Index

[cybersecurity]

Index

• Part 1 is about cybersecurity in general.
• Part 2 is a list of things you can do.
• Part 3 is about e-mail providers.
• Part 4 is about browsers.
• Part 5 deals with password policy.
• Part 6 is about getting away from Google.
• Part 7 is about Facebook.
• Part 8 deals with smartphones.
• Part 9 is about VPNs.
• Part 10 is about Instant Messaging and Chat.
• Part 11: Carrying data and devices across US borders <--- in progress

Other stuff:

• A warning about the FamilyTree website.

Upcoming subjects

• Making the switch to Linux

What's this? What is it for? Who is it for? Who is it by?

This series of blog posts is mostly for my US friends, who are now (or soon) confronted with a new regime they may feel unsafe about. I know I would.
I want to help in some way, and since cybersecurity (keeping yourself and your data safe in the online world) is an important part of personal security, and I have access to information about that, that's something I may be able to give useful information about.

For many of us, words like cybersecurity or infosec (information security) or online safety used to be mainly about how to keep yourself and your data safe from cybercriminals (crackers). It was all about avoiding viruses and malware, and keeping malicious hackers from stealing your passwords and emptying your bank account. But if you are living under a government that you feel you cannot trust, those words gain a new meaning. Suddenly, we're talking about the need to keep your private data private, and to avoid mass surveillance, and data theft by your own government. A scary thought, for sure.

The big thing here is that US companies collect data, and the US government can grab hold of that data if they feel there's a need; if you are now under a government that you distrust, it makes sense to reduce the amount of data that you hand over to US-based companies. So I started by making a list of things you can do. It's linked above. Then I realised that some things need to be explained in more detail. So, here we are.

Who am I to talk about these things? I'm not an infosec expert, by any means. I have, however, learned from friends who are exactly that. I also have decent search-fu. I'm the co-founder of a hackerspace, and a moderator on the Linux Mint forum.
There is always a chance that I'm wrong. If you feel that my information is incorrect or incomplete, and you can point me to better information, please let me know. I'm eager to learn new things and I don't want to mislead anybody.

Since starting this project, I've found out that there's a whole lot to talk about here... so this is a work in progress. I'll be adding more posts over the next days and weeks, and editing existing posts to add more or better information. If you have any questions, please do feel free to ask. I'm worried for you and I want to help.


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Comments

Many thanks for these articles!

[montemplar]

Will definitely be sharing them with friends and family.

Re: Many thanks for these articles!

[cybersecurity]

Aww, thank you. That's such a nice thing to say. Thank you for that, and for spreading the word.
I'll be writing more soon, it's just that I'm a bit busy at the moment. Stay tuned!