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content/wiki/basics/account-creation.md

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+---
+meta_title: "How to Create Internet Accounts Privately - Privacy Guides"
+title: "Account Creation"
+icon: 'material/account-plus'
+description: Creating accounts online is practically an internet necessity, take these steps to make sure you stay private.
+---
+
+Often people sign up for services without thinking. Maybe it's a streaming service to watch that new show everyone's talking about, or an account that gives you a discount for your favorite fast food place. Whatever the case may be, you should consider the implications for your data now and later on down the line.
+
+There are risks associated with every new service that you use. Data breaches; disclosure of customer information to third parties; rogue employees accessing data; all are possibilities that must be considered when giving your information out. You need to be confident that you can trust the service, which is why we don't recommend storing valuable data on anything but the most mature and battle-tested products. That usually means services which provide E2EE and have undergone a cryptographic audit. An audit increases assurance that the product was designed without glaring security issues caused by an inexperienced developer.
+
+It can also be difficult to delete the accounts on some services. Sometimes [overwriting data](account-deletion.md#overwriting-account-information) associated with an account can be possible, but in other cases the service will keep an entire history of changes to the account.
+
+## Terms of Service & Privacy Policy
+
+The ToS are the rules that you agree to follow when using the service. With larger services these rules are often enforced by automated systems. Sometimes these automated systems can make mistakes. For example, you may be banned or locked out of your account on some services for using a VPN or VoIP number. Appealing such bans is often difficult, and involves an automated process too, which isn't always successful. This would be one of the reasons why we wouldn't suggest using Gmail for email as an example. Email is crucial for access to other services you might have signed up for.
+
+The Privacy Policy is how the service says they will use your data, and it is worth reading so that you understand how your data will be used. A company or organization might not be legally obligated to follow everything contained in the policy (it depends on the jurisdiction). We would recommend having some idea what your local laws are and what they permit a provider to collect.
+
+We recommend looking for particular terms such as "data collection", "data analysis", "cookies", "ads" or "3rd-party" services. Sometimes you will be able to opt out from data collection or from sharing your data, but it is best to choose a service that respects your privacy from the start.
+
+Keep in mind you're also placing your trust in the company or organization and that they will comply with their own privacy policy.
+
+## Authentication methods
+
+There are usually multiple ways to sign up for an account, each with their own benefits and drawbacks.
+
+### Email and password
+
+The most common way to create a new account is by an email address and password. When using this method, you should use a password manager and follow [best practices](passwords-overview.md) regarding passwords.
+
+<div class="admonition tip" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Tip</p>
+
+You can use your password manager to organize other authentication methods too! Just add the new entry and fill the appropriate fields, you can add notes for things like security questions or a backup key.
+
+</div>
+
+You will be responsible for managing your login credentials. For added security, you can set up [MFA](multi-factor-authentication.md) on your accounts.
+
+[Recommended password managers](../passwords.md){ .md-button }
+
+#### Email aliases
+
+If you don't want to give your real email address to a service, you have the option to use an alias. We describe them in more detail on our email services recommendation page. Essentially, alias services allow you to generate new email addresses that forward all emails to your main address. This can help prevent tracking across services and help you manage the marketing emails that sometimes come with the sign-up process. Those can be filtered automatically based on the alias they are sent to.
+
+Should a service get hacked, you might start receiving phishing or spam emails to the address you used to sign up. Using unique aliases for each service can assist in identifying exactly what service was hacked.
+
+[Recommended email aliasing services](../email-aliasing.md){ .md-button }
+
+### "Sign in with..." (OAuth)
+
+[Open Authorization (OAuth)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OAuth) is an authentication protocol that allows you to register for a service without sharing much information with the service provider, if any, by using an existing account you have with another service instead. Whenever you see something along the lines of "Sign in with *provider name*" on a registration form, it's typically using OAuth.
+
+When you sign in with OAuth, it will open a login page with the provider you choose, and your existing account and new account will be connected. Your password won't be shared, but some basic information typically will (you can review it during the login request). This process is needed every time you want to log in to the same account.
+
+The main advantages are:
+
+- **Security**: You don't have to trust the security practices of the service you're logging into when it comes to storing your login credentials because they are stored with the external OAuth provider. Common OAuth providers like Apple and Google typically follow the best security practices, continuously audit their authentication systems, and don't store credentials inappropriately (such as in plain text).
+- **Ease-of-use**: Multiple accounts are managed by a single login.
+
+But there are disadvantages:
+
+- **Privacy**: The OAuth provider you log in with will know the services you use.
+- **Centralization**: If the account you use for OAuth is compromised, or you aren't able to log in to it, all other accounts connected to it are affected.
+
+OAuth can be especially useful in those situations where you could benefit from deeper integration between services. Our recommendation is to limit using OAuth to only where you need it, and always protect the main account with [MFA](multi-factor-authentication.md).
+
+All the services that use OAuth will be as secure as your underlying OAuth provider's account. For example, if you want to secure an account with a hardware key, but that service doesn't support hardware keys, you can secure the account you use with OAuth with a hardware key instead, and now you essentially have hardware MFA on all your accounts. It is worth noting though that weak authentication on your OAuth provider account means that any account tied to that login will also be weak.
+
+There is an additional danger when using *Sign in with Google*, *Facebook*, or another service, which is that typically the OAuth process allows for *bidirectional* data sharing. For example, logging in to a forum with your Twitter account could grant that forum access to do things on your Twitter account such as post, read your messages, or access other personal data. OAuth providers will typically present you with a list of things you are granting the external service access to, and you should always ensure that you read through that list and don't inadvertently grant the external service access to anything it doesn't require.
+
+Malicious applications, particularly on mobile devices where the application has access to the WebView session used for logging in to the OAuth provider, can also abuse this process by hijacking your session with the OAuth provider and gaining access to your OAuth account through those means. Using the *Sign in with* option with any provider should usually be considered a matter of convenience that you only use with services you trust to not be actively malicious.
+
+### Phone number
+
+We recommend avoiding services that require a phone number for sign up. A phone number can identify you across multiple services and depending on data sharing agreements this will make your usage easier to track, particularly if one of those services is breached as the phone number is often **not** encrypted.
+
+You should avoid giving out your real phone number if you can. Some services will allow the use of VoIP numbers, however these often trigger fraud detection systems, causing an account to be locked down, so we don't recommend that for important accounts.
+
+In many cases you will need to provide a number that you can receive SMS or calls from, particularly when shopping internationally, in case there is a problem with your order at border screening. It's common for services to use your number as a verification method; don't let yourself get locked out of an important account because you wanted to be clever and give a fake number!
+
+### Username and password
+
+Some services allow you to register without using an email address and only require you to set a username and password. These services may provide increased anonymity when combined with a VPN or Tor. Keep in mind that for these accounts there will most likely be **no way to recover your account** in the event you forget your username or password.

content/wiki/basics/account-deletion.md

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+---
+title: Account Deletion
+icon: material/account-remove
+description: It's easy to accumulate a large number of internet accounts. Here are some tips on how to prune your collection.
+---
+Over time, it can be easy to accumulate a number of online accounts, many of which you may no longer use. Deleting these unused accounts is an important step in reclaiming your privacy, as dormant accounts are vulnerable to data breaches. A data breach occurs when a service's security is compromised and protected information is viewed, transmitted, or stolen by unauthorized actors. Data breaches are unfortunately all [too common](https://haveibeenpwned.com/PwnedWebsites) these days, and so practicing good digital hygiene is the best way to minimize the impact they have on your life. The goal of this guide then is to help navigate you through the irksome process of account deletion, often made difficult by [deceptive design](https://deceptive.design), for the betterment of your online presence.
+
+## Finding Old Accounts
+
+### Password Manager
+
+If you have a password manager that you've used for your entire digital life, this part will be very easy. Oftentimes, they include built-in functionality for detecting if your credentials were exposed in a data breach—such as Bitwarden's [Data Breach Report](https://bitwarden.com/blog/have-you-been-pwned).
+
+<figure markdown>
+  ![Bitwarden's Data Breach Report feature](../assets/img/account-deletion/exposed_passwords.png)
+</figure>
+
+Even if you haven't explicitly used a password manager before, there's a chance you've used the one in your browser ([Firefox](https://support.mozilla.org/kb/password-manager-remember-delete-edit-logins), [Chrome](https://passwords.google.com/intro), [Edge](https://support.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/save-or-forget-passwords-in-microsoft-edge-b4beecb0-f2a8-1ca0-f26f-9ec247a3f336)) or your phone ([Google](https://passwords.google.com/intro) on stock Android, [Passwords](https://support.apple.com/HT211146) on iOS) without even realizing it.
+
+Desktop platforms also often have a password manager which may help you recover passwords you've forgotten about:
+
+- Windows: [Credential Manager](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/accessing-credential-manager-1b5c916a-6a16-889f-8581-fc16e8165ac0)
+- macOS: [Passwords](https://support.apple.com/HT211145)
+- Linux: Gnome Keyring (accessed through [Seahorse](https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/seahorse#seahorse)) or [KDE Wallet Manager](https://userbase.kde.org/KDE_Wallet_Manager)
+
+### Email
+
+If you didn't use a password manager in the past, or you think you have accounts that were never added to your password manager, another option is to search the email account(s) that you believe you signed up on. On your email client, search for keywords such as "verify" or "welcome." Almost every time you make an online account, the service will send a verification link or an introductory message to your email. This can be a good way to find old, forgotten accounts.
+
+## Deleting Old Accounts
+
+### Log In
+
+In order to delete your old accounts, you'll need to first make sure you can log in to them. Again, if the account was in your password manager, this step is easy. If not, you can try to guess your password. Failing that, there are typically options to regain access to your account, commonly available through a "forgot password" link on the login page. It may also be possible that accounts you've abandoned have already been deleted—sometimes services prune all old accounts.
+
+When attempting to regain access, if the site returns an error message saying that email is not associated with an account, or you never receive a reset link after multiple attempts, then you do not have an account under that email address and should try a different one. If you can't figure out which email address you used, or you no longer have access to that email, you can try contacting the service's customer support. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will be able to reclaim access your account.
+
+### GDPR (EEA residents only)
+
+Residents of the EEA have additional rights regarding data erasure specified in [Article 17](https://gdpr-info.eu/art-17-gdpr) of the GDPR. If it's applicable to you, read the privacy policy for any given service to find information on how to exercise your right to erasure. Reading the privacy policy can prove important, as some services have a "Delete Account" option that only disables your account and for real deletion you have to take additional action. Sometimes actual deletion may involve filling out surveys, emailing the data protection officer of the service or even proving your residence in the EEA. If you plan to go this way, do **not** overwrite account information—your identity as an EEA resident may be required. Note that the location of the service does not matter; GDPR applies to anyone serving European users. If the service does not respect your right to erasure, you can contact your national [Data Protection Authority](https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/reform/rights-citizens/redress/what-should-i-do-if-i-think-my-personal-data-protection-rights-havent-been-respected_en) and may be entitled to monetary compensation.
+
+### Overwriting Account information
+
+In some situations where you plan to abandon an account, it may make sense to overwrite the account information with fake data. Once you've made sure you can log in, change all the information in your account to falsified information. The reason for this is that many sites will retain information you previously had even after account deletion. The hope is that they will overwrite the previous information with the newest data you entered. However, there is no guarantee that there won't be backups with the prior information.
+
+For the account email, either create a new alternate email account via your provider of choice or create an alias using an [email aliasing service](../email-aliasing.md). You can then delete your alternate email address once you are done. We recommend against using temporary email providers, as oftentimes it is possible to reactivate temporary emails.
+
+### Delete
+
+You can check [JustDeleteMe](https://justdeleteme.xyz) for instructions on deleting the account for a specific service. Some sites will graciously have a "Delete Account" option, while others will go as far as to force you to speak with a support agent. The deletion process can vary from site to site, with account deletion being impossible on some.
+
+For services that don't allow account deletion, the best thing to do is falsify all your information as previously mentioned and strengthen account security. To do so, enable [MFA](multi-factor-authentication.md) and any extra security features offered. As well, change the password to a randomly-generated one that is the maximum allowed size (a [password manager](../passwords.md) can be useful for this).
+
+If you're satisfied that all information you care about is removed, you can safely forget about this account. If not, it might be a good idea to keep the credentials stored with your other passwords and occasionally re-login to reset the password.
+
+Even when you are able to delete an account, there is no guarantee that all your information will be removed. In fact, some companies are required by law to keep certain information, particularly when related to financial transactions. It's mostly out of your control what happens to your data when it comes to websites and cloud services.
+
+## Avoid New Accounts
+
+As the old saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Whenever you feel tempted to sign up for a new account, ask yourself, "Do I really need this? Can I accomplish what I need to without an account?" It can often be much harder to delete an account than to create one. And even after deleting or changing the info on your account, there might be a cached version from a third-party—like the [Internet Archive](https://archive.org). Avoid the temptation when you're able to—your future self will thank you!

content/wiki/basics/common-misconceptions.md

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+---
+title: "Common Misconceptions"
+icon: 'material/robot-confused'
+description: Privacy isn't a straightforward topic, and it's easy to get caught up in marketing claims and other disinformation.
+schema:
+  -
+    "@context": https://schema.org
+    "@type": FAQPage
+    mainEntity:
+    -
+      "@type": Question
+      name: Is open-source software inherently secure?
+      acceptedAnswer:
+          "@type": Answer
+          text: |
+            Whether the source code is available and how software is licensed does not inherently affect its security in any way. Open-source software has the potential to be more secure than proprietary software, but there is absolutely no guarantee this is the case. When you evaluate software, you should look at the reputation and security of each tool on an individual basis.
+    -
+      "@type": Question
+      name: Can shifting trust to another provider increase privacy?
+      acceptedAnswer:
+          "@type": Answer
+          text: |
+            We talk about "shifting trust" a lot when discussing solutions like VPNs (which shift the trust you place in your ISP to the VPN provider). While this protects your browsing data from your ISP specifically, the VPN provider you choose still has access to your browsing data: Your data isn't completely secured from all parties.
+    -
+      "@type": Question
+      name: Are privacy-focused solutions inherently trustworthy?
+      acceptedAnswer:
+          "@type": Answer
+          text: |
+            Focusing solely on the privacy policies and marketing of a tool or provider can blind you to its weaknesses. When you're looking for a more private solution, you should determine what the underlying problem is and find technical solutions to that problem. For example, you may want to avoid Google Drive, which gives Google access to all of your data. The underlying problem in this case is lack of E2EE, so you should make sure that the provider you switch to actually implements E2EE, or use a tool (like Cryptomator) which provides E2EE on any cloud provider. Switching to a "privacy-focused" provider (that doesn't implement E2EE) doesn't solve your problem: it just shifts trust from Google to that provider.
+    -
+      "@type": Question
+      name: How complicated should my threat model be?
+      acceptedAnswer:
+          "@type": Answer
+          text: |
+            We often see people describing privacy threat models that are overly complex. Often, these solutions include problems like many different email accounts or complicated setups with lots of moving parts and conditions. The replies are usually answers to "What is the best way to do X?"
+            Finding the "best" solution for yourself doesn't necessarily mean you are after an infallible solution with dozens of conditions—these solutions are often difficult to work with realistically. As we discussed previously, security often comes at the cost of convenience.
+---
+
+## "Open-source software is always secure" or "Proprietary software is more secure"
+
+These myths stem from a number of prejudices, but whether the source code is available and how software is licensed does not inherently affect its security in any way. ==Open-source software has the *potential* to be more secure than proprietary software, but there is absolutely no guarantee this is the case.== When you evaluate software, you should look at the reputation and security of each tool on an individual basis.
+
+Open-source software *can* be audited by third-parties, and is often more transparent about potential vulnerabilities than proprietary counterparts. It also allows you to review the code and disable any suspicious functionality you find yourself. However, *unless you do so*, there is no guarantee that code has ever been evaluated, especially with smaller software projects. The open development process has also sometimes been exploited to introduce new vulnerabilities known as [:material-package-variant-closed-remove: Supply Chain Attacks](common-threats.md#attacks-against-certain-organizations){ .pg-viridian }, which are discussed further in our [Common Threats](common-threats.md) page.[^1]
+
+On the flip side, proprietary software is less transparent, but that doesn't imply that it's not secure. Major proprietary software projects can be audited internally and by third-party agencies, and independent security researchers can still find vulnerabilities with techniques like reverse engineering.
+
+To avoid biased decisions, it's *vital* that you evaluate the privacy and security standards of the software you use.
+
+## "Shifting trust can increase privacy"
+
+We talk about "shifting trust" a lot when discussing solutions like VPNs (which shift the trust you place in your ISP to the VPN provider). While this protects your browsing data from your ISP *specifically*, the VPN provider you choose still has access to your browsing data: Your data isn't completely secured from all parties. This means that:
+
+1. You must exercise caution when choosing a provider to shift trust to.
+2. You should still use other techniques, like E2EE, to protect your data completely. Merely distrusting one provider to trust another is not securing your data.
+
+## "Privacy-focused solutions are inherently trustworthy"
+
+Focusing solely on the privacy policies and marketing of a tool or provider can blind you to its weaknesses. When you're looking for a more private solution, you should determine what the underlying problem is and find technical solutions to that problem. For example, you may want to avoid Google Drive, which gives Google access to all of your data. The underlying problem in this case is lack of E2EE, so you should make sure that the provider you switch to actually implements E2EE, or use a tool (like [Cryptomator](../encryption.md#cryptomator-cloud)) which provides E2EE on any cloud provider. Switching to a "privacy-focused" provider (that doesn't implement E2EE) doesn't solve your problem: it just shifts trust from Google to that provider.
+
+The privacy policies and business practices of providers you choose are very important, but should be considered secondary to technical guarantees of your privacy: You shouldn't shift trust to another provider when trusting a provider isn't a requirement at all.
+
+## "Complicated is better"
+
+We often see people describing privacy threat models that are overly complex. Often, these solutions include problems like multiple email accounts or complicated setups with lots of moving parts and conditions. The replies are usually answers to "What is the best way to do *X*?"
+
+Finding the "best" solution for yourself doesn't necessarily mean you are after an infallible solution with dozens of conditions—these solutions are often difficult to work with realistically. As we discussed previously, security often comes at the cost of convenience. Below, we provide some tips:
+
+1. ==Actions need to serve a particular purpose:== think about how to do what you want with the fewest actions.
+2. ==Remove human failure points:== We fail, get tired, and forget things. To maintain security, avoid relying on manual conditions and processes that you have to remember.
+3. ==Use the right level of protection for what you intend.== We often see recommendations of so-called law-enforcement or subpoena-proof solutions. These often require specialist knowledge and generally aren't what people want. There's no point in building an intricate threat model for anonymity if you can be easily deanonymized by a simple oversight.
+
+So, how might this look?
+
+One of the clearest threat models is one where people *know who you are* and one where they do not. There will always be situations where you must declare your legal name and there are others where you don't need to.
+
+1. **Known identity** - A known identity is used for things where you must declare your name. There are many legal documents and contracts where a legal identity is required. This could range from opening a bank account, signing a property lease, obtaining a passport, customs declarations when importing items, or otherwise dealing with your government. These things will usually lead to credentials such as credit cards, credit rating checks, account numbers, and possibly physical addresses.
+
+    We don't suggest using a VPN or Tor for any of these things, as your identity is already known through other means.
+
+    <div class="admonition tip" markdown>
+    <p class="admonition-title">Tip</p>
+
+    When shopping online, the use of a [parcel locker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parcel_locker) can help keep your physical address private.
+
+    </div>
+
+2. **Unknown identity** - An unknown identity could be a stable pseudonym that you regularly use. It is not anonymous because it doesn't change. If you're part of an online community, you may wish to retain a persona that others know. This pseudonym isn't anonymous because—if monitored for long enough—details about the owner can reveal further information, such as the way they write, their general knowledge about topics of interest, etc.
+
+    You may wish to use a VPN for this, to mask your IP address. Financial transactions are more difficult to mask: You could consider using anonymous cryptocurrencies, such as [Monero](../cryptocurrency.md#monero). Employing altcoin shifting may also help to disguise where your currency originated. Typically, exchanges require KYC (know your customer) to be completed before they'll allow you to exchange fiat currency into any kind of cryptocurrency. Local meet-up options may also be a solution; however, those are often more expensive and sometimes also require KYC.
+
+3. **Anonymous identity** - Even with experience, anonymous identities are difficult to maintain over long periods of time. They should be short-term and short-lived identities which are rotated regularly.
+
+    Using Tor can help with this. It is also worth noting that greater anonymity is possible through asynchronous communication: Real-time communication is vulnerable to analysis of typing patterns (i.e. more than a paragraph of text, distributed on a forum, via email, etc.)
+
+[^1]: A notable supply chain attack occurred in March 2024, when a malicious maintainer added an obfuscated backdoor into `xz`, a popular compression library. The backdoor ([CVE-2024-3094](https://cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-3094)) was intended to give an unknown party remote access to most Linux servers via SSH, but it was discovered before it had been widely deployed.

content/wiki/basics/common-threats.md

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+---
+title: "Common Threats"
+icon: 'material/eye-outline'
+description: Your threat model is personal to you, but these are some of the things many visitors to this site care about.
+---
+
+Broadly speaking, we categorize our recommendations into the [threats](threat-modeling.md) or goals that apply to most people. ==You may be concerned with none, one, a few, or all of these possibilities==, and the tools and services you use depend on what your goals are. You may have specific threats outside these categories as well, which is perfectly fine! The important part is developing an understanding of the benefits and shortcomings of the tools you choose to use, because virtually none of them will protect you from every threat.
+
+<span class="pg-purple">:material-incognito: **Anonymity**</span>
+
+:   Shielding your online activity from your real identity, protecting you from people who are trying to uncover *your* identity specifically.
+
+<span class="pg-red">:material-target-account: **Targeted Attacks**</span>
+
+:   Being protected from hackers or other malicious actors who are trying to gain access to *your* data or devices specifically.
+
+<span class="pg-viridian">:material-package-variant-closed-remove: **Supply Chain Attacks**</span>
+
+:    Typically, a form of <span class="pg-red">:material-target-account: Targeted Attack</span> that centers around a vulnerability or exploit introduced into otherwise good software either directly or through a dependency from a third party.
+
+<span class="pg-orange">:material-bug-outline: **Passive Attacks**</span>
+
+:   Being protected from things like malware, data breaches, and other attacks that are made against many people at once.
+
+<span class="pg-teal">:material-server-network: **Service Providers**</span>
+
+:   Protecting your data from service providers (e.g. with E2EE, which renders your data unreadable to the server).
+
+<span class="pg-blue">:material-eye-outline: **Mass Surveillance**</span>
+
+:  Protection from government agencies, organizations, websites, and services which work together to track your activities.
+
+<span class="pg-brown">:material-account-cash: **Surveillance Capitalism**</span>
+
+:   Protecting yourself from big advertising networks, like Google and Facebook, as well as a myriad of other third-party data collectors.
+
+<span class="pg-green">:material-account-search: **Public Exposure**</span>
+
+:   Limiting the information about you that is accessible online—to search engines or the public.
+
+<span class="pg-blue-gray">:material-close-outline: **Censorship**</span>
+
+:   Avoiding censored access to information or being censored yourself when speaking online.
+
+Some of these threats may be more important to you than others, depending on your specific concerns. For example, a software developer with access to valuable or critical data may be primarily concerned with <span class="pg-viridian">:material-package-variant-closed-remove: Supply Chain Attacks</span> and <span class="pg-red">:material-target-account: Targeted Attacks</span>. They will likely still want to protect their personal data from being swept up in <span class="pg-blue">:material-eye-outline: Mass Surveillance</span> programs. Similarly, many people may be primarily concerned with <span class="pg-green">:material-account-search: Public Exposure</span> of their personal data, but they should still be wary of security-focused issues, such as <span class="pg-orange">:material-bug-outline: Passive Attacks</span>—like malware affecting their devices.
+
+## Anonymity vs. Privacy
+
+<span class="pg-purple">:material-incognito: Anonymity</span>
+
+Anonymity is often confused with privacy, but they're distinct concepts. While privacy is a set of choices you make about how your data is used and shared, anonymity is the complete disassociation of your online activities from your real identity.
+
+Whistleblowers and journalists, for example, can have a much more extreme threat model which requires total anonymity. That's not only hiding what they do, what data they have, and not getting hacked by malicious actors or governments, but also hiding who they are entirely. They will often sacrifice any kind of convenience if it means protecting their anonymity, privacy, or security, because their lives could depend on it. Most people don't need to go so far.
+
+## Security and Privacy
+
+<span class="pg-orange">:material-bug-outline: Passive Attacks</span>
+
+Security and privacy are also often confused, because you need security to obtain any semblance of privacy: Using tools—even if they're private by design—is futile if they could be easily exploited by attackers who later release your data. However, the inverse isn't necessarily true: The most secure service in the world *isn't necessarily* private. The best example of this is trusting data to Google who, given their scale, have had few security incidents by employing industry-leading security experts to secure their infrastructure. Even though Google provides very secure services, very few people would consider their data private in Google's free consumer products (Gmail, YouTube, etc.)
+
+When it comes to application security, we generally don't (and sometimes can't) know if the software we use is malicious, or might one day become malicious. Even with the most trustworthy developers, there's generally no guarantee that their software doesn't have a serious vulnerability that could later be exploited.
+
+To minimize the damage that a malicious piece of software *could* do, you should employ security by compartmentalization. For example, this could come in the form of using different computers for different jobs, using virtual machines to separate different groups of related applications, or using a secure operating system with a strong focus on application sandboxing and mandatory access control.
+
+<div class="admonition tip" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Tip</p>
+
+Mobile operating systems generally have better application sandboxing than desktop operating systems: Apps can't obtain root access, and require permission for access to system resources.
+
+Desktop operating systems generally lag behind on proper sandboxing. ChromeOS has similar sandboxing capabilities to Android, and macOS has full system permission control (and developers can opt in to sandboxing for applications). However, these operating systems do transmit identifying information to their respective OEMs. Linux tends to not submit information to system vendors, but it has poor protection against exploits and malicious apps. This can be mitigated somewhat with specialized distributions which make significant use of virtual machines or containers, such as [Qubes OS](../desktop.md#qubes-os).
+
+</div>
+
+## Attacks against Specific Individuals
+
+<span class="pg-red">:material-target-account: Targeted Attacks</span>
+
+Targeted attacks against a specific person are more problematic to deal with. Common attacks include sending malicious documents via email, exploiting vulnerabilities (e.g. in browsers and operating systems), and physical attacks. If this is a concern for you, you should employ more advanced threat mitigation strategies.
+
+<div class="admonition tip" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Tip</p>
+
+By design, **web browsers**, **email clients**, and **office applications** typically run untrusted code, sent to you from third parties. Running multiple virtual machines—to separate applications like these from your host system, as well as each other—is one technique you can use to mitigate the chance of an exploit in these applications compromising the rest of your system. For example, technologies like Qubes OS or Microsoft Defender Application Guard on Windows provide convenient methods to do this.
+
+</div>
+
+If you are concerned about **physical attacks** you should use an operating system with a secure verified boot implementation, such as Android, iOS, macOS, or [Windows (with TPM)](https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/security/information-protection/secure-the-windows-10-boot-process). You should also make sure that your drive is encrypted, and that the operating system uses a TPM or Secure [Enclave](https://support.apple.com/guide/security/secure-enclave-sec59b0b31ff/1/web/1) or [Element](https://developers.google.com/android/security/android-ready-se) to rate limit attempts to enter the encryption passphrase. You should avoid sharing your computer with people you don't trust, because most desktop operating systems don't encrypt data separately per-user.
+
+## Attacks against Certain Organizations
+
+<span class="pg-viridian">:material-package-variant-closed-remove: Supply Chain Attacks</span>
+
+Supply chain attacks are frequently a form of <span class="pg-red">:material-target-account: Targeted Attack</span> towards businesses, governments, and activists, although they can end up compromising the public at large as well.
+
+<div class="admonition example" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Example</p>
+
+A notable example of this occurred in 2017 when M.E.Doc, a popular accounting software in Ukraine, was infected with the *NotPetya* virus, subsequently infecting people who downloaded that software with ransomware. NotPetya itself was a ransomware attack which impacted 2000+ companies in various countries, and was based on the *EternalBlue* exploit developed by the NSA to attack Windows computers over the network.
+
+</div>
+
+There are few ways in which this type of attack might be carried out:
+
+1. A contributor or employee might first work their way into a position of power within a project or organization, and then abuse that position by adding malicious code.
+2. A developer may be coerced by an outside party to add malicious code.
+3. An individual or group might identify a third party software dependency (also known as a library) and work to infiltrate it with the above two methods, knowing that it will be used by "downstream" software developers.
+
+These sorts of attacks can require a lot of time and preparation to perform and are risky because they can be detected, particularly in open source projects if they are popular and have outside interest. Unfortunately they're also one of the most dangerous as they are very hard to mitigate entirely. We would encourage readers to only use software which has a good reputation and makes an effort to reduce risk by:
+
+1. Only adopting popular software that has been around for a while. The more interest in a project, the greater likelihood that external parties will notice malicious changes. A malicious actor will also need to spend more time gaining community trust with meaningful contributions.
+2. Finding software which releases binaries with widely-used, trusted build infrastructure platforms, as opposed to developer workstations or self-hosted servers. Some systems like GitHub Actions let you inspect the build script that runs publicly for extra confidence. This lessens the likelihood that malware on a developer's machine could infect their packages, and gives confidence that the binaries produced are in fact produced correctly.
+3. Looking for code signing on individual source code commits and releases, which creates an auditable trail of who did what. For example: Was the malicious code in the software repository? Which developer added it? Was it added during the build process?
+4. Checking whether the source code has meaningful commit messages (such as [conventional commits](https://conventionalcommits.org)) which explain what each change is supposed to accomplish. Clear messages can make it easier for outsiders to the project to verify, audit, and find bugs.
+5. Noting the number of contributors or maintainers a program has. A lone developer may be more susceptible to being coerced into adding malicious code by an external party, or to negligently enabling undesirable behavior. This may very well mean software developed by "Big Tech" has more scrutiny than a lone developer who doesn't answer to anyone.
+
+## Privacy from Service Providers
+
+<span class="pg-teal">:material-server-network: Service Providers</span>
+
+We live in a world where almost everything is connected to the internet. Our "private" messages, emails, and social interactions are typically stored on a server, somewhere. Generally, when you send someone a message it's stored on a server, and when your friend wants to read the message the server will show it to them.
+
+The obvious problem with this is that the service provider (or a hacker who has compromised the server) can access your conversations whenever and however they want, without you ever knowing. This applies to many common services, like SMS messaging, Telegram, and Discord.
+
+Thankfully, E2EE can alleviate this issue by encrypting communications between you and your desired recipients before they are even sent to the server. The confidentiality of your messages is guaranteed, assuming the service provider doesn't have access to the private keys of either party.
+
+<div class="admonition note" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Note on Web-based Encryption</p>
+
+In practice, the effectiveness of different E2EE implementations varies. Applications, such as [Signal](../real-time-communication.md#signal), run natively on your device, and every copy of the application is the same across different installations. If the service provider were to introduce a [backdoor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backdoor_(computing)) in their application—in an attempt to steal your private keys—it could later be detected with [reverse engineering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_engineering).
+
+On the other hand, web-based E2EE implementations, such as Proton Mail's web app or Bitwarden's *Web Vault*, rely on the server dynamically serving JavaScript code to the browser to handle cryptography. A malicious server can target you and send you malicious JavaScript code to steal your encryption key (and it would be extremely hard to notice). Because the server can choose to serve different web clients to different people—even if you noticed the attack—it would be incredibly hard to prove the provider's guilt.
+
+Therefore, you should use native applications over web clients whenever possible.
+
+</div>
+
+Even with E2EE, service providers can still profile you based on **metadata**, which typically isn't protected. While the service provider can't read your messages, they can still observe important things, such as whom you're talking to, how often you message them, and when you're typically active. Protection of metadata is fairly uncommon, and—if it's within your [threat model](threat-modeling.md)—you should pay close attention to the technical documentation of the software you're using to see if there's any metadata minimization or protection at all.
+
+## Mass Surveillance Programs
+
+<span class="pg-blue">:material-eye-outline: Mass Surveillance</span>
+
+Mass surveillance is the intricate effort to monitor the "behavior, many activities, or information" of an entire (or substantial fraction of a) population.[^1] It often refers to government programs, such as the ones [disclosed by Edward Snowden in 2013](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_surveillance_disclosures_(2013%E2%80%93present)). However, it can also be carried out by corporations, either on behalf of government agencies or by their own initiative.
+
+<div class="admonition abstract" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Atlas of Surveillance</p>
+
+If you want to learn more about surveillance methods and how they're implemented in your city you can also take a look at the [Atlas of Surveillance](https://atlasofsurveillance.org) by the [Electronic Frontier Foundation](https://eff.org).
+
+In France, you can take a look at the [Technopolice website](https://technopolice.fr/villes) maintained by the non-profit association La Quadrature du Net.
+
+</div>
+
+Governments often justify mass surveillance programs as necessary means to combat terrorism and prevent crime. However, as breaches of human rights, they're most often used to disproportionately target minority groups and political dissidents, among others.
+
+<div class="admonition quote" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">ACLU: <em><a href="https://aclu.org/news/national-security/the-privacy-lesson-of-9-11-mass-surveillance-is-not-the-way-forward">The Privacy Lesson of 9/11: Mass Surveillance is Not the Way Forward</a></em></p>
+
+In the face of Edward Snowden's disclosures of government programs such as [PRISM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM) and [Upstream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upstream_collection), intelligence officials also admitted that the NSA had for years been secretly collecting records about virtually every American’s phone calls — who’s calling whom, when those calls are made, and how long they last. This kind of information, when amassed by the NSA day after day, can reveal incredibly sensitive details about people’s lives and associations, such as whether they have called a pastor, an abortion provider, an addiction counselor, or a suicide hotline.
+
+</div>
+
+Despite growing mass surveillance in the United States, the government has found that mass surveillance programs like Section 215 have had "little unique value" with respect to stopping actual crimes or terrorist plots, with efforts largely duplicating the FBI's own targeted surveillance programs.[^2]
+
+Online, you can be tracked via a variety of methods, including but not limited to:
+
+- Your IP address
+- Browser cookies
+- The data you submit to websites
+- Your browser or device fingerprint
+- Payment method correlation
+
+If you're concerned about mass surveillance programs, you can use strategies like compartmentalizing your online identities, blending in with other users, or, whenever possible, simply avoiding giving out identifying information.
+
+## Surveillance as a Business Model
+
+<span class="pg-brown">:material-account-cash: Surveillance Capitalism</span>
+
+> Surveillance capitalism is an economic system centered around the capture and commodification of personal data for the core purpose of profit-making.[^3]
+
+For many people, tracking and surveillance by private corporations is a growing concern. Pervasive ad networks, such as those operated by Google and Facebook, span the internet far beyond just the sites they control, tracking your actions along the way. Using tools like content blockers to limit network requests to their servers, and reading the privacy policies of the services you use can help you avoid many basic adversaries (although it can't completely prevent tracking).[^4]
+
+Additionally, even companies outside the *AdTech* or tracking industry can share your information with [data brokers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_broker) (such as Cambridge Analytica, Experian, or Datalogix) or other parties. You can't automatically assume your data is safe just because the service you're using doesn't fall within the typical AdTech or tracking business model. The strongest protection against corporate data collection is to encrypt or obfuscate your data whenever possible, making it difficult for different providers to correlate data with each other and build a profile on you.
+
+## Limiting Public Information
+
+<span class="pg-green">:material-account-search: Public Exposure</span>
+
+The best way to keep your data private is simply not making it public in the first place. Deleting unwanted information you find about yourself online is one of the best first steps you can take to regain your privacy.
+
+- [View our guide on account deletion :material-arrow-right-drop-circle:](account-deletion.md)
+
+On sites where you do share information, checking the privacy settings of your account to limit how widely that data is spread is very important. For example, enable "private mode" on your accounts if given the option: This ensures that your account isn't being indexed by search engines, and that it can't be viewed without your permission.
+
+If you've already submitted your real information to sites which shouldn't have it, consider using disinformation tactics, like submitting fictitious information related to that online identity. This makes your real information indistinguishable from the false information.
+
+## Avoiding Censorship
+
+<span class="pg-blue-gray">:material-close-outline: Censorship</span>
+
+Censorship online can be carried out (to varying degrees) by actors including totalitarian governments, network administrators, and service providers. These efforts to control communication and restrict access to information will always be incompatible with the human right to Freedom of Expression.[^5]
+
+Censorship on corporate platforms is increasingly common, as platforms like Twitter and Facebook give in to public demand, market pressures, and pressures from government agencies. Government pressures can be covert requests to businesses, such as the White House [requesting the takedown](https://nytimes.com/2012/09/17/technology/on-the-web-a-fine-line-on-free-speech-across-globe.html) of a provocative YouTube video, or overt, such as the Chinese government requiring companies to adhere to a strict regime of censorship.
+
+People concerned with the threat of censorship can use technologies like [Tor](../advanced/tor-overview.md) to circumvent it, and support censorship-resistant communication platforms like [Matrix](../social-networks.md#element), which doesn't have a centralized account authority that can close accounts arbitrarily.
+
+<div class="admonition tip" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Tip</p>
+
+While evading censorship itself can be easy, hiding the fact that you are doing it can be very problematic.
+
+You should consider which aspects of the network your adversary can observe, and whether you have plausible deniability for your actions. For example, using [encrypted DNS](../advanced/dns-overview.md#what-is-encrypted-dns) can help you bypass rudimentary, DNS-based censorship systems, but it can't truly hide what you are visiting from your ISP. A VPN or Tor can help hide what you are visiting from network administrators, but can't hide that you're using those networks in the first place. Pluggable transports (such as Obfs4proxy, Meek, or Shadowsocks) can help you evade firewalls that block common VPN protocols or Tor, but your circumvention attempts can still be detected by methods like probing or [deep packet inspection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_packet_inspection).
+
+</div>
+
+You must always consider the risks of trying to bypass censorship, the potential consequences, and how sophisticated your adversary may be. You should be cautious with your software selection, and have a backup plan in case you are caught.
+
+[^1]: Wikipedia: [*Mass Surveillance*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_surveillance) and [*Surveillance*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance).
+[^2]: United States Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board: [*Report on the Telephone Records Program Conducted under Section 215*](https://documents.pclob.gov/prod/Documents/OversightReport/ec542143-1079-424a-84b3-acc354698560/215-Report_on_the_Telephone_Records_Program.pdf)
+[^3]: Wikipedia: [*Surveillance capitalism*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance_capitalism)
+[^4]: "[Enumerating badness](https://ranum.com/security/computer_security/editorials/dumb)" (or, "listing all the bad things that we know about"), as many content blockers and antivirus programs do, fails to adequately protect you from new and unknown threats because they have not yet been added to the filter list. You should also employ other mitigation techniques.
+[^5]: United Nations: [*Universal Declaration of Human Rights*](https://un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights).

content/wiki/basics/email-security.md

@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+---
+meta_title: "Why Email Isn't the Best Choice for Privacy and Security - Privacy Guides"
+title: Email Security
+icon: material/email
+description: Email is insecure in many ways, and these are some of the reasons it isn't our top choice for secure communications.
+---
+
+Email is an insecure form of communication by default. You can improve your email security with tools such as OpenPGP, which add end-to-end encryption to your messages, but OpenPGP still has a number of drawbacks compared to encryption in other messaging applications.
+
+As a result, email is best used for receiving transactional emails (like notifications, verification emails, password resets, etc.) from the services you sign up for online, not for communicating with others.
+
+## Email Encryption Overview
+
+The standard way to add E2EE to emails between different email providers is by using OpenPGP. There are different implementations of the OpenPGP standard, the most common being [GnuPG](../encryption.md#gnu-privacy-guard) and [OpenPGP.js](https://openpgpjs.org).
+
+Even if you use OpenPGP, it does not support [forward secrecy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_secrecy), which means if the private key of either you or the message recipient is ever stolen, all previous messages encrypted with it will be exposed. This is why we recommend [instant messengers](../real-time-communication.md) which implement forward secrecy over email for person-to-person communications whenever possible.
+
+There is another standard which is popular with business called [S/MIME](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S/MIME), however it requires a certificate issued from a [Certificate Authority](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_authority) (not all of them issue S/MIME certificates, and often a yearly payment is required). In some cases it is more usable than PGP because it has support in popular/mainstream email applications like Apple Mail, [Google Workplace](https://support.google.com/a/topic/9061730), and [Outlook](https://support.office.com/article/encrypt-messages-by-using-s-mime-in-outlook-on-the-web-878c79fc-7088-4b39-966f-14512658f480). However, S/MIME does not solve the issue of lack of forward secrecy, and isn't particularly more secure than PGP.
+
+## What is the Web Key Directory standard?
+
+The [Web Key Directory (WKD)](https://wiki.gnupg.org/WKD) standard allows email clients to discover the OpenPGP key for other mailboxes, even those hosted on a different provider. Email clients which support WKD will ask the recipient's server for a key based on the email address' domain name. For example, if you emailed `jonah@privacyguides.org`, your email client would ask `privacyguides.org` for Jonah's OpenPGP key, and if `privacyguides.org` has a key for that account, your message would be automatically encrypted.
+
+In addition to the [email clients we recommend](../email-clients.md) which support WKD, some webmail providers also support WKD. Whether *your own* key is published to WKD for others to use depends on your domain configuration. If you use an [email provider](../email.md#openpgp-compatible-services) which supports WKD, such as Proton Mail or Mailbox Mail, they can publish your OpenPGP key on their domain for you.
+
+If you use your own custom domain, you will need to configure WKD separately. If you control your domain name, you can set up WKD regardless of your email provider. One easy way to do this is to use the "[WKD as a Service](https://keys.openpgp.org/about/usage#wkd-as-a-service)" feature from the `keys.openpgp.org` server: Set a CNAME record on the `openpgpkey` subdomain of your domain pointed to `wkd.keys.openpgp.org`, then upload your key to [keys.openpgp.org](https://keys.openpgp.org). Alternatively, you can [self-host WKD on your own web server](https://wiki.gnupg.org/WKDHosting).
+
+If you use a shared domain from a provider which doesn't support WKD, like `@gmail.com`, you won't be able to share your OpenPGP key with others via this method.
+
+### What Email Clients Support E2EE?
+
+Email providers which allow you to use standard access protocols like IMAP and SMTP can be used with any of the [email clients we recommend](../email-clients.md). Depending on the authentication method, this may lead to decreased security if either the provider or the email client does not support [OAuth](account-creation.md#sign-in-with-oauth) or a bridge application as [multifactor authentication](multi-factor-authentication.md) is not possible with plain password authentication.
+
+### How Do I Protect My Private Keys?
+
+A smart card (such as a [YubiKey](https://support.yubico.com/hc/articles/360013790259-Using-Your-YubiKey-with-OpenPGP) or [Nitrokey](../security-keys.md#nitrokey)) works by receiving an encrypted email message from a device (phone, tablet, computer, etc.) running an email/webmail client. The message is then decrypted by the smart card and the decrypted content is sent back to the device.
+
+It is advantageous for the decryption to occur on the smart card to avoid possibly exposing your private key to a compromised device.
+
+## Email Metadata Overview
+
+Email metadata is stored in the [message header](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email#Message_header) of the email message and includes some visible headers that you may have seen such as `To`, `From`, `Cc`, `Date`, and `Subject`. There are also a number of hidden headers included by many email clients and providers that can reveal information about your account.
+
+Client software may use email metadata to show who a message is from and what time it was received. Servers may use it to determine where an email message must be sent, among [other purposes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email#Message_header) which are not always transparent.
+
+### Who Can View Email Metadata?
+
+Email metadata is protected from outside observers with [opportunistic TLS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunistic_TLS), but it is still able to be seen by your email client software (or webmail) and any servers relaying the message from you to any recipients including your email provider. Sometimes email servers will also use third-party services to protect against spam, which generally also have access to your messages.
+
+### Why Can't Metadata be E2EE?
+
+Email metadata is crucial to the most basic functionality of email (where it came from, and where it has to go). E2EE was not built into standard email protocols originally, instead requiring add-on software like OpenPGP. Because OpenPGP messages still have to work with traditional email providers, it cannot encrypt some of this email metadata required for identifying the parties communicating. That means that even when using OpenPGP, outside observers can see lots of information about your messages, such as whom you're emailing, when you're emailing, etc.

content/wiki/basics/hardware.md

@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+---
+title: "Choosing Your Hardware"
+icon: 'material/chip'
+description: Software isn't all that matters; learn about the hardware tools you use every day to protect your privacy.
+---
+
+When it comes to discussions about privacy, hardware is often not thought about as much as what software we use. Your hardware should be considered the foundation on which you build the rest of your privacy setup.
+
+## Picking a Computer
+
+The internals of your devices process and store all of your digital data. It is important that all devices are supported by the manufacturer and developers by continuing to receive security updates.
+
+### Hardware Security Programs
+
+Some devices will have a "hardware security program", which is a collaboration between vendors on best practices and recommendations when designing hardware, for example:
+
+- [Windows Secured-core PCs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/device-experiences/oem-highly-secure-11) meet a higher security criteria specified by Microsoft. These protections aren't only applicable to Windows users; Users of other operating systems can still take advantage of features like [DMA protection](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/information-protection/kernel-dma-protection-for-thunderbolt) and the ability to completely distrust Microsoft certificates.
+- [Android Ready SE](https://developers.google.com/android/security/android-ready-se) is a collaboration between vendors to ensure their devices follow [best practices](https://source.android.com/docs/security/best-practices/hardware) and include tamper resistant hardware backed storage for things like encryption keys.
+- macOS running on an Apple SoC takes advantage of [hardware security](../os/macos-overview.md#hardware-security) which may not be available with third party operating systems.
+- [ChromeOS security](https://chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-library/reference/security/security-whitepaper) is at its best when running on a Chromebook as it is able to make use of available hardware features such as the [hardware root-of-trust](https://chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-library/reference/security/security-whitepaper/#hardware-root-of-trust-and-verified-boot).
+
+Even if you don't use these operating systems, participation in these programs may indicate that the manufacturer is following best practices when it comes to hardware security and updates.
+
+### Preinstalled OS
+
+New computers nearly always come with Windows preinstalled, unless you buy a Mac or a specialty Linux machine. It's usually a good idea to wipe the drive and install a fresh copy of your operating system of choice, even if that means just reinstalling Windows from scratch. Due to agreements between hardware vendors and shady software vendors, the default Windows install often comes preloaded with bloatware, [adware](https://bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/lenovo-gets-a-slap-on-the-wrist-for-superfish-adware-scandal), or even [malware](https://zdnet.com/article/dell-poweredge-motherboards-ship-with-malware).
+
+### Firmware Updates
+
+Hardware often has security issues that are discovered and patched through firmware updates for your hardware.
+
+Almost every component of your computer requires firmware to operate, from your motherboard to your storage devices. It is ideal for all the components of your device to be fully supported. Apple devices, Chromebooks, most Android phones, and Microsoft Surface devices will handle firmware updates for you as long as the device is supported.
+
+If you build your own PC, you may need to manually update your motherboard's firmware by downloading it from your OEM's website. If you use Linux, consider using the built-in [`fwupd`](https://fwupd.org) tool that will let you check for and apply any firmware updates available for your motherboard.
+
+### TPM/Secure Cryptoprocessor
+
+Most computers and phones come equipped with a TPM (or a similar secure cryptoprocessor) which safely stores your encryption keys and handles other security-related functions. If you're currently using a machine that doesn't have one of these, you might benefit from purchasing a newer computer that has this feature. Some desktop and server motherboards have a "TPM header" which can accept a small accessory board containing the TPM.
+
+<div class="admonition Note" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
+
+Virtual TPMs are susceptible to side-channel attacks and external TPMs, as a result of being separate from the CPU on the motherboard, are vulnerable to [sniffing](https://pulsesecurity.co.nz/articles/TPM-sniffing) when an attacker has access to the hardware. The solution to this problem is to include the secure processor inside the CPU itself, which is the case for Apple's chips and Microsoft's [Pluton](https://microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2020/11/17/meet-the-microsoft-pluton-processor-the-security-chip-designed-for-the-future-of-windows-pcs).
+
+</div>
+
+### Biometrics
+
+Many devices come equipped with a fingerprint reader or face recognition capabilities. These can be very convenient, but they aren't perfect and sometimes fail. Most devices will fall back to a PIN or password when this happens, meaning that the security of your devices is still only as good as your password.
+
+Biometrics can prevent someone from watching you type in your password, so if shoulder-surfing is part of your threat model then biometrics are a good option.
+
+Most implementations of face authentication require you to be looking at your phone and also only work from a relatively close distance, so you don't need to worry too much about someone pointing your phone at your face to unlock it without your consent. You can still disable biometrics when your phone is locked if you want. On iOS, you can hold the side button and a volume button for 3 seconds to disable Face ID on models that support it. On Android, hold the power button and press Lockdown on the menu.
+
+<div class="admonition warning" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
+
+Some devices do not have the proper hardware for secure face authentication. There are two main types of face authentication: 2D and 3D. 3D face authentication makes use of a dot projector that lets the device create a 3D depth map of your face. Make sure that your device has this capability.
+
+</div>
+
+Android defines three [security classes](https://source.android.com/docs/security/features/biometric/measure#biometric-classes) for biometrics; you should check that your device is Class 3 before enabling biometrics.
+
+### Device Encryption
+
+If your device is [encrypted](../encryption.md), your data is most secure when your device is completely powered off (as opposed to merely asleep), i.e. before you've entered your encryption key or lock screen password for the first time. On phones, this state of higher security is referred to as "Before First Unlock" (BFU), and "After First Unlock" (AFU) once you enter the correct password after a reboot/power-on. AFU is considerably less secure against digital forensics toolkits and other exploits, compared to BFU. Therefore, if you are concerned about an attacker with physical access to your device, you should turn it off fully whenever you aren't using it.
+
+This may be impractical, so consider whether it's worth it, but in either case even AFU mode is effective against most threats, given you are using a strong encryption key.
+
+## External Hardware
+
+Some threats can't be protected against by your internal components alone. Many of these options are highly situational; please evaluate if they are really necessary for your threat model.
+
+### Hardware Security Keys
+
+Hardware keys are devices that use strong cryptography to authenticate you to a device or account. The idea is that because they can not be copied, you can use them to secure accounts in such a way that they can only be accessed with physical possession of the key, eliminating many remote attacks.
+
+[Recommended Hardware Keys :material-arrow-right-drop-circle:](../security-keys.md){ .md-button .md-button--primary } [Learn More about Hardware Keys :material-arrow-right-drop-circle:](multi-factor-authentication.md#hardware-security-keys){ .md-button }
+
+### Camera/Microphone
+
+If you don't want to trust your OS's permission controls to prevent the camera from activating in the first place, you can buy camera blockers that physically prevent light from reaching the camera. You could also buy a device that doesn't have a built-in camera and use an external camera that you can unplug whenever you're done using it. Some devices come with built-in camera blockers or hardware switches that physically disconnect the camera from power.
+
+<div class="admonition warning" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
+
+You should only buy covers that fit your laptop and won't cause damage when you close the lid. Covering the camera will interfere with automatic brightness and face authentication features.
+
+</div>
+
+For microphone access, in most cases you will need to trust your OS's built-in permission controls. Alternatively, buy a device that doesn't have a built-in microphone and use an external microphone that you can unplug when you're done using it. Some devices, like a [MacBook or an iPad](https://support.apple.com/guide/security/hardware-microphone-disconnect-secbbd20b00b/web), feature a hardware disconnect for the microphone when you close the lid.
+
+Many computers have a BIOS option to disable the camera and microphone. When disabled there, the hardware won't even appear as a device on a booted system.
+
+### Privacy Screens
+
+Privacy screens are a film you can put over your normal screen so that the screen is only visible from a certain angle. These are good if your threat model includes others peeking at your screen, but it is not foolproof as anyone could just move to a different viewing angle and see what's on your screen.
+
+### Dead Man's Switches
+
+A dead man's switch stops a piece of machinery from operating without the presence of a human operator. These were originally designed as a safety measure, but the same concept can be applied to an electronic device to lock it when you're not present.
+
+Some laptops are able to [detect](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/managing-presence-sensing-settings-in-windows-11-82285c93-440c-4e15-9081-c9e38c1290bb) when you're present and can lock automatically when you aren't sitting in front of the screen. You should check the settings in your OS to see if your computer supports this feature.
+
+You can also get cables, like [BusKill](https://buskill.in), that will lock or wipe your computer when the cable is disconnected.
+
+### Anti-Interdiction/Evil Maid Attack
+
+The best way to prevent a targeted attack against you before a device is in your possession is to purchase a device in a physical store, rather than ordering it to your address.
+
+Make sure your device supports secure boot/verified boot, and you have it enabled. Try to avoid leaving your device unattended whenever possible.
+
+### Kensington Locks
+
+Many laptops come equipped with a [Kensington slot](https://www.kensington.com/solutions/product-category/security/?srsltid=AfmBOorQOlRnqRJOAqM-Mvl7wumed0wBdiOgktlvdidpMHNIvGfwj9VI) that can be used to secure your device with a **metal cable** that locks into the slot on your machine. These locks can be combination locks or keyed.
+
+As with all locks, Kensington locks are vulnerable to [physical attacks](https://youtu.be/vgvCxL7dMJk) so you should mainly use them to deter petty theft. You can secure your laptop at home or even when you're out in public using a table leg or something that won't move easily.
+
+## Secure your Network
+
+### Compartmentalization
+
+Many solutions exist that allow you to separate what you're doing on a computer, such as virtual machines and sandboxing. However, the best compartmentalization is physical separation. This is useful especially for situations where certain software requires you to bypass security features in your OS, such as with anti-cheat software bundled with many games.
+
+For gaming, it may be useful to designate one machine as your "gaming" machine and only use it for that one task. Keep it on a separate VLAN. This may require the use of a managed switch and a router that supports segregated networks.
+
+Most consumer routers allow you to do this by enabling a separate "guest" network that can't talk to your main network. All untrusted devices can go here, including IoT devices like your smart fridge, thermostat, TV, etc.
+
+### Minimalism
+
+As the saying goes, "less is more". The fewer devices you have connected to your network, the less potential attack surface you'll have and the less work it will be to make sure they all stay up-to-date.
+
+You may find it useful to go around your home and make a list of every connected device you have to help you keep track.
+
+### Routers
+
+Your router handles all your network traffic and acts as your first line of defense between you and the open internet.
+
+<div class="admonition Note" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
+
+A lot of routers come with storage to put your files on so you can access them from any computer on your network. We recommend you don't use networking devices for things other than networking. In the event your router was compromised, your files would also be compromised.
+
+</div>
+
+The most important thing to think about with routers is keeping them up-to-date. Many modern routers will automatically install updates, but many others won't. You should check on your router's settings page for this option. That page can usually be accessed by typing `192.168.1.1` or `192.168.0.1` into the URL bar of any browser assuming you're on the same network. You can also check in the network settings of your OS for "router" or "gateway".
+
+If your router does not support automatic updates, you will need to go to the manufacturer's site to download the updates and apply them manually.
+
+Many consumer-grade routers aren't supported for very long. If your router isn't supported by the manufacturer anymore, you can check if it's supported by [FOSS firmware](../router.md). You can also buy routers that come with FOSS firmware installed by default; these tend to be supported longer than most routers.
+
+Some ISPs provide a combined router/modem. It can be beneficial for security to purchase a separate router and set your ISP router/modem into modem-only mode. This way, even when your ISP-provided router is no longer getting updates, you can still get security updates and patches. It also means any problems that affect your modem won't affect your router and vice versa.

content/wiki/basics/multi-factor-authentication.md

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+---
+title: Multifactor Authentication
+icon: material/two-factor-authentication
+description: MFA is a critical security mechanism for securing your online accounts, but some methods are stronger than others.
+---
+**Multifactor Authentication** (**MFA**) is a security mechanism that requires additional steps beyond entering your username (or email) and password. The most common method is time limited codes you might receive from SMS or an app.
+
+Normally, if a hacker (or adversary) is able to figure out your password then they’d gain access to the account that password belongs to. An account with MFA forces the hacker to have both the password (something you *know*) and a device that you own (something you *have*), like your phone.
+
+MFA methods vary in security, but are based on the premise that the more difficult it is for an attacker to gain access to your MFA method, the better. Examples of MFA methods (from weakest to strongest) include SMS, Email codes, app push notifications, TOTP, Yubico OTP and FIDO.
+
+## MFA Method Comparison
+
+### SMS or Email MFA
+
+Receiving OTP codes via SMS or email are one of the weaker ways to secure your accounts with MFA. Obtaining a code by email or SMS takes away from the "something you *have*" idea, because there are a variety of ways a hacker could [take over your phone number](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_swap_scam) or gain access to your email without having physical access to any of your devices at all. If an unauthorized person gained access to your email, they would be able to use that access to both reset your password and receive the authentication code, giving them full access to your account.
+
+### Push Notifications
+
+Push notification MFA takes the form of a message being sent to an app on your phone asking you to confirm new account logins. This method is a lot better than SMS or email, since an attacker typically wouldn't be able to get these push notifications without having an already logged-in device, which means they would need to compromise one of your other devices first.
+
+We all make mistakes, and there is the risk that you might accept the login attempt by accident. Push notification login authorizations are typically sent to *all* your devices at once, widening the availability of the MFA code if you have many devices.
+
+The security of push notification MFA is dependent on both the quality of the app, the server component and the trust of the developer who produces it. Installing an app may also require you to accept invasive privileges that grant access to other data on your device. An individual app also requires that you have a specific app for each service which may not require a password to open, unlike a good TOTP generator app.
+
+### Time-based One-time Password (TOTP)
+
+TOTP is one of the most common forms of MFA available. When you set up TOTP, you are generally required to scan a [QR Code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code) which establishes a "[shared secret](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_secret)" with the service that you intend to use. The shared secret is secured inside the authenticator app's data, and is sometimes protected by a password.
+
+The time-limited code is then derived from the shared secret and the current time. As the code is only valid for a short time, without access to the shared secret, an adversary cannot generate new codes.
+
+If you have a hardware security key with TOTP support (such as a YubiKey with [Yubico Authenticator](https://yubico.com/products/yubico-authenticator)), we recommend that you store your "shared secrets" on the hardware. Hardware such as the YubiKey was developed with the intention of making the "shared secret" difficult to extract and copy. A YubiKey is also not connected to the Internet, unlike a phone with a TOTP app.
+
+Unlike [WebAuthn](#fido-fast-identity-online), TOTP offers no protection against [phishing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing) or reuse attacks. If an adversary obtains a valid code from you, they may use it as many times as they like until it expires (generally 60 seconds).
+
+An adversary could set up a website to imitate an official service in an attempt to trick you into giving out your username, password and current TOTP code. If the adversary then uses those recorded credentials they may be able to log into the real service and hijack the account.
+
+Although not perfect, TOTP is secure enough for most people, and when [hardware security keys](../security-keys.md) are not supported [authenticator apps](../multi-factor-authentication.md) are still a good option.
+
+### Hardware security keys
+
+The YubiKey stores data on a tamper-resistant solid-state chip which is [impossible to access](https://security.stackexchange.com/a/245772) non-destructively without an expensive process and a forensics laboratory.
+
+These keys are generally multi-function and provide a number of methods to authenticate. Below are the most common ones.
+
+#### Yubico OTP
+
+Yubico OTP is an authentication protocol typically implemented in hardware security keys. When you decide to use Yubico OTP, the key will generate a public ID, private ID, and a Secret Key which is then uploaded to the Yubico OTP server.
+
+When logging into a website, all you need to do is to physically touch the security key. The security key will emulate a keyboard and print out a one-time password into the password field.
+
+The service will then forward the one-time password to the Yubico OTP server for validation. A counter is incremented both on the key and Yubico's validation server. The OTP can only be used once, and when a successful authentication occurs, the counter is increased which prevents reuse of the OTP. Yubico provides a [detailed document](https://developers.yubico.com/OTP/OTPs_Explained.html) about the process.
+
+<figure markdown>
+  ![Yubico OTP](../assets/img/multi-factor-authentication/yubico-otp.png)
+</figure>
+
+There are some benefits and disadvantages to using Yubico OTP when compared to TOTP.
+
+The Yubico validation server is a cloud based service, and you're placing trust in Yubico that they are storing data securely and not profiling you. The public ID associated with Yubico OTP is reused on every website and could be another avenue for third-parties to profile you. Like TOTP, Yubico OTP does not provide phishing resistance.
+
+If your threat model requires you to have different identities on different websites, **do not** use Yubico OTP with the same hardware security key across those websites as public ID is unique to each security key.
+
+#### FIDO (Fast IDentity Online)
+
+[FIDO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIDO_Alliance) includes a number of standards, first there was [U2F](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_2nd_Factor) and then later [FIDO2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIDO2_Project) which includes the web standard [WebAuthn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebAuthn).
+
+U2F and FIDO2 refer to the [Client to Authenticator Protocol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Client_to_Authenticator_Protocol), which is the protocol between the security key and the computer, such as a laptop or phone. It complements WebAuthn which is the component used to authenticate with the website (the "Relying Party") you're trying to log in on.
+
+WebAuthn is the most secure and private form of second factor authentication. While the authentication experience is similar to Yubico OTP, the key does not print out a one-time password and validate with a third-party server. Instead, it uses [public key cryptography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography) for authentication.
+
+<figure markdown>
+  ![FIDO](../assets/img/multi-factor-authentication/fido.png)
+</figure>
+
+When you create an account, the public key is sent to the service, then when you log in, the service will require you to "sign" some data with your private key. The benefit of this is that no password data is ever stored by the service, so there is nothing for an adversary to steal.
+
+This presentation discusses the history of password authentication, the pitfalls (such as password reuse), and the standards for FIDO2 and [WebAuthn](https://webauthn.guide):
+
+- [How FIDO2 and WebAuthn Stop Account Takeovers](https://youtu.be/aMo4ZlWznao) <small>(YouTube)</small>
+
+FIDO2 and WebAuthn have superior security and privacy properties when compared to any MFA methods.
+
+Typically, for web services it is used with WebAuthn which is a part of the [W3C recommendations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Web_Consortium#W3C_recommendation_(REC)). It uses public key authentication and is more secure than shared secrets used in Yubico OTP and TOTP methods, as it includes the origin name (usually, the domain name) during authentication. Attestation is provided to protect you from phishing attacks, as it helps you to determine that you are using the authentic service and not a fake copy.
+
+Unlike Yubico OTP, WebAuthn does not use any public ID, so the key is **not** identifiable across different websites. It also does not use any third-party cloud server for authentication. All communication is completed between the key and the website you are logging into. FIDO also uses a counter which is incremented upon use in order to prevent session reuse and cloned keys.
+
+If a website or service supports WebAuthn for the authentication, it is highly recommended that you use it over any other form of MFA.
+
+## General Recommendations
+
+We have these general recommendations:
+
+### Which Method Should I Use?
+
+When configuring your MFA method, keep in mind that it is only as secure as your weakest authentication method you use. This means it is important that you only use the best MFA method available. For instance, if you are already using TOTP, you should disable email and SMS MFA. If you are already using FIDO2/WebAuthn, you should not be using Yubico OTP or TOTP on your account.
+
+### Backups
+
+You should always have backups for your MFA method. Hardware security keys can get lost, stolen or simply stop working over time. It is recommended that you have a pair of hardware security keys with the same access to your accounts instead of just one.
+
+When using TOTP with an authenticator app, be sure to back up your recovery keys or the app itself, or copy the "shared secrets" to another instance of the app on a different phone or to an encrypted container (e.g. [VeraCrypt](../encryption.md#veracrypt-disk)).
+
+### Initial Set Up
+
+When buying a security key, it is important that you change the default credentials, set up password protection for the key, and enable touch confirmation if your key supports it. Products such as the YubiKey have multiple interfaces with separate credentials for each one of them, so you should go over each interface and set up protection as well.
+
+### Email and SMS
+
+If you have to use email for MFA, make sure that the email account itself is secured with a proper MFA method.
+
+If you use SMS MFA, use a carrier who will not switch your phone number to a new SIM card without account access, or use a dedicated VoIP number from a provider with similar security to avoid a [SIM swap attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_swap_scam).
+
+[MFA tools we recommend](../multi-factor-authentication.md){ .md-button }
+
+## More Places to Set Up MFA
+
+Beyond just securing your website logins, multifactor authentication can be used to secure your local logins, SSH keys or even password databases as well.
+
+### macOS
+
+macOS has [native support](https://support.apple.com/guide/deployment/intro-to-smart-card-integration-depd0b888248/web) for authentication with smart cards (PIV). If you have a smart card or a hardware security key that supports the PIV interface such as the YubiKey, we recommend that you follow your smart card or hardware security vendor's documentation and set up second factor authentication for your macOS computer.
+
+Yubico have a guide [Using Your YubiKey as a Smart Card in macOS](https://support.yubico.com/hc/articles/360016649059) which can help you set up your YubiKey on macOS.
+
+After your smart card/security key is set up, we recommend running this command in the Terminal:
+
+```text
+sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow DisableFDEAutoLogin -bool YES
+```
+
+The command will prevent an adversary from bypassing MFA when the computer boots.
+
+### Linux
+
+<div class="admonition warning" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Warning</p>
+
+If the hostname of your system changes (such as due to DHCP), you would be unable to login. It is vital that you set up a proper hostname for your computer before following this guide.
+
+</div>
+
+The `pam_u2f` module on Linux can provide two-factor authentication for logging in on most popular Linux distributions. If you have a hardware security key that supports U2F, you can set up MFA authentication for your login. Yubico has a guide [Ubuntu Linux Login Guide - U2F](https://support.yubico.com/hc/articles/360016649099-Ubuntu-Linux-Login-Guide-U2F) which should work on any distribution. The package manager commands—such as `apt-get`—and package names may however differ. This guide does **not** apply to Qubes OS.
+
+### Qubes OS
+
+Qubes OS has support for Challenge-Response authentication with YubiKeys. If you have a YubiKey with Challenge-Response authentication support, take a look at the Qubes OS [YubiKey documentation](https://qubes-os.org/doc/yubikey) if you want to set up MFA on Qubes OS.
+
+### SSH
+
+#### Hardware Security Keys
+
+SSH MFA could be set up using multiple different authentication methods that are popular with hardware security keys. We recommend that you check out Yubico's [documentation](https://developers.yubico.com/SSH) on how to set this up.
+
+#### TOTP
+
+SSH MFA can also be set up using TOTP. DigitalOcean has provided a tutorial [How To Set Up Multi-Factor Authentication for SSH on Ubuntu 20.04](https://digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-set-up-multi-factor-authentication-for-ssh-on-ubuntu-20-04). Most things should be the same regardless of distribution, however the package manager commands—such as `apt-get`—and package names may differ.
+
+### KeePass (and KeePassXC)
+
+KeePass and KeePassXC databases can be secured using HOTP or Challenge-Response as a second-factor of authentication. Yubico has provided a document for KeePass [Using Your YubiKey with KeePass](https://support.yubico.com/hc/articles/360013779759-Using-Your-YubiKey-with-KeePass) and there is also one on the [KeePassXC](https://keepassxc.org/docs/#faq-yubikey-2fa) website.

content/wiki/basics/passwords-overview.md

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+---
+title: Introduction to Passwords
+icon: material/form-textbox-password
+description: These are some tips and tricks on how to create the strongest passwords and keep your accounts secure.
+---
+
+Passwords are an essential part of our everyday digital lives. We use them to protect our accounts, our devices, and our secrets. Despite often being the only thing between us and an adversary who's after our private information, not a lot of thought is put into them, which often leads to people using passwords that can be easily guessed or brute-forced.
+
+## Best Practices
+
+### Use unique passwords for every service
+
+Imagine this: You sign up for an account with the same e-mail and password on multiple online services. If one of those service providers is malicious, or their service has a data breach that exposes your password in an unencrypted format, all a bad actor would have to do is try that e-mail and password combination across multiple popular services until they get a hit. It doesn't matter how strong that one password is, because they already have it.
+
+This is called [credential stuffing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credential_stuffing), and it is one of the most common ways that your accounts can be compromised by bad actors. To avoid this, make sure that you never re-use your passwords.
+
+### Use randomly generated passwords
+
+==You should **never** rely on yourself to come up with a good password.== We recommend using [randomly generated passwords](#passwords) or [diceware passphrases](#diceware-passphrases) with sufficient entropy to protect your accounts and devices.
+
+All of our [recommended password managers](../passwords.md) include a built-in password generator that you can use.
+
+### Rotating Passwords
+
+You should avoid changing passwords that you have to remember (such as your password manager's master password) too often unless you have reason to believe it has been compromised, as changing it too often exposes you to the risk of forgetting it.
+
+When it comes to passwords that you don't have to remember (such as passwords stored inside your password manager), if your [threat model](threat-modeling.md) calls for it, we recommend going through important accounts (especially accounts that don't use multifactor authentication) and changing their password every couple of months, in case they have been compromised in a data breach that hasn't become public yet. Most password managers allow you to set an expiry date for your password to make this easier to manage.
+
+<div class="admonition tip" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Checking for data breaches</p>
+
+If your password manager lets you check for compromised passwords, make sure to do so and promptly change any password that may have been exposed in a data breach. Alternatively, you could follow [Have I Been Pwned's Latest Breaches feed](https://feeds.feedburner.com/HaveIBeenPwnedLatestBreaches) with the help of a [news aggregator](../news-aggregators.md).
+
+</div>
+
+## Creating strong passwords
+
+### Passwords
+
+A lot of services impose certain criteria when it comes to passwords, including a minimum or maximum length, as well as which special characters, if any, can be used. You should use your password manager's built-in password generator to create passwords that are as long and complex as the service will allow by including capitalized and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.
+
+If you need a password you can memorize, we recommend a [diceware passphrase](#diceware-passphrases).
+
+### Diceware Passphrases
+
+Diceware is a method for creating passphrases which are easy to remember, but hard to guess.
+
+Diceware passphrases are a great option when you need to memorize or manually input your credentials, such as for your password manager's master password or your device's encryption password.
+
+An example of a diceware passphrase is `viewable fastness reluctant squishy seventeen shown pencil`.
+
+To generate a diceware passphrase using real dice, follow these steps:
+
+<div class="admonition Note" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
+
+These instructions assume that you are using [EFF's large word list](https://eff.org/files/2016/07/18/eff_large_wordlist.txt) to generate the passphrase, which requires five dice rolls per word. Other word lists may require more or less rolls per word, and may require a different amount of words to achieve the same entropy.
+
+</div>
+
+1. Roll a six-sided die five times, noting down the number after each roll.
+
+2. As an example, let's say you rolled `2-5-2-6-6`. Look through the [EFF's large word list](https://eff.org/files/2016/07/18/eff_large_wordlist.txt) for the word that corresponds to `25266`.
+
+3. You will find the word `encrypt`. Write that word down.
+
+4. Repeat this process until your passphrase has as many words as you need, which you should separate with a space.
+
+<div class="admonition warning" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Important</p>
+
+You should **not** re-roll words until you get a combination of words that appeal to you. The process should be completely random.
+
+</div>
+
+If you don't have access to or would prefer to not use real dice, you can use your password manager's built-in password generator, as most of them have the option to generate diceware passphrases in addition to regular passwords. We recommend setting the generated passphrase length to at least 6 words.
+
+We also recommend using [EFF's large word list](https://eff.org/files/2016/07/18/eff_large_wordlist.txt) to generate your diceware passphrases, as it offers the exact same security as the original list, while containing words that are easier to memorize. There are also [word lists in different languages](https://theworld.com/~reinhold/diceware.html#Diceware%20in%20Other%20Languages|outline), if you do not want your passphrase to be in English.
+
+<details class="note" markdown>
+<summary>Explanation of entropy and strength of diceware passphrases</summary>
+
+To demonstrate how strong diceware passphrases are, we'll use the aforementioned seven word passphrase (`viewable fastness reluctant squishy seventeen shown pencil`) and [EFF's large word list](https://eff.org/files/2016/07/18/eff_large_wordlist.txt) as an example.
+
+One metric to determine the strength of a diceware passphrase is how much entropy it has. The entropy per word in a diceware passphrase is calculated as <math>
+  <mrow>
+    <msub>
+      <mtext>log</mtext>
+      <mn>2</mn>
+    </msub>
+    <mo form="prefix" stretchy="false">(</mo>
+    <mtext>WordsInList</mtext>
+    <mo form="postfix" stretchy="false">)</mo>
+  </mrow>
+</math> and the overall entropy of the passphrase is calculated as: <math>
+  <mrow>
+    <msub>
+      <mtext>log</mtext>
+      <mn>2</mn>
+    </msub>
+    <mo form="prefix" stretchy="false">(</mo>
+    <msup>
+      <mtext>WordsInList</mtext>
+      <mtext>WordsInPhrase</mtext>
+    </msup>
+    <mo form="postfix" stretchy="false">)</mo>
+  </mrow>
+</math>
+
+Therefore, each word in the aforementioned list results in ~12.9 bits of entropy (<math>
+  <mrow>
+    <msub>
+      <mtext>log</mtext>
+      <mn>2</mn>
+    </msub>
+    <mo form="prefix" stretchy="false">(</mo>
+    <mn>7776</mn>
+    <mo form="postfix" stretchy="false">)</mo>
+  </mrow>
+</math>), and a seven word passphrase derived from it has ~90.47 bits of entropy (<math>
+  <mrow>
+    <msub>
+      <mtext>log</mtext>
+      <mn>2</mn>
+    </msub>
+    <mo form="prefix" stretchy="false">(</mo>
+    <msup>
+      <mn>7776</mn>
+      <mn>7</mn>
+    </msup>
+    <mo form="postfix" stretchy="false">)</mo>
+  </mrow>
+</math>).
+
+The [EFF's large word list](https://eff.org/files/2016/07/18/eff_large_wordlist.txt) contains 7776 unique words. To calculate the amount of possible passphrases, all we have to do is <math>
+  <msup>
+    <mtext>WordsInList</mtext>
+    <mtext>WordsInPhrase</mtext>
+  </msup>
+</math>, or in our case, <math><msup><mn>7776</mn><mn>7</mn></msup></math>.
+
+Let's put all of this in perspective: A seven word passphrase using [EFF's large word list](https://eff.org/files/2016/07/18/eff_large_wordlist.txt) is one of ~1,719,070,799,748,422,500,000,000,000 possible passphrases.
+
+On average, it takes trying 50% of all the possible combinations to guess your phrase. With that in mind, even if your adversary is capable of ~1,000,000,000,000 guesses per second, it would still take them ~27,255,689 years to guess your passphrase. That is the case even if the following things are true:
+
+- Your adversary knows that you used the diceware method.
+- Your adversary knows the specific word list that you used.
+- Your adversary knows how many words your passphrase contains.
+
+</details>
+
+To sum it up, diceware passphrases are your best option when you need something that is both easy to remember *and* exceptionally strong.
+
+## Storing Passwords
+
+### Password Managers
+
+The best way to store your passwords is by using a password manager. They allow you to store your passwords in a file or in the cloud and protect them with a single master password. That way, you will only have to remember one strong password, which lets you access the rest of them.
+
+There are many good options to choose from, both cloud-based and local. Choose one of our recommended password managers and use it to establish strong passwords across all of your accounts. We recommend securing your password manager with a [diceware passphrase](#diceware-passphrases) comprised of at least seven words.
+
+[List of recommended password managers](../passwords.md){ .md-button }
+
+<div class="admonition warning" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Don't place your passwords and TOTP tokens inside the same password manager</p>
+
+When using [TOTP codes as multifactor authentication](multi-factor-authentication.md#time-based-one-time-password-totp), the best security practice is to keep your TOTP codes in a [separate app](../multi-factor-authentication.md).
+
+Storing your TOTP tokens in the same place as your passwords, while convenient, reduces the accounts to a single factor in the event that an adversary gains access to your password manager.
+
+Furthermore, we do not recommend storing single-use recovery codes in your password manager. Those should be stored separately such as in an encrypted container on an offline storage device.
+
+</div>
+
+### Backups
+
+You should store an [encrypted](../encryption.md) backup of your passwords on multiple storage devices or a cloud storage provider. This can help you access your passwords if something happens to your primary device or the service you are using.

content/wiki/basics/threat-modeling.md

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+---
+meta_title: "Threat Modeling: The First Step on Your Privacy Journey - Privacy Guides"
+title: "Threat Modeling"
+icon: 'material/target-account'
+description: Balancing security, privacy, and usability is one of the first and most difficult tasks you'll face on your privacy journey.
+---
+
+Balancing security, privacy, and usability is one of the first and most difficult tasks you'll face on your privacy journey. Everything is a trade-off: The more secure something is, the more restricting or inconvenient it generally is, etc. Often, people find that the problem with the tools they see recommended is that they're just too hard to start using!
+
+If you wanted to use the **most** secure tools available, you'd have to sacrifice *a lot* of usability. And, even then, ==nothing is ever fully secure.== There's **high** security, but never **full** security. That's why threat models are important.
+
+**So, what are these threat models, anyway?**
+
+==A threat model is a list of the most probable threats to your security and privacy endeavors.== Since it's impossible to protect yourself against **every** attack(er), you should focus on the **most probable** threats. In computer security, a threat is an event that could undermine your efforts to stay private and secure.
+
+Focusing on the threats that matter to you narrows down your thinking about the protection you need, so you can choose the tools that are right for the job.
+
+## Creating Your Threat Model
+
+To identify what could happen to the things you value and determine from whom you need to protect them, you should answer these five questions:
+
+1. What do I want to protect?
+2. Who do I want to protect it from?
+3. How likely is it that I will need to protect it?
+4. How bad are the consequences if I fail?
+5. How much trouble am I willing to go through to try to prevent potential consequences?
+
+### What do I want to protect?
+
+An “asset” is something you value and want to protect. In the context of digital security, ==an asset is usually some kind of information.== For example, your emails, contact lists, instant messages, location, and files are all possible assets. Your devices themselves may also be assets.
+
+*Make a list of your assets: data that you keep, where it's kept, who has access to it, and what stops others from accessing it.*
+
+### Who do I want to protect it from?
+
+To answer this question, it's important to identify who might want to target you or your information. ==A person or entity that poses a threat to your assets is an “adversary”.== Examples of potential adversaries are your boss, your former partner, your business competition, your government, or a hacker on a public network.
+
+*Make a list of your adversaries or those who might want to get hold of your assets. Your list may include individuals, a government agency, or corporations.*
+
+Depending on who your adversaries are, this list might be something you want to destroy after you've finished developing your threat model.
+
+### How likely is it that I will need to protect it?
+
+==Risk is the likelihood that a particular threat against a particular asset will actually occur.== It goes hand-in-hand with capability. While your mobile phone provider has the capability to access all of your data, the risk of them posting your private data online to harm your reputation is low.
+
+It is important to distinguish between what might happen and the probability it may happen. For instance, there is a threat that your building might collapse, but the risk of this happening is far greater in San Francisco (where earthquakes are common) than in Stockholm (where they are not).
+
+Assessing risks is both a personal and subjective process. Many people find certain threats unacceptable, no matter the likelihood they will occur, because the mere presence of the threat is not worth the cost. In other cases, people disregard high risks because they don't view the threat as a problem.
+
+*Write down which threats you are going to take seriously, and which may be too rare or too harmless (or too difficult to combat) to worry about.*
+
+### How bad are the consequences if I fail?
+
+There are many ways that an adversary could gain access to your data. For example, an adversary can read your private communications as they pass through the network, or they can delete or corrupt your data.
+
+==The motives of adversaries differ widely, as do their tactics.== A government trying to prevent the spread of a video showing police violence may be content to simply delete or reduce the availability of that video. In contrast, a political opponent may wish to gain access to secret content and publish that content without you knowing.
+
+Security planning involves understanding how bad the consequences could be if an adversary successfully gains access to one of your assets. To determine this, you should consider the capability of your adversary. For example, your mobile phone provider has access to all of your phone records. A hacker on an open Wi-Fi network can access your unencrypted communications. Your government might have stronger capabilities.
+
+*Write down what your adversary might want to do with your private data.*
+
+### How much trouble am I willing to go through to try to prevent potential consequences?
+
+==There is no perfect option for security.== Not everyone has the same priorities, concerns, or access to resources. Your risk assessment will allow you to plan the right strategy for you, balancing convenience, cost, and privacy.
+
+For example, an attorney representing a client in a national security case may be willing to go to greater lengths to protect communications about that case, such as using encrypted email, than a mother who regularly emails her daughter funny cat videos.
+
+*Write down what options you have available to you to help mitigate your unique threats. Note if you have any financial constraints, technical constraints, or social constraints.*
+
+### Try it yourself: Protecting Your Belongings
+
+These questions can apply to a wide variety of situations, online and offline. As a generic demonstration of how these questions work, let's build a plan to keep your house and possessions safe.
+
+**What do you want to protect? (Or, *what do you have that is worth protecting?*)**
+
+:   Your assets might include jewelry, electronics, important documents, or photos.
+
+**Who do you want to protect it from?**
+
+:   Your adversaries might include burglars, roommates, or guests.
+
+**How likely is it that you will need to protect it?**
+
+:   Does your neighborhood have a history of burglaries? How trustworthy are your roommates or guests? What are the capabilities of your adversaries? What are the risks you should consider?
+
+**How bad are the consequences if you fail?**
+
+:   Do you have anything in your house that you cannot replace? Do you have the time or money to replace those things? Do you have insurance that covers goods stolen from your home?
+
+**How much trouble are you willing to go through to prevent these consequences?**
+
+:   Are you willing to buy a safe for sensitive documents? Can you afford to buy a high-quality lock? Do you have time to open a security box at your local bank and keep your valuables there?
+
+Only once you have asked yourself these questions will you be in a position to assess what measures to take. If your possessions are valuable, but the probability of a break-in is low, then you may not want to invest too much money in a lock. But, if the probability of a break-in is high, you'll want to get the best lock on the market and consider adding a security system.
+
+Making a security plan will help you to understand the threats that are unique to you and to evaluate your assets, your adversaries, and your adversaries' capabilities, along with the likelihood of risks you face.
+
+## Further Reading
+
+For people looking to increase their privacy and security online, we've compiled a list of common threats our visitors face or goals our visitors have, to give you some inspiration and demonstrate the basis of our recommendations.
+
+- [Common Goals and Threats :material-arrow-right-drop-circle:](common-threats.md)
+
+## Sources
+
+- [EFF Surveillance Self Defense: Your Security Plan](https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/your-security-plan)

content/wiki/basics/vpn-overview.md

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+---
+meta_title: "How Do VPNs Protect Your Privacy? Our VPN Overview - Privacy Guides"
+title: VPN Overview
+icon: material/vpn
+description: Virtual Private Networks shift risk away from your ISP to a third-party you trust. You should keep these things in mind.
+---
+
+Virtual Private Networks are a way of extending the end of your network to exit somewhere else in the world.
+
+[:material-movie-open-play-outline: Video: Do you need a VPN?](https://www.privacyguides.org/videos/2024/12/12/do-you-need-a-vpn){ .md-button }
+
+Normally, an ISP can see the flow of internet traffic entering and exiting your network termination device (i.e. modem). Encryption protocols such as HTTPS are commonly used on the internet, so they may not be able to see exactly what you're posting or reading, but they can get an idea of the [domains you request](../advanced/dns-overview.md#why-shouldnt-i-use-encrypted-dns).
+
+Using a VPN hides even this information from your ISP, by shifting the trust you place in your network to a server somewhere else in the world. As a result, the ISP then only sees that you are connected to a VPN and nothing about the activity that you're passing through it.
+
+<div class="admonition note" markdown>
+<p class="admonition-title">Note</p>
+
+When we refer to "Virtual Private Networks" on this website, we are usually referring to **commercial** [VPN providers](../vpn.md), who you pay a monthly fee to in exchange for routing your internet traffic securely through their public servers. There are many other forms of VPN, such as ones you host yourself or ones operated by workplaces which allow you to securely connect to internal/employee network resources, however, these VPNs are usually designed for accessing remote networks securely, rather than protecting the privacy of your internet connection.
+
+</div>
+
+## How does a VPN work?
+
+VPNs encrypt your traffic between your device and a server owned by your VPN provider. From the perspective of anyone between you and the VPN server, it looks like you're connecting to the VPN server. From the perspective of anyone between the VPN server and your destination site, all they can see is the VPN server connecting to the website.
+
+``` mermaid
+flowchart LR
+ 763931["Your Device<div>(with VPN Client)</div>"] ===|"VPN Encryption"| 404512{"VPN Server"}
+ 404512 -.-|"No VPN Encryption"| 593753(("The Internet<div>(Your Destination)</div>"))
+ subgraph 763931["Your Device<div>(with VPN Client)</div>"]
+ end
+```
+
+Note that a VPN does not add any security or encryption to your traffic between the VPN server and your destination on the internet. To access a website securely you **must** still ensure HTTPS is in use regardless of whether you use a VPN.
+
+## Should I use a VPN?
+
+**Yes**, almost certainly. A VPN has many advantages, including:
+
+1. Hiding your traffic from **only** your Internet Service Provider.
+1. Hiding your downloads (such as torrents) from your ISP and anti-piracy organizations.
+1. Hiding your IP from third-party websites and services, helping you blend in and preventing IP based tracking.
+1. Allowing you to bypass geo-restrictions on certain content.
+
+VPNs can provide *some* of the same benefits Tor provides, such as hiding your IP from the websites you visit and geographically shifting your network traffic, and good VPN providers will not cooperate with e.g. legal authorities from oppressive regimes, especially if you choose a VPN provider outside your own jurisdiction.
+
+VPNs cannot encrypt data outside the connection between your device and the VPN server. VPN providers can also see and modify your traffic the same way your ISP could, so there is still a level of trust you are placing in them. And there is no way to verify a VPN provider's "no logging" policies in any way.
+
+## When isn't a VPN suitable?
+
+Using a VPN in cases where you're using your [real-life or well-known identity](common-misconceptions.md#complicated-is-better) online is unlikely to be useful. Doing so may trigger spam and fraud detection systems, such as if you were to log into your bank's website.
+
+It's important to remember that a VPN will not provide you with absolute anonymity because the VPN provider itself will still have access to your real IP address, destination website information, and often a money trail that can be linked directly back to you. "No logging" policies are merely a promise; if you need complete safety from the network itself, consider using [Tor](../advanced/tor-overview.md) in addition to or instead of a VPN.
+
+You also should not trust a VPN to secure your connection to an unencrypted, HTTP destination. In order to keep what you actually do on the websites you visit private and secure, you must use HTTPS. This will keep your passwords, session tokens, and queries safe from the VPN provider and other potential adversaries in between the VPN server and your destination. You should enable HTTPS-only mode in your browser (if it's supported) to mitigate attacks which try to downgrade your connection from HTTPS to HTTP.
+
+## Should I use encrypted DNS with a VPN?
+
+Unless your VPN provider hosts the encrypted DNS servers themselves, **probably not**. Using DOH/DOT (or any other form of encrypted DNS) with third-party servers will simply add more entities to trust. Your VPN provider can still see which websites you visit based on the IP addresses and other methods. All this being said, there may be some advantages to enabling encrypted DNS in order to enable other security features in your browser, such as ECH. Browser technologies which are reliant on in-browser encrypted DNS are relatively new and not yet widespread, so whether they are relevant to you in particular is an exercise we will leave to you to research independently.
+
+Another common reason encrypted DNS is recommended is that it prevents DNS spoofing. However, your browser should already be checking for [TLS certificates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security#Digital_certificates) with **HTTPS** and warn you about it. If you are not using **HTTPS**, then an adversary can still just modify anything other than your DNS queries and the end result will be little different.
+
+## Should I use Tor *and* a VPN?
+
+Maybe, Tor is not necessarily suitable for everybody in the first place. Consider your [threat model](threat-modeling.md), because if your adversary is not capable of extracting information from your VPN provider, using a VPN alone may provide enough protection.
+
+If you do use Tor then you are *probably* best off connecting to the Tor network via a commercial VPN provider. However, this is a complex subject which we've written more about on our [Tor overview](../advanced/tor-overview.md) page.
+
+## Should I access Tor through VPN providers that provide "Tor nodes"?
+
+You should not use that feature: The primary advantage of using Tor is that you do not trust your VPN provider, which is negated when you use Tor nodes hosted by your VPN instead of connecting directly to Tor from your computer.
+
+Currently, Tor only supports the TCP protocol. UDP (used by [WebRTC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebRTC), [HTTP3/QUIC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP/3), and other protocols), [ICMP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Control_Message_Protocol), and other packets will be dropped. To compensate for this, VPN providers typically will route all non-TCP packets through their VPN server (your first hop). This is the case with [ProtonVPN](https://protonvpn.com/support/tor-vpn). Additionally, when using this Tor over VPN setup, you do not have control over other important Tor features such as [Isolated Destination Address](https://whonix.org/wiki/Stream_Isolation) (using a different Tor circuit for every domain you visit).
+
+The feature should be viewed as a *convenient* way to access hidden services on Tor, not to stay anonymous. For proper anonymity, use the actual [Tor Browser](../tor.md).
+
+## Commercial VPN Ownership
+
+Most VPN services are owned by the same [few companies](https://vpnpro.com/blog/hidden-vpn-owners-unveiled-97-vpns-23-companies). These shady companies run lots of smaller VPN services to create the illusion that you have more choice than you actually do and to maximize profit. Typically, these providers that feed into their shell company have terrible privacy policies and shouldn't be trusted with your internet traffic. You should be very strict about which provider you decide to use.
+
+You should also be wary that many VPN review sites are merely advertising vehicles open to the highest bidder. ==Privacy Guides does not make money from recommending external products, and never uses affiliate programs.==
+
+[Our VPN Recommendations](../vpn.md){ .md-button }
+
+## Modern VPN Alternatives
+
+Recently, some attempts have been made by various organizations to address some issues which centralized VPNs have. These technologies are relatively new, but worth keeping an eye on as the field develops.
+
+### Multi-Party Relays
+
+Multi-Party Relays (MPRs) use multiple nodes owned by different parties, such that no individual party knows both who you are and what you're connecting to. This is the basic idea behind Tor, but now there are some paid services that try to emulate this model.
+
+MPRs seek to solve a problem inherent to VPNs: the fact that you must trust them completely. They accomplish this goal by segmenting the responsibilities between two or more different companies.
+
+One example of a commercially available MPR is Apple's iCloud+ Private Relay, which routes your traffic through two servers:
+
+1. Firstly, a server operated by Apple.
+
+    This server is able to see your device's IP when you connect to it, and has knowledge of your payment information and Apple ID tied to your iCloud subscription. However, it is unable to see what website you are connecting to.
+
+2. Secondly, a server operated by a partner CDN, such as Cloudflare or Fastly.
+
+    This server actually makes the connection to your destination website, but has no knowledge of your device. The only IP address it knows about is Apple's server's.
+
+Other MPRs run by different companies operate in a very similar manner. This protection by segmentation only exists if you trust the two companies to not collude with each other to deanonymize you.
+
+### Decentralized VPNs
+
+Another attempt at solving the issues with centralized VPN services are dVPNs. These are based on blockchain technology and claim to eliminate trust in a single party by distributing the nodes across lots of different people. However, many times a dVPN will default to a single node, meaning you need to trust that node completely, just like a traditional VPN. Unlike a traditional VPN, this one node that can see all your traffic is a random person instead of your VPN provider that can be audited and has legal responsibilities to uphold their privacy policy. Multi-hop is needed to solve this, but that comes with a stability and performance cost.
+
+Another consideration is legal liability. The exit node will need to deal with legal problems from misuse of the network, an issue that the Tor network has contended with for its entire existence. This discourages regular people from running nodes and makes it more attractive for a malicious actor with lots of resources to host one. This is a big problem if the service is single-node, as the potentially malicious exit node can see who you are and what you're connecting to.
+
+Many dVPNs are used to push a cryptocurrency rather than to make the best service. They also tend to be smaller networks with fewer nodes, making them more vulnerable to [Sybil attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil_attack).
+
+## Related VPN Information
+
+- [The Trouble with VPN and Privacy Review Sites](https://blog.privacyguides.org/2019/11/20/the-trouble-with-vpn-and-privacy-review-sites)
+- [Free VPN App Investigation](https://top10vpn.com/research/free-vpn-investigations/ownership)
+- [Hidden VPN owners unveiled: 101 VPN products run by just 23 companies](https://vpnpro.com/blog/hidden-vpn-owners-unveiled-97-vpns-23-companies)
+- [This Chinese company is secretly behind 24 popular apps seeking dangerous permissions](https://vpnpro.com/blog/chinese-company-secretly-behind-popular-apps-seeking-dangerous-permissions)
+- [VPN - a Very Precarious Narrative](https://overengineer.dev/blog/2019/04/08/very-precarious-narrative.html) by Dennis Schubert

content/wiki/basics/why-privacy-matters.md

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+---
+title: "Why Privacy Matters"
+icon: 'material/shield-account'
+description: In the modern age of digital data exploitation, your privacy has never been more critical, and yet many believe it is already a lost cause. It is not.
+---
+In the modern age of digital data exploitation, your privacy has never been more critical, and yet many believe it is already a lost cause. It is not. ==Your privacy is up for grabs==, and you need to care about it. Privacy is about power, and it is so important that this power ends up in the right hands.
+
+Privacy is ultimately about human information, and this is important because we know that human information confers power over human beings. If we care about our ability to be authentic, fulfilled, and free humans, we have to care about the rules that apply to information about us. So much of our modern society is structured around **information**. When you shop online, read the news, look something up, vote, seek directions, or really anything else, you are relying on information. If we live in an information society, our information matters, and therefore privacy matters.
+
+## What is Privacy?
+
+Many people get the concepts of **privacy**, **security**, and **anonymity** confused. You'll see people criticize various products as "not private" when really they mean it doesn't provide anonymity, for example. On this website, we cover all three of these topics, but it is important you understand the difference between them, and when each one comes into play.
+
+[:material-movie-open-play-outline: Video: Stop Confusing Privacy, Anonymity, and Security](https://www.privacyguides.org/videos/2025/03/14/stop-confusing-privacy-anonymity-and-security){ .md-button }
+
+<!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line -->
+**Privacy**
+
+:   ==Privacy is the assurance that your data is only seen by the parties you intend to view it.== In the context of an instant messenger, for example, end-to-end encryption provides privacy by keeping your message visible only to yourself and the recipient.
+
+<!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line -->
+**Security**
+
+:   Security is the ability to trust the applications you use—that the parties involved are who they say they are—and keep those applications safe. In the context of browsing the web, for example, security can be provided by HTTPS certificates.
+
+:   Certificates prove you are talking directly to the website you're visiting, and keep attackers on your network from reading or modifying the data sent to or from the website.
+
+<!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line -->
+**Anonymity**
+
+:   Anonymity is the ability to act without a persistent identifier. You might achieve this online with [Tor](../tor.md), which allows you to browse the internet with a random IP address and network connection instead of your own.
+
+:   **Pseudonymity** is a similar concept, but it allows you to have a persistent identifier without it being tied to your real identity. If everybody knows you as `@GamerGuy12` online, but nobody knows your real name, that is your pseudonym.
+
+All of these concepts overlap, but it is possible to have any combination of these. The sweet spot for most people is when all three of these concepts overlap. However, it's trickier to achieve than many initially believe. Sometimes, you have to compromise on some of these, and that's okay too. This is where **threat modeling** comes into play, allowing you to make informed decisions about the [software and services](../tools.md) you use.
+
+[:material-book-outline: Learn More About Threat Modeling](threat-modeling.md){ .md-button }
+
+## Privacy vs. Secrecy
+
+A common counter-argument to pro-privacy movements is the notion that one doesn't need privacy if they have **"nothing to hide."** This is a dangerous misconception, because it creates a sense that people who demand privacy must be deviant, criminal, or wrong.
+
+==You shouldn't confuse privacy with secrecy.== We know what happens in the bathroom, but you still close the door. That's because you want privacy, not secrecy. There are always certain facts about us—say, personal health information, or sexual behavior—that we wouldn't want the whole world to know, and that's okay. The need for privacy is legitimate, and that's what makes us human. Privacy is about empowering your rights over your own information, not about hiding secrets.
+
+## Is Privacy About Control?
+
+A common definition of privacy is that it is the ability to *control* who has access to your data. This is an easy trap to fall into, in fact it is the definition of privacy we operated this website on for a long time. It sounds nice, and it appeals to many people, but in practice it just doesn't work.
+
+Take cookie consent forms, for example. You may encounter these dozens of times per day on the various websites you visit, with a nice array of checkboxes and sliders which allow you to "curate" your preferences to exactly fit your needs. In the end, we just hit the "I Agree" button, because we just want to read the article or make a purchase. Nobody wants to complete a personal privacy audit on every single website they visit. This is an exercise in [choice architecture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choice_architecture), designed to make you take the easy route out instead of delving into a maze of configuration options that don't need to exist in the first place.
+
+==Control over your privacy inside most apps is an illusion.== It's a shiny dashboard with all sorts of choices you can make about your data, but rarely the choices you're looking for, like "only use my data to help me." This type of control is meant to make you feel guilty about your choices, that you "had the choice" to make the apps you use more private, and you chose not to.
+
+Privacy is something we need to have baked into the [software and services](../tools.md) we use by default, you can't bend most apps into being private on your own.
+
+[:material-movie-open-play-outline: Video: 5 Steps to Improve Your Privacy](https://www.privacyguides.org/videos/2025/02/14/5-easy-steps-to-protect-yourself-online){ class="md-button" }
+
+## Sources
+
+- [Why Privacy Matters](https://amazon.com/dp/0190939044) (2021) by Neil Richards
+- [The New Oil: Why Privacy & Security Matter](https://thenewoil.org/en/guides/prologue/why)
+- [@Thorin-Oakenpants on Anonymity vs Privacy vs Security](https://code.privacyguides.dev/privacyguides/privacytools.io/issues/1760#issuecomment-10452)