I admit it. I still haven’t taken the plunge to #DeleteFacebook. I can’t remember the last time I posted anything on it, but friends still invite me to events and send me messages via Messenger. Likewise, I haven’t brought myself to using VPN as standard, or Tor for that matter!
That said, here’s some things you might like to try, that have stuck for me. Let me know what else I’m missing!
Use Firefox, and enable first-party isolation. This isolates cookies so that only the site which you were accessing when the cookie was ‘dropped’ can access it, making it harder for folks like Google and Facebook to track you across multiple sites. If you can’t quite quit the Google Chrome habit, try installing the Privacy Badger extension instead.
Switch to DuckDuckGo for your search. If you’re giving Google everything you’re searching for, you’re just making it easy. While you’re at it, review your Google privacy settings.
Consider changing your DNS to 1.1.1.1. It’s not perfect — you’re trusting CloudFlare rather than your ISP or other DNS provider with your privacy, but it seems like the best of a bad set of options for now. Limitations in other aspects of internet protocols like SNI, and the fact IP addresses themselves can identify the site you’re accessing means this will unlikely to be completely anonymous for the immediate future.
Consider disabling Facebook Platform. The horse has definitely bolted the stable door, but at the very least it’s worth reminding yourself exactly who your data has already been shared with…
Unfollow all your Facebook friends. This does nothing for your privacy, but wonders for your time. My feed is empty — but I can still check up on individual friends when I think of them, and they can still invite me to events.
Are there other habits you’ve successfully changed to increase your privacy online? Would love to hear them!