Stay Safe!
Here are some things you should probably install now just in case the United States ever becomes a dictatorship. (hint hint. nudge nudge.)
Tor Browser
Tor is a privacy-focused web browser that enables anonymous internet browsing. It will help to conceal your location and identity. Use this if you need to research a topic that might be considered subversive by an authoritarian government. (Ex: searching for web hosting providers that are outside of your country's jurisdiction)
Signal
Signal is a real-time messaging app that uses end-to-end encryption. It ensures that messages can only be read by you and the intended recipients. It is also able to delete messages automatically after a certain period of time, which is useful if you need to communicate sensitive information and then burn the evidence.
Proton
Proton provides a suite of tools that were designed from the ground-up with security in mind. Importantly, Proton itself has no access to your data because everything is encrypted on your device before it is sent to their servers.
I recommend signing up for the Proton Unlimited plan, which includes Email, Cloud Storage, and Documents. This allows you to collaborate in a manner similar to Google Drive and Google Docs, but it guarantees that your data will remain secret even if the servers are compromised.
The Proton Unlimited plan also includes a VPN, Password Manager, Cryptocurrency Wallet, and a Calendar.
Please use my referral link if you're interested in signing up!
GPG
GPG is an old-school tool that allows you to encrypt and sign your files and communications. As a quick refresher:
- Encryption ensures that the files and communications can only be read by the intended recipients.
- Signing allows the recipients to verify that the files and communications were not tampered with. Signing also allows the recipients to verify the identity of the signer, which can be extremely important if there is a risk of impersonation.
GPG is traditionally a command-line tool that requires basic knowledge of public key cryptography. However, there are GUIs available that are a bit more user-friendly.
Here are some scenarios where you might want to use GPG:
- You need to send emails securely.
- You need to transfer sensitive files to specific recipients, but Signal is not an option.
- You need to store a backup copy of sensitive information in the cloud. (Use GPG to sign and encrypt the information before uploading it to the cloud)