Em is a full-time staff writer at Privacy Guides. She is a public‑interest technologist and researcher who has been working on various independent projects in data privacy, information security, and software engineering since 2018.
Real-name policies have existed for over a decade, but these problems have become exponentially harmful in today's world. It's time to fight back against this unsafe and discriminatory privacy-invasive practice.
Unfortunately, the battle against Chat Control continues this month. For human rights, for civil liberties, for safety, and for democracy, this privacy-wrecking proposal must be stopped. We need your help to fight with us!
If you've heard of Chat Control already, bad news: it's back. If you haven't, this is a pressing issue you should urgently learn more about if you value privacy, democracy, and human rights. This is happening right now, and we must act to stop
![“We [Don't] Care About Your Privacy”](/articles/assets/img/social/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags.png)
Being able to distinguish facts from marketing lies is an essential skill in today's world. Despite all the privacy washing, there are clues we can look for to help.
Privacy washing is a widely used deceptive strategy. Learning to detect it better is an important skill to develop to help us to respond to it and report it.
Improving privacy can get overwhelming at first. It's important to move one step at a time, but remain persistent. Good privacy is like good health habits.
This article is a tutorial on how to improve your Mastodon account's security, and how to adjust the different privacy features to your preferences.
While most social media rely on commercial models harvesting users' data, Mastodon offers an alternative that doesn't seek profits from your data and attention.
At the intersection of data privacy and LGBTQ+ experiences, it's inevitable to talk about queer dating apps. Unfortunately, most are horrible for data privacy.
Sometimes, it can feel like our data is collected completely outside of our control or consent. But we still have a powerful weapon to fight back: The power to say no.
Balancing data protection and online connection can be difficult. Nevertheless, it's an essential skill to be able to stay safe online while staying connected.
Increasingly, surveillance is being normalized and integrated in our lives. Under the guise of convenience, applications and features are sold to us as being the new better way to do things. But this convenience is a Trojan horse.
Data privacy is important for everyone. But for some marginalized populations, data privacy is indispensable for social connection, access to information, and physical safety. For Pride month, we discuss topics at the intersection of data privacy and experiences specific to the LGBTQ+ community.
If you've been on the internet for a while, you're probably familiar with the old adage IRL (In Real Life). The acronym was used a lot when online and offline life was much more separated than it is now. Today, can we truly keep talking about our digital life as being separated from our real life?
If you need a password manager for iOS or macOS that gives you full control over your data, KeePassium is a fantastic option. With KeePassium, you can keep your password database offline entirely, or choose whomever you trust to store it. You can also change this anytime.
Last week, OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman announced in San Francisco that the World project he co-founded, formerly known as Worldcoin, is opening six stores across the United States, allowing users of the project's app to scan their eyeballs.
Age verification laws forcing platforms to restrict access to content online have been multiplying in recent years. The problem is, implementing such measure necessarily requires identifying each user accessing this content, one way or another. This is bad news for your privacy.
You might have heard of Tor already, yet never dared to try it yourself. Despite being around for decades, too few people know about Tor. It isn't only a tool for journalists and activists, but for anyone seeking greater privacy online. What is Tor exactly? And how can Tor help you?
Encryption is not a crime, encryption protects all of us. Encryption, and especially end-to-end encryption, is an essential tool to protect everyone online. Attempts to undermine encryption are an attack to our fundamental right to privacy and an attack to our inherent right to security and safety.
This article is an interview with Micah Lee, the creator of Cyd and OnionShare, founder of Lockdown Systems, and author of Hacks, Leaks, and Revelations: The Art of Analyzing Hacked and Leaked Data.
Privacy is a human right that should be granted to everyone, no matter the reason. That being said, it's also important to remember that for millions of people around the world, data privacy is crucial for physical safety. For people in extreme situations, privacy can literally mean life or death.