Privacy for Everyone

The internet knows more about you than your mother. Probably more than you know about yourself. And no, you do not need to be a tech guru to fix it. That is exactly what data brokers want you to believe — if privacy sounds hard, you will not try, and they keep collecting. Every method here stands on its own and wherever you look you will learn something new. Pick one and start.

• Your delivery package is the real imposter.In India, the quick commerce market is now handling more than 8 million orders daily. People often take their items out of the package and toss it aside, but they overlook the fact that the package contains all their personal details (like full name, address, time, and sometimes even the product ordered). This information can reveal your shopping habits or even give your address to someone working in waste processing at a factory. So, always make sure to tear the bill into pieces completely.
• Kill app permissions that make no sense. A flashlight app does not need your location. A QR reader does not need your contacts. Yet millions click "Allow" like it is a terms of service agreement — which is to say, without reading. iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → go through each permission. Android: Settings → Privacy → Permission Manager. Apps sneak in new permissions in updates hoping you will not notice. Notice. It is the least romantic surprise you can get.
• Cut Google, Facebook, and Apple out of your logins. Every "Sign in with Google" is a tracking beacon wearing a friendly disguise. Revoke connected apps here. Facebook: Settings → Apps and Websites → remove. Apple ID: Settings → [Your Name] → Sign in with Apple → manage. Create accounts directly with an email alias instead — 30 extra seconds keeps your graph disconnected.
• Delete old accounts or feed them garbage. Every forgotten account is a breach waiting to happen. If you have not logged in since 2019, it is not nostalgia — it is a liability. Use JustDeleteMe for deletion links. If a site refuses, "edit to fake" — garbage name, disposable email, random password, fake data in every field. Leave nothing behind but confusion. Never just uninstall an app. Delete the account first.
• Turn off location history. Google and Apple track everywhere you go by default. Yes, everywhere. Google Location History → pause. Also turn off "Web & App Activity." iPhone: Settings → Privacy → Location Services → System Services → off "Significant Locations." Android: Settings → Location → Google Location History → off. Your phone does not need to write a memoir of your day.
• Scrub your social media presence. People search sites scrape your phone, birth date, and home town from public profiles. Remove them. Set everything to "Only Me." Remove your pfp or use one without your face — upload it to They See Your Photos first to see what it reveals about you. LinkedIn is the worst offender — people put 100% real data there like it is a dating profile for their career. Treat it like a public directory. Do not put your real birth date, phone, or address.
• Use blurring on faces and sensitive details. Before posting photos with friends or family, blur their faces. Most phones have a built-in markup tool. If privacy matters, theirs matters too. Do not be the reason someone else gets doxxed.
• Watermark documents before sharing. Before sending your Aadhaar or ID proof for KYC, add a watermark: "For KYC at HDFC Bank on 21/03/2026." Screenshot it, then send the watermarked version. If it leaks, you know exactly where it came from. Most free photo editors or even your phone's markup tool can do this. Takes 10 seconds, saves months of headache.
• Switch to a passphrase, not a password. P@ssw0rd123! cracks in seconds. correct-horse-battery-staple-wallet takes centuries. Your call. Use 5–6 random words and let your password manager handle the heavy lifting — that is what computers are for. See the difference live on an entropy calculator.
• Switch one app at a time. You do not need to migrate everything overnight. Start with the one you use most. Signal instead of WhatsApp (encrypted, open source, non-profit — and no, Meta does not own it). DuckDuckGo instead of Google Search. Mastodon instead of X/Twitter — no algorithm telling you what to be angry about today. Once you switch one, the rest feel easier. See Privacy Guides for the full catalog.
• Test your browser fingerprint, then fix it. First, open Cover Your Tracks by EFF. See that number? That is how uniquely your browser stands out in a crowd. Not great. Open BrowserLeaks to see everything your browser broadcasts — IP, WebRTC leaks, canvas fingerprinting, fonts, screen size. Now fix it: switch to Firefox or LibreWolf, install uBlock Origin, disable third-party cookies. Then open Cover Your Tracks again. Watch your fingerprint shrink. It is satisfying. Do it twice.
• Stop feeding AI chatbots your data. Every question, document, and image you upload trains their model. Companies say your data is private until you read the fine print — and nobody reads the fine print. Do not paste anything you would not want public. If you would not shout it in a crowded train station, do not type it into ChatGPT.
• Set a SIM lock (India specific). SIM swap fraud is rampant in India. Someone walks into a store, gets a duplicate SIM, intercepts your SMS, resets your passwords. Call your telecom provider (Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL) and ask for SIM swap protection or a SIM lock. It is free and takes 5 minutes. Do it today.
• OSINT yourself every few months. Search "Your Name" in quotes. Search your email, phone, usernames. WhatsMyName finds accounts tied to your username. HaveIBeenPwned and 9ghz check breaches. People search sites show what brokers have on you. Every 3 months, repeat — opt-outs expire and new data appears. Make it a calendar event. Name it "digital spring cleaning."

You will not become invisible. But you will go from easy target to someone who requires effort to track. Data brokers move on to easier prey.

Pick one method. Do it today. Not next week. Not when you have time. Even one step puts you ahead of most people.

For a complete 3-week deep dive covering discovery, removal, and long-term maintenance, see our rm -rf module.

Want to add a method? Fork us on Codeberg and send a pull request.