How to maintain freedom and privacy using technology and Internet
Figure 1 Dear, don't worry...it's just a seller who's collecting our personal data to create the most appropriate advertisements for us...
Aphorisms
What are the threats to our freedom and privacy?
Some simple rules to remember in order not to be overwhelmed
The digital sovereignty
How live without Google (and GAFA (GAFAM e FAANG))
How to live without BigG's services and applications
Some of the shames of the high-tech giants
Privacy and respect for the freedom of users by information and communication services and applications
Browser
Search engine
Advertising filter additional components and applications
Communication applications (messaging and VoIP)
Video conferencing applications
Email services and applications
Multi user email applications
Cloud storage and data sharing services and applications
File sharing services and applications
Secure connection services (VPN, TOR, I2P)
Resolver services DNS
Map services and applications
Translator services and applications
Calendar services and applications
Contacts services and applications
Digital notepad services and applications
Virtual assistant services and applications
Social network services and applications
Video content services and applications
Office services and applications
Antivirus or antimalware services and applications
Authenticator services and applications 2FA
Password management services and applications
Android apps catalogue
Mobile operating systems
Operating systems
Smartphone
Bibliography:
License:
“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. It's a deeply anti-social principal because rights are not just individual - they're collective. The fact that you don't care about this or that freedom today doesn't mean you can't care about it tomorrow. What today may not have value for you, tomorrow may have value for an entire population, an entire people, an entire way of life. And if you don't stand up for it, then who will?” Edward Snowden, 2015
“When you say, ‘I have nothing to hide,’ you’re saying, ‘I don’t care about this right.’ You’re saying, ‘I don’t have this right, because I’ve got to the point where I have to justify it.’ The way rights work is, the government has to justify its intrusion into your rights.” Edward Snowden, 2015
“A person's true value is not measured by the values he claims to uphold, but by what he is willing to do to protect them. If you don't hold true to the values you believe in, you probably don't believe in them all the way.” Edward Snowden, 2015
“Privacy is not for sale, and human rights should not be compromised out of fear or greed.” Pavel Durov, 2018
“Every one of us is going to die eventually, but we as a species will stick around for a while. That’s why I think accumulating money, fame or power is irrelevant. Serving humanity is the only thing that really matters in the long run.” Pavel Durov, 2018
“Surveillance is the business model of the Internet.” Bruce Schneier, 2014
“Too many wrongly characterize the debate as security versus privacy. The real choice is liberty versus control.” Bruce Schneier, 2009
“The real psychological truth is this: if you’ve got nothing to hide, you are nothing.” Shoshana Zuboff, 2014
“Will we be the masters of information, or will we be its slaves? If the digital future is to be our home, then it is we who must make it so.” Shoshana Zuboff, 2014
“In a world where software influences virtually every single aspect of our lives, Free Software is a precondition for a free society.” Reinhard Müller, 2019
“Anytime someone puts a lock on something you own, against your wishes, and doesn't give you the key, they're not doing it for your benefit.” Doctorow's Law, 2009
“It's the actions that matter. Our thoughts, good as they may be, are false pearls until they are transformed into actions. Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi, unknown
"The Web is designed to be universal: to include everything and everyone." Tim Berners-Lee, 2007
"We need to start talking about the right to access the Web and the right not to be spied on. The Internet must remain free, open and neutral." Tim Berners-Lee, 2011
“If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged.” Cardinal Richelieu, 1641
“If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place, but if you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines including Google do retain this information for some time, and it's important, for example that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act. It is possible that that information could be made available to the authorities.” Eric Schmidt, 2009
“The technology will be so good it will be very hard for people to watch or consume something that has not in some sense been tailored for them.” Eric Schmidt, 2010
“A squirrel dying in front of your house maybe more relevant to your interests right know than people dying in Africa.” Mark Zuckerberg, 2011
“It’s the gradual, slight, imperceptible change in your own behaviour and perception that is the product...That's the only thing there is for them to make money from. Changing what you do, how you think, who you are.” Jaron Lanier, 2020
“A world constructed from the familiar is a world in which there's nothing to learn...(since there is) invisible autopropaganda, indoctrinating us with our own ideas.” Eli Pariser, 2011
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin, 1755
Figure 2: The collection of personal data or personal data harvesting...Source
Figure 3 The surveillance capitalism: "Amazon (Facebook) spies on 100 million devices, Google (Microsoft) spies on 400 million, NSA only for amateurs..."
Figure 4: Dear, the government (NSA, CIA, FBI, etc.) is spying on us. Darling, they must have felt left out. Source
Modern society is called the information society because technology and the Internet are used pervasively. These means are used for the dissemination of information and content for any purpose (popular, recreational, commercial, etc.). The most important thing is to be aware that our freedom as people is at risk in ways that are sometimes difficult to understand.
Government agencies continuously spy on us in the name of security through global surveillance programs (PRISM, Echelon, XKeyscore, Vault 7, Tempora, Cambdrige Analytica, Net Neutrality, TED with subtitles, TED with subtitles).
Service providers, in exchange for more or less useful free services, consider us as products for their own interests. The forms of abuse range from tracking user habits (TED with subtitles, digital merchandise fetishism and hidden exploitation) to not owning a good (application, film or disc) despite its purchase (DRM).
In order to be able to defend itself, a free solution is to use open source software better if free or designed to maintain the freedom of users. Open source software encourages the analysis and study of the source code in order to make corrections, changes and extensions. Free software adds to open source software respect for the freedom of users and the community; users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, modify and improve the software. So it's a question of freedom, not price. To understand the concept, one need to think of "freedom of speech" and not "free beer".
The Free Software Foundation promotes the development and dissemination of free software through the General Public License (GPL). Free and open source software allows the revision of the source code by a large number of people. For this reason, it is more difficult for it to contain defects and malfunctions (bugs) or security holes and corrections are very quick. Moreover, since the source code is freely available, it is very difficult to intentionally insert spy functions (backdoors, trojans and spyware) without these being promptly discovered and eliminated differently from what happened for some commercial applications.
Furthermore, messages defined as "private" in e-mail services, social networks and communication applications are actually not. In most cases, messages are transmitted over the Internet and protected by encryption, but are readable by the service provider. To communicate in a truly private way through a digital device, different solutions based on end-to-end encryption are needed.
An unencrypted message is the same as a postcard while an encrypted message is the same as a traditional letter: in particular, end-to-end encryption ensures that only the recipient can open the envelope of the letter.
Finally, Term of Service (ToS) are the legal agreements between a service provider and the user who wishes to use them. In particular, they define the terms of use of a service in a legally binding manner and are essential for the protection of copyright on content and for protection against potential liability. The terms of service, due to their length and sometimes difficult to understand, are almost never read by the user who unconsciously accepts them.
Proprietary software (closed source) protects the rights and the interests of the developer rather than the users;
Free software guarantees transparency and freedom to users and is a necessary condition for a free society;
A software that uses end-to-end encryption protects you from the collection of personal data and surveillance of mass media;
A free service/product or an unclear business model gains through user data or their lives;
It is better to pay for a service/product with a subscription or donation and be certain of its genuineness than to have it for free without any certainty.
Figure 5: The multinationals of information and their domination in the world, 2017. The rise of digital empires is creating a colonial vision of the Internet. Source Source
Figure 6: The world-wide population divided in categories, 2017. Source
According to the inventor of the World Wide Web (WWW), Tim Berners-Lee, the priorities to keep open and free Internet are the following:
Resume control of our personal data;
Limit and, if possible, remove the spread of misinformation on the Web;
Create tools for transparency and understanding of online political advertising.
Figure 7: GAFAM the digital empires and colonialism of the Web. Source
What information are large technology companies collecting from us?
How the Tech Giants Make Their Billions
The question: it is possible to abandon Google (GAFAM and FAANG) and remain in the world of today without falling from the frying pan to the fire?
It's not easy because "BigG" is no longer just a search engine. In fact, BigG provides a series of services (video and document sharing, maps, email, mobile operating systems, etc.) very useful, if not indispensable, in everyday life.
The reasons: why complicate your life using N different applications and services instead of just one very functional?
Privacy. BigG sees everything you do and has been memorizing it for years. Lately, the combination of different services (in particular, Google Search, YouTube, Maps and Android) is creating a very worrying concentration of user data;
The ecosystem. Both technological and biological diversity is a source of wealth. Google in Europe manages 90% of online searches and 70% of advertising both growing and is shifting the network centre of gravity;
Knowledge. BigG is phenomenal, but it is frightening that most people see the net (the world) always through the same glasses (TED with subtitles, Filter Bubble, News).
The problem: how to live without BigG without going back to the primordial era of the Internet? Why is it necessary to do so if its services are of high quality?
BigG has become too invasive. Also, unlike its competitors, its purpose is to sell advertising. It is not a search engine (like Yahoo), it is not a software manufacturer (like Microsoft, Adobe, Oracle, IBM, etc.), it does not live by selling licenses (like Microsoft, Adobe, Oracle, IBM, etc.) or devices (Apple, HP, Lenovo, etc.) or services (excluding some services to companies and individuals).
Its fundamental profit comes from advertising and from this derives the total profiling of its users. Its control is so pervasive that BigG can now be considered a quasi-monopolist (duopoly with Facebook) of Internet advertising.
There is no need to demonise Google, as this is its business model: the services offered are excellent in exchange for the massive collection of personal data. The final choice depends on ourselves. Unfortunately, some facts are very puzzling (for example, any data uploaded to its servers becomes its property or it is allowed to do whatever you want with our profiles, including selling them to third parties).
Everyone can evaluate their privacy as they wish and decide whether the transfer of much personal information is worth the level of services that are obtained in return from BigG (GAFAM and FAANG).
Figure 8: Google's restrictions (obligation to pre-install Google Search and Chrome, payment by device manufacturers and phone operators to use Google Search exclusively, obstacle to the development of new open source versions) on the Android operating system illegally protect its domain on the Internet search. Source
A few key points:
Considering the number of BigG services, migrating from them means spending a considerable amount of time, therefore indirectly money, and limiting comfort at least initially. In fact, it is necessary to learn new concepts and renounce the integration of all services;
BigG is no longer just a search engine and for this reason a brief overview of the most used services is given below.
Service or application
Google
Alternatives
Google Chrome
Brave, Firefox, TOR
Google Search
Searx, Presearch, Brave Search, DuckDuckGo, Startpage
Bookmarks
Google Bookmarks
xBrowserSync, Firefox Sync, Floccus, Pocket, Raindrop
Google Messages, Google Hangouts
Element, Telegram, Wire, Mega, Signal, Jami, Keybase
Google Hangouts and Meets
Jitsi, BigBlueButton, Telegram, Mega, Wire, Jami
Gmail
Protonmail, Tutanota, Mailvelope, K9-mail
Google Drive
NextCloud, Syncthing, Mega, Cryptomator
Google Maps
OpenStreeMap, OsmAnd, Qwant maps
Services and applications Earth visualization
Google Earth
Cesium, Marble, Zoom Earth
Services and applications Street Map
Google Street View
OpenStreetCam
Google Translate
Apertium, LibreTranslate, LingvaTranslate, DeepL, Linguee, Swisscows
Google Calendar
NextCloud, ProtonMail, Fruux
Google Contacts
NextCloud, ProtonMail, OpenContacts
Mastodon, Diaspora*, GNU social
YouTube
Invidious, PeerTube, DTube, NewPipe, FreeTube, Internet Archive
Google Docs
LibreOffice, Collabora, Disroot, CryptPad
Google Play
F-Droid, Aurora Store
Android Open Source Project (AOSP)
Lineage OS, Lineage OS microG
Google Assistant
Mycroft, Home Assistant
Teclados Android
Gboard
AnySoftKeyboard, Simple Keyboard, OpenBoard
Activity tracker
Google Fit
Runkeeper, Endomondo, Samsung Health
Media center
Google Chromecast
Airtame, Roku
Music
Play Music
Tubeats, JustHearIt, Libre.fm
Books
Play Books
Internet Archive, Project Gutenberg, Open Library, Scribd
News and Events
Google News
Brave Today, Pocket, Flipboard
Payments
Google Pay
TransferWise, Revolut, Abra, Circle, Papaya Wallet
Blog
Blogger
Wordpress, Publii, Write.as, Ghost, Telegra.ph, Medium
Web sites
Google Sites
Wordpress, Publii, Joomla!, Grav, Silex
Alerts
Google Alerts
TalkWalker, F5bot, Mentionlytics
Photography
Google Photos
NextCloud, Piwigo, Mega, Keybase
Advertising for advertisers
Google Ads
Brave Rewards, Quantcast, Pinterest, AdRoll
Advertising for publishers
Google AdSense
Brave Rewards, Quantcast, Pinterest
Google Keep
Standard Notes, Joplin, Disroot Etherpad
Google Authenticator
andOTP, Authenticator, Authenticator browser
Analytic
Google Analytic
Matomo, GoatCounter, OpenWebAnalytic, Countly, Clicky
Google DNS
OpenNIC, Quad9, Mullvad, Cloudflare
Domains
Google Domains
Njalla, Orange Website, Bahnhof
Note: the list is not complete, but it allows you to understand how many BigG services it uses to profile its users. The Android operating system has allowed BigG to extend its user base in a viral way. Unfortunately, without awareness and the correct countermeasures such as those in this document, using an Android device makes it a prisoner of BigG's services.
The best solution is to buy a device (smartphone or tablet), even used, compatible with a free operating system, based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), such as Lineage OS. In addition to allowing greater customization, performance (speed and battery life) and privacy, it allows you to receive operating system updates throughout the life of the device.
Note: the activation of the root (administrator user) and the replacement of the original operating system with an alternative one does not cancel the legal warranty.
Note: the installation of Lineage OS, although not difficult, requires a minimum of computer knowledge; however, it is possible to learn this procedure through a lot of information and videos present on the net source and source.
Figure 9: The scandal of very low taxes paid by hi-tech giants. Their tax avoidance causes unfair competition with other operators with the consequent loss and a future of failure. Moreover, the lack of income forces the states to increase taxes on those who pay them i.e. citizens ...Source Source
Figure 10 Some of the anti-monopoly fines imposed by the European Commission against the US hi-tech giants. Source
Figure 11: Snoopy and the encryption....
Feature
Project
Chrome
Edge
Safari
Opera
Chromium
Firefox
Brave
TOR
Developer
Microsoft
Apple
Mozilla
TOR project
Open source
No
Yes
Web engine
Blink
Web kit, Nitro
Gecko, Servo
Performance
High
Average
Required resources (CPU/RAM)
Additional components
Desktop version only
Desktop and iOS version
Desktop and Android version
Integrated advertising filter
Yes, limited
Yes, default disabled
Yes, via NoScript
Integrated anti tracking
Yes, limited and default disabled
Integrated anti fingerprinting
Default safe connection (HTTPS)
Business model
User data, advertising
Donations, agreement with search engines
BAT cryptocurrency
Donations
To make browsing safer and more confidential, you must use one of the following browsers:
Brave is a new browser based on Chromium that revolutionizes the concept of browsing by automatically eliminating advertising and user tracking in favor of privacy. It also integrates a digital content management platform based on the Basic Attention Token (BAT) crypto currency. A very good guide on how to operate Brave and BAT;
Firefox the open source and free browser managed by the Mozilla foundation, which deals with the respect of the rights and user privacy;
The Onion Router (TOR) is a browser, based on Firefox, to surf the Web anonymously and fight censorship. TOR uses a series of alternative routes to increase safety at the expense of browsing speed;
WebApps is an open source Android application available on F-Droid for securely browsing common WebApps (Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) while eliminating referrers, third-party requests, cookies and tracking.
Note: Chrome is the closed source version and owner of Chromium and is therefore considered not to be respectful of privacy. Google's business model, based on advertising, requires user data as payment for services.
Does your browser protect you against fingerprinting?
Firefox, Brave or Chrome: some very useful add ons to increase the browsing safety and privacy:
HTTPSeverywhere forces the use of the HTTPS protocol and encrypts all connections that support it for the sake of safety of browsing (recommended);
CookiesAutodelete automatically deletes the source tracking cookies of users in favor of the privacy of browsing (recommended);
Ublock origin blocks advertising, a malware carrier, to the benefit of browsing speed and significant savings in data and battery traffic as well as greater privacy and security of browsing (recommended);
DecentralEyes limits requests to Content Delivery Network (CDN) in favor of the privacy of browsing (recommended);
ClearURL automatically removes tracking elements from URLs in favor of privacy (recommended);
Privacy Redirect allows to redirect YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Google Maps, Reddit and Google Search requests to their open source advertising-free and privacy-friendly alternative interfaces Invidious, Bibliogram, Nitter, OpenStreetMap, Libredd and Searx or Presearch (recommended);
Terms of Service; Didn’t Read provides a score to each Web site based on its terms of service and privacy policy. Analyses and assessments are published in a transparent manner by the community;
PrivacySpy is an open project to evaluate, annotate and archive privacy policies (recommended);
I don't care about cookies removes cookie alerts from almost all websites, saving you time while browsing. The component is useful when browsing anonymously or automatically deleting cookies (CookiesAutodelete);
Disable WebRTC (Firefox) and WebRTC Leak Prevent (Brave and Chrome) disables the WebRTC communication protocol that can detect the IP address despite the use of a VPN. It greatly improves privacy of browsing;
Privacy Badger prevents third-party advertisers and trackers from tracking browsing in favor privacy;
Privacy Possum reduces and falsifies the data collected by tracking companies on browsing making it less profitable and promoting the privacy of browsing.
Firefox: additional add ons very useful to increase the privacy of browsing:
Firefox Multi Account Containers allow you to confine the cookies of Web sites in different containers by eliminating the tracking of trackers on the Web (Facebook Container isolates Facebook and Instagram, Google Container isolates Google Search, YouTube and its services). In addition, the isolation of the containers allows you to have multiple identities and access with different users to the same Web site. It greatly improves the privacy of browsing (recommended).
Canvas Blocker allows users to prevent Web sites from using certain JavaScript APIs to take fingerprints (fingerprint1, fingerprint2). Users may choose to block entirely (risky, may cause some Web sites to malfunction) or falsify the API for fingerprint reading. It greatly improves the privacy of browsing (recommended).
Integrated page translator automatically translates Web pages in real time using Google or Yandex. In the future it should also support other translators such as DeepL Translator services and applications.
Note: xBrowserSync allows you to synchronize bookmarks between browsers and devices with end-to-end encryption and without registration.
Note: only Firefox and Kiwi on Android version support add ons, Chrome does not support them.
Figure 12: Welcome to the Google Botnet. There is nothing you can do with Google Chrome without it being transmitted to Google in some way...In addition, Google violates the GDPR.
Bing
Startpage
Qwant
DuckDuckGo
Brave Search
Presearch
Searx
Community
Partially
Architecture
Centralized
Decentralized
Infrastructure jurisdiction
USA
Europe, USA
Europe (France)
World
Quality results
High (Google)
High (Bing)
High (Google, DuckDuckGo)
High (Google, Bing, Yahoo)
Independent search index
Safe connection (HTTPS by defect)
Advertising, donations
Presearch cryptocurrency
Donations, public servers
Advertising, tracking and profiling
The following search engines are respectful of user privacy and provide innovative features:
Ecosia is a proxy search engine that uses Bing search engine results. Its characteristic is to donate 80% of advertising revenue to support reforestation programs;
Givero is a proxy search engine that uses Bing search engine results. Its characteristic is to donate 80% of advertising revenue to support good causes;
Searx is a meta search engine that uses the searches of the most used search engines Google, Bing, etc.. Its characteristic is to not track the user browsing, to be completely open source and to allow anyone to install a public server (decentralized);
Presearch is an independent search engine and allows to uses the searches of various search engines including Google and DuckDuckGo. The project aims to create a decentralized search engine where users are rewarded with the Presearch cryptocurrency for the usage, contribution and promotion of the platform;
Brave search is a private, independent and user-friendly search engine. Its characteristic is that it is one of the few real alternatives to Google Search and Bing;
DuckDuckGo is an alternative search engine to the most used search engines Google, Bing, etc.. Its characteristic is to not track the user browsing;
Startpage is a proxy search engine that uses Google Search engine results. Its characteristic is to be oriented to the user privacy;
Qwant is a proxy search engine that uses Bing search engine results. Its characteristic is that it does not track the user browsing and that it has the servers legal location in Europe;
Note: Google, Bing and Yahoo (Bing) have a business model based on advertising and requires user data as payment for services.
Adblock
Adblock Plus
AdGuard
Ublock origin
Blokada
Pi-hole
Eyeo
High/High
Low/Low
Android/iOS/browser
No/No/Yes (Firefox, Brave, Chrome, Edge, Safari)
Yes/Yes/Yes (Firefox, Brave, Chrome, Edge, Safari)
Yes/Yes/No
Does not require installation on the device, only Raspberry Pi
Acceptable advertising list
Yes, optional
Requires to establish VPN connection
Yes, local connection
Browser/operating system protection type
Yes/No
Yes/Yes
No/Yes
No/No, entire local network
Required root user
Download Android/iOS/PC
No/No/Web site
Web site/App Store/Web site
Web site-F-Droid/No/No
Web site
Paid features
Advertising
Yes, minimal
Some open source applications for Android, availables only on F-Droid, which allow you to block advertising:
DNS66: does not need to activate the root of the device and allows you to edit the DNS;
AdAway: works with or without the root of the device;
Yet Another Call Blocker blocks unwanted calls using a database of offline phone numbers without the need to share your contacts.
The main advantages of using an advertising filter:
Ads blocking (including YouTube video and Facebook text), pop-ups and banners;
Increased browsing speed, reduced data traffic and battery saving;
Protection against malware and third-party tracking.
Note: browsing on a PC is via a browser which uses the add ons as an advertising filter. On the other hand, browsing on Android and iOS is done through applications that require an advertising filter at the operating system level provided by a specific application.
Whatsapp
Messenger
iMessage
Skype
Viber
Telegram
Mega
Keybase
Signal
Wire
Element
Facebook
Rakuten
Zoom
Centralized/decentralized
Decentralized/centralized
Luxembourg/Japan
Netherlands/USA/Singapore
New Zealand
Switzerland/local
Local/UK
Bonds intelligence agencies
Web/Android/iOS/PC
Yes/Yes/Yes/Yes
Yes/Yes/Yes/No
No/No/Yes/Yes, macOS only
No/Yes/Yes/Yes
Users (active/group size)
2000 M/512
1300 M/250
1000 M/33
300 M/50
260 M/250
500 M/200 k
200 M/500
1 M/10 k
40 M/1000
30 M/500
40 M/10 k
Size (attachments/storage)
2 GB/unlimited (local storage)
100 MB/ unlimited (cloud storage)
100 MB/unlimited (local storage)
300 MB/unlimited (local storage)
30 MB/unlimited (local storage)
2 GB/unlimited (cloud storage)
Unlimited/15 GB, paid version up to 16 TB (cloud storage)
Unlimited/250 GB (cloud storage)
100 MB/unlimited (cloud storage)
Safe attachments/self-destructing messages
No/No
Cloud/local backup support
Yes, third parties in clear text/Yes
Yes, clear text/Yes, export
Yes, clear text/No
Yes, E2E encryption/No
Anonymous registration/username
Yes, email/Yes
2FA – two factor authentication
E2E encryption chat-call/group/conference
Yes/No/No
Yes, secret conversations/No/No
Yes/Yes/Yes
No, secret chats only/No/No
Yes/Yes/Not available
Yes/Yes, private groups/Yes, via Jitsi
TOFU
No, secret chats only
Yes, only the first device
Perfect Forward Secrecy
Yes, secret conversations only
Yes, secret chats only
Yes, self-destructing messages only
Server federation
Yes, paid version
User data
User data, paid features
Foundation
Keybase is an open source and multi platform application that offers chat with end-to-end encryption not TOFU and public and private cloud storage (end-to-end encryption). It also offers a publicly verifiable service for managing encryption keys that can be associated with social network identities.
Session is an open source and multi platform application that offers chat with end-to-end encryption not TOFU and allows anonymous registration and communication. In particular, Session uses a decentralized TOR-like network designed against censorship.
Jami is an open source and multi platform application that offers chat, video calling and video conferencing with end-to-end encryption not TOFU and enables registration and communication. In addition, Jami is fully decentralized peer-to-peer.
Briar is an open source application for Android that offers chat and forums with end-to-end encryption TOFU and allows for registration and anonymous communication via Bluetooth, WiFi and the TOR network.
Ferdi is an open source, multi platform application (GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS) that allows you to use the most popular communication and e-mail applications. Ferdi is the free version of Franz.
Rambox is a free, open source (Community Edition version) and multi platform application (GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS) that allows you to use the most popular communication and e-mail applications.
Disa is a free, open source application (Android) that allows you to use the most popular communication applications (Facebook, Telegram, SMS/MMS, Whatsapp).
Librem.one is a collection of open source services that use encryption to protect your privacy and communicate securely with others:
Librem Chat is a communication service protected by end-to-end encryption based on Matrix similar to Element.
Note: a good comparison in term of security and privacy features of the most commonly used communication services or applications.
Figure 13: The most widely used communication applications Monthly Average Users (MAU), 2018. Source
Hangouts-Meet
Skype-Teams
NextCloud Talk
BigBlueButton
Jitsi
NextCloud
Community/8x8
Local/service provider server venue
Yes/No/No/No
Maximum users (conference/chat)
50/250
Hangouts 25/25
Meet 100/100 conference only 60 minutes, 250/100000 paid version only
Skype 50/50
Teams 100/100 conference only 60 minutes, 300/20000 paid version only
100/100 conference only 40 minutes, 1000/1000 paid version only
1000/200000
20/500
25/25, 100/500 paid version only
Local installation 10/100
High performance installation
50/500
150/150
500/500
Video codec support
VP8
VP8/VP9
H.264
VP8/H.264
VP8/VP9/H.264
Audio codec support
Opus/ISAC
Opus
Skype SILK
Teams Satin/SILK
Opus/SILK
Camera-Screen/Audio sharing
1/No
Hangouts/Meet 1/Yes, PC only
Skype/Teams 2/Yes, PC only
2/Yes, PC only
2/Yes
1/Yes, PC only
Application integration
Yes, Google docs and other paid version
Skype No
Teams Yes, Microsoft office and other paid version
Yes, Moodle and other
Yes, Mega cloud
Yes, NextCloud
Yes, Moodle, Wordpress and other
Yes, EtherPad, Moodle
E2E encryption conference/chat
Yes/Yes, optional
No/No, secret chats only
Skype Yes
Teams No, paid version only
No, user not necessary
Anonymous registration /username
On-premises installation
User data, advertising, padi features
Element is an open source and multi platform service that offers chat, video call and video conference through the Jitsi project. Element supports end-to-end encryption TOFU, anonymous registration and server federation.
Edu meet is an open source and multi platform service that offers video conferencing, chat and file sharing through the browser without the need for any registration. The service supports up to 200 users per conference, VP8/VP9 video codecs and Opus audio codec.
Figure 14 Unless one day you want to see all your data (messages, photos, videos, etc.) publicly available on the Web, you should delete WhatsApp from your phone. Source
Outlook
Mailfence
Mailvelope
Tutanota
Protonmail
Mail-in-to-box
Belgium
Service provider server venue
Germany
Switzerland
Local
Anonymous payment method
Paid, Bitcoin, email required
Donations and paid, Bitcoin, email required
Donations and paid, Bitcoin, cash, email required
Not necessary
E-mail application support
Yes, via ProtonMail Bridge paid version
Size (attachments/mailbox)
25 MB/15 GB
20 MB/15 GB
50 MB/0.5 GB, 5 GB paid version
Service provider limits
25 MB/1 GB, 1000 GB paid version
20 MB/0.5 GB, 20 GB paid version
Unlimited (local storage)
No/
Yes/Yes, depends on the service provider
E2E encryption
Yes, depends on the service provider
Donations, paid features
The following e-mail services are respectful of user privacy and some of them provide innovative features:
Protonmail is an e-mail service founded at CERN in 2014. ProtonMail uses end-to-end encryption to protect messages before sending them to servers unlike other email providers. Protomail also supports the TOR network and offers additional services for paid version.
Tutanota is a fully open source email service founded in 2011 that uses end-to-end encryption to protect messages before sending them to servers unlike other email providers. Tutanota is financed only through donations and premium subscriptions, i.e. without advertising.
Disroot provides an email service, cloud and various online collaboration tools with encryption. Disroot uses server-side encryption, so the user does not have the encryption keys. However, it remains a better solution than traditional providers.
Note: Gmail, Outlook have a business model based on advertising and require user data as payment for services. In addition, messages can be read by service providers as the encryption keys are saved on the server. A simple way to secure these services is to use a browser like Firefox with the Mailvelope add on or an email client like Thunderbird. Both solutions add end-to-end encryption and make message content unreadable to service providers.
Yahoo Mail
BlueMail
K9-mail
Thunderbird
Claws Mail
Yahoo
Multi platform
Android/iOS
Android/iOS-Windows/macOS
Android
GNU/Linux/Windows/macOS
GNU/Linux/Windows
Multi user support
Support for encryption/digital signatures
Yes/Yes, via OpenKeychain
Yes/Yes, via Enigmail
Yes/Yes, via GNUPG
IMAP/POP3/exchange support
Yes/Yes/Yes, via ExQuilla
Librem Mail is an email service with end-to-end encryption based on K9-mail and similar to Tutanota and Protonmail.
OneDrive
iCloud
Dropbox
Cryptomator
OwnCloud
Syncthing
Yes/Yes/Yes, via Möbius Sync/Yes
Storage size
15 GB/paid version up to 2 TB
5 GB/paid version up to 1 TB
5 GB/paid version up to 2 TB
2 GB/paid version up to 3 TB
20 GB/paid version up to 16 TB
250 GB
Unlimited (local storage)/service provider limits
Unlimited (local storage/service provider limits
Synchronisation/versioning
Depends on the service provider
Yes, manual
User data, advertising, paid features
NextCloud providers contains a list of cloud service providers that use the NextCloud platform. A great service that offers 1 GB of free storage, enough to host contacts and calendar, is Woelkli.
WeTransfer
pCloudTransfer
Sendanywhere
Disroot Lufi
Send
WebTorrent
OnionShare
pCloud
Estmob
Disroot
Holland
No/No/No/Yes
File size
2 GB/20 GB paid version
5 GB
10 GB/50 GB paid version
2 GB
10 GB
Sharing duration
7 days/configurable paid version
7 days
Up to 48 hours/configurable paid version
Up to 30 days
Up to 7 days
Unlimited
Persistent connection required
Yes, during sharing
No, only paid version
Secure connection protocol
HTTPS/TLS
WebRTC/TLS
Onion routing network
Advertising, paid features
Instant.io is an open source WebTorrent based file sharing service that requires no registration and allows you to transfer files of unlimited size for an unlimited time through your browser.
NordVPN
ExpressVPN
IVPN
ProtonVPN
Mullvad
I2P
Panama
British Virgin Inslands
Gibraltar
Sweden
Number of devices
Paid up to 6
Paid up to 3
Paid up to 7
1 gratis/paid up to 10
Paid up to 5
Bitcoin, Ether, Ripple, email required
Bitcoin, email required
Bitcoin
Bitcoin, BitcoinCash
Free, Bitcoin, Monero, Ethereum, Litecoin donations
Log traffic/DNS/IP/timestamp
No/No/No/No
Traffic encryption
AES256-ChaCha20
AES256
OpenVPN/IPSec-IKEv2/Wireguard
OpenVPN/IPSec-IKEv2
OpenVPN/WireGuard
Garlic routing network
Kill switch/anti DNS leak
No/Yes, DNS not used
P2P traffic/unlimited bandwidth
Yes/Yes, paid version
Yes/Yes, low speed
Independently audited
Yes, log traffic only
TOR/multi server encryption support
Yes/Yes, onion routing
Yes/Yes, garlic routing
DPI protection
Malware and ads protection
Encrypted/clear traffic split
Yes, except iOS
Port forwarding
Yes, openVPN only
Librem Tunnel is a VPN service with end-to-end encryption that uses OpenVPN.
Figure 15 The surface Web (classical Internet), the Deep Web (restricted Internet) and the Dark Web (anonymous Internet). The Onion Router (TOR). Source
OpenDNS
Cloudflare
CleanBrowsing DNS
Quad9
OpenNIC
Blockchain DNS
Provider
Cisco
CleanBrowsing
ClearDNS
DNS over TLS (DoT)
DNS over HTTPS (DoH)
DNScrypt
DNSSEC
Alternative TLD
.crypto, .zil
.bit, .lib, .emc, .coin, .bazar OpenNIC
IPv4 address
8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
1.1.1.1
1.0.0.1
185.228.168.9
185.228.169.9
9.9.9.9
149.112.112.112
192.71.245.208
31.171.251.118
Automatic Firefox/Brave/Chrome
Content filter
Yes, optional (family)
Yes, optional (adults, malware)
Yes, optional (family, adults, malware)
Yes, optional (malware)
Anti-censorship
Partial
DNS Hijacking/Logging
No/Minimum
Users data, paid features
DNS protocols and operating systems compatibility
Protocol
Operating system
Windows
macOS
iOS
GNU/Linux
OpenWRT
Unbound, stubby
Native Android P 9.0+, Blokada, DNS66
dnscrypt-proxyV2
DNSCloak
Dnscrypt-proxyV2, DNS66, Daedalus
Firefox, Brave, Chrome
Connection verification tool:
Connection data (IP, ISP, location);
Loss of information during DNS requests→ use a public DNS from OpenNIC or Mullvad;
Disclosure of the IP address via WebRTC communication protocol → install disable WebRTC add on Firefox or ScriptSafe on Brave and Chrome;
BitTorrent connection data loss→install a torrent client like qBittorrent to perform the test.
Edit DNS solvers:
Windows;
MacOS;
Ubuntu;
Android allows you to change only the DNS of the WiFi connection. To change the DNS for all WiFi/4G connections you need the Blokada or DNS66 application;
iOS allows you to change only the DNS of the WiFi connection. To change the DNS for all WiFi/4G connections you need the application Blokada o DNSCloak;
Router.
nsupadte is a free and open source service that creates a dynamic DNS.
Note: a secure connection via VPN, automatically changes the DNS resolver.
Apple Maps
Bing maps
Maps.me
Waze
Here WeGo
OsmAnd
OpenStreeMap
Mail.ru
Here
Web/Android/iOS/Tizen
No/No/Yes/No
No/Yes/Yes/No
Yes/Yes/Yes/No via OsmAnd/OsmAnd+
Maps
TomTom
Bing, Here
Real time traffic
Yes, via OsmAnd+
Autovelox/Speed limits
No/Yes, via OsmAnd+
3D maps
Yes, via Marble
Preloaded maps (offline)
Yes, expiry 15 days
Points of interest
Route registration
Sharing and collaboration
Yes, no third parts
Users data, advertising
Users data, advertising, paid features
OSMF foundation, donations
OrganicMaps is an open source Android and iOS application derived from Maps.me and based on OpenStreetMap open maps.
Mapbox is an online map service available through open source applications for Android, iOS and Web. The service is based on OpenStreetMap open maps and NASA proprietary maps;
Qwant maps is an open source online map service based on OpenStreetMap open maps.
Magic Earth is an application for Android and iOS based on OpenStreetMap open maps.
Untrackme is an open source Android application available on F-Droid to redirect requests from Google Maps to its open source advertising-free and privacy friendly alternative interface OpenStreetMap.
Private Location is an open source Android application for setting and keeping your smartphone's location private. Private Location protects your privacy by avoiding sharing your location with applications that require it, but don't need it to work.
Google translate
Microsoft Bing translator
DeepL
Apertium
DeepL, Linguee
Quality/quantity of languages
Maximum/Low
Average/Average
Dictionary
Linguee
Yes/Yes/Yes/Yes, Windows only
Yes/Yes, via DeepL/No/Yes, Windows and macOS only
Yes/Yes/No/Yes
Firefox, Chrome integrated
Firefox, Edge, Outlook
Firefox/Brave/Chrome
Translation limit
5000 characters, unlimited paid version
Preloaded languages (offline)
Document translation
Yes, format (.doc, .docx, .txt)
Yes, format (.pptx)
Yes, format (.docx, .pptx, .txt)
Yes, format (.odt, .ods, .odp, .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .txt)
Website translation
Translation of conversations
Confidential translation
No, paid version only
Advertising, users data, paid features
LibreTranslate is an open source self-hosted translation service that does not require third-party providers (Google, Microsoft, or Amazon).
LingvaTranslate is an open source alternative interface to Google Translate that supports over a hundred of languages.
Google calendar
Outlook.com
iCloud Calendar
ProtonMail
No/Yes/Yes/Yes, Windows and macOS only
Yes/No, via DAVx5 or Google calendar/Yes/Yes, Windows and macOS only
Yes/Yes, via DAVx5+Etar/Yes, via native application/Yes
Reminders/notifications support
Third-party calendars support
WebDAV/CalDAV support
Yes/Yes, via CalDavSynchronizer
Yes/Yes, via Lightning Calendar
Yes/Yes, via ProtonMail Bridge paid feature
Advertising, users data
Tutanota is an email service that integrates a calendar with end-to-end encryption.
DAVx5 is an open source Android application for synchronizing contacts, calendar and tasks. It supports CalDAV/CardDAV protocols and allows you to keep your data locally or in a private cloud such as NextCloud.
Etar is an open source Android application to manage your calendar compatible with DAVx5;Tasks is an open source Android application to manage your commitments compatible with DAVx5.
Tasks is an open source Android application to manage your commitments compatible with DAVx5.
Woelkli is a cloud service based on NextCloud located in Switzerland that offers CalDAV/CardDAV functionality and 1 GB of free storage (additional storage and features for paid version). Using this service together with DAVx5, Etar, Tasks and Android's native contact application, you can use the calendar, manage your tasks and contacts without saving any data on your Google account.
Google contacts
iCloud contacts
Yes/Yes, via Sync iCloud/Yes/Yes, Windows and macOS only
Yes/Yes, via DAVx5 and native application/Yes, via native application/Yes
Categories/groups support
Duplicates merge support
Yes, native and via
DuplicateContactsManager
Import/export formats (.csv, .vcf) support
WebDAV/CardDAV support
Yes/Yes, via OpenProtocolsConnector
Yes/Yes, via CardBook
OpenContacts is an open source Android application to keep your contacts separate from those managed by the default application. OpenContacts prevents other applications from accessing and copying your contacts and greatly improves privacy.
Fake Contacts is an open source Android application available on F-Droid to create fake phone contacts that are stored together with real phone contacts. This provides false data to all applications that copy phone contacts to use or sell them. Of course, the operation of the application does not interfere with the normal use of the phone or the real phone contacts.
Google keep
OneNote
Note
Evernote
Disroot Etherpad
Joplin
Standard Notes
Local/backup service venue
Yes/Yes/Yes/Yes, only Windows
Yes/No/Yes/Yes, only mac OS
Yes/Yes/Yes/Yes, only Windows and mac OS
15 GB/paid version up to 30 TB
5 GB/paid version up to 5 TB
50 MB/paid version up to 10 GB
Unlimited (local storage)/backup service limits
Synchronization
Yes, 2 devices/unlimited paid version
Versioning/markdown support
No/Yes, only Web via plugin
Yes/Yes, only Web via plugin
Yes, paid version/Yes, only Web via plugin
Yes, paid version/Yes
Offline access
Yes, only PC/Yes, paid version
Yes, only Windows and mac OS
Donations, paid version
CryptPad is a zero knowledge service for the management of various types of documents in a collaborative way on the Web.
Carnet is an open source multi platform Web application based on NextCloud/OwnCloud and Android application to take note with synchronisation capabilities.
Siri
Cortana
Alexa
Bixby
Home Assistant
Mycroft
Amazon
Samsung
Android/iOS/PC
Yes/Yes/Yes, Chrome OS only
Yes/Yes/Yes, macOS only
Yes/Yes/Yes, Windows only
Yes/Yes/Yes, Windows only via Cortana
No/No/Yes, only Windows
Yes/No/only GNU/Linux
Quality understanding