Stay Safe from Unreasonable Surveillance and Federal Overreach
As a follow-up to our panel discussion on the State of Surveillance in Portland (and Beyond), we wanted to offer a range of resources to help you stay safe.
By protecting your own privacy, you also support activists, residents and at-risk groups by reducing the amount of data available for analysis. This inhibits the use of that data to target populations, or to create profiles that reveal associations and interests.
The less data available for analysis, the more people are free to express themselves in constitutionally-protected ways, without manipulation, influence or unforeseen future-consequences.
Thank you!
Privacy Starts With Security: Know Your Passwords!
Each year, Hive Systems publishes a chart detailing just how quickly hackers, or anyone else with advanced techniques, can break your passwords.
Check out this chart, re-published at Hyak.co, to ensure your password is actually safe: https://hyak.co/post/how-secure-is-your-password-a-look-at-brute-force-attack-times-in-2025
PRIVACY-RESPECTING ALTERNATIVES…
The following options can help you replace “big tech” software that is, in many cases, designed to collect as much information about you as possible. Even encrypted communications, like WhatsApp, will often save “metadata” about your use of services, recording when, how often and with whom you communicate. This information can be used to map associations and create a detailed and revealing profile, without ever accessing the content in a single message.
| EMAIL Alternatives to Google, Yahoo, etc… | VIDEO Alternatives to Zoom, Google Meet, etc. | MESSAGING Alternative to What’s App and Text Messages |
| PROTONMAIL.COM — Has an honestly free option. –End-to-end encrypted. –Only subject lines visible to Proton servers. –Will answer legal requests, but based in Switzerland. | COMMUNITY BRIDGE — Has an honestly fee option. — Requires an account (can use a burner email address). — Extremely stable and reliable — Can be a bit complex to learn, but similar to Zoom. | SIGNAL Signal is the most secure, open-source messaging app available. Download on the app-store. Use it just like a text message. End-to-end encrypted |
| TUTA.COM — Has an honestly free option. –End-to-end encrypted. | https://BRIE.FI (Called “Briefing”) — Go to brie.fi, start a chat with one click. Super simple. — Completely anonymous. No account needed. — Moderately stable — Completely free and open source |
**Remember the 180-Day Rule
Email communications are no longer considered private after 180-days. The only way around this currently is by sending email from one end-to-end encrypted, zero-knowledge service to another.
For example: Sending a message from Example@protonmail.com to Example@gmail.com would NOT be private. Because Gmail is not private. The entire content of the communication is available on Google’s servers.
Instead, both parties must use an end-to-end encrypted service like Protonmail (or Tuta.com).
Therefore: An email from example1@protonmail.com to example2@protonmail.com would remain end-to-end encrypted and private. (The same is true for Tuta emails.)
SKIP GOOGLE DOCS
Security is not the same as privacy. Google claims that documents created in Docs are “private,” but all information entered into Google Docs remains completely visible to Google itself, because they do not use end-to-end encryption on their own servers. Their privacy policy makes it clear that they can access and use your data for a variety of purposes (though they do not sell it at this time). This potentially leaves it susceptible to the Third Party Doctrine.
AN ALTERNATIVE: https://Cryptpad.fr
Cryptpad offers similar functionality to Google Docs, has an actually free plan (Free and Open Source). Your data is end-to-end encrypted, and so the company has no access to it on their own servers.
Cryptpad is very stable, but can be a bit buggy from time-to-time. Restarting the program usually clears most malfunctions, in our experience.
DITCH CHROME and MICROSOFT EDGE
Chrome tracks far more about you than most people realize.
Here are just a few 2025 articles from Forbes alone:
Google Confirms Secret Chrome Tracking
Chrome Secretly Tracks Your Phone
Google Confirms: Chrome Users Will Be Tracked
Sadly, Microsoft’s Edge is not much better, despite their marketing-battle.
THE ALTERNATIVES: Choose a Privacy-Focused Web Browser
BRAVE
WATERFOX
SAFARI
FIREFOX
Our top-pick, the Brave Browser, is based on Chromium, so it feels just like Chrome, just faster and far more private. A built-in, Private AI assistant generates responses without “feeding” the algorithm, and without storing any information from your searches.
TRUST YOUR VPN PROVIDER
VPNs are given a huge amount of data about your browsing habits. Many claim to respect your privacy, but few are willing to prove it. CyberInsider (formerly RestorePrivacy) carries an excellent, detailed analysis of VPN providers that you should read, if you choose to use one:
https://cyberinsider.com/vpn/best/
TLDR / SPOILER ALERT – THE TOP 3 CHOICES for an audited, “no-logs” policy:
NORD VPN
SURFSHARK
PROTON VPN
Proton VPN maintains an actually free version, that functions very well for most uses, with more functionality available in paid-tiers.
ANTI-SURVEILLANCE GUIDES and RESOURCES
Lastly, check out these online resources from our friends over at the
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
ONLINE SAFETY /
DIGITAL SAFETY
For managing your online privacy and securing your computer-mediated life, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has an excellent starter-guide. It covers the basics of online privacy, making it useful to nearly anyone:
Check out the entire range of EFF Surveillance Self-Defense Guides here: https://ssd.eff.org
OFFLINE SAFETY /
IN-PERSON SAFETY
For clear, comprehensive and detailed advice on in-person protest, expressing yourself in public and attending controversial gatherings, again, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has an excellent resource:
AN OREGON-FIRST PERSPECTIVE…
Check out these guides from Oregon Consumer Justice.
As of July, 2024, Oregonian’s have legal, consumer privacy rights!
Oregon Consumer Justice has an excellent set of resources to help you navigate those rights, learn about the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act, and protect yourself online from data extraction: