EU-Security-and-Privacy-Guide

A checklist of things you can do to improve your devices security and your privacy in the EU!

Basic Things

• check privacy settings of all social medias you use!!!

• consider digital minimalism! i.e using as few digital services and accounts as possible. as data not collected can't be exploited or hacked!

• avoid internet of things devices( devices that connect to the internet when not needed ) as those can break your home networks security and breach your privacy!

• use private messengers like signal, for even more privacy check out session or briar

• change search engine to a more private one. recommended for most is duckduckgo, leta, brave, searxng( check instances here https://searx.space/ ).

• change browser to firefox( or forks like librewolf ) or if you need chromium! brave or thorium .

• use a password manager. recommended for most is bitwarden for online password manager, and keepassxc for offline password manager.

• setup authenticator app for 2fa on all sites that support it.

• generate random answers to security questions on sites that use those. DON'T use real answers as those can easily be guessed or figured out by threats!!!

• use visiblelabs data broker removal tool as it is free and gets you removed from a lot of databrokers including ones based in the eu

• opt out of data brokers using the delete-links.md to opt out of a few not covered by the previous tool

Payment required things

• get a hardware key for 2fa, recommend yubikey and nitrokey. make sure to get at least 2 to have one as backup if you lose the other!!!
• get your own domain name for email
• setup proton and tuta email accounts
• vpn, recommend mullvad and ivpn
• rfid/faraday wallet
• faraday bag for phone and laptop
• google pixel with grapheneos
• alternative degoogled android phones: Comparison of Android-based Operating Systems
• use icogni for databroker removal as it is the main option that works in the EU

unsorted to be sorted

• full disk encryption

• opensnitch

• bleachbit

• signal

• revolut account for virtual debit cards

• nextdns for domain name system blocking to avoid trackers

• voicemail pin

Security

• install linux
• enable secure boot
• set sysctl kernel hardening values
• enable a firewall

Credits and recommended reading:

https://madaidans-insecurities.github.io/index.html

kuketz blog on privacy and security steps in german

justdeleteme, a site telling you how to delete your old accounts

justgetmydata, a site telling you how to get all the data a site has on you!

justwhatsthedata, a site telling you what data sites collect on you!

tosdr/Terms of service Did'nt Read, a site that breaks down terms of service to make it easily understandable

privacy visualizer, a visualiser for help understanding privacy policies you read, made by reject convience on youtube