Find a secure email provider that will keep your privacy in mind. Don't settle for ad-supported platforms. Never trust any company with your privacy, always encrypt.
The PrivacyTools team is proud to introduce a suite of privacy-centric online services to connect you with other privacy-minded individuals and stay safe and secure online. No advertisers, no Google Analytics, no tracking, no third-party requests of any kind.
At <strong>PrivacyTools</strong>, we provide services, tools, and knowledge to protect your privacy against global mass surveillance, and moderate a thriving community of privacy-minded individuals like yourself to discuss and learn about new advances in protecting your online data. This website serves as the centerpiece of our organization, where we research and recommend various software solutions for our community.
<strong>Transparency</strong> is our strongest value, and it's what sets us apart from the rest of the "privacy recommendations" community. Editorial changes to this website and the products we recommend are always discussed on our extensive <a href="https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/privacytools.io/issues">issue tracker</a>, drafted in a public <a href="https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/privacytools.io/pulls">pull request</a> open for further discussion, and logged in a comprehensive <a href="https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/privacytools.io/commits/master">commit log</a> dating back to our original founding date in 2015. The <em>core</em> team members listed below are responsible for most of the edits and final decisions to changes on this website and across our services, but this website is truly the work of hundreds <a href="https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/privacytools.io/graphs/contributors">contributors and fact checkers</a> working to make sure our recommendations are solid and trustworthy.
Additionally, we are a not-for-profit organization. We do not utilize paid recommendations or affiliate programs to make the recommendations on this website. Unfortunately this practice is very common elsewhere online, which makes it difficult to trust other review sites. We are unique in this area, in that all of our research is conducted independently, and we will never accept payments to modify, add, or remove any of our reviews or recommendations. Our finances are provided entirely by our community <a href="https://opencollective.com/privacytoolsio">donors</a> and <a href=' {{ "/sponsors/" | translate_page }}'>sponsors</a>, and are handled by the Open Collective Foundation 501(c)(3). Because we are operating as a charity in the United States, we are legally obligated to only use our funding to further our mission of spreading privacy education and promoting online services like Mastodon, Matrix, and WriteFreely. This website is a public resource, not a profit generator. To that regard, all our financial transactions (incoming and outgoing) are logged and made available to the public via our page at <a href="https://opencollective.com/privacytoolsio">opencollective.com/privacytoolsio</a>.
We take the operation of our various <a href='{{ "/services/" | translate_page }}'>services</a> very seriously, and require all participants to adhere to our <a href="https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/.github/blob/master/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md">Code of Conduct</a>. For any questions or to report abuse, please see our CoC’s <a href="https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/.github/blob/master/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md#enforcement">Enforcement section</a>.
Of course, we couldn't do any of this without our very generous <a href="https://opencollective.com/privacytoolsio/">financial contributors</a>, <a href="https://github.com/privacytoolsIO/privacytools.io/graphs/contributors">website contributors</a>, and the countless community members that help share new ideas and spread the word!
It's very important to us to stay up-to-date on the latest changes in the privacy space. If you have a software recommendation for us, or want to request a change on this website, please don't hesitate to reach out in one of the following ways.
For complete transparency, software and providers will only be considered for this website after discussions take place on our GitHub issue tracker. We of course don't make any changes in secret.
Join our Matrix room at <code>#general:privacytools.io</code> or join the <a href="https://keybase.io/team/privacytools_io">privacytools_io Keybase team</a> to chat with us and other members about this site and privacy in general! If you need a Matrix account, you can sign up with our own homeserver (<code>https://chat.privacytools.io</code>) using <a href="https://riot.privacytools.io">Riot</a>.
This work is free. You can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the "Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication".
Please support this project by donating. We are ad-free and not affiliated with any providers. Your donation will cover our costs for servers and domains.
{{site.name }} is a socially motivated website that provides information for protecting your data security and privacy. Never trust any company with your privacy, always encrypt.
Firefox is fast, reliable, open-source, and respects your privacy. Don't forget to adjust the settings according to our recommendations:<a href="#webrtc"><i class="fas fa-link"></i> WebRTC</a> and <a href="#about_config"><i class="fas fa-link"></i> about:config</a> and get the <a href="#addons"><i class="fas fa-link"></i> privacy add-ons</a>.
Tor Browser is your choice if you need an extra layer of anonymity. It's a modified version of Firefox ESR, which comes with pre-installed privacy add-ons, encryption, and an advanced proxy. <a href="https://write.privacytools.io/my-thoughts-on-security/slicing-onions-part-1-myth-busting-tor">How does Tor work?</a>
Bromite is a Chromium-based browser with security enhancement patches from GrapheneOS and built-in adblocking and DNS over HTTPS support. More info can be found <a href="https://www.bromite.org/#main-features">here</a>.
An open-source web browser focused on user privacy. Features include integrated ad blocking with <a href="https://easylist.to/">EasyList</a>, <a href="https://www.stoutner.com/privacy-browser-2-5/">SSL certificate pinning</a>, and <a href='https://guardianproject.info/apps/orbot/'>Tor Orbot proxy support.
Privacy Browser relies on the Android System WebView which needs to be kept up to date to fix security issues. One can update WebView by either installing it from Google Play or Aurora Store which you can get from F-Droid.
Firefox is fast, reliable, open-source, and respects your privacy. Note:Because of limitations set by Apple in iOS, our recommended tweaks cannot be applied. However, Firefox for iOS has an <a href="https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enhanced-tracking-protection-firefox-ios">Enhanced Tracking Protection</a> feature that uses a list provided by <a href="https://disconnect.me/trackerprotection">Disconnect</a> to identify and block ad, social, and analytics trackers, as well as cryptominers and fingerprinters.
Onion Browser is an open-source browser that lets you browse the web anonymously over the Tor network on iOS devices and is endorsed by the Tor Project. Warning:there are certain anonymity-related <a href="https://onionbrowser.com/#security-advisories">issues</a> with Onion Browser due to iOS limitations.
DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser is an open-source web browser that has built-in ad and tracker blocking and utilizes <a href="https://tosdr.org/">ToS;DR</a> to rate the privacy policies of the sites you visit.
When you visit a web page, your browser voluntarily sends information about its configuration, such as available fonts, browser type, and add-ons. If this combination of information is unique, it may be possible to identify and track you without using cookies. EFF created a Tool called <a href="https://panopticlick.eff.org/">Panopticlick</a> to test your browser to see how unique it is.
You need to find what <strong>most browsers</strong> are reporting, and then use those variables to bring your browser in the same population. This means having the same fonts, plugins, and extensions installed as the large installed base. You should have a <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/uaswitcher/">spoofed user-agent string</a> to match what the large userbase has. You need to have the same settings enabled and disabled, such as DNT and WebGL. You need your browser to look as common as everyone else. Disabling JavaScript, using Linux, or even using the Tor Browser Bundle, will make your browser stick out from the masses.
Modern web browsers have not been architected to assure personal web privacy. Rather than worrying about being fingerprinted, it seems more practical to use <a href="#addons"><i class="fas fa-link"></i> free software plugins</a> like Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin. They not only respect your freedom, but your privacy also. You can get much further with these than trying to manipulate your browser's fingerprint.
<strong>CanvasBlocker</strong> allows users to prevent websites from using some Javascript APIs to fingerprint them. Users can choose to block the APIs entirely on some or all websites (which may break some websites) or just block or fake its fingerprinting-friendly readout API.
WebRTC cannot be fully disabled in Chrome; however, it is possible to change its routing settings (and prevent leaks) using an extension. Two open-source solutions include <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/webrtc-leak-prevent/eiadekoaikejlgdbkbdfeijglgfdalml">WebRTC Leak Prevent</a> (options may need to be changed depending on the scenario), and <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm">uBlock Origin</a> (select "Prevent WebRTC from leaking local IP addresses" in Settings).
<strong>uBlock Origin</strong> is an efficient <a href=https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Blocking-mode>wide-spectrum blocker</a> that's easy on memory, and yet can load and enforce thousands more filters than other popular blockers out there. It has no monetization strategy and is completely open source.
<strong>Cookie AutoDelete</strong> automatically removes cookies when they are no longer used by open browser tabs. With the cookies, lingering sessions, as well as information used to spy on you, will be expunged.
<strong>HTTPS Everywhere</strong> encrypts your communications with many major websites, making your browsing more secure. A collaboration between The Tor Project and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
<strong>Decentraleyes</strong> emulates Content Delivery Networks locally by intercepting requests, finding the required resource, and injecting it into the environment. This all happens instantaneously, automatically, and no prior configuration is required.
<strong>Terms of Service; Didn’t Read</strong> is an addon that aims to fix how “I have read and agree to the Terms” is the biggest lie on the web by grading websites based on their terms of service agreements and privacy policies. It also gives short summaries of those agreements. The analysis and ratings are done transparently by a community of reviewers.
<strong>Snowflake</strong> is a new <a href=https://2019.www.torproject.org/docs/pluggable-transports.html.en>pluggable transport</a> from the Tor Project. If you have an uncensored connection, running this extension volunteers your connection to be used as a Snowflake proxy to help users unable to connect to the Tor network. Your IP will not be visible to the sites users visit using your proxy, as this extension will not make you an exit node. If your access to the Tor network is blocked, this extension will not assist you, and you should use the <a href=https://www.torproject.org>Tor Browser</a> instead.
<strong>Privacy Badger</strong> is a browser add-on that stops advertisers and other third-party trackers from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you look at on the web. Privacy Badger learns about trackers as you browse.
<strong>uMatrix</strong> gives you control over the requests that websites make to other websites. Many websites integrate features which let other websites track you, such as Facebook Like Buttons or Google Analytics.
<strong>NoScript</strong> is a highly customizable plugin to selectively allow JavaScript, Java, and Flash to run only on websites you trust. Not for casual users, it requires technical knowledge to configure.
A result of the <a href="https://wiki.mozilla.org/Security/Tor_Uplift">Tor Uplift</a> effort, this preference isolates all browser identifier sources (e.g. cookies) to the first party domain, with the goal of preventing tracking across different domains. (Don't do this if you are using the Firefox Addon "Cookie AutoDelete" with Firefox v58 or below.)
A result of the <a href="https://wiki.mozilla.org/Security/Tor_Uplift">Tor Uplift</a> effort, this preference makes Firefox more resistant to browser fingerprinting.
This is Mozilla's new built-in tracking protection. It uses Disconnect.me filter list, which is redundant if you are already using uBlock Origin 3rd party filters, therefore you should set it to false if you are using the add-on functionalities.
Disable preloading of autocomplete URLs. Firefox preloads URLs that autocomplete when a user types into the address bar, which is a concern if URLs are suggested that the user does not want to connect to.
Disable that websites can get notifications if you copy, paste, or cut something from a web page, and it lets them know which part of the page had been selected.
Disables playback of DRM-controlled HTML5 content, which, if enabled, automatically downloads the Widevine Content Decryption Module provided by Google Inc.
Only send <code>Referer</code> header when the full hostnames match. (Note:if you notice significant breakage, you might try <code>1</code> combined with an <code>XOriginTrimmingPolicy</code> tweak below.)
<strong>Nextcloud</strong> is a suite of client-server software for creating and using file hosting services. This includes calendar sync via CalDAV and contacts sync via CardDAV. Nextcloud is free and open-source, thereby allowing anyone to install and operate it without charge on a private server.
Many email providers also offer calendar and or contacts sync services. Refer to the <a href="{{'/providers/email' | translate_page }}">Email Providers section</a> to choose an email provider and check if they also offer calendar and/or contacts sync.
<strong>EteSync</strong> is a secure, end-to-end encrypted, and journaled personal information (e.g. contacts and calendar) cloud synchronization and backup for Android and any OS that supports CalDAV/CardDAV. It costs $24 per year to use, or you can host the server yourself for free.
Consider regularly exporting your calendar and or contacts and backing them up on a separate storage drive or uploading them to cloud storage (ideally after <a href="../encryption-tools/">encrypting</a> them).
If you are currently using a Cloud Storage Services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Apple iCloud, you should think about hosting it on your own.
Nextcloud is similar in functionality to the widely used Dropbox, with the difference being that Nextcloud is free and open-source, thereby allowing anyone to install and operate it without charge on a private server with no limits on storage space or the number of connected clients.
Tahoe-LAFS is a free and open decentralized cloud storage system. It distributes your data across multiple servers. Even if some of the servers fail or are taken over by an attacker, the entire file store continues to function correctly, preserving your privacy and security.
Njalla is a privacy-aware domain registration service based in Nevis that only needs your email or XMPP address in order to register a domain name for you. It is created by people from The Pirate Bay and IPredator VPN. Accepted payments:Bitcoin, Litecoin, Monero, DASH, Bitcoin Cash and PayPal.
DNSCrypt-Proxy is a command-line DNS proxy with support for the encrypted DNS protocols, DNS over HTTPS and DNSCrypt. Can cache results to improve speed, and allows filtering, forwarding, and cloaking.
Note:Using an encrypted DNS resolver will not make you anonymous, nor hide your internet traffic from your Internet Service Provider. But it will prevent DNS hijacking, and make your DNS requests harder for third parties to eavesdrop on and tamper with. If you are currently using Google's DNS resolver, you should pick an alternative here.
"We will collect limited DNS query data that is sent to the resolvers. This data does not contain user IP addresses or any other personally identifiable information, and the bulk of the data is only stored for 24 hours."
"We do NOT log your IP address or DNS queries during normal operations. We do NOT share query data with third parties that are not directly involved with resolving the query (i.e. sending queries to authoritative nameservers for resolution)."
"Some of the features require some sort of data retention. In that case, we give our users the choice to granularly or completely disable those features (and associated data retention), and we follow up immediately on that promise"
Part of LibreHosters, "a network of cooperation and solidarity that uses free software to encourage decentralisation through federation and distributed platforms."
"Our normal course of data management does not have any IP address information or other PII logged to disk or transmitted out of the location in which the query was received."
"Absolutely nothing is being logged, neither about the users nor the usage of this service. I do keep graphs of the total number of queries, but no personally identifiable information is saved. The data that is saved will never be sold or used for anything except capacity planning of the service."
DNS-over-TLS (DoT) - A security protocol for encrypted DNS on a dedicated port 853. Some providers support port 443 which generally works everywhere while port 853 is often blocked by restrictive firewalls. DoT has two modes:
Oppurtunistic mode:the client attempts to form a DNS-over-TLS connection to the server on port 853 without performing certificate validation. If it fails, it will use unencrypted DNS.
Strict mode:the client connects to a specific hostname and performs certificate validation for it. If it fails, no DNS queries are made until it succeeds.
Your DNS provider may not appear with their own name, so compare the responses to what you know or can find about your DNS provider. Just ensure you don't see your ISP or old unencrypted DNS provider.
Check the website of your DNS provider. They may have a page for telling "you are using our DNS." Examples include <a href="https://adguard.com/en/adguard-dns/overview.html">AdGuard</a> and <a href="https://1.1.1.1/help">Cloudflare</a>.
If using Firefox's trusted recursive resolver (TRR), navigate to <code>about:networking#dns</code>. If the TRR column says "true" for some fields, you are using DoH.
dnscrypt-proxy - Check <a href="https://github.com/jedisct1/dnscrypt-proxy/wiki/Checking">dnscrypt-proxy's wiki on how to verify that your DNS is encrypted</a>.
QNAME Minimization - Run <code>dig +short txt qnamemintest.internet.nl</code> from the command-line (taken from <a href="https://nlnetlabs.nl/downloads/presentations/unbound_qnamemin_oarc24.pdf">this NLnet Labs presentation</a>). If you are on Windows 10, run <code>Resolve-DnsName -Type TXT -Name qnamemintest.internet.nl</code> from the PowerShell. You should see this display: <code>"HOORAY - QNAME minimisation is enabled on your resolver :)!"</code>
"Cloudflare has agreed to collect only a limited amount of data about the DNS requests that are sent to the Cloudflare Resolver for Firefox via the Firefox browser."
Currently Mozilla is <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2019/07/31/dns-over-https-doh-update-detecting-managed-networks-and-user-choice/">conducting studies</a> before enabling DoH by default for all US-based Firefox users.
DNS over HTTPS can be enabled in Menu -> Preferences (<code>about:preferences</code>) -> Network Settings -> Enable DNS over HTTPS. Set "Use Provider" to "Custom", and enter your DoH provider's address.
Advanced users may enable it in <code>about:config</code> by setting <code>network.trr.custom_uri</code> and <code>network.trr.uri</code> as the address you find from the documentation of your DoH provider and <code>network.trr.mode</code> as <code>2</code>. It may also be desirable to set <code>network.security.esni.enabled</code> to <code>True</code> in order to enable encrypted SNI and make sites supporting ESNI a bit more difficult to track.
We recommend selecting <em>Private DNS provider hostname</em> and entering the DoT address from documentation of your DoT provider to enable strict mode (see Terms above).
An <a href="https://github.com/s-s/dnscloak">open-source</a> DNSCrypt and DoH client for iOS by <td><a data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" data-original-title='"A charitable non-profit host organization for international Free Software projects."' href="https://techcultivation.org/">the Center for the Cultivation of Technology gemeinnuetzige GmbH</a>.
Your contribution will be considered an anonymous, unrestricted contribution and paid to our Fiscal Host at OpenCollective when we convert to currency.
We prefer Bitcoin donations to be above $5 due to the state of the network's transaction fees. You are welcome to donate any smaller or larger amount on any other cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, or Stellar.
The <a href="{{ '/contact/' | translate_page }}">{{ site.name }} team</a> does not necessarily endorse all of the cryptocurrencies listed on this page. Please conduct your own research before purchasing any cryptocurrencies.
Thunderbird is a free, open source, cross-platform email, newsgroup, news feed, and chat (XMPP, IRC, Twitter) client developed by community, previously by the Mozilla Foundation.
Claws Mail is a free and open source, GTK-based email and news client. It offers easy configuration and an abundance of features. It is included with Gpg4win, an encryption suite for Windows.
A very easy to use and small portable editor to encrypt and decrypt any text-message or -file. For Windows and Linux. <a href="https://theprivacyguide.org/tutorials/gpg.html">GPG tutorial</a>.
A browser extension that enables the exchange of encrypted emails following the <a href="https://theprivacyguide.org/tutorials/pgp.html">OpenPGP encryption standard</a>.
A security extension to Thunderbird and Seamonkey. It enables you to write and receive email messages signed and/or encrypted with the <a href="https://theprivacyguide.org/tutorials/pgp.html">OpenPGP standard</a>.
Email Encryption. GnuPG is a GPL Licensed alternative to the PGP suite of cryptographic software. <a href="https://theprivacyguide.org/tutorials/gpg.html">Tutorial.</a> Use <a href="https://gpgtools.org/">GPGTools for macOS.</a>
Bitmessage is a P2P communications protocol used to send encrypted messages to another person or to many subscribers. It is decentralized and trustless, meaning that you need not inherently trust any entities like root certificate authorities. It uses strong authentication which means that the sender of a message cannot be spoofed, and it aims to hide "non-content" data.
Retroshare creates encrypted connections to your friends. Nobody can spy on you. Retroshare is completely decentralized. This means there are no central servers. It is entirely open-source and free. There are no costs, no ads, and no Terms of Service.
All providers listed here are operating outside the US and support <a data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="bottom" data-original-title="When sending or receiving emails, if both the sending and receiving servers support TLS encryption, the email is sent between servers using an encrypted connection.">SMTP TLS.</a> The table is sortable.
An open-source non-SMTP cryptographic email system optimized for large file attachments. It is a secure and spam-resistant alternative to regular email and online file drop services. It uses <a href="https://theprivacyguide.org/tutorials/gpg.html">GNU Privacy Guard (GPG)</a> for content encryption and authentication, and TLS 1.2 with ephemeral keys for transport encryption.
Take it a step further and get control of your email with this easy-to-deploy mail server in a box. Mail-in-a-Box lets you become your own mail service provider in a few easy steps. It's sort of like making your own Gmail, but one you control from top to bottom. Technically, Mail-in-a-Box turns a fresh cloud computer into a working mail server. But you don't need to be a technology expert to set it up.
Data stored in the cloud for longer than 6 months is considered abandoned and may be accessed by intelligence agencies without a warrant. Learning:Use an external email client like Thunderbird or Enigmail, download your emails and store them locally. Never leave them on the server.
The cryptographic services offered by the Autistici/Inventati server have been compromised on 15th June 2004. It was discovered on 21st June 2005. One year later. During an enquiry on a single mailbox, the Postal Police may have tapped for a whole year every user's private communication going through the server autistici.org/inventati.org.
<strong>VeraCrypt</strong> is a source-available freeware utility used for on-the-fly encryption. It can create a virtual encrypted disk within a file or encrypt a partition or the entire storage device with pre-boot authentication. VeraCrypt is a fork of the discontinued TrueCrypt project. It was initially released on June 22, 2013. According to its developers, security improvements have been implemented and issues raised by the initial TrueCrypt code audit have been addressed.
<strong>GnuPG</strong> is a GPL-licensed alternative to the PGP suite of cryptographic software. GnuPG is compliant with RFC 4880, which is the current IETF standards track specification of OpenPGP. Current versions of PGP (and Veridis' Filecrypt) are interoperable with GnuPG and other OpenPGP-compliant systems. GnuPG is a part of the Free Software Foundation's GNU software project, and has received major funding from the German government.
<strong>PeaZip</strong> is a free and open-source file manager and file archiver made by Giorgio Tani. It supports its native PEA archive format (featuring compression, multi volume split and flexible authenticated encryption and integrity check schemes) and other mainstream formats, with special focus on handling open formats. It also supports 180+ archive formats.
A cross-platform, serverless JavaScript web application that provides secure file encryption using the AES-256-GCM algorithm in your browser. It can also be downloaded and run offline.</a>
Firefox Send uses end-to-end encryption to keep your data secure from the moment you share to the moment your file is opened. It also offers security controls that you can set. You can choose when your file link expires, the number of downloads, and whether to add an optional password for an extra layer of security.
OnionShare is an open-source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share a file of any size. It works by starting a web server, making it accessible as a Tor onion service, and generating an unguessable URL for you to share so that the recipients can access and download the files.
Magic Wormhole is a package that provides a library and a command-line tool named wormhole, which makes it possible to get arbitrary-sized files and directories (or short pieces of text) from one computer to another. Their motto:"Get things from one computer to another, safely."
Designed to be your own inexpensive server at home. It runs free software and offers an increasing number of services ranging from a calendar or Jabber server, to a wiki, or VPN.
<strong>Syncthing</strong> replaces proprietary sync and cloud services with something open, trustworthy and decentralized. Your data is your data alone and you deserve to choose where it is stored, if it is shared with some third-party and how it's transmitted over the Internet.
<strong>SparkleShare</strong> creates a special folder on your computer. You can add remotely hosted folders (or "projects") to this folder. These projects will be automatically kept in sync with both the host and all of your peers when someone adds, removes or edits a file.
Allows managing files with git, without checking the file contents into git. While that may seem paradoxical, it is useful when dealing with files larger than git can currently easily handle, whether due to limitations in memory, time, or disk space.
Bahnhof is one of Sweden’s largest network operators, founded in 1994. They specialize in innovative data center construction:Extreme security coupled with low-cost green energy has made them world famous.
Njalla is a privacy-aware domain registration service and VPS provider based in Nevis (with VPS data centers in Sweden). It is created by people from The Pirate Bay and IPredator VPN. Accepted payments:Bitcoin, Litecoin, Monero, DASH, Bitcoin Cash and PayPal.
Financial <a href="https://opencollective.com/privacytoolsio" class="alert-link">contributions</a> to {{ site.name }} are now tax deductible in the US!
You are being watched. Private and state-sponsored organizations are monitoring and recording your online activities. {{ site.name }} provides services, tools and knowledge to protect your privacy against global mass surveillance.
We can't operate this site without the generous contributions we receive from our viewers. If you love privacy and our website please consider donating.
Over the last 16 months, as I've debated this issue around the world, every single time somebody has said to me, "I don't really worry about invasions of privacy because I don't have anything to hide." I always say the same thing to them. I get out a pen, I write down my email address. I say, "Here's my email address. What I want you to do when you get home is email me the passwords to all of your email accounts, not just the nice, respectable work one in your name, but all of them, because I want to be able to just troll through what it is you're doing online, read what I want to read and publish whatever I find interesting. After all, if you're not a bad person, if you're doing nothing wrong, you should have nothing to hide." <strong>Not a single person has taken me up on that offer.</strong>
The primary reason for window curtains in our house, is to stop people from being able to see in. The reason we don’t want them to see in is because we consider much of what we do inside our homes to be private. Whether that be having dinner at the table, watching a movie with your kids, or even engaging in intimate or sexual acts with your partner. None of these things are illegal by any means but even knowing this, we still keep the curtains and blinds on our windows. We clearly have this strong desire for privacy when it comes to our personal life and the public.
Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say.
Edward Snowden on <cite title="Just days left to kill mass surveillance under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. We are Edward Snowden and the ACLU's Jameel Jaffer. AUA."><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/36ru89/just_days_left_to_kill_mass_surveillance_under/crglgh2">Reddit</a></cite>
The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting. If I wanted to see your emails or your wife's phone, all I have to do is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords, phone records, credit cards. I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things... I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under.
Edward Snowden in <cite title="Edward Snowden, NSA files source: 'If they want to get you, in time they will'"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-why">The Guardian</a></cite>
We all need places where we can go to explore without the judgmental eyes of other people being cast upon us, only in a realm where we're not being watched can we really test the limits of who we want to be. It's really in the private realm where dissent, creativity and personal exploration lie.
Glenn Greenwald in <cite title="Glenn Greenwald On Why Privacy Is Vital, Even If You 'Have Nothing To Hide"><a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/20/glenn-greenwald-privacy_n_5509704.html">Huffington Post</a></cite>
a coalition of Internet freedom advocates, companies, organizations, and technologists working to develop new wireless technologies and to inspire a movement of Internet openness.
An open-source whistleblower submission system that media organizations can use to securely accept documents from and communicate with anonymous sources. It was originally created by the late Aaron Swartz and is currently managed by Freedom of the Press Foundation.
It's important for a website like {{ site.name }} to stay up-to-date. Keep an eye on software updates for the applications listed on our site. Follow recent news about providers that we recommend. We try our best to keep up, but we're not perfect and the internet is changing fast. If you find an error, or you think a provider should not be listed here, or a qualified service provider is missing, or a browser plugin is not the best choice anymore, or anything else... <strong>Talk to us please.</strong> You can also find us on <a rel="me" href="https://social.privacytools.io/@privacytools">our own Mastodon instance</a> or on <a href="https://chat.privacytools.io">Matrix</a> at <code class="highlighter-rouge">#general:privacytools.io</code>.
This is a community project aiming to deliver the best information available to improve privacy online. Thank you for participating. This project needs you.
If you are currently browsing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_Web">clearnet</a> and want to access the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_web">dark web</a>, this section is for you.
The Tor network is a group of volunteer-operated servers that allows people to improve their privacy and security on the Internet. Tor's users employ this network by connecting through a series of virtual tunnels rather than making a direct connection, thus allowing both organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy. Tor is an effective censorship circumvention tool.
The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is a computer network layer that allows applications to send messages to each other pseudonymously and securely. Uses include anonymous Web surfing, chatting, blogging, and file transfers. The software that implements this layer is called an I2P router and a computer running I2P is called an I2P node. The software is free and open-source and is published under multiple licenses.
Freenet is a peer-to-peer platform for censorship-resistant communication. It uses a decentralized distributed data store to keep and deliver information, and has a suite of free software for publishing and communicating on the Web without fear of censorship. Both Freenet and some of its associated tools were originally designed by Ian Clarke, who defined Freenet's goal as providing freedom of speech on the Internet with strong anonymity protection.
A peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol to make the web faster, safer, and more open. IPFS Companion is a browser extension for redirecting queries to a gateway of your choice (generally local).
An early-stage implementation of a fully end-to-end encrypted IPv6 network. It is lightweight, self-arranging, supported on multiple platforms, and allows pretty much any IPv6-capable application to communicate securely with other Yggdrasil nodes. Yggdrasil does not require you to have IPv6 Internet connectivity - it also works over IPv4.
Joplin is a free, open-source, and fully-featured note-taking and to-do application which can handle a large number of markdown notes organized into notebooks and tags. It offers end-to-end encryption and can sync through Nextcloud, Dropbox, and more. It also offers easy import from Evernote and plain-text notes.
Standard Notes is a simple and private notes app that makes your notes easy and available everywhere you are. Features end-to-end encryption on every platform, and a powerful desktop experience with themes and custom editors.
Turtl lets you take notes, bookmark websites, and store documents for sensitive projects. From sharing passwords with your coworkers to tracking research on an article you're writing, Turtl keeps it all safe from everyone but you and those you share with.
Note:As of Dec 2018, Joplin does not support password/pin protection for the application itself or individual notes/notebooks. Data is still encrypted in transit and at sync location using your master key.
A major mode for GNU Emacs. Org-mode is for keeping notes, maintaining TODO lists, planning projects, and authoring documents with a fast and effective plain-text system.
The UKUSA Agreement is an agreement between the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand to cooperatively collect, analyze, and share intelligence. Members of this group, known as the <a href="https://www.giswatch.org/en/communications-surveillance/unmasking-five-eyes-global-surveillance-practices">Five Eyes</a>, focus on gathering and analyzing intelligence from different parts of the world. While Five Eyes countries have agreed to <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/an-exclusive-club-the-five-countries-that-dont-spy-on-each-other">not spy on each other</a> as adversaries, leaks by Snowden have revealed that some Five Eyes members monitor each other's citizens and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/jun/21/gchq-cables-secret-world-communications-nsa">share intelligence</a> to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jun/10/nsa-offers-intelligence-british-counterparts-blunkett">avoid breaking domestic laws</a> that prohibit them from spying on their own citizens. The Five Eyes alliance also cooperates with groups of third-party countries to share intelligence (forming the Nine Eyes and Fourteen Eyes); however, Five Eyes and third-party countries can and do spy on each other.
Mandatory <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_disclosure_law">key disclosure laws</a> require individuals to turn over encryption keys to law enforcement conducting a criminal investigation. How these laws are implemented (who may be legally compelled to assist) vary from nation to nation, but a warrant is generally required. Defenses against key disclosure laws include steganography and encrypting data in a way that provides plausible deniability.</p> <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steganography">Steganography</a> involves hiding sensitive information (which may be encrypted) inside of ordinary data (for example, encrypting an image file and then hiding it in an audio file). With plausible deniability, data is encrypted in a way that prevents an adversary from being able to prove that the information they are after exists (for example, one password may decrypt benign data and another password, used on the same file, could decrypt sensitive data).
*(people who know how to access a system may be ordered to share their knowledge, <strong>however, this doesn't apply to the suspect itself or family members.</strong>)
Services based in the United States are not recommended because of the country's surveillance programs and use of <a href="https://www.eff.org/issues/national-security-letters/faq">National Security Letters</a> (NSLs) with accompanying gag orders, which forbid the recipient from talking about the request. This combination allows the government to <a href="https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/08/more_on_the_nsa.html">secretly force</a> companies to grant complete access to customer data and transform the service into a tool of mass surveillance.
An example of this is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavabit#Suspension_and_gag_order">Lavabit</a> – a secure email service created by Ladar Levison. The FBI <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/nzz888/lavabit-founder-ladar-levison-discusses-his-federal-battle-for-privacy">requested</a> Snowden's records after finding out that he used the service. Since Lavabit did not keep logs and email content was stored encrypted, the FBI served a subpoena (with a gag order) for the service's SSL keys. Having the SSL keys would allow them to access communications (both metadata and unencrypted content) in real time for all of Lavabit's customers, not just Snowden's.
Ultimately, Levison turned over the SSL keys and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/20/why-did-lavabit-shut-down-snowden-email">shut down</a> the service at the same time. The US government then <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/id/100962389">threatened Levison with arrest</a>, saying that shutting down the service was a violation of the court order.
Our recommended provider is outside the US, uses encryption, accepts Bitcoin, supports OpenVPN, and has a no logging policy. <a href="#criteria">Read our full list of criteria for more information</a>.
<strong>Mullvad</strong> is a fast and inexpensive VPN with a serious focus on transparency and security. They have been in operation since <strong>2009</strong>. It is the only VPN provider that currently meets our criteria for recommendation. Mullvad is based in <span class="flag-icon flag-icon-se"></span> Sweden and does not have a free trial. Visit <a href="https://mullvad.net/">mullvad.net</a> to create an account.
Mullvad has 409 servers in 39 countries at the time of writing this page. Typically the more servers a provider offers, the better:With hundreds of servers in operation, you are far more likely to find a fast connection and a server geographically closest to you.
In addition to standard OpenVPN connections, Mullvad supports WireGuard. WireGuard is an experimental protocol with theoretically better security and higher reliability, although it is not currently recommended for production use.
Mullvad's VPN clients have been audited by Cure53 and Assured AB in a pentest report <a href="https://cure53.de/pentest-report_mullvad_v2.pdf">published at cure53.de</a>.
...Cure53 and Assured AB are happy with the results of the audit and the software leaves an overall positive impression. With security dedication of the in-house team at the Mullvad VPN compound, the testers have no doubts about the project being on the right track from a security standpoint.
Mullvad in addition to accepting credit/debit cards and PayPal, accepts <strong>Bitcoin</strong>, <strong>Bitcoin Cash</strong>, and <strong>cash/local currency</strong> as anonymous forms of payment. They also accept Swish and bank wire transfers.
While iOS and Android clients are reportedly in the works, mobile users will need to use a traditional OpenVPN client and configuration files, which are a bit more difficult to configure.
The Mullvad VPN clients have a built-in killswitch to block internet connections outside of the VPN. They also are able to automatically start on boot. The Mullvad website is also accessible via Tor at <a href="http://xcln5hkbriyklr6n.onion/">xcln5hkbriyklr6n.onion</a>.
Note:Using a VPN provider will not make you anonymous, but it will give you better privacy in certain situations. A VPN is not a tool for illegal activities. Don't rely on a "no log" policy.
<strong>ProtonVPN</strong> is a strong contender in the VPN space, and they have been in operation since <strong>2016</strong>. ProtonVPN is based in <span class="flag-icon flag-icon-ch"></span> Switzerland and offers a limited free pricing tier, as well as premium options. Unfortunately due to its lack of an independent security audit it does not meet the complete criteria for recommendation, see our notes below.
ProtonVPN has not undergone a security audit by an independent third party, and therefore cannot be strongly recommended at this time. We have still chosen to list it on this page with the assumption that an audit will be published soon
We are currently undergoing a complete security audit of our VPN applications by a reputable Swiss security company. The results of the audit will be summarized in a public report for cases like this.
ProtonVPN has 526 servers in 42 countries at the time of writing this page. Typically the more servers a provider offers, the better:With hundreds of servers in operation, you are far more likely to find a fast connection and a server geographically closest to you.
ProtonVPN does technically accept Bitcoin payments; however, you either need to have an existing account, or contact their support team in advance to register with Bitcoin.
In addition to providing standard OpenVPN configuration files, ProtonVPN has mobile clients for iOS or Android allowing for easy connections to their servers.
The ProtonVPN clients have a built-in killswitch to block internet connections outside of the VPN. They also are able to automatically start on boot. ProtonVPN also offers "Tor" servers allowing you to easily connect to onion sites, but we still strongly recommend using the official Tor Browser for this purpose.
<strong>IVPN</strong> is another strong premium VPN provider, and they have been in operation since <strong>2009</strong>. IVPN is based in <span class="flag-icon flag-icon-gi"></span> Gibraltar and offers a 3 day free trial. Unfortunately, due to its lack of an independent security audit, it does not meet the complete criteria for recommendation, see our notes below.
IVPN has undergone a <a href="https://cure53.de/audit-report_ivpn.pdf">no-logging audit from Cure53</a> which concluded in agreement with IVPN's no-logging claim. However, IVPN has not undergone a more comprehensive security audit by an independent third party, and therefore cannot be strongly recommended at this time. We have still chosen to list it on this page with the assumption that an audit will be published soon: The IVPN team <a href="https://twitter.com/yaelwrites/status/1161796418220089344">reportedly plans to begin the process in September</a>.
IVPN has 77 servers in 31 countries at the time of writing this page. Typically the more servers a provider offers, the better. IVPN has a decent (but not exceptional) server count that will most likely provide adequate coverage to most users.
In addition to accepting credit/debit cards and PayPal, IVPN accepts <strong>Bitcoin</strong> and <strong>cash/local currency</strong> (on annual plans) as anonymous forms of payment.
In addition to providing standard OpenVPN configuration files, IVPN has mobile clients for iOS or Android allowing for easy connections to their servers.
The IVPN clients have a built-in killswitch to block internet connections outside of the VPN. They also are able to automatically start on boot. IVPN also provides "AntiTracker" functionality, which blocks advertising networks and trackers from the network level.
A warrant canary is a posted document stating that an organization has not received any secret subpoenas during a specific period of time. If this document fails to be updated during the specified time then the user is to assume that the service has received such a subpoena and should stop using the service.
searx is an <a href="https://github.com/asciimoo/searx">open-source</a> metasearch engine, aggregating the results of other search engines while not storing information about its users. No logs, no ads and no tracking. There is a <a href="https://github.com/asciimoo/searx/wiki/Searx-instances">list of public instances</a>, or you can try <a href="https://search.privacytools.io/">the PrivacyTools Search</a>
DuckDuckGo is a "search engine that doesn't track you." Some of DuckDuckGo's code is free software hosted at GitHub, but the core is proprietary. <span class="flag-icon flag-icon-us"></span> <a href="../../providers/#ukusa">The company is based in the USA.</a>
Qwant is a search engine with its philosophy based on two principles:nouser tracking and no filter bubble. Qwant was launched in France in February 2013.
Firefox extension that prevents Google and Yandex search pages from modifying search result links when you click them. This is useful when copying links but it also helps privacy by preventing the search engines from recording your clicks.
If you are currently using an Instant Messenger like Telegram, LINE, Viber, <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/10/where-whatsapp-went-wrong-effs-four-biggest-security-concerns">WhatsApp</a>, or plain SMS you should pick an alternative here.
Signal is a mobile app developed by Open Whisper Systems. The app provides instant messaging, as well as voice and video calling. All communications are end-to-end encrypted. Signal is free and open source.
Wire stores some plaintext metadata about its users on their servers. This data includes profile names, profile pictures, usernames, and users' lists of connections and conversations.
An ultra-secure peer-to-peer instant messenger that connects to contacts via Direct Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Tor over the internet, keeping its users protected from surveillance and censorship.
An open-source, federated messenger that utilizes the Matrix protocol. This application is primarily recommended as a large group/team chat solution. While Riot has the ability to perform 1-on-1 communications we believe there are better solutions for direct communications.
Gives you full control over your communications and an unmatched level of privacy. Jami has text messaging, video and audio calls, file transfer, and video conferencing.
<a href="https://eprint.iacr.org/2016/1013.pdf"> A Formal Security Analysis of the Signal Messaging Protocol (2019)</a> by Katriel Cohn-Gordon, Cas Cremers, Benjamin Dowling, Luke Garratt and Douglas Stebila
Please note that many of the above instant messengers also support <span class="badge badge-success">VoIP</span>. The software listed below are <em>primarily</em> Voice/Video focused.
Linphone is an open-source SIP Phone and a free voice over IP service, available on mobile and desktop environments and on web browsers. It supports ZRTP for end-to-end encrypted voice and video communication.
Mumble is an open-source, low-latency, and high quality voice chat application primarily intended for use while gaming. Note that while Mumble doesn't log messages or record by default, <a href="https://github.com/mumble-voip/mumble/issues/1813">it's missing end-to-end encryption</a>, so self-hosting is recommended.
If your project or organization currently uses a platform like <a href="https://tosdr.org/#discord">Discord</a> or <a href="https://drewdevault.com/2015/11/01/Please-stop-using-slack.html">Slack</a> you should pick an alternative here.
Riot.im is a federated free-software messaging application based on the <a href"https://matrix.org/">Matrix</a> protocol, a recent open protocol for real-time communication offering optional E2E encryption. It also has bridging functionality, allowing you to connect to other chat protocols such as IRC or Telegram.
The end-to-end encryption is currently in beta, and the mobile client states 'End-to-end encryption is in beta and may not be reliable. You should not yet trust it to secure data.'
Regarding E2EE their documentation states 'This feature is currently in alpha. It's also not yet supported on mobile'. There is no forward secrecy so compromised decryption password would leak all messages. Federation was also added afterwards, potentially causing room for mistakes.
Keybase provides a hosted team chat with end-to-end encryption. It has also been <a href="https://keybase.io/docs-assets/blog/NCC_Group_Keybase_KB2018_Public_Report_2019-02-27_v1.3.pdf">independently audited (PDF)</a>.
Nextcloud is similar in functionality to the widely-used Dropbox, with the difference being that Nextcloud is free and open-source, thereby allowing anyone to install and operate it without charge on a private server, with no limits on storage space or the number of connected clients.
<strong>Bitwarden</strong> is a free and open-source password manager. It aims to solve password management problems for individuals, teams, and business organizations. Bitwarden is among the easiest and safest solutions to store all of your logins and passwords while conveniently keeping them synced between all of your devices. If you don't want to use the Bitwarden cloud, you can easily host your own Bitwarden server.
<strong>KeePassXC</strong> is a community fork of KeePassX, a native cross-platform port of KeePass Password Safe, with the goal to extend and improve it with new features and bugfixes to provide a feature-rich, fully cross-platform and modern open-source password manager.
<strong>LessPass</strong> is a free and open-source password manager that generates unique passwords for websites, email accounts, or anything else based on a master password and information you know. No sync needed. Uses PBKDF2 and SHA-256. It's advised to use the browser addons for more security.
A password manager based on an ingenious password-generation algorithm that guarantees your passwords can never be lost. Its passwords aren't stored:they are generated on-demand from your name, the site, and your master password. No syncing, backups, or internet access needed.
Free and open source password manager for teams with client side encryption and secure sharing of passwords, files, bookmarks, emails. All secrets are protected by a master password. Uses <a href="https://nacl.cr.yp.to/">NACL Crypto</a>, a combination of Curve25519, Salsa20 and Poly1305.
Whether the answer is one or hundreds, Password Safe allows you to safely and easily create a secured and encrypted username/password list. With Password Safe all you have to do is create and remember a single "Master Password" of your choice in order to unlock and access your entire username/password list.
Mastodon is a social network based on open web protocols and free, open-source software. It is decentralized like email. It also has the most users, and the most diverse (in terms of interests) users; looks good; and is easy to setup. Feel welcome to join our hosted instance:<a href="https://social.privacytools.io/">social.privacytools.io</a>
diaspora* is based on three key philosophies:Decentralization, freedom and privacy. It is intended to address privacy concerns related to centralized social networks by allowing users set up their own server (or "pod") to host content; pods can then interact to share status updates, photographs, and other social data.
Friendica has an emphasis on extensive privacy settings and easy server installation. It aims to federate with as many other social networks as possible. Currently, Friendica users can integrate contacts from Facebook, Twitter, Diaspora, GNU social, App.net, Pump.io and other services in their social streams.
PixelFed is a free and ethical photo sharing platform, powered by ActivityPub federation. Pixelfed is an open-source, federated platform. You can run your own instance or <a href="https://fediverse.party/en/pixelfed/">join one.</a>
GNU social is social-communication software for both public and private communications. It is widely supported and has a large userbase. It is already used by the Free Software Foundation.
<a href="https://github.com/nehbit/aether/blob/master/LICENSE.md">Aether is a free and open-source</a> decentralized social news aggregator with a built-in voting system.
Tildes is a web-based self-hostable online bulletin board. It is licensed under <a href="https://gitlab.com/tildes/tildes/blob/master/LICENSE">GPL 3.0</a>.
A decentralized online bulletin board using <a href="https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterPlanetary_File_System">IPFS</a> and <a href="https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethereum">Ethereum</a>.
An <a href="https://github.com/dessalines/lemmy/blob/master/LICENSE">AGPL</a>-licensed self-hostable link aggregator intended to work in the <a href="https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fediverse">Fediverse</a>.
A <a href="https://github.com/notabugio/notabug/blob/master/LICENSE.md">free and open-source</a> P2P link aggregator with a strong resemblance to old.reddit.com (not to be confused with <a href="https://notabug.org/">NotABug.org</a>).
PrivateBin is a minimalist, open-source online pastebin where the server has zero knowledge of pasted data. Data is encrypted/decrypted in the browser using 256-bit AES. It is the improved version of ZeroBin.
CryptPad is an open-source, zero knowledge, and real-time collaborative editor. Data is encrypted/decrypted in the browser, using Salsa20 with Poly1305 to encrypt pads.
<strong>CryptPad</strong> is a private-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services. All content is end-to-end encrypted. It is free and open-source, enabling anyone to verify its security by auditing the code. The development team is supported by donations and grants. No registration is required, and it can be used anonymously via Tor Browser.
<strong>Etherpad</strong> is a highly customizable open-source online editor providing collaborative editing in real time. <a href=https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/wiki/Sites-that-run-Etherpad>Here are a list of sites that run Etherpad</a>.
<strong>Write.as</strong> is a cross-platform, privacy-oriented blogging platform. It's anonymous by default, letting you publish without signing up. If you create an account, it doesn't require any personal information. No ads, distraction-free, and built on a sustainable business model.
EtherCalc is a web spreadsheet. Data is saved on the web, and people can edit the same document at the same time. Changes are instantly reflected on all screens. Work together on inventories, survey forms, list management, brainstorming sessions.
<strong>MAT2</strong> is free software, which allows the removal of metadata of image, audio, torrent, and document file types. It provides both a command line tool and a graphical user interface via an extension for Nautilus, the default file manager of GNOME.
Qubes is an open-source operating system designed to provide strong security for desktop computing. Qubes is based on Xen, the X Window System, and Linux, and can run most Linux applications and utilize most of the Linux drivers.
Fedora is a Linux distribution developed by the Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat. Fedora Workstation is a secure, reliable, and user-friendly edition developed for desktops and laptops, using GNOME as the default desktop environment.
Debian is a Unix-like computer operating system and a Linux distribution that is composed entirely of free and open-source software, most of which is under the GNU General Public License, and packaged by a group of individuals known as the Debian project.
Tails is a live operating system that starts on almost any computer from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card. It aims at preserving privacy and anonymity, and circumventing censorship by forcing Internet connections through the Tor network; leaving no trace on the computer; and using state-of-the-art cryptographic tools to encrypt files, emails, and instant messages.
Knoppix is an operating system based on Debian designed to be run directly from a CD / DVD (Live CD) or a USB flash drive (Live USB), one of the first of its kind for any operating system. When starting a program, it is loaded from the removable medium and decompressed into a RAM drive. The decompression is transparent and on-the-fly.
Puppy Linux operating system is a lightweight Linux distribution that focuses on ease of use and minimal memory footprint. The entire system can be run from RAM with current versions generally taking up about 210 MB, allowing the boot medium to be removed after the operating system has started.
GrapheneOS (formerly known as CopperheadOS) is a free and open-source security- and privacy-focused mobile operating system built on top of the Android Open Source Project. It currently specifically targets devices offering strong hardware security.
LineageOS is a free and open-source operating system for smartphones and tablets, based on the official releases of the Android Open Source Project. It is the continuation of the CyanogenMod project.
Ubuntu Touch is a free and open-source operating system for smartphones and tablets. It's an alternative to the current popular mobile operating systems on the market. Only a few devices are <a href=https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/>supported.</a>
OpenWrt is an operating system (in particular, an embedded operating system) based on the Linux kernel, primarily used on embedded devices to route network traffic. The main components are the Linux kernel, util-linux, uClibc and BusyBox. All components have been optimized for size, to be small enough for fitting into the limited storage and memory available in home routers.
pfSense is an open source firewall/router computer software distribution based on FreeBSD. It is installed on a computer to make a dedicated firewall/router for a network and is noted for its reliability and offering features often only found in expensive commercial firewalls. pfSense is commonly deployed as a perimeter firewall, router, wireless access point, DHCP server, DNS server, and as a VPN endpoint.
LibreCMC is a GNU/Linux-libre distribution for computers with minimal resources, such as the Ben Nanonote, ath9k-based Wi-Fi routers, and other hardware with emphasis on free software. The project's current goal is to aim for compliance with the GNU Free System Distribution Guidelines (GNU FSDG) and ensure that the project continues to meet these requirements set forth by the Free Software Foundation (FSF).
More services are on the way. If there's something that would be super beneficial for us to run, don't hesitate to reach out and ask. And of course, if you like our services, please consider <a href="{{ "/donate/" | translate_page }}">donating to support our server costs</a>, <em>any donation helps!</em>
The {{ site.name }} website and services are a community project. There is no advertising, affiliate links, or other forms of monetization.<br><strong>Your donations here directly support hosting this website and compensating contributors to this project.</strong>
This sponsorship program is designed to allow companies, organizations, and individuals partner with the {{ site.name }} team to support our vision of a more privacy-respecting internet and the greater online community.
With this exposure and sponsorship, your customers will recognize your intrinsic understanding and commitment to user privacy. Moreover, you'll directly contribute to our mission of spreading privacy-respecting tools and knowledge worldwide!
This website receives well over 250,000 pageviews on a monthly basis and is highly ranked for privacy-related keywords. In addition to the benefits below your contribution will be featured on our OpenCollective page and we will thank you via social media for your contribution.
We pride ourselves on our integrity and commitment to spreading unbiased and fact-based information regarding privacy and privacy-respecting tools. All tools we recommend throughout our website are subject to strict criteria as judged by our team and the community across our various platforms. Your sponsorship will not grant your organization any special consideration when choosing our recommendations throughout the website, a process which we make clear via our transparent ledger on OpenCollective and our public discussions on GitHub. Your sponsorship benefits are limited to those outlined above.
Your contribution to {{ site.name }} will be handled by the Open Collective Foundation 501(c)(3). For US companies and taxpayers, this means your contribution is <strong>tax deductible</strong>. As a non-profit, your sponsorship contribution will not be used for private profit and will only be used to cover expenses incurred by the project. All of our transactions (donations and expenses) are published transparently on OpenCollective. For the benefit of our readership, anonymous contributions will not be eligible for the sponsorship opportunities outlined above.
If you are interested and have further questions, you are welcome to reach out to us directly at <a href="mailto:sponsors@privacytools.io">sponsors@privacytools.io</a>.
If you're looking for added <strong>security</strong>, you should always ensure you're connecting to websites using <a href="{{ /providers/dns/#icanndns | translate_page}}">encrypted DNS</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS">HTTPS</a>. A VPN is not a replacement for good security practices.
If you're looking for additional <strong>privacy</strong> from your ISP, on a public Wi-Fi network, or while torrenting files, a VPN may be the solution for you as long as you understand <a href="#info">the risks involved</a>.
We have developed a clear set of requirements for any VPN provider wishing to be recommended, including strong encryption, independent security audits, modern technology, and more. We suggest you familiarize yourself with this list before choosing a VPN provider, and conduct your own research to ensure the VPN provider you choose is as trustworthy as possible.
Operating outside the five/nine/fourteen-eyes countries is not a guarantee of privacy necessarily, and there are other factors to consider. However, we believe that avoiding these countries is important if you wish to avoid mass government dragnet surveillance, especially from the United States. Read our page on <a href="{{ '/providers/#ukusa' | translate_page }}">global mass surveillance and avoiding the US and UK</a> to learn more about why we feel this is important.
We require all our recommended VPN providers to provide OpenVPN configuration files to be used in any client. <strong>If</strong> a VPN provides their own custom client, we require a killswitch to block network data leaks when disconnected.
We prefer our recommended providers to collect as little data as possible. Not collecting personal information on registration, and accepting anonymous forms of payment are required.
A VPN is pointless if it can't even provide adequate security. We require all our recommended providers to abide by current security standards for their OpenVPN connections. Ideally, they would use more future-proof encryption schemes by default. We also require an independent third-party to audit the provider's security, ideally in a very comprehensive manner and on a repeated (yearly) basis.
You wouldn't trust your finances to someone with a fake identity, so why trust them with your internet data? We require our recommended providers to be public about their ownership or leadership. We also would like to see frequent transparency reports, especially in regard to how government requests are handled.
While not strictly requirements, there are some factors we looked into when determining which providers to recommend. These include adblocking/tracker-blocking functionality, warrant canaries, multihop connections, excellent customer support, the number of allowed simultaneous connections, etc.
The answer to this question is not a particularly helpful one:<strong>It depends.</strong> It depends on what you're expecting a VPN to do for you, who you're trying to hide your traffic from, and what applications you're using.
VPNs cannot encrypt data outside of the connection between your device and the VPN server. VPN providers can see and modify your traffic the same way your ISP could. And there is no way to verify a VPN provider's "no logging" policies in any way.
In most cases, most of your traffic is already encrypted! Over 98% of the top 3000 websites offer <strong>HTTPS</strong>, meaning your non-DNS traffic is safe regardless of using a VPN. It is incredibly rare for applications that handle personal data to not support HTTPS in 2019, especially with services like Let's Encrypt offering free HTTPS certificates to any website operator.
Even if a site you visit doesn't support HTTPS, a VPN will not protect you, because a VPN cannot magically encrypt the traffic between the VPN's servers and the website's servers. Installing an extension like <a href="https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere">HTTPS Everywhere</a> and making sure every site you visit uses HTTPS is far more helpful than using a VPN.
The answer to this question is also not very helpful:<strong>it depends</strong>. Your VPN provider may have their own DNS servers, but if they don't, the traffic between your VPN provider and the DNS server isn't encrypted. You need to trust the <a href="{{ '/providers/dns/#icanndns' | translate_page }}">encrypted DNS provider</a> in addition to the VPN provider and unless your client and target server support <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/09/esni-privacy-protecting-upgrade-https">encrypted SNI</a>, the VPN provider can still see which domains you are visiting.
However <strong>you shouldn't use encrypted DNS with Tor</strong>. This would direct all of your DNS requests through a single circuit, and would allow the encrypted DNS provider to deanonymize you.
VPNs cannot provide strong anonymity. Your VPN provider will still see your real IP address, and often has a money trail that can be linked directly back to you. You cannot rely on "no logging" policies to protect your data.
The idea that your IP address is sensitive information, or that your location is given away with all your internet traffic is <strong>fearmongering</strong> on the part of VPN providers and their marketing. Your IP address is an insignificant amount of personal data tracking companies use to identify you, because many users' IP addresses change very frequently (Dynamic IP addresses, switching networks, switching devices, etc.). Your IP address also does not give away more than the very generalized location of your Internet Service Provider. It does not give away your home address, for example, despite common perception.
By using a VPN with Tor, you're creating essentially a permanent entry node, often with a money trail attached. This provides 0 additional benefit to you, while increasing the attack surface of your connection dramatically. If you wish to hide your Tor usage from your ISP or your government, Tor has a built-in solution for that:Tor bridges. <a href="https://write.privacytools.io/my-thoughts-on-security/slicing-onions-part-2-onion-recipes-vpn-not-required">Read more about Tor bridges and why using a VPN is not necessary</a>.
For use cases like these, or if you have another compelling reason, the VPN providers we listed above are who we think are the most trustworthy. However, using a VPN provider still means you're <em>trusting</em> the provider. In pretty much any other scenario you should be using a secure<strong>-by-design</strong> tool such as Tor.
<a href='{{ "/software/networks/" | translate_page }}'>The self-contained networks</a> recommended by PrivacyTools are able to replace a VPN that allows access to services on local area network
<a href="https://write.privacytools.io/my-thoughts-on-security/slicing-onions-part-1-myth-busting-tor">Slicing Onions: Part 1 – Myth-busting Tor</a> by blacklight447
<a href="https://write.privacytools.io/my-thoughts-on-security/slicing-onions-part-2-onion-recipes-vpn-not-required">Slicing Onions: Part 2 – Onion recipes; VPN not required</a> by blacklight447
Read the <a data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="top" data-original-title="The IP collected at signup is only used for a few seconds by our fraud module and then discarded, it is not stored. Storing them would significantly increase our own liability and certainly would not be in our interest. You're absolutely welcome to signup using Tor or a VPN.">Email statement</a> from IVPN.
