If you’ve been following the news, you know digital privacy these days is a huge concern. Major tech companies such as Google have unilaterally decided that you have no right to inbox privacy, browsing privacy, or the right to keep your identity safe and secure.
We’ve already seen TikTok, after its US acquisition, pivot to extremely invasive and potentially dangerous monitoring, not to mention the personal identity theft they have openly said they’ll be utilizing, by using creators’ face prints and voice prints to use with AI for advertising. Discord will be asking for biometrics (facial scanning!) and government ID as of March, despite the fact that their security is so poor that they were recently hacked, and the government ID and personal info of over 70,000 users was compromised. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in a conversation about apps — we’re not even touching on the routine surveillance that is regularly conducted by police and other law enforcement in public places, web server and website security, listening via “smart” devices throughout your home, and so on.
Moving forward, we are not giving up our privacy willingly. Besties, it’s up to us to keep ourselves safe. In 2026, we’re girding our communications appropriately so that we can protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our community members. That’s the energy we’re bringing this year and forevermore.
Here are some crucial digital security basics you can easily implement as we enter this era of draconian surveillance.
These guidelines are a MUST for your most basic digital security needs. Listed in the slides toward the end are some additional resources for a deeper dive into your personal digital security.
This is all very do-able for the layperson. However, if you run into questions or need support, guidance, or help with implementation or team training, please reach out using the form at the bottom of this page (or the right side on desktop) to schedule a free consultation.
Slides in text format
(Slides are at the top of this post)
- Digital Security: Baselines
- De-Googling
- Google AI is reading all your email. All your attachments. All your Drive documents. All your private messages. Tracking you in incognito mode. Google will actively be handing over communications regarding immigration status to DOJ/ICE. We must assume they will turn over any other communications requested by the Fed, as well. It is crucial to de-Google, besties.
- ACTION ITEMS:
- Move to Proton; replaces Google apps: Drive, Mail, Meet, Calendar, and offers VPN + password manager.
- Move from Chrome to DuckDuckGo browser
- Signal Best Practices
- Make a username (not your real one)
- Hide your phone number
- Set disappearing messages
- Use as a messaging app, not as an important work or organizing archive. Group threads are only as secure as the weakest link.
- Make a username (not your real one)
- Crucial Device Safety
- Turn off biometrics (thumb, face)
- Replace numerical password with passcode or passphrase
- Turn off Siri.
- Know how to activate lockdown mode
- Turn off “preview text” in push notifications for messages and email.We are not taking our phones to protests! Continued on next slide
- Always use a VPN.
- Don’t transmit highly sensitive info on public connections.
- Use a password manager or keychain for saving passwords. Never in browser.
- Generate random passwords
- Use two-factor auth (2FA) when possible
- Helpful Services & Experts
- DeleteMe for cleaning up your info online
- Security Badger for blocking trackers
- Proton paid account for cloud storage, VPN, email, “Google Drive” type functionality, and password manager (free accounts with email and limited drive storage are available).Continued on next slide
- For ongoing education & a deeper dive into digital security practices:
- YK Hong @ykreborn (highly recommend their Liberation Toolbox)
- Liz Howard @lizthedeveloper
- Digital Security is a Community Effort
- Talk to your friends.
- Talk to your family.
- Talk to your coworkers.
- Talk to your organizing comrades.
- Help facilitate these digital transitions when you can, to whatever degree you can. We are only as secure as the least secure people we communicate with.
