Series

Online Privacy Toolkit

The practical, first-hand guide to protecting your privacy online — private email, browsers, messaging apps, authenticator apps, identity theft protection, encrypted DNS, and self-hosted tools — from someone who runs a homelab and actually uses them.

Part 1

Proton Mail vs Tutanota: Do You Need Either?

A breach-notification email lands — "your password was exposed" — and the reflex is to Google "private email provider" at 11pm. Here is what actually differs between Proton Mail and Tutanota day to day, and who genuinely needs to switch.

Part 2

Brave vs Firefox vs LibreWolf: Which Wins?

A fingerprinting headline or a slow, ad-tracker-choked page load sends people searching for the "best private browser." Here is how Brave, hardened Firefox, and LibreWolf actually differ day to day.

Part 3

Signal vs WhatsApp vs Telegram: Which to Use

A headline about Telegram not being encrypted or Meta sharing WhatsApp metadata resurfaces the same guilty question: what does each app actually protect by default, and is switching worth the hassle?

Part 4

Best Authenticator App 2026: Aegis vs Authy

Losing your phone is the real test of any authenticator app. Aegis, Authy, and Google Authenticator compared on backup encryption, recovery friction, and the 2024 Authy breach that exposed 33 million phone numbers.

Part 5

Is Identity Theft Protection Worth It?

Credit freezes have been free by federal law since 2018. A real cost comparison of paid identity theft protection against the free DIY path, and the narrow cases where paying still earns its price.

Part 6

What Encrypted DNS Actually Hides

Encrypted DNS hides your queries from your ISP, but not your destination IP or (usually) the domain in the TLS handshake. What it actually protects, and a first-hand Pi-hole + Unbound setup.

Part 7

PrivateBin: Self-Hosted, Encrypted Pastebin

PrivateBin encrypts pastes in your browser before they ever reach the server — the decryption key never leaves the URL fragment. A real Docker Compose deployment and why it beats a public pastebin.

Part 8

How to Protect Your Privacy Online: A Toolkit

Fixed one privacy weak point and wondering what else is exposed? A prioritized, effort-vs-impact toolkit synthesizing password managers, authenticators, browsers, messaging, DNS, and self-hosting into one ordered plan.