自由/开源软件如何保护在线隐私
自由软件 隐私
![](/data/attachment/album/202106/23/154045uwwfj9p72nwwss4h.png)


*多年来，我一直使用科技巨头提供的服务。大部分都是免费的，但是是以牺牲我的隐私为代价的。但那些日子已经过去了，现在我浏览、聊天、工作，没有任何人能跟踪、变现和审查我的数据。多亏了自由/开源软件。*


### 我开始担心大型科技公司了


![](/data/attachment/album/202106/23/154046z3nvnr0frnscrcfa.png)


我一直觉得机器应该按照我的意愿行事，而不是反过来。这就是为什么谷歌的 Android 操作系统在 2008 年首次上市时就立刻吸引了我。在当时，谷歌的开源方式确实令人耳目一新。我花了几个小时定制了我的 HTC Hero 手机。我对它是不是比我朋友的 iPhone 或塞班设备更丑并不在意。我的新玩意具有无限的通用性。


一跃十年，谷歌已经成为了科技巨头，使 iOS 相形见绌并且淘汰了塞班操作系统。如今，这个公司占据了 90% 以上的搜索流量，并主导着浏览器市场。这种惊人的增长是有代价的，谷歌删除了“不作恶”条款就说明了这一点。这家搜索巨头目前正陷入官司之中，比如关于 [数据收集和追踪不当行为](https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/05/google-location-services-lawsuit) 的案件。研究人员还在谷歌的联系人追踪应用程序中发现了 [隐私缺陷](https://blog.appcensus.io/2021/04/27/why-google-should-stop-logging-contact-tracing-data)。更重要的是，这家科技巨头宣布了一个颇具争议的 [可以追踪用户浏览行为](https://news.itsfoss.com/google-floc) 的新算法，从而更好地提供广告服务。


现在，我不想把责任推给谷歌。亚马逊刚刚建立了美国历史上最大的民用 [监控网络](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/18/amazon-ring-largest-civilian-surveillance-network-us) 。它让警方可以在未经许可的情况下使用数百万个家庭监控摄像头。于此同时，欧洲对亚马逊遵守 [隐私规定](https://edps.europa.eu/press-publications/press-news/press-releases/2021/edps-opens-two-investigations-following-schrems_en) 的情况进行了调查。微软也是如此。它也为顺带着促进 [工作场所监控](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/dec/02/microsoft-apologises-productivity-score-critics-derided-workplace-surveillance) 功能而道歉。


有人可能认为，人们至少可以指望苹果来保护他们的隐私。这家科技巨头最近让他们选择知道应用程序是否会追踪他们的行为。事实证明，[只有 5%](https://www.flurry.com/blog/ios-14-5-opt-in-rate-att-restricted-app-tracking-transparency-worldwide-us-daily-latest-update) 的美国用户选择接受这种新的应用追踪透明度。与此同时，该公司从谷歌这样的数据经纪商的业务中获得了 [巨大的利益](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/25/technology/apple-google-search-antitrust.html)。更别提《堡垒之夜》开发商 Epic Games 和苹果之间的 [反垄断审判](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/25/business/dealbook/apple-epic-case.html) ，后者声称要保护其应用商店的隐私。当然，还有 Facebook。该公司的隐私不当行为在参议院就 [剑桥分析公司](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica) 丑闻举行的听证会上达到了高潮，失去了用户仅存的信任。


尽管如此 —— 或者因为 —— 这些有问题的做法，这些公司的总价值在 2021 年 3 月超过了 [7.5 万亿美元](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_public_corporations_by_market_capitalization#2021)。“科技巨头”们现在超过了德国和英国国内生产总值的总和！


### 为什么隐私很重要


![](/data/attachment/album/202106/23/154047qxf251gtbgittgi2.png)


我们都在使用大科技公司的服务。我们是 <ruby> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance_capitalism">  监控资本主义 </a> <rt>  Surveillance Capitalism </rt></ruby> 的一部分，这是哈佛大学教授 Shoshana Zuboff 创造的一个术语，在 Cory Doctorow 的 [新书](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55134785-how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism)《监控资本主义》里也讨论了它。这是一个以技术垄断为中心的经济体系，通过收集个人数据来获取利润最大化。这一制度威胁到民主的核心，因为它导致了大规模监视，扰乱了选举程序，推动了思想的一致性和审查制度。


监视资本主义的基础是对我们生活的侵犯，令人深感不安。我们往往忘记隐私是一项基本权利。它被<ruby> 联合国人权理事会 <rt>  UN Human Rights Council </rt></ruby>、《<ruby> 公民权利与政治权利国际公约 <rt>  International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights </rt></ruby>》和一些条约所规定。我认为我们都能体会到：在我们的生活中有很多方面我们想要保持隐私，即使没有错误的行为。无论是为了自由地表达自己，探索自己的个性，而不被他人评判。还是为了保护我们不受监视、审查和操纵。这就是窗帘被发明的原因。还有银行保密、律师-客户特权，通信保密，投票保密，告解室保密或医疗保密。


解决网络隐私问题是一个广泛问题，它需要对我们的法律体系和社会习俗的全面改变。对技术垄断的监管是这个十年的主要挑战之一。最近科技巨头和政府之间的对峙就说明了这一点：[澳大利亚 vs. Facebook](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-56163550)、 [中国 vs. 腾讯](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/technology/china-tencent-monopoly.html)、 [印度 vs. WhatsApp](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/whatsapp-sues-indian-government-over-mass-surveillance-internet-laws)、 [欧盟 vs. Facebook](https://nypost.com/2021/05/26/eu-reportedly-set-to-open-formal-antitrust-probe-into-facebook) 或者是 [美国 vs. 科技巨头](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/06/technology/house-antitrust-report-big-tech.html)。多年来，数字权利组织和软件基金会一直在倡导更好的隐私法律、用户权利和创新自由，如：<ruby> 电子前沿基金会 <rt>  Electronic Frontier Foundation </rt></ruby>、<ruby> 自由软件基金会 <rt>  Free Software Foundation </rt></ruby>、<ruby> 新闻自由基金会 <rt>  Freedom of the Press Foundation </rt></ruby>、<ruby> 隐私国际 <rt>  Privacy International </rt></ruby>、<ruby> 开放权利组织 <rt>  Open Rights Group </rt></ruby>或<ruby> 欧洲数字权利 <rt>  European Digital Rights </rt></ruby>。


### 这和自由/开源软件有什么关系？


![](/data/attachment/album/202106/23/154048p3adk80dakvaauw3.png)


自 1983 年成立以来，<ruby> <a href="https://itsfoss.com/what-is-foss">  自由软件运动 </a> <rt>  Free Software movement </rt></ruby> 已经成为一个相当多样化的社区。自由和开源软件通常被称为 FOSS、FLOSS、Libre Software 或 Free Software。 它包括一系列许可证，授权给用户 [使用、学习、分享并提高](https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/freesoftware.en.html) 这个软件的权力。以及 [维修](https://framatube.org/videos/watch/99069c5c-5a00-489e-97cb-fd5cc76de77c) 的权利。 <ruby> 自由软件 <rt>  Free Software </rt></ruby>的“<ruby> 自由 <rt>  Free </rt></ruby>”是指 “[言论自由](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/04/remembering-case-established-code-speech)”的“自由”，有时也指 “免费啤酒”的“免费”。因此，自由/开源软件（FOSS）不仅仅是技术。它是关于社会、政治和经济解放的。


几年前，一场隐私争议震动了自由软件社区。Ubuntu 12.10（各种不同的 GHU/Linux 风格之一）开始在人们的电脑上建立互联网连接进行本地搜索。它为亚马逊提供广告服务，并与 Facebook 或 Twitter 共享私人数据。遭到了 [剧烈反弹](https://itsfoss.com/canonical-targets-website-crictical-ubuntu-privacy)。几年后， Canonical（Ubuntu 背后的公司）最终取消了在线搜索和亚马逊 Web 应用。最近 [Audacity 闹剧](https://github.com/audacity/audacity/pull/835) 是自由/开源软件如何保护隐私的另一个例子。新的项目管理层决定将谷歌的 Analytics 和 Yandex 添加到音频软件中，但由于公众的强烈抗议，最终放弃了这一计划。


尽管自由软件有很多优点，但它也不能免于批评。一种说法是自由/开源软件项目经常被放弃。然而最近在 [实证软件工程和测量会议](https://arxiv.org/abs/1906.08058) 上提出的一项研究表明，情况并非如此：在 1932 个流行的开源项目中，有 7%（128 个项目）在被忽视后由新的开发人员接管，使烂尾率降低到不到 10%（187 个项目）。


另一个常见的批评是自由/开源软件通过公布代码暴露了潜在的安全漏洞。另一方面，将源代码保密 [不一定会提高安全性](https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram/archives/2002/0515.html#1)。认为封闭源代码要比自由/开源软件安全得多的观点，却忽略了一个事实，即专有堆栈越来越多地构建在 [开放源代码之上](https://www.bcg.com/publications/2021/open-source-software-strategy-benefits)。自由软件也倾向于去中心化，这有助于增强抵御监视、单点故障或大规模数据泄露。所以可以肯定的是，自由/开源软件并不能避免安全漏洞。但专有的解决方案也是如此，正如来自 Facebook、Linkedin 和 Clubhouse 的最新 [10 亿人的数据泄露](https://www.politico.eu/article/how-to-leak-data-and-get-away-with-it) 或者对 SolarWind 和 Colonial 管道公司的大规模 [安全攻击](https://theconversation.com/the-colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-and-the-solarwinds-hack-were-all-but-inevitable-why-national-cyber-defense-is-a-wicked-problem-160661) 所说明的那样。


总之，自由软件在促进网上隐私方面发挥了重要作用。近四十年来，自由/开源软件一直鼓励开发人员审计代码、修复问题并确保幕后没有任何可疑的事情发生。


### 使用自由/开源软件实现在线隐私的七个步骤


![](/data/attachment/album/202106/23/154049ofrdg5vhcfz61115.png)


在等待更好的隐私法律出台的同时，还有很多事情可以让你的设备更隐私。以下是用尊重隐私、自由/开源软件取代大型科技公司的七个步骤。 根据你的 [威胁模型](https://www.eff.org/files/2015/11/24/3mod_threat-modeling-ssd_9-3-15.pdf)，你可能想首先考虑步骤 1 到步骤 4，因为它们已经提供了一个合理的隐私水平。如果你有一些技术技能，想要更进一步，看看步骤 5 到步骤 7。


1. **[参与到隐私保护中来](https://www.gofoss.today/nothing-to-hide)**。关于在线隐私、数据利用、过滤泡沫、监控和审查，还有很多值得我们讨论和学习的地方。参与进来，传播信息。
2. **[选择一个安全和隐私的浏览器](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-browse-freely)**。切换到 Firefox。阻止追踪器、cookie 和广告。使用尊重隐私的搜索引擎。可能要用 Tor 或 VPN 加密你的通信。
3. **[保持交流的私密性](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-speak-freely)**。使用端到端加密保护你的电子邮件、消息和电话。抛弃传统的社交媒体，探索 fediversity ，这是一个由各种在线服务组成的联合家庭。
4. **[保护你的数据](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-store-safely)**。使用长且独特的密码。为你的每个账户和设备选择一个不同的密码。将它们安全地保存在加密的密码管理器中。考虑使用双因素身份验证。创建一个常规备份例程。并对敏感数据进行加密。
5. **[解绑你的电脑](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-free-your-computer)**。切换到 GNU/Linux ，并首选自由和开源的应用程序。根据你的需要，选择一个对初学者友好的发行版，如 Linux Mint 或 Ubuntu；对于更有经验的用户，选择 Debian、Manjaro、openSUSE、Fedora 或 Gentoo Linux。对于隐私爱好者，可以看看 Qubes OS、Whonix 或 Tails。
6. **[解绑你的手机](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-free-your-phone)**。切换到一个定制的移动操作系统，如 LineageOS、CalyxOS、GrapheneOS 或 /e/。首选社区维护的应用商店提供的自由及开源应用。
7. **[解绑你的云](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-free-your-cloud)**。选择尊重隐私的云服务商。或设置你自己的安全服务器和自托管服务，例如云存储、图库、任务和联系人管理，或媒体流。


### 结束


![](/data/attachment/album/202106/23/154050gni5t669dunqdutt.png)


面对在线隐私没有一键式解决方案。用自由及开源软件取代大型科技公司是一个过程。有些改动很简单，比如安装 Firefox 或 Signal。其他方法需要更多的时间和技能。但它们绝对值得。你并不孤单，你可以依靠一个很棒的社区的支持。所以，请允许我引用《华盛顿邮报》在线专栏的 [Geoffrey A. Fowler](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/12/31/how-we-survive-surveillance-apocalypse) 的话作为总结: “*隐私没有消亡，但你必须足够愤怒才能要求它*”。




---


### 关于作者


![](/data/attachment/album/202106/23/154052grdjivndjrbjebve.png)


*Georg Jerska 是一个对保护公民隐私特别感兴趣的开源爱好者。他和他的小团队运营着 [GoFOSS](https://gofoss.today/)，这是一个关于如何用尊重隐私的自由和开源软件取代大型科技公司的全面指南。*


*[开源](https://undraw.co/license) 插图 [Katerina Limpitsouni](https://undraw.co)。*


*所表达的观点只是作者的观点，并不一定反应我们的官方政策或立场。*




---


via: <https://news.itsfoss.com/save-privacy-with-foss/>


作者：[Team It's FOSS](https://news.itsfoss.com/author/team/) 选题：[lujun9972](https://github.com/lujun9972) 译者：[zz-air](https://github.com/zz-air) 校对：[wxy](https://github.com/wxy)


本文由 [LCTT](https://github.com/LCTT/TranslateProject) 原创编译，[Linux中国](https://linux.cn/) 荣誉推出


OK
![](/assets/images/pikapods-banner-v3.webp)


![](/assets/images/pikapods-banner-v3.webp)

*I have used services from tech giants for years. Most were free of charge, at the expense of my privacy. But those days are over. Now I browse, chat and work without anyone tracking, monetizing or censoring my data. Thanks to free (libre) and open source software.*

## I start to worry about Big Tech

![Big tech surveillance](https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2021/06/big_tech-300x270.png)

I’ve always felt machines should be doing what I want them to do, not the other way round. That’s why Google’s Android operating system immediately appealed to me when it first hit the market in 2008. At the time, Google’s open-source approach was genuinely refreshing. I spent hours customizing my HTC Hero phone. Little did I care that it was uglier than my friends’ iPhones or Symbian devices. My new gadget was infinitely more versatile.

Fast forward a decade. Google has become a tech giant, dwarfed iOS and killed Symbian OS. Today, the company captures over 90% of search traffic and dominates the browser market. This stellar growth came at a cost, as illustrated by the removal of Google’s “don’t be evil” clause. The search giant is entangled in court cases, such as the one over [data collection and tracking malpractices](https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/05/google-location-services-lawsuit?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Researchers also found [privacy flaws](https://blog.appcensus.io/2021/04/27/why-google-should-stop-logging-contact-tracing-data?ref=news.itsfoss.com) in Google’s contact tracing app. To top it off, the tech giant announced a controversial new algorithm that [tracks browsing behaviour](https://news.itsfoss.com/google-floc) to better serve ads.

Now, I don’t want to pass the buck to Google. Amazon just created the largest civilian [surveillance network](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/18/amazon-ring-largest-civilian-surveillance-network-us?ref=news.itsfoss.com) in US history. It provides the police with unwarranted access to millions of home security cameras. Meanwhile, Europe probes into Amazon’s compliance with [privacy rules](https://edps.europa.eu/press-publications/press-news/press-releases/2021/edps-opens-two-investigations-following-schrems_en?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Same goes for Microsoft, which incidentally also apologized for having facilitated [workplace surveillance](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/dec/02/microsoft-apologises-productivity-score-critics-derided-workplace-surveillance?ref=news.itsfoss.com) feature.

One might think that users can at least count on Apple to protect their privacy. The tech giant recently gave them the choice to know whether apps track their behavior. As it turns out that [only 5%](https://www.flurry.com/blog/ios-14-5-opt-in-rate-att-restricted-app-tracking-transparency-worldwide-us-daily-latest-update?ref=news.itsfoss.com) of US users opt into this new app-tracking transparency. Meanwhile, the company [hugely benefits](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/25/technology/apple-google-search-antitrust.html?ref=news.itsfoss.com) from doing business with data brokers like Google. Not to mention the [antitrust trial](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/25/business/dealbook/apple-epic-case.html?ref=news.itsfoss.com) raging between Fortnite developer Epic Games and Apple, which claims to protect the privacy of its App Store. And of course, there’s Facebook. The company’s privacy misconducts culminated in a Senate hearing over the [Cambridge Analytica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica?ref=news.itsfoss.com) scandal, wiping out what was left of user trust.

Yet in spite – or because – of these questionable practices, the total value of these companies reached over [7.5 trillion dollars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_public_corporations_by_market_capitalization?ref=news.itsfoss.com#2021) in March 2021. “Big Tech” is now worth more than Germany’s and the UK gross domestic product – combined!

## Why privacy matters

![Privacy](https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2021/06/privacy-300x248.png)

We all use Big Tech’s services. We are part of [Surveillance Capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveillance_capitalism?ref=news.itsfoss.com), a term coined by Harvard professor Shoshana Zuboff and discussed in Cory Doctorow’s [latest book](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55134785-how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism?ref=news.itsfoss.com), Surveillance Capitalism. It’s an economic system centered around tech monopolies which harvest personal data to maximize profit. This system threatens the very core of democracy, as it gives rise to mass surveillance, polarizes the political debate, interferes with the electoral process and drives uniformity of thought as well as censorship.

Surveillance Capitalism is based on a deeply troubling invasion of our lives. We tend to forget that privacy is a fundamental right. It’s enshrined by the UN Human Rights Council, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and a number of treaties. I think we can all relate: there are more than a few aspects in our lives we’d like to keep private, even without wrongdoing. Whether it is to freely express ourselves and explore our personality without being judged by others. Or to shield us from surveillance, censorship and manipulation. That’s why curtains were invented. And things like banking secrecy, attorney-client privilege, secrecy of correspondence, secrecy of the ballot, confessional secret or medical confidentiality.

Tackling online privacy is a broad issue. It requires comprehensive changes to our legal systems and social conventions. Regulation of tech monopolies is one of the main challenges of this decade. As illustrated by the recent standoffs between tech giants and governments: [Australia vs. Facebook](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-56163550?ref=news.itsfoss.com), [China vs. Tencent](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/technology/china-tencent-monopoly.html?ref=news.itsfoss.com), [India vs. WhatsApp](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/whatsapp-sues-indian-government-over-mass-surveillance-internet-laws?ref=news.itsfoss.com), the [EU vs. Facebook](https://nypost.com/2021/05/26/eu-reportedly-set-to-open-formal-antitrust-probe-into-facebook?ref=news.itsfoss.com) or the [US vs. Big Tech](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/06/technology/house-antitrust-report-big-tech.html?ref=news.itsfoss.com). For years, digital rights groups and software foundations have been advocating for better privacy laws, user rights and the freedom to innovate. Let’s only name a few: the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Free Software Foundation, the Freedom of the Press Foundation, Privacy International, the Open Rights Group or the European Digital Rights.

## What’s this got to do with FOSS?

![FOSS](https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2021/06/foss-300x268.png)

Since its inception in 1983, the [Free Software movement](https://itsfoss.com/what-is-foss?ref=news.itsfoss.com) has become quite a diverse community. Free and open source software is often referred to as FOSS, FLOSS, Libre Software or Free Software. It includes a whole range of licenses that give users the right to [use, study, share and improve](https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/freesoftware.en.html?ref=news.itsfoss.com) the software. As well as the [right to repair](https://framatube.org/videos/watch/99069c5c-5a00-489e-97cb-fd5cc76de77c?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Free Software is “free” as in “[free speech](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/04/remembering-case-established-code-speech?ref=news.itsfoss.com)” — and sometimes as in “free beer”. As such, FOSS is not only about technology. It’s about social, political and economic emancipation.

A few years back, a privacy controversy shook up the Free Software community. Ubuntu 12.10 – one of the various GNU/Linux flavours – started establishing Internet connections for local searches on people’s computers. It served Amazon ads and shared private data with Facebook or Twitter. The [backlash was massive](https://itsfoss.com/canonical-targets-website-crictical-ubuntu-privacy?ref=news.itsfoss.com). A few years later, Canonical – the firm behind Ubuntu – ended up removing online searches and the Amazon web app. The more recent [Audacity drama](https://github.com/audacity/audacity/pull/835?ref=news.itsfoss.com) is another example of how FOSS protects privacy. The new project management decided to add Google Analytics and Yandex to the audio software, but ended up renouncing to its plans after public outcry.

For all its merits, Free Software is not free from criticism. One claim is that FOSS projects often get abandoned. A [study recently presented at the Empirical Software Engineering and Measurement conference](https://arxiv.org/abs/1906.08058?ref=news.itsfoss.com) suggests otherwise: out of 1.932 popular open source projects, 7% (128 projects) were taken over by new developers after being neglected, reducing the dropout rate to less than 10% (187 projects).

Another common criticism is that FOSS exposes potential security vulnerabilities by publishing the code. On the flip side, keeping the source code a secret [doesn’t necessarily increase security](https://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram/archives/2002/0515.html?ref=news.itsfoss.com#1). Arguing that closed source code is vastly more secure than FOSS conveniently omits the fact that proprietary stacks are increasingly built [on top of open source code](https://www.bcg.com/publications/2021/open-source-software-strategy-benefits?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Free Software also tends to be decentralized, which helps with resilience against surveillance, single points of failure or massive data leaks. So sure, FOSS is not immune to security breaches. But neither are proprietary solutions, as illustrated by the latest [leaks of a billion people’s data](https://www.politico.eu/article/how-to-leak-data-and-get-away-with-it?ref=news.itsfoss.com) from Facebook, LinkedIn and Clubhouse. Or the spectacular [security attacks](https://theconversation.com/the-colonial-pipeline-ransomware-attack-and-the-solarwinds-hack-were-all-but-inevitable-why-national-cyber-defense-is-a-wicked-problem-160661?ref=news.itsfoss.com) against SolarWind and Colonial Pipeline.

All in all, Free Software is instrumental in promoting online privacy. For nearly forty years, FOSS has been encouraging developers to audit the code, fix issues and ensure nothing shady goes on in the background.

## Seven steps to online privacy with FOSS

![](https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2021/06/steps-1024x764.png)

While waiting for better privacy laws, there’s a lot you can do to make your devices more private. Here are seven steps to replace Big Tech with privacy-respecting, free and open source software. Depending on your [threat model](https://www.eff.org/files/2015/11/24/3mod_threat-modeling-ssd_9-3-15.pdf?ref=news.itsfoss.com), you’ll likely want to consider steps 1 through 4 first, as they already provide a reasonable level of privacy. If you have some tech skills and want to go further, take a look at steps 5 to 7.

. There is much to be said and learned about online privacy, data exploitation, filter bubbles, surveillance and censorship. Get involved and spread the word.[Get involved in privacy](https://www.gofoss.today/nothing-to-hide?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Switch to Firefox. Block trackers, cookies and ads. Use privacy-respecting search engines. Possibly encrypt your traffic with Tor or VPN.[Choose a safe and private browser](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-browse-freely?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Use end-to-end encryption to secure your emails, messages and calls. Ditch classic social media and discover the Fediverse, a federated family of various online services.[Keep your conversations private](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-speak-freely?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Use long and unique passphrases. Choose a different one for each of your accounts and devices. Keep them safe in an encrypted password manager. Consider using two-factor authentication. Create a regular backup routine. And encrypt sensitive data.[Protect your data](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-store-safely?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Switch to GNU/Linux and favor free and open source apps. Depending on your needs, choose a beginner friendly distribution like Linux Mint or Ubuntu. For more experienced users, pick Debian, Manjaro, openSUSE, Fedora or Gentoo Linux. And for privacy buffs, have a look at Qubes OS, Whonix or Tails.[Free your computer](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-free-your-computer?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Switch to a custom mobile operating system like LineageOS, CalyxOS, GrapheneOS or /e/. Favor tracker-free open source apps from community maintained app stores.[Free your phone](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-free-your-phone?ref=news.itsfoss.com). Choose privacy-respecting cloud providers. Or set up your own secure server and self host services such as cloud storage, photo galleries, task and contact management, or media streaming.[Free your cloud](https://www.gofoss.today/intro-free-your-cloud?ref=news.itsfoss.com)

## Wrapping Up

![GoFOSS](https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2021/06/gofoss-150x150.png)

There is no one-click solution for online privacy. Replacing Big Tech with free and open source software is a process. Some changes are simple – like installing Firefox or Signal. Other methods require more time and skills. But they are definitely worth it. And you’re not alone, you can count on the support of a wonderful community. So allow me to conclude by quoting [Geoffrey A. Fowler](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/12/31/how-we-survive-surveillance-apocalypse?ref=news.itsfoss.com) from the Washington Post: “*Online privacy is not dead, but you have to be angry enough to demand it*“.

## About the author

![Georg Jerska](https://news.itsfoss.com/content/images/wordpress/2021/06/georg-150x150.png)

*Georg Jerska is an open source enthusiast with a special interest in protecting the privacy of citizens. With his small team he runs GoFOSS, a comprehensive guide on how to replace Big Tech with privacy-respecting, free and open source software.*

[Open source](https://undraw.co/license?ref=news.itsfoss.com) illustrations by [Katerina Limpitsouni](https://undraw.co/?ref=news.itsfoss.com).

*The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of It’s FOSS.*

## More from It's FOSS...

- Support us by opting for
[It's FOSS Plus](https://itsfoss.com/#/portal/signup)membership. - Join our
[community forum](https://itsfoss.community/). - 📩 Stay updated with the latest on Linux and Open Source. Get our
[weekly Newsletter](https://itsfoss.com/newsletter/).