You are being watched. Private and state-sponsored organizations are monitoring and recording your online activities. privacytools.io provides services, tools and knowledge to protect your privacy against global mass surveillance.
It's recommended to install additional browser addons to strengthen Firefox even more. Firefox is able to sync accross all your devices on different platforms. Firefox is not the perfect out of the box solution but It's definetly worth it to take the extra time and setup Firefox properly.
Check for WebRTC & DNS leaks and learn how to fix them with the connection check at mullvad.net.
Hardening & Tweaking: The default settings of Firefox are not the best choice to be a privacy respecting browser. Use Firefox Profilemaker to adjust the settings. An alternative is to download the hardened Arkenfox's user.js - Place this in your Firefox's user.js directory and it will fix everything for you. You can also do it manually.
Tor Browser is your choice if you need an extra layer of anonymity. It's a modified version of Firefox, which comes with pre-installed privacy add-ons, encryption, and an advanced proxy. It's not recommended to install additional browser addons. Plugins or addons may bypass Tor or compromise your privacy.
Not a popular choice within the privacy community but it offers a complete package out of the box on all platforms and is suitable for beginners or if setup time is a factor at the given situation. Wikipedia offers more information about it's controversies.
Built-in advertising trackers blocking, private search and orces sites to use an encrypted connection if available.
Chromium browser with privacy and security enhancements, built-in adblocking and DNS over HTTPS support.
There are certain anonymity-related issues with Onion Browser due to iOS limitations.
Privacy related browser checks:
“What is right is not always the same as what is legal” ― Edward Snowden
It's recommended to use this plugin with Firefox, but it's also available for other browsers. Firefox on Android supports also uBlock Origin plugin.
This plugin is already included in Brave (Desktop & Mobile), Tor (Desktop & Android) and Onion Browser (iOS only). It can be installed for Firefox on Android. Most browsers support HTTPS already after activation.
We are not linking to the plugin directly anymore, instead straight to the Tutorial of EFF.org on how to activate HTTPS in every browser. After the end of this year, the extension will be in “maintenance mode.” for 2022.
Emulates Content Delivery Networks locally by intercepting requests and injecting it into the environment. Automatically, and no configuration required. Can be installed for Firefox on Android.
Removes tracking from URLs automatically in the background. Lightweight and useful.
No sign up is required and no personal data is ever collected. To start syncing simply download xBrowserSync for your desktop browser or mobile platform, enter an encryption password and click Create New Sync!
When a tab closes, any cookies not being used are automatically deleted. Keep the ones you trust (forever/until restart) while deleting the rest. Also available for Chrome.
“We don't have to ask for our privacy, we can take it back” ― Edward Snowden
We have compared 185 different VPN providers, but our strict criteria left only the three best providers. Our recommended providers are operating outside the USA or other Five Eyes countries, use a strong encryption, accept Crypto currencies or cash payments, support OpenVPN, have a no logging policy and have a long history of operating.
Based in Sweden. Operating since 2009. Accepts Bitcoin, BCH and Cash. Native desktop and mobile clients are available for Android and iOS and are easy to use. Money back guarantee for 30 days.
Amount of servers in Oct 2021: 763 VPN servers, in 38 different countries. Source
Based in Switzerland. Operating since 2016. Accepts Bitcoin, but you need an existing account or contact their support team in advance. Easy to use native desktop and mobile clients are available for Android and iOS.
Amount of servers in Oct 2021: 1200+ VPN servers available in 55 different countries. Source
Based in Gibraltar. Operating since 2009. Accepts Bitcoin, Monero and Cash. Native desktop and mobile clients are available for Android and iOS and are easy to use. Money back guarantee for 30 days.
Amount of servers in Oct 2021: 139 VPN servers available in 32 different countries. Source
Using a VPN will not keep your browsing habits anonymous, nor will it add additional security to non-secure (HTTP) traffic. If you are looking for anonymity, you should use the Tor Browser instead of a VPN. Don't replace good security practices with a VPN service. If you're looking for additional privacy from your ISP, on a public Wi-Fi network, or while torrenting files, a VPN may be the solution for you.
“The solution to government surveillance is to encrypt everything” ― Eric Schmidt
Based in Switzerland, founded in 2013. Free and paid plans include all security features, including end-to-end encryption, zero-access encryption, anti-phishing, anti-spam and 2FA. Own Android, iOS Apps and web interface. Paid plans enable custom domains. Accessible via Tor Network.
Based in Germany, founded in 2011. Native cross platform apps available. Paid plans enable custom domains. No third-party email clients are supported, users need to use the wide range of native apps.
Based in The Netherlands, founded in 2015. Free plans support custom domains. Users can choose between their web client or third party desktop clients like Thunderbird. Disroot allows for encrypted emails to be sent from their webmail application using OpenPGP.
Based in Germany, founded in 2014. Paid plans enable custom domains. Users can choose between their web client or third party desktop clients like Thunderbird.
Based in The Netherlands, founded in 2014. Paid plans enable custom domains. Users can choose between their web client or third party desktop clients like Thunderbird.
“What is right is not always the same as what is legal” ― Edward Snowden
Emails are forwarded to your real email address. If you reply to a sender it will use your alias, too. It is designed to be user friendly and available on many platforms.
Third party apps for Android and iOS are available. Support GPG/OpenPGP Encryption.
“My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.” ― Edward Snowden
Mozilla Thunderbird is a email client, personal information manager, news client, RSS and chat client.
Bring email encryption straight into your Browser. We recommend using Firefox for this. It can be used to encrypt and sign electronic messages, including attached files, without the use of a separate, native email client (like Thunderbird) using the OpenPGP standard. List of supported email providers.
Canary's security suite is second to none with Seamless End-To-End Encryption, Full PGP Support, Biometric App Lock, On-Device Fetch, No Ads, No Data Mining & Open Source Mail Sync Engine. Also available for Mac.
K-9 Mail is an open source email client focused on making it easy to chew through large volumes of email. Designed for both novice and power users and offers lots of features for everyone.
“What is right is not always the same as what is legal” ― Edward Snowden
Based in the Netherlands. Launched in 1998.
Based in the US. Launched in June 2021. Blog post about the new Brave Search beta.
Based in US. Some of DuckDuckGo's code is free software, but the core is proprietary. Launched in 2008.
Based in Switzerland. Launched in 2014. Proprietary source code.
Hosted in multiple locations around the world. Self-hostable, open source metasearch engine. Users can access existing public instances.
“My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.” ― Edward Snowden
Avoid: Apple Maps, Bing Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps.
OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open licence.
Global mobile map viewing and navigation for online and offline OpenStreetMap.
Organic Maps is an Android & iOS offline maps app for travelers, tourists, hikers, and cyclists based on top of crowd-sourced OpenStreetMap data and curated with love by MapsWithMe (Maps.Me) founders.
“Transparency is for those who carry out public duties and exercise public power. Privacy is for everyone else.” ― Glenn Greenwald
Bitwarden is our top choice. You can import your previous passwords from other password managers with ease. Free for personal use. Available for Desktop, all Browsers, Android and iOS.
If you like Bitwarden but don't like syncing or storage of passwords then LessPass is your choice. Browsers, mobile phones and the command line are supported platforms.
Securely store passwords using industry standard encryption, quickly auto-type them into desktop applications, and use browser extension to log into websites. KeePassDX for Android: Google Play or F-Droid.
Formerly Master Password. Passwords aren't stored: they are generated on-demand from your name, the site, and your master password. No syncing, backups, or internet access needed. The Windows version requires to install Java. Same principle like LessPass, but LessPass is more convenient to use because of the Browser Addons.
“Nothing to hide, but nothing to show either.”
Avoid: Authy or Google Authenticator.
There is also a MacOS app available to automatically and securely copy one-time passwords tapped in Raivo OTP for iOS to the clipboard of your Mac. Works across multiple iCloud accounts.
“Surveillance is the business model of the Internet.” ― Bruce Schneier
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. Share files, host websites, and chat anonymously via a new tabbed interface for maximum productivity.
Synchronizes files between two or more computers in real time, safely protected from prying eyes. Your data is your data alone and you deserve to choose where it is stored, whether it is shared with some third party, and how it's transmitted over the internet.
“The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything.” ― Edward Snowden
It can create a virtual encrypted disk that works just like a regular disk but within a file. It can also encrypt a partition or the entire storage device with pre-boot authentication.
GnuPG allows you to encrypt and sign your data and communications. Following are download links for different platforms. Mac: GPG Suite. OpenKeychain for Android: Google Play and F-Droid.
File archiver with a high compression ratio and built-in encryption functionality.
Cryptomator encrypts your data quickly and easily. Afterwards you upload them protected to a cloud service.
A web app that provides secure file encryption in the browser. The app never uploads the files to the server. It uses modern secure cryptographic algorithms with chunked AEAD stream encryption/decryption.
“WAR IS PEACE.” ― Ministry of Truth
Avoid: Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Apple iCloud.
Company is based in New Zealand. The free plan offers 20 GB storage and a daily 5GB transfer limit.
Nextcloud is functionally similar to Dropbox, Office 365 or Google Drive. It can be hosted in the cloud or on-premises. It is scalable from home office solutions based on the low cost Raspberry Pi all the way through to full sized data centre solutions that support millions of users.
Hosted in Germany. The free plan offers 10 GB storage and unlimited bandwith.
If you're not able to switch your cloud service immediatly, consider encrypting with Cryptomator.
“Society develops a type of self-censorship, with the knowledge that surveillance exists - a self-censorship that is even expressed when people communicate with each other privately.” ― Julian Assange
Based in Iceland, founded in 2009. Accepts Bitcoin and cash by mail. 100% Green energy.
Based in Iceland, founded in 2006. Accepts Bitcoin. 100% Green energy.
Based in Sweden, founded in 2017 by Peter Sunde the Co-founder of The Pirate Bay.
“In digital era, privacy must be a priority. Is it just me, or is secret blanket surveillance obscenely outrageous?” ― Al Gore
Founded in 2017 and became quickly the largest exchange in the world in terms of daily trading volume of cryptocurrencies. P2P trading available. Update: Sep 17, 2021: Binance requires all users to get verified.
Buy and sell bitcoin for fiat (or other cryptocurrencies) privately and securely using Bisq's peer-to-peer network and open-source desktop software. No registration required. Easy to use.
Fee: 0.6%, equally split between the parties of the trade (max 0.3% per trade).
Sign up either with your Ethereum wallet or email address. Fees: 0.75% for buyers and 0.25% for sellers.
The biggest, most trusted and well-established P2P Monero exchange in the XMR community.
“The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything.” ― Edward Snowden
Modern wallet design to store, send, receive and exchange XMR.
“In digital era, privacy must be a priority. Is it just me, or is secret blanket surveillance obscenely outrageous?” ― Al Gore
CoinJoin is a trustless method for combining multiple Bitcoin payments from multiple spenders into a single transaction to make it more difficult for outside parties to determine which spender paid which recipient. Unlike many other privacy solutions, coinjoin transactions do not require a modification to the bitcoin protocol.
Built-in trustless CoinJoin. Full offline mode. Designed to keep miner fees as low as possible.
Built-in trustless CoinJoin. Easy to use and offers users a quick start guide.
Fully secured cryptocurrency wallet with the mind of keeping your Bitcoin transactions anonymous. Their Bitcoin Block Explorer is accessible over the Tor and I2P network.
Non-custodial, privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet for Desktop, that implements trustless CoinJoin.
Touch ID (fingerprint) support, offers in-app buy and sell.
Decentralized servers, encrypted, cached blockchain for improved speeds.
“You shouldn’t change your behavior because a government agency somewhere is doing the wrong thing. If we sacrifice our values because we’re afraid, we don’t care about those values very much.” ― Edward Snowden
Cryptocurrency exchanges which allow for direct peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transactions to take place securely and without the need for a third party to oversee transfer of assets. DEX are more anonymous than commercial exchanges which implement know your customer (KYC) requirements. This list is sorted by trading volume.
This is brand new technology and might have unexpected bugs. Be careful and only test with small amounts. Read the Official announcement from August 20, 2021.
Telegram Channels are targeted by scammers, don't share your key phrases with anyone. Admins of the official channels are not sending private messages to users. Beware of anyone reaching out via private message.
“My sole motive is to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them.” ― Edward Snowden
Avoid: Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, LINE, Telegram, Snapchat, Tencent QQ, Viber, WeChat, WhatsApp.
No phone number or email address is required to signup. Similar functionality like Element, but still in an earlier stage of development. Decentralized servers routed through Lokinet.
A modern alternative to IRC or Discord. Good for team chats and groups.
No phone number or email address is required to signup. Uses the peer-to-peer (p2p) messaging protocol Waku that removes centralized third parties from messages.
Similar look and feel of WhatsApp and other commonly used messaging apps, makes switching easy. Signal requires your phone number as an personal identifier.
No native desktop apps available yet, but there is a web version for your browser. No phone number is required to signup but there is a payment involved to get the app. Fortunately the Threema shop accepts Bitcoin.
User friendly, lightweight, for desktop and Android. End-to-end encrypted and takes place over Tor v3 onion services. Privacy-preserving, multi-party messaging protocol. Built to be metadata resistant.
Briar doesn't rely on a central server - messages are synchronized directly between the users' devices via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Online sync via the Tor network is possible, too. Protecting users from surveillance.
Wide range of features but a highly experimental protocol, use with caution.
Delta Chat doesn't have their own servers but uses the most massive and diverse open messaging system ever: the existing e-mail server network. Chat with anyone if you know their e-mail address, no need for them to install DeltaChat. All you need is a standard e-mail account. How does Delta Chat protect my Metadata?
Sounds slow? It's using Push-IMAP to make it fast. List of recommended Email providers.
“I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things... I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under.” ― Edward Snowden
Avoid: Skype, Zoom, TeamSpeak, Discord and Ventrilo.
Desktop version downloads can be found here.
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” ― George Orwell, 1984
The major advantage of NextDNS over AdGuard DNS is to be able to configure the service to your needs via parental controls, website restrictions or block whole categories of websites and apps. Easy to setup within minutes. Comes with setup guides for all systems. 300,000 queries/month for free, after that it will just work like a classic non-blocking DNS service.
Easy to setup within minutes. Comes with setup guides for all systems. You only need to enter two IP adresses.
You can run Pi-hole in a container, or deploy it directly to a supported operating system via installer.
More self-hosted expert solutions: pfBlockerNG Plugin for pfSense and Artica.
“Openness and participation are antidotes to surveillance and control.” ― Howard Rheingold
“Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented” ― Julian Assange
Allows you to automatically clean up your old posts from services like Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, Discord and more all in one place. Delete by key word, sentiment and content type.
“Privacy is what allows us to determine who we are and who we want to be” ― Edward Snowden
“Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying machine that has ever been invented” ― Julian Assange
“In digital era, privacy must be a priority. Is it just me, or is secret blanket surveillance obscenely outrageous?” ― Al Gore
Highly customizable open-source online editor providing collaborative editing in real time.
Plenty of features: Rich text, code, presentation, sheet, form, kanban, whiteboard and CryptDrive.
Features: Online document editors, platform for document management, corporate communication, mail and project management tools.
LibreOffice consists of programs for word processing, creating and editing of spreadsheets, slideshows, diagrams and drawings, working with databases, and composing mathematical formulae. It is available in 115 languages.
Your data is saved on the web, and people can edit the same document at the same time. Everybody's changes are instantly reflected on all screens.
The project is still under development and the native apps are not final yet, but the web version works great. Offers an import feature from Todoist, Trello and Microsoft To-Do.
“I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things... I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under.” ― Edward Snowden
“The government should be afraid of the people, the people shouldn't be afraid of the government.” ― Edward Snowden
“There is a massive apparatus within the US government that with complete secrecy has been building this enormous structure that has only one goal, and that is to destroy privacy and anonymity, not just in the United States but around the world.” ― Glenn Greenwald
Only Google Pixel devices and Xiaomi Mi A2 are supported. Source.
Only Google Pixel devices are supported, new models are recommended. Source.
“If you're doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to hide from the giant surveillance apparatus the government's been hiding.” ― Stephen Colbert
Get it on F-Droid. Supports lots of languages via external packages.
Get it on F-Droid. No dependency on Google binaries.
Get it on F-Droid. Currently in early-beta state.
Get it on F-Droid. For people who like it minimalistic. No emojis, gifs, spell checker or swipe typing.
“Under observation, we act less free, which means we effectively are less free.” ― Edward Snowden
“Openness and participation are antidotes to surveillance and control.” ― Howard Rheingold
Warning: The free version of DeepL does not respect your privacy, only the paid pro version. Source: Privacy Policy. The texts of free users are used to train and improve the neural networks and translation algorithms.
Retrieves translations without using any Google-related service, preventing them from tracking.
100% Self-Hosted. No Limits. No Ties to Proprietary Services.
Formerly Google Translate CLI is a command-line translator powered by Google Translate (default), Bing Translator, Yandex.Translate and Apertium.
“There is a massive apparatus within the US government that with complete secrecy has been building this enormous structure that has only one goal, and that is to destroy privacy and anonymity, not just in the United States but around the world.” ― Glenn Greenwald
Tor, short for The Onion Router, is for enabling anonymous communication. It directs Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network, consisting of more than six thousand relays, for concealing a user's location and usage from anyone conducting network surveillance or traffic analysis.
The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is an anonymous network layer that allows for censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer communication. Anonymous connections are achieved by end-to-end encrypting the user's traffic, and sending it through a volunteer-run network of roughly 55,000 computers distributed around the world.
Freenet is a peer-to-peer platform for censorship-resistant, anonymous communication. It uses a decentralized distributed data store to keep and deliver information, and has a suite of free software for publishing and communicating on the Web without fear of censorship.
ZeroNet is a decentralized web-like network of peer-to-peer users. Instead of having an IP address, sites are identified by a public key (specifically a bitcoin address). The private key allows the owner of a site to sign and publish changes, which propagate through the network. Sites can be accessed through an ordinary web browser when using the ZeroNet application, which acts as a local webhost for such pages.
Peer-to-peer communication and file sharing app based on a friend-to-friend network built on GNU Privacy Guard (GPG). Optionally, peers may communicate certificates and IP addresses to and from their friends.
The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol and peer-to-peer network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system. IPFS uses content-addressing to uniquely identify each file in a global namespace connecting all computing devices
For decentralized, peer-to-peer networking and an official GNU package. The framework offers link encryption, peer discovery, resource allocation, communication over many transports (such as TCP, UDP, HTTP, HTTPS, WLAN and Bluetooth) and various basic peer-to-peer algorithms for routing, multicast and network size estimation.
“I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things... I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded. That is not something I am willing to support or live under.” ― Edward Snowden
Your IP address is exposed while using any Torrent Client. Consider using a VPN provider to hide your IP. If you are using µTorrent that includes ads and tracking, select your alternative here.
“I had been looking for leaders, but I realized that leadership is about being the first to act.” ― Edward Snowden
Shredding files and wiping unallocated disk space to minimize data remanence.
Removes metadata for the most popular image and video formats. It also supports PDF files and comes with batch-processing to process multiple files at once. Drag and Drop interface, easy to use.
No privacy features but a neat little tool to declutter your computer and free disk space.
“The solution to government surveillance is to encrypt everything” ― Eric Schmidt
“Society develops a type of self-censorship, with the knowledge that surveillance exists - a self-censorship that is even expressed when people communicate with each other privately.” ― Julian Assange
Software that news websites install to offer whistleblowers a plattform for secure communication and file transfers. Requires Tor Browser for anonymity in order to access. List of organizations using SecureDrop.
An Android application that leverages on-device sensors to provide monitoring and protection of physical areas. Turns Android phones into a motion, sound, vibration and light detector, watching for unwanted intruders.
Briar doesn't rely on a central server - messages are synchronized directly between the users' devices via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Online sync via the Tor network is possible, too. Protecting users from surveillance.
Alternative to SecureDrop. Easily set up a secure and anonymous whistleblowing initiative. Designed to be user-friendly, the software is customisable and protects the whistleblower's privacy and submissions by default.
OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. Share files, host websites, and chat anonymously via a new tabbed interface for maximum productivity.
Electronic Frontier Foundation offers tips, tools and how-tos for safer online communications.
“The US government still has no idea what documents I have because encryption works” ― Edward Snowden
2021, ProtonMail: ProtonMail logged IP address of French activist after an order by Swiss authorities. Source
2021, WindScribe VPN: Servers were not encrypted as they should have been allowing MITM attacks by authorities. Source
2021, DoubleVPN: Servers, logs, and account info seized by law enforcement. Source
2021, Tutanota Email: Forced to monitor two user accounts for three months implicated in a blackmail case. Source
Transparency Report & Warrant Canary for the secure email service Tutanota
2017, PureVPN: Forced to disclose information of one user to the FBI. Source
2014, EarthVPN: User was arrested based on logs provider to the Dutch Polic because of a bomb hoax. Source
2013, Lavabit Email: Secure E-Mail provider Lavabit shuts down after fighting a secret gag order. Source
2011, HideMyAss VPN: User was de-anonymized, and logs were provided to the FBI in a labeled "LulzSec fiasco". Source
A term for a regularly published statement that a service provider has not received legal process that it would be prohibited from saying it had received, such as a national security letter. Transparency reports and warrant canaries have an important role to play in the fight against illegal and unconstitutional national security process, including National Security Letters and other secret court processes. Wikipedia
“A child born today will grow up with no conception of privacy at all.” ― Edward Snowden
Software recommended here are Open Source unless marked otherwise. Back to the Top
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Made with love and coffee during sleepless nights in Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia.
