, there are no photos of me on the internet, nor recordings of my voice. I have a degoogled phone that I almost never use, and I do most of my computing stuff on Linux laptops. I have never had a Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Whatsapp, etc., account (and the Google account I am posting on here is just for posting on here, nothing else). There are some privacy leaks in my setup. I should not be using Google even to write this, for one. I use unencrypted email (though I am always aware of that when I write one) from a privacy conscious provider. I also use credit cards to buy things, which is a big one, but I am also frugal, and I do like the bonuses I get (cash back, extended warranty on things I buy, the convenience of never needing cash) when I pay it off each billing cycle. It's all about the trade offs one finds worthwhile. Not using social media is not a big deal, as it has no appeal anyway. (I don't consider YT commenting to be social media... if it is, I was doing social media in the 1985, as I was posting on BBSes way back then, and this is just the modern version of that).

[@joeldoxtator9804]

My only concern about privacy is keeping Habib out of my accounts. The third world hacker frenzy is getting out of control.

[@seansingh4421]

That’s easier than you think. Hardware based 2FA like Yubikey and PIV and bye bye habib

[@seansingh4421]

If the 3 letter agencies want your data, there’s very little you can do. My biggest gripe is with these private companies tracking. Like who TF are they to have any right to my data ?

[@chongjunxiang3002]

If alphabet boys don't have your online data, they can always go back to the ye olde method developed since Cold War era spying just to collect evidences: Rent a house near you, create a fake family consist of agents, start building rapport among the community, use the power of community to start talks to you, showing interest onto you or your family members, building rapport... It takes quite a while using the old method, but eventually they will collect too many thing you think you can hide.

[@tid418]

There is a difference in them targeting you specifically vs. just grabbing a ton of data from anyone in the area and using that to decide whom to target personally. The agencies can get location data from Google, Apple, and others from their personal trackers from everyone who was in a given area at a given time, and use that to start looking into you as a a potential person of interest. Even if you have done nothing, it's much better to be off the radar. The feds have already used this kind of tracking data to wrongly implicate someone who merely happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. What Google or Apple do not have, they cannot hand over to the three letter agencies, and what they do not hand over cannot be used against you.

[@Xizax41325]

The way I convinced some of my friends is just telling them to start small. Try not to do everything at once and find an area where you feel comfortable.

[@giacomosiiii]

Thank you for sharing your experience in pursuit of sensibility and healthy balance. Heavily resonating with me, as I'm sure it will with countless others.

[@gunchapred8933]

Honestly, this was what made me initially not care about privacy. That all I’d see online are either snake oil salesmen selling privacy placebos at best, or people telling me that I should take the most extreme measures possible for privacy. In the end, you’ve kinda helped me to realize that moderation is key, and that I need to recognize what’s right for me.

[@Ecastro179]

This video reaffirmed my feelings towards privacy. As I started I felt overwhelmed but then started thinking my strategy. I didn't fully assess who I'm trying to protect against (going to think that now) but just measure how much convenience I want to give up. Taking slow baby steps with my passwords, browser, dns and search engine. There some in the back burner like changing to Proton Mail as I'm currently broke but its in the plans and changing to Linux when I get a new laptop. In the end, I felt better and I know the journey isn't over.

[@farouqstray1411]

This attitude is healthy for you and necessary for a web free from the monopoly of big tech,, keep up 💪

[@Schnurception]

I will take every step to improve my privacy with time, as I would be fine with the consequences.

[@TheLexikitty]

I used to run a firewall on my Android phones to block parts of apps I didn’t want communicating with the outside world, and now I just don’t install much. I’ve definitely preferred just dropping services and functions that require invasive stuff, especially IOT devices. If I can’t cut its internet and have it still work, it gets returned.

[@oglothenerd]

I just enjoy life whilst not using blatant privacy scandals. I use Linux and Protonmail, and I do not use social media unless it is KZbin or Discord.

[@lycomedes]

Discord.. privacy.. bruh.

[@UmitSeyhan75]

@@lycomedes Discord has its issues but definitely a better social media than most others.

[@Fatih120]

NO it is NOT, it is the same if not worse

[@morusakiqorak]

There is no viable alternative to discord that has the same popularity or feature set so it’s fair enough that he’s using it. There is also no real evidence that discord is selling data or looking at your messages

[@hermishmer]

I'm just about the same, still using gmail though cause I haven't cared enough to change it lol

[@adammontgomery7980]

I've come to the conclusion that it's pointless to try and be anonymous. I would, however, like to get paid from the data I produce.

[@OmeletteGirl]

Thank you king, something is indeed better than nothing. The knowledge you provide is really helpful.

[@breasol976]

Facebook is demanding i send a selfie to keep my account which i opened just for market place. So idk how you can have facebook and be private.

[@stingfiretube]

Want complete privacy? Leave all devices, take all your clothes, food, tools and relatives, and settle deep in the woods. Live the life of a caveman.

[@morgenholz7937]

Relatives can spy on you and report to THEM, so you're better off alone

[@howwitty]

​@@morgenholz7937 My parent was so excited about the DNA tests results saying that we are 83.8% Caucasian. Like getting a forehead tattoo of a bar code. Is it such a big mystery why I'm not overjoyed by these results? Because I'm never fucking getting that privacy back and my childhood photos are on social media.

[@tid418]

@@howwitty Ugh. I am glad that I came of age before social media existed (long before).

[@howwitty]

@@tid418 But I bet your girlfriend probably still wanted her friends to talk to your friends before approaching you instead of talking to you directly like an adult. Lots of social problems got programmed into social media. Maybe one day it will become socially unacceptable to be anything but a spoiled child. They're easier to control.

[@djsnackcakes2795]

I feel like one of the biggest things people miss is compartmentalizing their data via using multiple devices and or accounts. While not perfect, you can choose what is known about you in certain aspects. You can also utilize the work profiles on android through something like insular on f-droid. Breaking up the data like a puzzle makes it harder for them and a bit easier for you

[@securitron5]

This is exactly what I'm experiencing right now and the video i needed to see. Absolutely perfect timing. thank you for thr message and well thought out video!

[@LikaLaruku]

I guess I don't mind if Google knows that I don't make online purchases, don't have or want kids, have been buying clothes from only 1 brand for 15 years, will not spend money in MMOs or F2P mibile games, don't drive a car or have a licence, won't vote for non-3rd party candidates, have been boycotting Ubisoft & EA games for over 10 years, mostly buy store brand food, & avoid buying anything from companies that making annoying ads. It makes my personal information not worth much because I cannot be swayed.

[@what-un4yq]

The best way to explain this. What are you really protecting? Most of the time an advertiser is just going to figure out that you like ducks. When you're using a moderate level, and all you can really do is say, "Here, duck." 1.99 Think about it like the difference between stuff you do in public, private, and in your basement. You're not making alcohol in the middle of a public street. That's a private activity or, if illegal basement activity. Same goes for stuff like your bank That's a public activity because it is linked to your identity and pretty much everybody knows. Anywhere you would walk yourself And wearing a mask wouldn't make sense. The big thing is how risky is it for those two bits of data to intermingle public and private? And worse basement if you have it.

[@sem_skywalker]

A cabin in the woods is what I have been dreaming of for years. ;)

[@Chris-Pringle]

Privacy is being hidden in plain view

[@bikeinator5619]

Thank you Eric, this is so well timed - exactly what I needed rn

[@gehaktbal01]

Been liking the direction you've been taking the channel. Keep it up👍

[@hareth-jv2pb]

I love this video! I like the self-awareness in your content, I could relate to your journey.

[@joaquingutierrez3072]

Wow, this video is amazing and eye opening! I was starting to get privacy paranoid but this is a nice change of perspective. I would love a "levels of privacy" video like, level 0, do nothing, and then tell what data can be collected and what threats are we vulnerable to if we do nothing, and then add more and more layers of privacy, It would be amazing!

[@davidkroft]

The true problem is that this is a thing you shouldn't even have to worry about. But we live in the same world as other people.

[@rhael42]

hell is other people

[@ElaraArale]

THANK YOU!! I NEEDED THIS

[@andbenn]

I cannot wait to read that manifest! Go for it! :) Nice video, brings up a good point of obsession/fatigue.

[@scoutintime]

this video is helpful for me. i am a very paranoid person and i had a delusional episode recently that freaked me out about online privacy more than usual. the "threat model" is a good thing to keep in mind while making plans

[@RedBoyforCE]

I liked this video too! Can you maybe make a vide about how to determine one's threat / privacy level? Keep up the good work!

[@redrj]

I really like your videos, you break down privacy in a way that is not doom and gloom. I switched to linux this year and have been off chrome for a couple of years, I'm happy w/ that. Maybe in the future I might switch off google products, but I'm not sure

[@Svyatoclav]

Wow Eric, I subscribed to you 1.5 year ago when you had only 7K subscribers... Didn't watch you in a while, and now you have almost 72K subs! Congratulations on that, good luck making new videos! Privacy is necessary in real world and your videos helped (and still helping) me and others and thanks for this video about Privacy Fatigue, it is a real problem especially for me now hah

[@Hypnotically_Caucasian]

"Why are you so concerned about your privacy?" My Instagram recommended feed:

[@astroid99]

Thankyou for being one of the practical privacy focused youtubers. So many of those black hood dudes exist on youtube and for a while i was considering not messaging people who won't/dont use signal(everyone but my girlfriend at the time and she only used it to talk to me..for a week lol).

[@riverblack123]

The fact that you need to do all these things to have a little small bit of privacy tells you everything you need to know about the character of big techs.

[@TheOutsider69]

Sometimes you just use TOR to experience 90's internet speeds again.

[@MasterQuestMaster]

5:00 My family who has a lock on every door in the house: 😅

[@ramenaddict1676]

i went through this exact phase and came up with the same conclusion. you will never be private enough on the internet.

[@mrgtmodernretrogamingtech6891]

For me, Online Privacy for "Normies" or Ordinary People (like me) is simple, it's like meeting a stranger in a common place such as park or market , a simple chitchat here and there, you may give your nickname or name and that's it, no more unnecessary details to relay that has nothing to do with the current engagement. In short, do not over share online.

[@TheBenSanders]

Imagine PGP with carrier pigeons lmao

[@Valoric]

This is a VERY important video on this topic. I had the same experience multiple times over the years. Caring about this requires finesse.

[@HolyArtsakh]

Did you hear about Photobucket ? They changed their terms to allow themselves to take you retinal scan and fingerprints from your photos

[@DavidWTube]

I just lean into it. They are tracking you no matter what, might as well reap the benefits.

[@RyKeUp]

The best thing one can do is preventing privacy issues in the first place. In germany there is regualr protests and petitions for privacy. Using stuff like Tor is imo for people who can't speak up without endangering themself.

[@jimcabezola3051]

One does not have to live in a cabin in the woods to get away from using too much internet and social media. Plus...there are environmentalists lurking in the woods trying evict less-worthy humans such as I from the woods. 🤣🤣🤣 Seriously, I do a lot of the stuff you do...as well as leave my silly phone at home...turned off...most times... It's NOT for security reasons; it's just too annoying to have on me all the time. Phones interrupt my life. I like using Linux on all my machines, because I like the old-fashioned tinkering I can do with it. It MAY be more secure, too, but the best thing is it's not the ubiquitous Microsoft and Google rubbish everyone else uses. I run GrapheneOS on my Pixel...and I like the tinkering I can do with that, too. Like you...I remember when computers could be fun! So...I try to stay in my fun zone. As you and I have found out,...by accident...doing so CAN be more secure and private as well. Aloha!

[@TopHatProductions115]

The closest that I've gotten is self-hosting. But even then, still have to be able to trust the hardware you buy...

[@jam3rson1]

Its all about what and how you use the internet! The information you put out comes back.

[@milkman6218]

I fell down that rabbit hole as well, going so far as to make my gf at the time download Matrix so we could chat (honestly I forget what it was it was a side project that didn't work as well) I used to tell people to order things for me and then send them the money. Then Luke Smith put out a video saying "If you want the ultimate privacy turn off your phone, talk to people face to face without technology present. " and the threat model thing finally hit me, if I need that amount of privacy I know HOW to get it if not act as if the internet is a public place and if I want privacy do it in private.

[@aussiegruber86]

I am going through this crisis now, I swap back to analog notes and systems but it’s so much more convenient being the product. It’s doing my head in

[@Maske4]

This is the equivalent to linux users debloating their computer, there is no end

[@user-oj7uc8tw9r]

Microsoft recall may get people to start caring somewhat Honestly, I just want a Linux phone and Linux desktop. That's all I want.

[@Relics]

Really liking your content keep on uploading

[@ThatEntityGirl]

There are two kinds of people: those who don't put in any effort unless a comprehensive solution is handed to them on a silver platter, and those who will do something no matter the cost come hell and highwater. Servelience is so intrusive and ubiquotis that there just isn't a good comprehensive solution, and until there is one we are not going to live in a world where most people can be safe

[@qxlf]

when i started my privacy journey, i allready knew i didnt wanted to go to deep. my thread model was largely based off of your depiction and i would suggest most people to get onto the "privacy concious" level.

[@moffmoffie]

I used to have a group of friends who were very concerned about privacy, I switched entirely to Linux, stopped using my phone, and I didn't care about social media to begin with so dropped all that too. I even stopped watching KZbin because that was "bad" too. My friends would constantly insult me and badger me to do more and sacrifice more, I lost many potential friends because I didn't wanna use Discord or Facebook (I still don't want the latter.) In the end I ended up isolating myself and putting myself under a rock, and I still struggled with stuff that my friends would call "basic command line knowledge". Eventually the insults and the isolation got so bad I was having daily panic attacks about how worthless I am. When I finally left that group of friends, I was terrified. Because I wasn't very good at using Linux myself (and my old friends convinced me I was terrible with computers and generally stupid), I ended up switching to Windows. I slowly started to watch videos on KZbin again, though I avoid most social media since I don't like the echo chambers nor the depression that stems from consuming too much social media. I'm feeling better these days, and while I'll do basic things to keep my presence online mostly anonymised and hard to track down, I try to worry less. Because I don't think it's worth it to sacrifice my mental wellbeing or avoid the things I want to do because of it anymore. I have new friends that care about open source stuff too without being huge douchebags about it or making me feel like shit just cause I was born a girl, and girls can't do computers. Dunno why I wanted to share my story, but it was nice watching this video. Thanks.

[@disguisedpuppy]

Here's a hindsight solution which doesn't work: 1) create multiple accounts of yourself with contradicting info

[@AdemChatum]

Outstanding video! Thanks!

[@kxhu]

one good thing is to disable remote desktop if you're on windows.

[@dmug]

Good sane take on privacy, was curious where this would go

[@someone4229]

I think everyone should do some small things, but it's not worth it to sacrifice not using useful features or apps

[@SStealth14]

Best immediate surveillance countermeasure: lessen overall tech usage. Only for necessary procedures. Throw the unecessary away (incl. Social media) For: non tech guys (including myself).

[@Ajme-kb4os]

I took windows out of my life and that was all I needed

[@MansakeLabsOfficial]

I usually have Tor and other things installed on everything, but usually as a "just in case" measure.

[@handorunottoabeiraborru]

You might just be the most balanced KZbinr regarding privacy. You just earned a sub

[@GustavoMsTrashCan]

I'm in the "as long as it doesn't send me random folks at my doorstep" "threat model".

[@Doodlinka]

10:00 the problem with this is that any security system is as strong as its weakest link. If you, say, use Firefox on a Windows machine, your data will still be collected by Microsoft and sold to the same places. If you use KZbin, it will be collected by Google too, making switching to Firefox fully pointless. And if you weren't private since the very first time you used the internet, you have a significant trace that has to be erased before any measures to stop putting this data out will become effective.

[@etziowingeler3173]

Hahaha, love it, true. Going down the rabbit hole takes a looooot of time and motivation to learn. For most people it's way too complex. But the real problem is that many people don't care because they are absolutely clueless about everything related to Internet security & privacy