Due to specific regulations and judicial decisions, it is increasingly challenging to safeguard one’s privacy during online communications and transactions, but there are measures we can adopt to uphold our privacy, as outlined by Bitcoin policy advocate Freddie New during my recent discussion with him.
Before delving into those measures, however, please allow me to provide some context on how online privacy has been adversely affected recently in both the UK and the US.
July 25 ushered in the enforcement of the UK’s Online Safety Act, which mandates that UK internet users provide identifiable information before accessing certain websites to shield children from harmful or age-inappropriate content.
In the US, the creators of Samourai Wallet, a Bitcoin mixing service, recently admitted guilt to running an unlicensed money transmission service, while a co-founder of Tornado Cash, an Ethereum mixer, was convicted of the same offense.
As I mentioned, circumstances have been “quite dire” (to use a phrase from my friends across the pond) concerning online privacy lately.
However, Freddie New asserts that this isn’t a moment for hopelessness; rather, he contends that it’s a time to implement tangible actions that can assist us in preserving our anonymity more effectively while navigating the internet.
Strategies for Enhancing Online Privacy
- Utilize a VPN: VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) enable you to surf the internet from a distant server, concealing your IP address and anonymizing your identity in the process. Notable VPN options include Mullvad VPN, Obscura VPN, and Proton VPN. “Downloads of Proton VPN surged by 1,800% on the day the [Online Safety] Act came into effect,” clarified New.
- Employ a fully-encrypted email service: Email providers like Proton Mail, Mailfence, and Hushmail encrypt your messages so that only you and the email recipient can view the content. “Consider switching to Proton Mail instead of Gmail,” suggested New during the interview.
- Establish a Nostr key pair: New advised setting up a Nostr key pair (it’s simpler than it sounds) using Nostr clients like Primal and Iris, as you don’t need to provide any identifiable information to start using Nostr through these clients, which function as social media platforms and connect you to the largest bitcoin circular economy.
- Understand how progressive web apps (PWA) operate: A PWA is an application that you can access via a web browser as opposed to through Apple’s App Store or Google Play Store. (Think of logging into X through a web browser versus using the iPhone app.) New explained that employing apps like this allows users to bypass the “gatekept realms of the Google Play Store or the App Store,” which usually require more identifiable information to enter.
- Learn to use APKs: An APK, or an Android Package Kit, is a file that allows you to install an app on your Android device without accessing the Google Play Store. “Just this past weekend, I downloaded the APK for Bitchat,” New mentioned during the interview regarding the new app that facilitates more private communication via your phone.
- Obtain a bitcoin hardware wallet: Hardware wallets enable users to transact more privately than custodial applications like Relai or CashApp can. “Thinking about acquiring a Trezor or COLDCARD,” advised New.
By following the aforementioned suggestions, you can significantly enhance your online privacy.
If it feels overwhelming to implement all of the above steps, begin by taking just one or two actions to gradually foster better privacy for yourself.
As New stated in the interview, “No one in the digital age will ever achieve perfect privacy, but you can be marginally better than the next individual — enhancing your privacy even slightly is preferable to not taking action at all.”