Thanks! I had thought of that, but would like to hang on to my Mac. I just want it to be…not a Mac, I guess?

I considered cancelling my voter registration and then re-registering every election. However, the way things are going, I wonder if I will even be able to re-register in the future…

Thank you, this is just what I needed! Now I just need to figure out HOW to get it installed on my Mac. :)

This is amazing! Great information.

I read Extreme Privacy for fun…I don’t need to live totally under the radar. However, I’m tired of feeling/being tracked by Big Tech, having my data used inappropriately, etc. I managed to buy a used Pixel and install Graphene OS, but I’m stuck with my Mac until it dies. I’m also trying to divert my money away from Big Tech and unethical corporations like Amazon as much as I can. (Which I know is basically impossible, but I do what I can.)

I wrote a whole free book on the topic called DISENGAGE: Opting Out—and Finding New Options—to Reclaim Your Life from Spammers, Scammers, Intrusive Marketers and Big Tech. It’s meant for newbies (say, my mom) to light-medium tech savvy people like myself. (I’m a semi-retird journalist of 30 years and this was my passion project; you can read in there my motivation and how far I’ve gotten so far.)

I’m now trying to move into the more intensive privacy techniques, and they are often beyond my abilities. Switching to a more private OS is on my list.

I’ll look into this, thanks!

Thank you! I actully have read that if you sell your Mac, your info is still attached to it. Which is actually good for you and bad for Apple, I guess, because they could be attaching the wring info to you.

I don’t know the details, but in Extreme Privacy, the author says that to be untraceable, you need to buy a laptop with cash, then wipe it and install Linux. I’m not super techie, but to me that means if you use a credit card, Apple can now attach the laptop to your identity… which is of course connected with everything else that’s been collected about you by third parties.

Thanks! Interesting, I didn’t know you can’t install Linux on a newer machine. Mine is just a few years old. I want to leave the Apple ecosystem, but I don’t want to have to ditch a fairly new laptop and buy a different one.

The post is here! Thanks again for letting me use the infographic.

I say, (while out of range of the camera), “I’d like to opt out of the biometric scan, please.” I also opt out my kid if they’re with me.

I rarely get a blink. (There are signs saying you’re allowed to opt out.) Though I wonder if/how that will change with RealID! I didn’t get one because as of right now you can still use your passport, but I know they want everyone to have one.

ETA I have a whole section on this in the free book DISENGAGE: Opting Out—and Finding New Options—to Reclaim Your Life from Spammers, Scammers, Intrusive Marketers and Big Tech.

I didn’t notice that, but I DO know you can opt out of those scans. I do it every time. I was told by one security agent that they don’t store the images, but that doesn’t mean they won’t do so in the future! Also, during their beta, biometric data of many passengers was exposed through a breach.

I see from the company’s privacy page that people in “protected” states can have their data removed, but I assume that’s only data used for advertising/marketing…not data collected/shared for the purpose of tossing you out of the country. Anyone know if there’s a way to exclude yourself from this database? (I doubt it since they’re saying it’s for legal purposes, but you never know.)

Haha, I always love a good infographic! Who can I credit for the infographic and links? I have only like 65 subscribers since I don’t do much promotion, but I think this will be very helpful to them.

I love this! May I share on my blog and with my newsletter subscribers at Punching Up Press? We’re probably in boxes #2 and #3, with a lot of readers starting off in box #1.

Thank you! I might just replace it with Magic Earth.

Thanks! Someone else suggested that to me as well. It’s hard when I have only 3-4 spots per category. If I don’t use this to replace one of the others, I can at least add it to the links page.

Yeah, I figured I was preaching to the choir here! But if you feel the info would help others who are not here, please do share.

I emailed you, but wanted to reply here that I love this! I don’t have much to add as I’m having the same problem with my own project trying to make privacy easier for people like, say, my friends and family. They have to really WANT it to go through all those inconvenient steps of changing to alternative products. Even getting people invested in changing their app settings is hard enough!

I think the below commenter is right that people will start to care more when they see what’s going to happen with their data under the new administration (in the U.S., at least). We all thought it was a good trade-off for free and cheap products, and soon we may be faced with our data being used to target us personally.

The only thing I can think of is, have you tried sending info about your sites to relevant news outlets, newsletters, etc.? I got a little traction from being mentioned in two newsletters: Cory Doctorow’s newsletter and the DeleteMe newsletter Incognito. I’m planning on mailing out print press copies of my free book later in May…I have a PR friend who will be helping me with that.

Qwant search

Interesting! Is it totally free? Looks like it. If it’s free and good and not problematic, maybe I’ll use it to replace Kagi.

Yes, that was recommended by someone in /Privacy.

Whoops! I’ll fix it.

I actually wrote a whole (free) book about it, haha! (I’m a retired journalist.) In short, I got tired of feeling like I was always being followed and watched. I also disliked the way the big tech companies have been taking over U.S. politics. I was proved right after the last election and updated the book to reflect the new administration. And so many more reasons! I also quit Microsoft and Amazon, most of Meta (I have some friends in other countries who only use Whatsapp), and am working on Apple.