Privacy Checkup 2021

[Interchanger]

I set up a new email not linked to any off my private information, and I'm currently using brave. Is the TOR browser necassary?

 

[Bender]

ProtonVPN has a free tier, does it have the same problems as "free" VPNs?

The free and paid both use the same client (I paid and a few minutes later my client unlocked the extra servers and stuff) and paid accounts can still use the free servers (although I'm not sure why they'd want to, they sometimes get quite congested), so I think it's safe to say the free version doesn't have any caveats except none of the free servers allow BitTorrent traffic. The free users are subsidised by the paying users, same with ProtonMail.

 

[spinal gas chamber]

Good to see pro tier advice in plain English. Not that most of the people that need to read the OP ever will, but that’s exactly what needs to be known, even if you don’t shit post on a down under agricultural site.

the “what’s a VPN good for and when does it fuck you” section and the “does your IP matter” are both

edit: the only thing missing is what the s in https actually means. Most “internet security” articles say it means that the site is secure. Secure is good, right? Except that’s not at all what it means. It just means that you can be sure abc.com is really abc.com and not also partially imabigidiot.com. It also means abc.com and you can trade information over the internet without it being changed or read, barring the MITM issue already discussed. And that issue is why not to blindly click accept on certificate errors even though they can be obtuse to a point that’s inexplicable after two decades of “the year of PKI”. And back to “secure is good” - the s in no way means the site will keep your info secure, so now we’re back to all the good advice in the op.

 

[The Repeated Meme]

If any of you are still using LastPass, I recommend you ditch it in favor of Bitwarden. It's like LastPass but superior to it in every way.

It used to be the case where it allowed multiple devices at the same time, now you have to switch between them and you only get something like 3 switches with the free version. Exporting all your data from lastpass to bitwarden is incredibly straightforward.

 

[Personal Jesus]

Not related to KF itself but privacy as a whole, my suggestion is to ditch Windows and Mac and try Linux and/or BSD. Linux is infamous for being a boogeyman for noobs (and that's actually true for some distros) but there are some very beginner-friendly distros that are very easy to use and walk you through it as you use it. And the best of all, basically all of them are free and Open-Source. This link has some recommendations: https://privacytools.io/operating-systems/ but there are many, many more.

On the subject of VPNs, Mullvad seems to be the number 1 recommendation on privacytools but in my experience its very slow, so I recommend using IVPN, it can be as cheap as Mullvad and basically as fast as ProtonVPN and ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN can actually surpass your ISP's top speed but its not really recommended for privacy.

 

[artilleryfroth]

I'm assuming you mean people like moviebob or..... Any tranny really do they legit have any power to do anything? Like stated earlier i sort of understand what you guys are saying i just can't fathom it. However due to the examples the other guy gave me i do see the point of it and why it's worth the hassle. But boy i hope i never have to deal with internet crazies sounds exhausting tbh.

You should also check out the thread called something like “Scott v Moon” in the “Take That Off The Goddamn Internet” section. This utter madwoman is suing Null for things said on here about her, and is also suing a couple of posters, who she calls “John Doe” or something, only because she doesn’t know their real names. Null has lawyered up - now if you were one of those posters, how would you like her to know your real name, and legitimately add you to her lawsuit? In this case she’s too stupid to doxx anyone, and her lawsuit looks dumb as fuck, but still, not every insane person online is completely useless.
Just take care, son.

 

[Innocuous Codeine Sponge]

I just want to add Opera has a free VPN service built in the browser, if you can't afford one.

This falls into the same category of "Free connection, free data to sell to companies" So it probably isn't in the best interest to use their built-in VPN either.
Unless of-course their TOS clearly states they do not intend to sell your data, or it is log-free, then it's a different story.

 

[John_Smith]

I remember someone on the farms once saying that passphrases are better than your standard capital/lowercase letter/number/special character format. Is that true?

Yes, Obligatory XKCD reference

 

[LordOdin]

You should also check out the thread called something like “Scott v Moon” in the “Take That Off The Goddamn Internet” section. This utter madwoman is suing Null for things said on here about her, and is also suing a couple of posters, who she calls “John Doe” or something, only because she doesn’t know their real names. Null has lawyered up - now if you were one of those posters, how would you like her to know your real name, and legitimately add you to her lawsuit? In this case she’s too stupid to doxx anyone, and her lawsuit looks dumb as fuck, but still, not every insane person online is completely useless.
Just take care, son.

Oh i know the mountain jews i'd like to see her attempt an international law suit tbh

 

[artilleryfroth]

Oh i know the mountain jews i'd like to see her attempt an international law suit tbh

Just because she’s too stupid to do it, doesn’t mean every cow is. Do you get my point though?

 

[killuminati]

This falls into the same category of "Free connection, free data to sell to companies" So it probably isn't in the best interest to use their built-in VPN either.
Unless of-course their TOS clearly states they do not intend to sell your data, or it is log-free, then it's a different story.

Yes, that's exactly what it says. It takes like 5 seconds to look up G.

 

[010101]

Based and privacypilled.

 

[Innocuous Codeine Sponge]

Yes, that's exactly what it says. It takes like 5 seconds to look up G.

Easier, and most times, perfectly valid to assume that most readily available (especially free) VPN's are selling your data.
Thanks for sacrificing your 5 seconds for me cutie

 

[LordOdin]

Just because she’s too stupid to do it, doesn’t mean every cow is. Do you get my point though?

Yeah i get your point i just got distracted sttacted by the hilarious idea of melinda scott attempting it

 

[Sangria]

thanks null. now give me my children back

 

[GoPro]

People say it's bad because Tor is basically as secure as it gets, but a VPN can essentially just be a huge MITM security hole. Using Tor alone is always better than Tor + VPN, but if your VPN is compromised you've already got a big fucking problem.

How come? Wouldn't connecting to VPN and then opening TOR simply prevent your ISP from seeing that you use TOR? VPN/SSH Fingerprinting aside of course. Only thing VPN provider has really is your IP (and payment info if you were stupid enough to pay with something tied to your name). Meanwhile, ISP has your IP, name, address, and more. Using TOR will set off more red flags in ISP's eyes than a VPN, so I would think that hiding TOR activity from your ISP is safer than not doing it. At least that's what I understood from https://gitlab.torproject.org/legacy/trac/-/wikis/doc/TorPlusVPN, but I have little knowledge on the subject.

 

[Spiny Rumples]

How does privacy work for making purchases? Is it safe to buy KF merch/coins with a regular credit card?

 

[Cash Pope]

@Null thanks for posting this guide. I was able to take a few steps to be more secure. Very useful guide in a world where a mildly homophobic tweet from 2011 can get one in hot water, I can only imagine what getting outed as a Farmer would do.

 

[Meredith Swift]

Thanks for this, Jersh! Super informative shit.

I've always used a VPN and just tend to pick places at random for my IP. Are there any places that you should be using more than others? Or does it not matter/does it only matter where the VPN itself is based?

 

[Null]

How does privacy work for making purchases? Is it safe to buy KF merch/coins with a regular credit card?

Privacy works the same but if you're entering your address into anything it sort of defeats the purpose of the card.