Privacy Guide

1. UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL PRIVACY

1.1 Privacy, anonymity and pseudonymity
1.2 Who collects your data?
1.3 How are you identified on the internet?

2. CREATING A PRIVATE DIGITAL IDENTITY

2.1 Separating real life from digital life
2.2 Using pseudonyms and aliases
2.3 Avoiding account correlation

3. PRIVATE EMAILS AND MESSAGING

3.1 Which email provider should you choose?
3.2 Email aliases and compartmentalization
3.3 Private messaging apps

4. BROWSING WITHOUT BEING TRACKED

4.1 Which browser should you choose?
4.2 Blocking tracking and fingerprinting
4.3 Which search engine should you use?

5. NETWORK, DNS AND IP ADDRESS

5.1 What your IP address reveals
5.2 Why change your DNS
5.3 Private and encrypted DNS

6. VPN AND TOR NETWORK

6.1 What a VPN really hides
6.2 How to choose a good VPN
6.3 When to use Tor

7. SMARTPHONES AND DAILY APPS

1. Understanding digital privacy

1.1 Privacy, anonymity and pseudonymity

Privacy: The right to control who has access to your information. It is not about “having nothing to hide”, but “having things to protect”.
Anonymity: Nobody knows who you are (very difficult to fully achieve on the modern web).
Pseudonymity: You act under a consistent identity (for example, a nickname) that is not directly linked to your real identity.

1.2 Who collects your data?

Big Tech companies (Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.): For advertising profiling.
ISPs (Internet Service Providers): They can see all your unencrypted traffic.
Data Brokers: They buy and resell your profiles.
Governments: For surveillance and security purposes.

1.3 How are you identified on the internet?

IP Address: Location and connection identification.
Cookies and Trackers: Tracking your browsing across websites.
Browser Fingerprinting: A unique browser signature (screen resolution, fonts, extensions).

2. Creating a private digital identity

2.1 Separating real life from digital life

Never use your real name on non-administrative services.
Do not post photos revealing your home or habits (EXIF metadata).

2.2 Using pseudonyms and aliases

Use a different pseudonym for each platform to avoid correlation.
Use name generators if necessary.

2.3 Avoiding account correlation

Do not link your accounts (example: “Sign in with Google/Facebook”).
Use disposable identities for unreliable services.

3. Private emails and messaging

3.1 Which email provider should you choose?

Avoid Gmail and Outlook.
Prefer: ProtonMail or Tuta (end-to-end encryption).

3.2 Email aliases and compartmentalization

Use services such as SimpleLogin or AnonAddy. They allow you to create one email address per website. If a site leaks your data, you simply delete the alias.

3.3 Private messaging apps

Signal: The reference (Open Source, minimal metadata).
Threema: Paid, but requires no phone number.
Avoid WhatsApp and Telegram for truly sensitive conversations.

4. Browsing without being tracked

4.1 Which browser should you choose?

Firefox: Highly customizable and privacy-friendly.
Mullvad Browser: Designed to resist fingerprinting.
Brave: Good default protection against ads and trackers.

4.2 Blocking tracking and fingerprinting

Essential extension: uBlock Origin (“medium” or “advanced” mode).
Disable third-party cookies in browser settings.

4.3 Which search engine should you use?

DuckDuckGo: Does not track you.
Brave Search: Independent from Google/Bing indexes.
SearXNG: Self-hosted or community meta-search engine.

5. Network, DNS and IP address

5.1 What your IP address reveals

Your city, your ISP, and potentially your identity through legal requests.

5.2 Why change your DNS

By default, your ISP sees all the domain names you visit through its DNS servers.

5.3 Private and encrypted DNS

Use DNS providers that do not log your queries: NextDNS, Quad9 or Mullvad DNS.
Enable DNS over HTTPS (DoH) in your browser.

6. VPN and Tor network

6.1 What a VPN really hides

It hides your IP address from websites.
It hides your activity from your ISP.
WARNING: A VPN does not make you anonymous. It shifts trust from your ISP to the VPN provider.

6.2 How to choose a good VPN

Criteria: No logs, privacy-friendly jurisdiction, anonymous payment options.
Recommendations: Mullvad, ProtonVPN or IVPN.

6.3 When to use Tor

For maximum anonymity.
Downside: Slow browsing and some websites block Tor nodes.

7. Smartphones and daily apps

Limit app permissions (location, contacts).
Disable advertising identifiers.
On Android: Consider de-Googled operating systems such as GrapheneOS or DivestOS.
Use a password manager (Bitwarden or KeePassXC).