Most people don’t protect their privacy because it feels hard.
Too many guides. Too many opinions. Too much noise.
So here’s the shortcut:
If you want to be 80% safer than the average person, just use the right tools and nothing else.
Core Tools to Use (and Stick With)
1. Password Manager:
Bitwarden (free and open-source)
1Password (if you want polish)
Don’t store passwords in your browser. Don’t reuse logins.
The password manager remembers everything so you don’t have to.
2. Private Browser:
Brave (out of the box)
Firefox (with tweaks)
Turn off autofill. Enable tracker blocking.
Use separate browser profiles for different parts of your life.
3. VPN:
Proton VPN (trustworthy, audited, no logs)
Use it on public Wi-Fi, when traveling, or anytime you don’t want your ISP or network to track your activity.
4. Email:
Proton Mail or Tuta
Never sign up for sensitive accounts with Gmail or Yahoo.
Your inbox tells your life story. Protect it.
5. Search Engine:
DuckDuckGo or Startpage
Stop giving Google every question you’ve ever asked.
You’ll be surprised how much less noise you get back.
The Mental Shortcut
You don’t need to understand encryption. You don’t need to read every privacy policy.
Just swap out a few tools. Let them do the heavy lifting.
Use these consistently and quietly and most trackers, advertisers, and data brokers won’t even know how to profile you.
Good privacy is quiet, automatic, and boring.
If it feels invisible, it’s working.