15th June 2019

Surveillance Self-Defense

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has published a comprehensive, non-technical guide to staying safe and private on-line at https://ssd.eff.org/en including briefings, tool guides to avoid attacks and assist privacy along with advice on such as how to choose a VPN that is right for you.

Coming from the EFF the advice is independent and all the more valuable for that as, in my experience, most of the “Choose the best VPN” type articles on the web are no more than thinly disguised promotional pieces designed to generate revenue for the poster.

As well as individual tools and an explanation of why/how to use them a number of security scenarios are illustrated showing how (eg) academics, journalists or others to whom privacy might be essential can select an appropriate group of tools to satisfy their needs.

My only qualm is that the guide still contains references to WhatsApp – a product I would not suggest *anybody* uses now that it is owned and controlled by Facebook.

The guide is not comprehensive (it would be an impossible task) as it misses out tools I find extremely useful such as the excellent PiHole network-wide ad blocker that can be installed on a Raspberry Pi (hence the name) and works at the DNS level to prevent unwanted advertising and many tracking mechanisms from spying on you.

Otherwise, whether you are coming entirely fresh to the need for on-line security and privacy protection or you are an experienced IT professional you are likely to find useful advice and information here.