My privacy – Your safety

A manual for activists to protect your privacy and security online

Table of contents

  1. Chapter 1: Introduction
  2. Overall context
  3. Safety vs Security
  4. The right to privacy and security
  5. Why online security and privacy are relevant for 2021 / Reflection on digital revolution post-pandemic
  6. Why we should pay attention to online security
  7. Chapter 2: Privacy Awareness
  8. “I have nothing to hide” argument and other excuses
  9. The risks of internet privacy
  10. When online surveillance and profiling exploit our democracy
  11. Chapter 3: Tips for online privacy and security
  12. Privacy tips
  13. Surveillance tips
  14. Chapter 4: Collection of resources for activists and organisations
  15. Good habits
  16. List of various resources, guides, tools
  17. Appendices
  18. Appendix 1 – A GDPR mini overview. Learn the law, use the law

Good habits

There are many free resources, guides and tools activists and organisations can use to make their online activities and their data safer.

Good habits

Some good habits we can suggest are:

  • Use endpoint security software, especially if the devices are not only used by yourself (work pc, shared mobile devices)
  • Use an antivirus; scan questionable mail before opening the attachment, usually try to avoid opening (or even previewing) attachments from unexpected/unknown users
  • Don’t forward chain emails
  • Block file types that could carry malware (.exe)
  • Subscribe to an email alert service
  • Use a firewall on all computers 
  • Check USB drives and external platforms.

Tips for being safe when signing up for an account:

  • Create email addresses and usernames that don’t contain identifying information such as your full name or birth date / year.
  • Use different usernames and profile pictures for each site, and have more than one email account for different purposes like work, school, and social groups. You can also consider using a picture that isn’t of you for your profile photo.
  • Be thoughtful about sharing personal information beyond what’s necessary to create an account or set up a profile. Sometimes sites don’t make it super obvious that the information is optional, so look out for the fine print!
  • Click “no” when sites or apps offer to check your contact list to help connect you with your friends already on their site.
  • Opt out of having your profile be searchable on the site itself, and from showing up in general search results like Google.

Protecting your real persona from offline attacks:

  • Ask your family members and your closed ones to raise more digital awareness for themselves and your sensible information (private pictures, social media, real name, telephone number, location etc. )
  • Do not provide unnecessary private sensible information
  • Never share your private address online!