privacytools.io

You are being watched. Private and state-sponsored organizations are monitoring and recording your online activities. privacytools.io provides knowledge and tools to protect your privacy against global mass surveillance.

Glenn Greenwald: Why privacy matters Over the last 16 months, as I've debated this issue around the world, every single time somebody has said to me, "I don't really worry about invasions of privacy because I don't have anything to hide." I always say the same thing to them. I get out a pen, I write down my email address. I say, "Here's my email address. What I want you to do when you get home is email me the passwords to all of your email accounts, not just the nice, respectable work one in your name, but all of them, because I want to be able to just troll through what it is you're doing online, read what I want to read and publish whatever I find interesting. After all, if you're not a bad person, if you're doing nothing wrong, you should have nothing to hide." Not a single person has taken me up on that offer.

Related: How do you counter the "I have nothing to hide?" argument?

privatesearch.io

example search: edward snowden

privatesearch.io is our new privacy-respecting and highly customizable search engine with excellent results. it's open source and doesn't have ads, logs or tracking.



UKUSA Agreement

The UKUSA Agreement is an agreement between the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand to cooperatively collect, analyze, and share intelligence. Members of this group, known as the Five Eyes, focus on gathering and analyzing intelligence from different parts of the world. While Five Eyes countries have agreed to not spy on each other as adversaries, leaks by Snowden have revealed that some Five Eyes members monitor each other’s citizens and share intelligence to avoid breaking domestic laws that prohibit them from spying on their own citizens. The Five Eyes alliance also cooperates with groups of third party countries to share intelligence (forming the Nine Eyes and Fourteen Eyes), however Five Eyes and third party countries can and do spy on each other.


Five Eyes

1. Australia
2. Canada
3. New Zealand
4. United Kingdom
5. United States of America

Nine Eyes

6. Denmark
7. France
8. Netherlands
9. Norway

Fourteen Eyes

10. Belgium
11. Germany
12. Italy
13. Spain
14. Sweden

Why is it not recommended to choose a US based service?

USA

Services based in the United States are not recommended because of the country’s surveillance programs, use of National Security Letters (NSLs) and accompanying gag orders, which forbid the recipient from talking about the request. This combination allows the government to secretly force companies to grant complete access to customer data and transform the service into a tool of mass surveillance.

An example of this is Lavabit – a discontinued secure email service created by Ladar Levison. The FBI requested Snowden’s records after finding out that he used the service. Since Lavabit did not keep logs and email content was stored encrypted, the FBI served a subpoena (with a gag order) for the service’s SSL keys. Having the SSL keys would allow them to access communications (both metadata and unencrypted content) in real time for all of Lavabit’s customers, not just Snowden's.

Ultimately, Levison turned over the SSL keys and shut down the service at the same time. The US government then threatened Levison with arrest, saying that shutting down the service was a violation of the court order.

Key disclosure law - Who is required to hand over the encryption keys to authorities?

Mandatory key disclosure laws require individuals to turn over encryption keys to law enforcement conducting a criminal investigation. How these laws are implemented (who may be legally compelled to assist) vary from nation to nation, but a warrant is generally required. Defenses against key disclosure laws include steganography and encrypting data in a way that provides plausible deniability.

Steganography involves hiding sensitive information (which may be encrypted) inside of ordinary data (for example, encrypting an image file and then hiding it in an audio file). With plausible deniability, data is encrypted in a way that prevents an adversary from being able to prove that the information they are after exists (for example, one password may decrypt benign data and another password, used on the same file, could decrypt sensitive data).

Related Information


VPN Service Jurisdiction Logs Encoding Bitcoin Servers P2P Price / Year Warrant Canary

AirVPN.org
Italy No RSA-4096 / AES-256 Accepted 76 Allowed 54 € Statement

blackVPN.com
Hong Kong No RSA-4096 / AES-256 Accepted 25 Allowed 99 € Statement

Cryptostorm.is
Iceland No RSA / CBC / SHA Accepted 13 Allowed $ 52 Statement

FrootVPN.com
Sweden No RSA-2048 / AES-256 Accepted 27 Allowed $ 36 Statement

hide.me
Malaysia No RSA-4096 / AES-256 Accepted 85 Allowed $ 65 Statement

IVPN.net
Gibraltar No RSA-4096 / AES-256 Accepted 15 Allowed $ 100 Statement

Mullvad.net
Sweden No RSA-2048 / AES-256 Accepted 23 Allowed 60 € Statement

NordVPN.com
Panama No RSA-2048 / AES-256 Accepted 52 Allowed $ 48 Statement

Perfect-Privacy.com
Panama
Switzerland
New Zealand
No RSA-4096 / AES-256 Accepted 40 Allowed 150 € Statement

Proxy.sh
Seychelles No RSA-4096 / AES-256 Accepted 288 Allowed $ 90 Statement

Our VPN Provider Criteria

  • Operating outside the USA or other Five Eyes countries. Avoid all US and UK based services.
  • OpenVPN software support.
  • File-Sharing (P2P) is tolerated on selected servers.
  • Accepts Bitcoin, cash, debit cards or cash cards as a payment method.
  • No personal information is required to create an account. Only username, password and Email.

We're not affiliated with any of the above listed VPN providers. This way can give you honest recommendations.

Warrant Canary Example

A warrant canary is a posted document stating that an organization has not received any secret subpoenas during a specific period of time. If this document fails to be updated during the specified time then the user is to assume that the service has received such a subpoena and should stop using the service.

Warrant Canary Examples:

  1. https://proxy.sh/canary
  2. https://www.ivpn.net/resources/canary.txt
  3. https://www.vpnsecure.me/files/canary.txt
  4. https://www.bolehvpn.net/canary.html
  5. https://lokun.is/canary.txt
  6. https://www.ipredator.se/static/downloads/canary.txt

Related Warrant Canary Information

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is fast, reliable, open source and respects your privacy. Don't forget to adjust the settings according to our recommendations: WebRTC and about:config and get the privacy addons.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, BSD.

Tor Browser Bundle

Tor Browser is your choice if you need an extra layer of anonymity. It's a modified version of Firefox, it comes with pre-installed privacy addons, encryption and an advanced proxy.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, OpenBSD.

Worth Mentioning

Warrant Canary Example

When you visit a web page, your browser voluntarily sends information about its configuration, such as available fonts, browser type, and add-ons. If this combination of information is unique, it may be possible to identify and track you without using cookies. EFF created a Tool called Panopticlick to test your browser to see how unique it is.

You need to find what most browsers are reporting, and then use those variables to bring your browser in the same population. This means having the same fonts, plugins, and extensions installed as the large installed base. You should have a spoofed user agent string to match what the large userbase has. You need have the same settings enabled and disabled, such as DNT and WebGL. You need your browser to look as common as everyone else. Disabling JavaScript, using Linux, or even the TBB, will make your browser stick out from the masses.

Modern web browsers have not been architected to assure personal web privacy. Rather than worrying about being fingerprinted, it seems more practical to use free software plugins like Privacy Badger, uBlock Origin and Disconnect. They not only respect your freedom, but your privacy also. You can get much further with these than trying to manipulate your browser's fingerprint.

Related Information

While software like NoScript prevents this, it's probably a good idea to block this protocol directly as well, just to be safe.

How to disable WebRTC in Firefox?

In short: Set "media.peerconnection.enabled" to "false" in "about:config".

Explained:

  1. Enter "about:config" in the firefox address bar and press enter.
  2. Press the button "I'll be careful, I promise!"
  3. Search for "media.peerconnection.enabled"
  4. Double click the entry, the column "Value" should now be "false"
  5. Done. Do the WebRTC leak test again.

If you want to make sure every single WebRTC related setting is really disabled change these settings:

  1. media.peerconnection.turn.disable = true
  2. media.peerconnection.use_document_iceservers = false
  3. media.peerconnection.video.enabled = false
  4. media.peerconnection.identity.timeout = 1

Now you can be 100% sure WebRTC is disabled.

How to fix the WebRTC Leak in Google Chrome?

There is no known working solution, only a plugin that is easily circumvented. Please use Firefox instead.

What about other browsers?

Chrome on iOS, Internet Explorer and Safari does not implement WebRTC yet. But we recommend using Firefox on all devices.

Stop tracking with "Disconnect"

Disconnect

Disconnect was founded in 2011 by former Google engineers and a consumer-and privacy-rights attorney. The addon is open source and loads the pages you go to 27% faster and stops tracking by 2,000+ third-party sites. It also keeps your searches private.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/disconnect/

Block Ads with "uBlock Origin"

uBlock

uBlock Origin is an lightweight and efficient blocker: easy on memory and CPU footprint. The extension has no monetization strategy and development is volunteered. OS: Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chromium. AdBlock Plus is not recommended because they show "acceptable ads". The system behind that white list is lacking transparency.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/

Hinder Browser Fingerprinting with "Random Agent Spoofer"

Random Agent Spoofer

Random Agent Spoofer is a privacy enhancing firefox addon which aims to hinder browser fingerprinting. It does this by changing the browser/device profile on a timer.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/random-agent-spoofer/

Automatically Delete Cookies with "Self-Destructing Cookies"

Self-Destructing Cookies

Self-Destructing Cookies automatically removes cookies when they are no longer used by open browser tabs. With the cookies, lingering sessions, as well as information used to spy on you, will be expunged.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/self-destructing-cookies/

Encryption with "HTTPS Everywhere"

HTTPS Everywhere

HTTPS Everywhere is a Firefox, Chrome, and Opera extension that encrypts your communications with many major websites, making your browsing more secure. A collaboration between The Tor Project and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere


Be in total control with "NoScript Security Suite"

NoScript

Highly customizable plugin to selectively allow Javascript, Java, and Flash to run only on websites you trust. Not for casual users, it requires technical knowledge to configure.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/noscript/

Content control with "Policeman"

Policeman

This addon has purpose similar to RequestPolicy and NoScript. It's different from the former in that it supports rules based on content type. For example, you can allow images and styles, but not scripts and frames for some sites. It can also be set up to act as a blacklist.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/policeman/

Preparation:

  1. Enter "about:config" in the firefox address bar and press enter.
  2. Press the button "I'll be careful, I promise!"
  3. Follow the instructions below...

Getting started:

  1. privacy.trackingprotection.enabled = true
  2. geo.enabled = false
  3. browser.safebrowsing.enabled = false
  4. browser.safebrowsing.malware.enabled = false
  5. dom.event.clipboardevents.enabled = false
  6. network.cookie.cookieBehavior = 1
  7. network.cookie.lifetimePolicy = 2
  8. browser.cache.offline.enable = false
  9. browser.send_pings = false
  10. webgl.disabled = true
  11. dom.battery.enabled = false

Related Information


Email Service Since Server Storage Price / Year Bitcoin Encryption Own Domain

GhostMail.com
2015 Sweden 1 GB Free Accepted Built-in No

OpenMailBox.org
2013 France 1 GB Free Accepted Built-in No

ProtonMail.ch
2013 Switzerland 1 GB Free Accepted Built-in No

RuggedInbox.com
2014 Bulgaria 200 MB Free Accepted No No

Tutanota.com
2011 Germany 1 GB Free Accepted Built-in Yes

mailbox.org
2014 Germany 2 GB 12 € Accepted Built-in Yes

Posteo.de
2009 Germany 2 GB 12 € No Built-in No

Runbox.com
1999 Norway 1 GB $ 19.95 No No Yes

Neomailbox.com
2003 Switzerland 1 GB $ 49.95 Accepted Built-in Yes

CounterMail.com
2010 Sweden 500 MB $ 59 Accepted Built-in Yes

StartMail.com
2014 Netherlands 10 GB $ 59.95 No Built-in No

KolabNow.com
2010 Switzerland 2 GB $ 60 Accepted No Yes

CryptoHeaven.com
2001 Canada 200 MB $ 66 No Built-in Yes

Interesting Email Providers Under Development

Become Your Own Email Provider with Mail-in-a-Box

Mail-in-a-Box

Take it a step further and get control of your email with this easy-to-deploy mail server in a box. Mail-in-a-Box lets you become your own mail service provider in a few easy steps. It’s sort of like making your own gmail, but one you control from top to bottom. Technically, Mail-in-a-Box turns a fresh cloud computer into a working mail server. But you don’t need to be a technology expert to set it up. More: https://mailinabox.email/

Privacy Email Tools

Related Information

Thunderbird

ThunderbirdMozilla Thunderbird is a free, open source, cross-platform email, news, and chat client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. Thunderbird is an email, newsgroup, news feed, and chat (XMPP, IRC, Twitter) client.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD.

Claws Mail

Claws MailClaws Mail is a free and open source, GTK+-based email and news client. It offers easy configuration and an abundance of features. It is included with Gpg4win, an encryption suite for Windows.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD, Solaris, Unix.

Whiteout Mail

Whiteout MailWhiteout Mail is an open source email solution with strong end-to-end encryption that is really easy to use and runs on all of your devices. Keeping your emails safe has never been so easy. You can also get a new email address.

OS: Chrome, Android, iOS, Web.

Worth Mentioning

Bitmessage

BitmessageBitmessage is a P2P communications protocol used to send encrypted messages to another person or to many subscribers. It is decentralized and trustless, meaning that you need-not inherently trust any entities like root certificate authorities. It uses strong authentication which means that the sender of a message cannot be spoofed, and it aims to hide "non-content" data.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux.

I2P-Bote

I2P-BoteI2P-Bote is a fully decentralized and distributed email system. It supports different identities and does not expose email headers. Currently (2015), it is still in beta version and can be accessed via its web application interface or IMAP and SMTP. All bote-mails are transparently end-to-end encrypted and, optionally, signed by the sender's private key.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, F-Droid.

Pond - Experimental

PondPond is forward secure, asynchronous messaging for the discerning. Pond messages are asynchronous, but are not a record; they expire automatically a week after they are received. Pond seeks to prevent leaking traffic information against everyone except a global passive attacker. Build instructions are OS: Ubuntu, Debian Wheezy, Tails, Fedora, Arch and Mac OS X.

OS: Mac, Linux.

Worth Mentioning

privatesearch.io

privatesearch.ioAn open source metasearch engine, aggregating the results of other search engines while not storing information about its users. No logs, no ads and no tracking.

DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGoThe search engine that doesn't track you. Some of DuckDuckGo's code is free software hosted at GitHub, but the core is proprietary. The company is based in the USA.

Disconnect Search

Disconnect SearchSearch privately using your favorite search engine: Google, Yahoo, Bing and DuckDuckGo are available for selection. It masks your IP address, cookies, and other personal info.

Worth Mentioning

Most Secure: ChatSecure

ChatSecure is a free and open source messaging app that features OTR encryption over XMPP. You can connect to your existing accounts on Facebook or Google, create new accounts on public XMPP servers (including via Tor), or even connect to your own server for extra security. ChatSecure only uses well-known open source cryptographic libraries to keep your conversations private.

OS: iOS, Android, other OTR Clients.

Mobile: TextSecure / Signal

Open Whisper SystemsTextSecure and Signal are mobile apps developed by Open Whisper Systems. The company also developed RedPhone. All three apps are able to communicate with each other. The apps provide end-to-end encryption for your text messages. TextSecure is free and open source, enabling anyone to verify its security by auditing the code. Encrypted group chats are also supported.

OS: Android, iOS.

Good for Browsers: Cryptocat

Cryptocat is an open source web and mobile application intended to allow secure, encrypted online chatting. Cryptocat uses end-to-end encryption and encrypts chats on the client side, only trusting the server with data that is already encrypted. Cryptocat's stated goal is to make encrypted communications more accessible to average users.

OS: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, Mac, iOS, Linux.

Worth Mentioning

Related Information

RedPhone / Signal for Mobile

Open Whisper SystemsRedPhone and Signal are mobile apps developed by Open Whisper Systems. The company also developed TextSecure. All three apps are able to communicate with each other. The apps provide end-to-end encryption for your calls.

OS: iOS, Android.

Linphone

LinphoneLinphone is an open source SIP Phone and a free voice over IP service, available on mobile and desktop environments and on web browsers. It supports ZRTP for end-to-end encrypted voice and video communication.

OS: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Linux, Windows, Mac, Browser (Web)

Jitsi

JitsiJitsi is a free and open source multiplatform voice (VoIP), videoconferencing and instant messaging application. It supports several popular instant-messaging and telephony protocols, including open recognised encryption protocols for chat (OTR).

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux.

Worth Mentioning

Seafile - 100 GB Storage for $10/month

SeafileSeafile offers 100 GB Storage for $10/month but also gives you the opportunity to host on your own server. Your data is stored in Germany or with Amazon Web Service in the US for the cloud version. Encrypt files with your own password.

Client OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android. Server: Linux, Raspberry Pi, Windows.

disk42 - 10GB Free Storage

disk42disk42 is an encrypted online storage with sync and sharing. To guarantee maximum security all code is open source. 10 GB free storage included. All your files are end-to-end encrypted on your own device. Your password is saved on your computer. disk42 is currently in open beta. Made in Germany.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux.

Related Infromation

Worth Mentioning

Seafile

SeafileSeafile is a file hosting software system. Files are stored on a central server and can by synchronized with personal computers and mobile devices via the Seafile client. Files can also be accessed via the server's web interface.

Client OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android. Server: Linux, Raspberry Pi, Windows.

Pydio

PydioPydio is open source software that turns instantly any server (on premise, NAS, cloud IaaS or PaaS) into a file sharing platform for your company. It is an alternative to SaaS Boxes and Drives, with more control, safety and privacy, and favorable TCOs.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android.

Tahoe-LAFS

Tahoe-LAFSTahoe-LAFS is a Free and Open decentralized cloud storage system. It distributes your data across multiple servers. Even if some of the servers fail or are taken over by an attacker, the entire file store continues to function correctly, preserving your privacy and security.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux.

Worth Mentioning

SparkleShare

SparkleShareSparkleShare creates a special folder on your computer. You can add remotely hosted folders (or "projects") to this folder. These projects will be automatically kept in sync with both the host and all of your peers when someone adds, removes or edits a file.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux.

Syncany

SyncanySyncany allows users to backup and share certain folders of their workstations using any kind of storage. Syncany is open-source and provides data encryption and incredible flexibility in terms of storage type and provider. Files are encrypted before uploading.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux.

Syncthing

SyncthingSyncthing replaces proprietary sync and cloud services with something open, trustworthy and decentralized. Your data is your data alone and you deserve to choose where it is stored, if it is shared with some third party and how it's transmitted over the Internet.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, BSD, Solaris.

Worth Mentioning

Master Password - Cross-platform

Master PasswordMaster Password is based on an ingenious password generation algorithm that guarantees your passwords can never be lost. Its passwords aren't stored: they are generated on-demand from your name, the site and your master password. No syncing, backups or internet access needed.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Web.

KeePass / KeePassX - Local

KeePassKeePass is a free open source password manager, which helps you to manage your passwords in a secure way. All passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. The databases are encrypted using the best and most secure encryption algorithms currently known: AES and Twofish. See also: KeePassX.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, BSD.

Encryptr - Cloud Based

EncryptrEncryptr is simple and easy to use. It stores your sensitive data like passwords, credit card data, PINs, or access codes, in the cloud. However, because it was built on the zero knowledge Crypton framework, Encryptr ensures that only the user has the ability to access or read the confidential information.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android.

Worth Mentioning

Related Infromation

VeraCrypt - Disk Encryption

VeraCryptVeraCrypt is a source-available freeware utility used for on-the-fly encryption. It can create a virtual encrypted disk within a file or encrypt a partition or the entire storage device with pre-boot authentication. VeraCrypt is a fork of the discontinued TrueCrypt project. It was initially released on June 22, 2013. According to its developers, security improvements have been implemented and issues raised by the initial TrueCrypt code audit have been addressed.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux.

GNU Privacy Guard - Email Encryption

GnuPGGnuPG is a GPL Licensed alternative to the PGP suite of cryptographic software. GnuPG is compliant with RFC 4880, which is the current IETF standards track specification of OpenPGP. Current versions of PGP (and Veridis' Filecrypt) are interoperable with GnuPG and other OpenPGP-compliant systems. GnuPG is a part of the Free Software Foundation's GNU software project, and has received major funding from the German government. GPGTools for Mac OS X.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, BSD.

PeaZip - File Archive Encryption

PeaZipPeaZip is a free and open-source file manager and file archiver made by Giorgio Tani. It supports its native PEA archive format (featuring compression, multi volume split and flexible authenticated encryption and integrity check schemes) and other mainstream formats, with special focus on handling open formats. It supports 181 file extensions (as of version 5.5.1).

Mac alternative: Keka is a free file archiver.

OS: Windows, Linux, BSD.

Worth Mentioning

I2P Anonymous Network

I2PThe Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is a computer network layer that allows applications to send messages to each other pseudonymously and securely. Uses include anonymous Web surfing, chatting, blogging and file transfers. The software that implements this layer is called an I2P router and a computer running I2P is called an I2P node. The software is free and open source and is published under multiple licenses.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, F-Droid.

GNUnet Framework

GNUnetGNUnet is a free software framework for decentralized, peer-to-peer networking and an official GNU package. The framework offers link encryption, peer discovery, resource allocation, communication over many transports (such as tcp, udp, http, https, wlan and bluetooth) and various basic peer-to-peer algorithms for routing, multicast and network size estimation.

OS: GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Mac, Windows.

The Freenet Project

FreenetFreenet is a peer-to-peer platform for censorship-resistant communication. It uses a decentralized distributed data store to keep and deliver information, and has a suite of free software for publishing and communicating on the Web without fear of censorship. Both Freenet and some of its associated tools were originally designed by Ian Clarke, who defined Freenet's goal as providing freedom of speech on the Internet with strong anonymity protection.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux.

Worth Mentioning

diaspora*

diaspora* diaspora* is based on three key philosophies: Decentralization, freedom and privacy. It is intended to address privacy concerns related to centralized social networks by allowing users set up their own server (or "pod") to host content; pods can then interact to share status updates, photographs, and other social data.

Friendica

FriendicaFriendica has an emphasis on extensive privacy settings and easy server installation. It aims to federate with as many other social networks as possible. Currently, Friendica users can integrate contacts from Facebook, Twitter, Diaspora, GNU social, App.net, Pump.io and other services in their social streams.

GNU social

GNU socialWhile offering functionality similar to Twitter, GNU social seeks to provide the potential for open, inter-service and distributed communications between microblogging communities. Enterprises and individuals can install and control their own services and data. Notable public deployments are quitter.se and gnusocial.no.

Worth Mentioning

Related Information

ClouDNS - Service

ClouDNSFree DNS, Managed DNS and DDoS Protected DNS hosting with included web redirects, mail forwards and Round-Robin load balancing. Instant updates in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. ClouDNS have a self developed system for management and DNS synchronization. Every customer can see where his domain zone is up-to-date and running.

OS: Cross-platform.

DNSCrypt - Tool

DNSCryptA protocol for securing communications between a client and a DNS resolver. The DNSCrypt protocol uses high-speed high-security elliptic-curve cryptography and is very similar to DNSCurve, but focuses on securing communications between a client and its first-level resolver.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS with Jailbreak.

OpenNIC - Service

OpenNICOpenNIC is an alternate network information center/alternative DNS root which lists itself as an alternative to ICANN and its registries. Like all alternative root DNS systems, OpenNIC-hosted domains are unreachable to the vast majority of the Internet. Only specific configuration in one's DNS resolver makes these reachable, and very few Internet service providers have this configuration.

OS: Cross-platform.

Worth Mentioning

Etherpad

EtherpadEtherpad is a highly customizable Open Source online editor providing collaborative editing in really real-time. Etherpad allows you to edit documents collaboratively in real-time, much like a live multi-player editor that runs in your browser. Write articles, press releases, to-do lists, etc.

OS: Windows, Mac, Linux.

EtherCalc

EtherCalcEtherCalc is a web spreadsheet. Data is saved on the web, and people can edit the same document at the same time. Changes are instantly reflected on all screens. Work together on inventories, survey forms, list management, brainstorming sessions..

OS: Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux, FreeBSD, Browser.

ProtectedText

ProtectedTextProtectedText is an open source web application. It encrypts and decrypts text in the browser, and password (or it's hash) is never sent to the server - so that text can't be decrypted even if requested by authorities. No cookies, no sessions, no registration, no users tracking.

OS: All Browsers.

Worth Mentioning

Debian

DebianDebian is a Unix-like computer operating system and a Linux distribution that is composed entirely of free and open-source software, most of which is under the GNU General Public License, and packaged by a group of individuals known as the Debian project.

Trisquel

TrisquelTrisquel is a Linux-based operating system derived from Ubuntu. The project aims for a fully free software system without proprietary software or firmware and uses Linux-libre, a version of the Linux kernel with the non-free code (binary blobs) removed.

Qubes OS

Qubes OSQubes is an open-source operating system designed to provide strong security for desktop computing. Qubes is based on Xen, the X Window System, and Linux, and can run most Linux applications and utilize most of the Linux drivers.

Worth Mentioning

Tails

TailsTails is a live operating system, that starts on almost any computer from a DVD, USB stick, or SD card. It aims at preserving privacy and anonymity, and helps to: Use the Internet anonymously and circumvent censorship; Internet connections go through the Tor network; leave no trace on the computer; use state-of-the-art cryptographic tools to encrypt files, emails and instant messaging.

KNOPPIX

KNOPPIXKnoppix is an operating system based on Debian designed to be run directly from a CD / DVD (Live CD) or a USB flash drive (Live USB), one of the first of its kind for any operating system. When starting a program, it is loaded from the removable medium and decompressed into a RAM drive. The decompression is transparent and on-the-fly.

Puppy Linux

Puppy LinuxPuppy Linux operating system is a lightweight Linux distribution that focuses on ease of use and minimal memory footprint. The entire system can be run from RAM with current versions generally taking up about 210 MB, allowing the boot medium to be removed after the operating system has started.

Worth Mentioning

CyanogenMod

CyanogenModCyanogenMod is an open-source operating system for smartphones and tablets, based on Android. It is developed as free and open source software based on the official releases of Android by Google.

Firefox OS

Firefox OSFirefox OS is a Linux kernel-based open-source operating system for smartphones and tablet computers and is set to be used on smart TVs. It is being developed by Mozilla.

Ubuntu Touch

Ubuntu TouchUbuntu Touch is a mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system developed by Canonical UK Ltd and Ubuntu Community. It is designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers.

Worth Mentioning

OpenWrt

OpenWrtOpenWrt is an operating system (in particular, an embedded operating system) based on the Linux kernel, primarily used on embedded devices to route network traffic. The main components are the Linux kernel, util-linux, uClibc and BusyBox. All components have been optimized for size, to be small enough for fitting into the limited storage and memory available in home routers.

pfSense

pfSensepfSense is an open source firewall/router computer software distribution based on FreeBSD. It is installed on a computer to make a dedicated firewall/router for a network and is noted for its reliability and offering features often only found in expensive commercial firewalls. pfSense is commonly deployed as a perimeter firewall, router, wireless access point, DHCP server, DNS server, and as a VPN endpoint.

LibreWRT

LibreWRTLibreWRT is a GNU/Linux-libre distribution for computers with minimal resources, such as the Ben Nanonote, ath9k based wifi routers, and other hardware that respects your freedom with emphasis on free software. It is used by the Free Software Foundation on their access point and router which provides network connectivity to portable computers in their office.

Worth Mentioning

Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say.

The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting. If I wanted to see your emails or your wife's phone, all I have to do is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords, phone records, credit cards. I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things... I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under.

We all need places where we can go to explore without the judgmental eyes of other people being cast upon us, only in a realm where we’re not being watched can we really test the limits of who we want to be. It’s really in the private realm where dissent, creativity and personal exploration lie.



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privacytools.io is a socially motivated website that provides information for protecting your data security and privacy. never trust any company with your privacy, always encrypt.