It’s Time for a Privacy Checkup

There’s a lot happening in the world right now, but in the United States in particular, concerns about personal privacy are escalating. Recent reporting has highlighted how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has leveraged surveillance tools created by Palantir to track those residing in the US. These tools, most notably ImmigrationOS, allows ICE to track individuals , run photos of people through databases to determine citizenship status and aggregate data on residents from multiple data sources.

A significant portion of the data used by these systems does not come directly from government collection. Instead, it is often sourced from data brokers. These data broker companies gather information from social media platforms, advertisers, mobile apps, public records, and other commercial sources, then sell or share it with third parties. Much of this collection happens with little transparency or consent.

While it may not be possible to undo what has already been collected, there are steps we can take now to reduce how much data is generated about us going forward.

What You Can Do

Improving your privacy does not require becoming disconnected from modern technology. Small, intentional changes can reduce your digital footprint. This includes performing a privacy audit of your devices, choosing more privacy-respecting software, and being more deliberate about what information you share online.

Mobile Device Privacy Audit

Your phone is one of the most data-rich devices you own. A quick audit can significantly limit unnecessary data collection:

• Review all installed apps and uninstall anything you no longer use or recognize. Apps can always be reinstalled later if needed.
• Check which apps have access to your location. Some apps, like weather apps or navigation tools may need it but many others do not.
• Review apps with access to your local network. Consider whether you are comfortable with companies like Facebook or Amazon being able to see other devices connected to your home WiFi network.
• Audit permissions for contacts, photos, microphones, and cameras. if an app does not clearly need access, revoke it. Permissions can always be re-enabled if functionality breaks or if there is a valid reason an app needs access.
• Treat your personal data as valuable. Follow the principle of least privilege: grant only the minimum access required for something to function, and no more.

Use a Privacy-Oriented Browser

Many people default to browsers like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge without realizing there are alternatives that place a stronger emphasis on user privacy.

Privacy respecting browsers:

• Duck Duck Go
• Mozilla Firefox
• Vivaldi
• Brave

These browsers generally collect less data by default and offer stronger built-in protections against tracking. My personal recommendation is Vivaldi as I feel it has a good balance between having the features I want and still offering privacy. I specifically like that you can add custom tracker and ad-block lists and most settings can sync to other computers running Vivaldi, even your mobile device.

Browser Settings and Extensions Matter

Even if you choose to keep your current browser, you can still improve privacy. Explore the browser’s settings and enable options such as “Do Not Track” requests or more strict cookie controls. Browser extensions can also provide meaningful protection.

Ad Blockers

Ad-blocking browser extensions do more than just hide annoying and intrusive advertisements. These extensions can also use special lists that block third party trackers. Two of the most popular ad-blocking extensions are AdBlock Plus and uBlock Origin. Both of these extensions can use privacy lists to improve privacy.

Specialized Privacy Extensions

There are extensions that specialize specifically in improving privacy online. One such example is the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s (EFF) Privacy Badger extension. This extension works to stop advertisers and trackers from seeing what you do on the web. The extension will automatically block trackers dynamically as it detects them attempting to track you.

Be Mindful of What You Put on the Internet

Privacy concerns extend beyond social media posts. Many services collect metadata even if message contents are encrypted. Examples of metadata are who you communicate with, when, and how often.

Messaging platforms like WhatsApp collect communication metadata. Email providers can see sender and recipient information and may also scan content for analytics or advertising purposes. Smart home and IoT devices introduce additional risks: thermostats can infer when you’re home, cameras can map routines, and voice assistants like Amazon Alexa can capture ambient audio that reveals more than intended.

Avoiding these technologies entirely is unrealistic for most people. The goal is awareness and mitigation, as well as understanding what data is collected and whether the convenience is worth the tradeoff.

Conclusion

Every layer of modern technology, from mobile apps and web browsers to online services and smart home devices can contribute to a detailed picture of your life. This data fuels advertising, data brokers, and increasingly, government surveillance efforts.

Now is a great time to take a closer look at the tools you use and apply the principle of least privilege wherever possible. Reducing your digital footprint will not eliminate privacy risks entirely but it can limit how much of your life is collected, stored, and then shared without your knowledge.

Good luck folks.