lens17

What privacy friendly app/service/stuff makes your life simpler?

https://feddit.de/post/10637429

What privacy friendly app/service/stuff makes your life simpler? - Feddit

I am trying to re-adjust how much effort I want to put into privacy concerns. Too much stuff I’m using isn’t working properly or using a lot of my mental resources that I need elsewhere. For (a bad) example: I recently performed a half-switch from my self-hosted Nextcloud instance to ProtonDrive, in the hope that it would spare me the stress to maintain my private Nextcloud. Unfortunately, it doesn’t, as basic functionality like cross-device-sync is not possible (there isn’t even a client app for Linux, as of yet). This brings me to the question: have you found any services/apps/stuff that significantly eases your life while still being privacy friendly? I know, this is a broad question, but I think this is for the best as this thread then maybe even has use for other users.

Apr 1, 2024 at 2:35pmWeb
Show threadLazerDickMcCheeseApr 1, 2024
Pi-hole and Simplewall, everything except my phone is running Ethernet
Show threadCheradenineApr 1, 2024

rethinkdns.com the android app is also an excellent firewall with logging. I use a custom config on my router. I can’t say enough good things about this.

simplex.chat Android/ iOS/ macOS/ Linux/ Windows getting people to switch is a pita though.

Rethink | Fast, secure, configurable, private DNS + Firewall for Android.

3B+ Android users deserve access to a safer and open Internet. RethinkDNS is a private, secure, and fast DNS resolver with custom rules, blocklists, and analytics that lets you block websites temporarily with time-based rules, or permanently through 190+ pre-defined blocklists; analyse DNS requests in real-time, read through aggregated reports. RethinkDNS is highly-available with servers in over 300+ locations across the globe. RethinkDNS+Firewall, a companion app for Android, helps evade Internet censorship as enforced in most countries, and comes with bundled with a firewall that lets you monitor and control Internet access to apps installed on your device.

Show threadBearOfaTimeApr 1, 2024

I look forward to SimpleX development - it’s already come a long way.

It’s unfortunately heavy on ram for me.

Show threadMrStetsonApr 1, 2024
Bitwarden, Aegis, Syncthing are probably the most impactful
Show threadnehal3mApr 1, 2024
I’ve found Syncthing a better way to handle file sync than NextCloud. Much more set and forget and not a single point of failure. It also syncs a notes directory in flat .md format, so anything can edit them, in a simple directory hierarchy.
Show threadLWDApr 1, 2024

SyncThing is great for encrypted, serverless, bidirectional sync, preferably with small folders… But unfortunately really eats up a lot of battery.

I’m still waiting for some company to figure out E2EE syncing with the quality of Google Drive (mobile and desktop integration built in). Proton is close, but they fumble reliable integration.

Show threadnehal3mApr 1, 2024

I’ll have to defer to your experience; I’ve set it up on a PC, a NAS and a phone. The phone was connected to an ethernet-equipped dock at the time of setup so the sync was quick and painless.

I don’t see a hit on battery life on a Fairphone 4 running /e/OS after initial sync has completed.

Show threadBearOfaTimeApr 1, 2024

I’ve used it for years, across multiple devices, syncing 100gb. My average daily sync is probably 20gb.

It’s been surprisingly good on battery - currently using 0.9% average. It’s never been a significant battery hog for me.

Apps like Foldersync are much heavier on battery for me. Resilio is terrible for me (and it’s also a memory hog because I have some large folders).

Maybe you have a stuck file that’s causing it to hang.

Also, check out Syncthing-Fork, it has finer controls over individual sync jobs. For example, I let photos sync over any connection and on battery, but my media (music/video) only on wifi and while charging.

Show threadLWDApr 1, 2024

Between all these replies, I have to say I’m a little jealous. And I might have to look into making a SyncThing dedicated “server” on my home network using YunoHost, a thing that (IIRC) wouldn’t require exposing to the Internet because SyncThing will also happily run across volunteer-run relays.

By any chance, have you had any success with a unidirectional sync between your phone and your computer, where it’s possible to delete old photos on your phone to save space without worrying about them being deleted on the computer side? (This issue really only crops up for me when I’m already far away from a computer, BTW.)

Show threadBearOfaTimeApr 2, 2024

By default, the built in Photos sync job works as you describe. It essentially just has the “Backup” flag set (send, ignore remote deletes set on both ends). Even manually configuring that (send/no delete) in a job works fine for me.

I don’t use that job because I like to use my computer to manage photos (all files really) on my phone. So I have numerous 2-way jobs, so I can move files around on my server, and those changes get reflected back to the phone. (There are a couple send-only jobs for other things).

My storage has a folder structure for users that reflects the folder structure on a phone:

Users/<UserName>/Phone SD_Internal SD_External

The sync jobs then keep those folders in sync in their respective phone structure. Makes it easier to manage a phone, especially when I switch phones, just export the config from the old phone, install ST, import the config, and my files all come back.

I also configure versioning on each folder based on what it does. Most folders have no versioning, important stuff gets a 30 day trash can (for example, on my “server”, for photos).

I currently run SyncTrayzor on a Windows desktop that’s always on, so any pics I take with my phone get synced nearly instantly. I’m currently moving ST to a Linux Container on a new Proxmox server. There’s a container available from Turnkey (think it’s turnkey.org)

Show threadcalm.like.a.bombApr 1, 2024
I haven’t had battery usage issues with it for years! Just checked now and it’s below 0.4% - it doesn’t even show up in the main app list in the battery settings.
Show threadabbenmApr 1, 2024
Syncthing is brilliant, although for me it has had a heck of a learning curve to keep straight. Might just be me though.
Show threadBearOfaTimeApr 1, 2024
It does have a bit of a learning curve, you have to think about what you’re trying to do.
Show threadMolecular0079Apr 1, 2024
My biggest issue with Syncthing is that it becomes unusable for large amounts of data due to the lack of selective sync (ignore lists are cumbersome as hell) and lack of virtual file system support. I have about 8TB of data on my NAS that I want to access remotely and it is not feasible to have duplicate copies of that much data on all of my devices.
Show threadnehal3mApr 1, 2024
You could simply sync select subdirectories.
Show threadOhhApr 2, 2024
That’s what i do. Work perfectly
Show threadRecallMadnessApr 2, 2024

Agreed.

Resilio sync works better. But the “sync identity” thing is broken, and configuring it declaratively is hard.

But 100% agree. Would love a virtual file system solution. Ideally one which you can use to fill available disk space and ensure you always have a minimum number of copies.

Show threadLWDApr 1, 2024
Mobile Fennec (or pick your poison for any Firefox fork) has made browsing overall much better. Between ad blocking, Enhanced Tracking Protection and a paywall-bypassing extension, browsing is overall less tedious than a comparable Chromelike.
Show threadlens17Apr 1, 2024
Which paywall-bypassing addon would you recommend?
Show threadLWDApr 1, 2024
Bypass Paywalls Clean is the one I use.
magnolia1234 / Bypass Paywalls Firefox Clean · GitLab

GitLab.com

GitLab
Show threadFutileRecipeApr 1, 2024

Mobile Fennec (or pick your poison for any Firefox fork)…

I can’t get behind Android Firefox/Gecko-based due to their lack of security:

Avoid Gecko-based browsers like Firefox as they’re currently much more vulnerable to exploitation and inherently add a huge amount of attack surface. Gecko doesn’t have a WebView implementation (GeckoView is not a WebView implementation), so it has to be used alongside the Chromium-based WebView rather than instead of Chromium, which means having the remote attack surface of two separate browser engines instead of only one. Firefox / Gecko also bypass or cripple a fair bit of the upstream and GrapheneOS hardening work for apps. Worst of all, Firefox does not have internal sandboxing on Android. This is despite the fact that Chromium semantic sandbox layer on Android is implemented via the OS isolatedProcess feature, which is a very easy to use boolean property for app service processes to provide strong isolation with only the ability to communicate with the app running them via the standard service API. Even in the desktop version, Firefox’s sandbox is still substantially weaker (especially on Linux) and lacks full support for isolating sites from each other rather than only containing content as a whole. The sandbox has been gradually improving on the desktop but it isn’t happening for their Android browser yet.

Ref: grapheneos.org/usage#web-browsing

GrapheneOS usage guide

Usage instructions for GrapheneOS, a security and privacy focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility.

GrapheneOS
Show threadLWDApr 1, 2024

Personally, I’m okay with shouldering the security risk considering the internet-wide toxicity of Chrome and forks.

Lynx would be more secure than either.

Show threadFutileRecipeApr 2, 2024

okay with shouldering the security risk

To me, that depends on what you use the phone for. I sometimes use mine for banking as well as logging into various sites, so I want to reasonably minimize the security risk I am taking. If I wasn’t, then sure.

Show threadlaughterlaughterApr 3, 2024

I’ve used Firefox mobile for a while now and I’ve had zero issues. The attack surface may be “much more,” but that doesn’t mean that it’s completely open to hackers.

Plus let’s be real: Gecko-based browsers are, what, 1% of the browser market? Guess which browser is the most targeted by malicious actors? Not the one having 1% of the market, that’s for sure.

Show threadFutileRecipeApr 3, 2024

Gecko-based browsers are, what, 1% of the browser market?

Last I checked, Firefox was close to 3%, but you right, still not a large number.

Guess which browser is the most targeted by malicious actors? Not the one having 1% of the market, that’s for sure.

It doesn’t have to attract the most attackers, especially if it is notoriously weak. You shouldn’t choose software that is easier to exploit simply because it’s more obscure. Do you also choose weaker encryption algorithms because no one uses them? I sure hope not.

And you’re comment would probably ring a little more true, except we just had the xz debacle, and guess how much Linux has of a market share? Probably close to Firefox’s, both in the single digits.

Show threadlaughterlaughterApr 4, 2024

No, I use Firefox because it’s an excellent browser. It doesn’t fit GrapheneOS’s security demands, but then, I’m not too concerned, because it’s quite secure regardless. Even to the point in which it’s more annoying than Chrome for certain things (like HTST.) You’re trying to paint Firefox as “easy to exploit” when that’s not true. Easier doesn’t mean easy. The Kremlin might be easier to sneak into than the Pentagon. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

guess how much Linux has of a market share?

You’re probably referring to desktop Linux. Linux is used in billions of devices all over the world, and it reigns in the server space. So, no. Not “in the single digits” usage.

Show threadLemmyHeadApr 1, 2024
Ntfy - no more google reading notifications Jellyfin - media served without questionable Plex account Arch - on so many levels allows me a private computing experience Posteo - simple but efficient email service Resilio sync - cloudless syncing
Show threadBearOfaTimeApr 1, 2024

NTFY looks intriguing.

If I’m reading the description properly, it uses an HTTP server as the middleman for the notifications?

Pretty neat idea.

Show threadLemmyHeadApr 2, 2024
It’s based on unifiedpush standard unifiedpush.org. So a central notification middleman like google firebase for all your apps (that support it). There’s messengers like mercurygram, fluffychat, Molly that support it and you can also send notifications yourself via a simple curl command.
UnifiedPush

UnifiedPush
Show threadBearOfaTimeApr 2, 2024

Wow, I really appreciate how they use animations to show how it works (and I generally despise any animation on a home page).

That’s how it should be done.

Show threadabbenmApr 1, 2024
NewPipe is a killer app I would say, with nearly Youtube Red level functionality in something that’s free and OSS. A bit afield from privacy, but you do get to access youtube stuff without logging in.
Show threadthemadcodgerApr 1, 2024
From what I understand, NewPipe has been abandoned and someone else forked it to Tubular which includes SponsorBlock.
GitHub - polymorphicshade/Tubular: A fork of NewPipe that implements SponsorBlock and ReturnYouTubeDislike.

A fork of NewPipe that implements SponsorBlock and ReturnYouTubeDislike. - polymorphicshade/Tubular

GitHub
Show threadFutileRecipeApr 1, 2024

From what I understand, NewPipe has been abandoned…

That’s completely incorrect. From NewPipe’s Github:

We are planning to rewrite large chunks of the codebase, to bring about a new, modern and stable NewPipe. Please do not open pull requests for new features now, only bugfix PRs will be accepted.

…and someone else forked it to Tubular which includes SponsorBlock.

polymorphicshade “stopped” development on their fork of NewPipe, which included SponsorBlock (because NewPipe did not want to include it) and started working on their rewrite of their own fork and/or NewPipe, which is now Tubular.

GitHub - TeamNewPipe/NewPipe: A libre lightweight streaming front-end for Android.

A libre lightweight streaming front-end for Android. - TeamNewPipe/NewPipe

GitHub
Show threadabbenmApr 1, 2024

Very good to know. After following your Github link, I found my way to the blog post that it looks like you are quoting:

newpipe.net/blog/…/State-of-the-Pipe-2023/

NewPipe - a free YouTube client

NewPipe
Show threadFutileRecipeApr 2, 2024

After following your Github link, I found my way to the blog post that it looks like you are quoting

You mean the quote block where I said it was undergoing a large rewrite and don’t submit any feature PRs? That was actually the first two sentences of the README.md on the TeamNewPipe GitHub link I gave lol.

Show threadUlairApr 1, 2024
Newpipe is definitely not abandoned. :) But always nice to learn of an alternative
Show threadultranautApr 1, 2024
NextDNS - I use it on my router and all mobile devices.
Show threadRezApr 1, 2024
Is NextDNS really a good privacy tool? I use it myself because it’s convenient, but I always assumed that they would collect data about me since it’s a free service
Show threadultranautApr 1, 2024
I pay for mine, not sure how it differs from the free version but you can turn logging off, or if you have logging on you can specific how long to store logs and what jurisdiction to keep them in (I keep mine for a few months in Switzerland). You of course have to place some trust in NextDNS the company that they are actually doing what they claim to do as far as respecting user privacy but I trust them more than Google and Cloudflare, which is what I was using previously.
Show threadSips'Apr 2, 2024
You can turn off logging in settings
Show threadNGC2346Apr 1, 2024
Bitwarden, PiHole, Proton Pass/VPN/Drive, BlueWallet to name a few
Show threadTitouApr 1, 2024
OrganicMaps, better than any closed source map apps i’ve used
Show threadtaladarApr 1, 2024
DNSCrypt has been working pretty well for me.
DNSCrypt - Official Project Home Page

Home of the DNSCrypt project, a protocol to improve DNS security. Download DNSCrypt clients, the DNSCrypt server proxy, and read the specifications here.

Show threadlens17Apr 1, 2024
I never heard of it, but reading their website I find it kind of strange that 2/3 testimonials are from online casino websites…
Show threaddifferent_baseApr 2, 2024

That is not the DNSCrypt official website.

Official site: dnscrypt.info Official repo: github.com/DNSCrypt/dnscrypt-proxy

DNSCrypt version 2 - Official Project Home Page

New home of the DNSCrypt project, now implementing multiple protocols to improve DNS security. Download official DNSCrypt & DoH servers and clients here.

Show threadedricApr 1, 2024
The most impactful are probably browser (Firefox), adblocker (uBlock Origin), DNS over https (Mullvad), and password manager (Bitwarden), because these are used every single day.
Show threadrobberApr 1, 2024
Nextcloud all the way. I especially love the calendar, contacts and notes integrations besides the file sync, and it’s extensibility in general. Such a powerful tool.
Show threadabcdqfrApr 1, 2024
Have you gotten any recipe integrations to work with nextcloud? Can’t find a satisfactory apk to enter and edit recipes correctly, kinda turning me off to the entire nextcloud thing.
Show threadrobberApr 2, 2024
I just use a bunch of markdown files for that. Guess you could also use Notes and its category feature.
Show threadHuman CrayonApr 2, 2024

I love my Nextcloud instance, too. Zero problems in the past 4 years. I don’t run many extensions on it, though. The mobile app works great as well.

Trillium plus its sync server in a VM is my goto for notes. Mobile isn’t a problem (I usually drops everything into my notes app, then expand on it when I’m in front of a full keyboard at home).

Not sure how I could get through my day without either of these two.

Show threaddelirious_owlApr 2, 2024
Monero. No more fighting with banks locking me out of my accounts or blocking my transactions.
Show threadErwinLottemannApr 2, 2024
i wonder why this happens. are you from somewhere where this is common or were your transactions shady? i only got my bank block one transaction for me and that was because i didn’t know i had to ‘activate’ the ability to send money to accounts in the eu
Show threaddelirious_owlApr 2, 2024

Likely its because of all the other privacy tools that I use. Banks don’t like it when they can’t track you. Every time they think I have a new device. They interpret “oh shit we can’t track this person between sessions” as “its suspicious! Lock the account!” …even though I use the correct username & password on the very first try. Smh

Ultimately this is the result of Machine Leaning algorithms, but terrible ones because they never learn that they false positive 100% of the time on my account.

Show threadMichael Ten Apr 2, 2024
Monero ftw! Limitless Peace
Show threadlaughterlaughterApr 3, 2024
I don’t understand. How does this bring you peace? Can you pay groceries with monero?
Show threadBoisZoiApr 2, 2024
Niether are open source, but the full versions of AdGuard for each platform, Adguard Public DNS and DuckDuckGo.
Show threadhauiApr 2, 2024
NC isnt perfect imo but its like having an open source car or house. Its not emergency ready like no downtime, no bugs, no issues but it will do 95% uptime if configured correctly and its is insanely versatile. I cant imagine any other app being this versatile. You can check my setup if you want.
GitHub - Haui1112/Setup: Quick description of my Setup

Quick description of my Setup. Contribute to Haui1112/Setup development by creating an account on GitHub.

GitHub
Show threadlaughterlaughterApr 3, 2024
What’s NC? Got a link?
Show threadhauiApr 3, 2024
Nextcloud, yes. It is insane. Its a full cloud experience. Documents, bookmarks, pictures, whiteboards and more.
Show threadIlandarApr 2, 2024

If I am being completely honest, there are very few. Convenience is consistently the #1 trade-off when I make privacy-based decisions about which applications and services to use.

An exception I can think of are ad and tracker blockers like uBlock Origin, iodé, etc - I cannot imagine life without them Any time I borrow the phone or computer of someone who doesn’t have an equivalent of these installed I am just blown away by how many ads they are confronted with while performing even the simplest tasks. And not just harmless ones, but ads that directly waste their time. I genuinely don’t understand how people can live like that unless they just don’t know there is an alternative.

I guess another one I can think of is the Aurora Store. The UI is so much cleaner than the Google Play Store’s, important settings and features aren’t hidden and it has some additional features like Exodus Report that I think are genuinely useful. It’s so superior as an application that I actually prefer using it even on devices where the Play Store is installed and working.