Levels of digital freedom

In the last article we were introduced to what digital freedom is, now let's break it down into levels for convenience and to avoid confusion.

Basic principles of the basic level: ​

• Put your files, notes and projects in order
• Use a cloud file service to store all your valuable files there
• Use a password manager
• Use the F-droid directory of open source applications for your Android phone.
• Find open source replacements for many of the proprietary apps you use
• Install a tracker blocker. Block trackers of commercial apps and sites in your browser
• On your phone, use Firefox (Fenec for Android) as your primary browser and DuckDuckGo (for Android) as your surfing browser.
• Switch to Firefox on your computer
• Set your browsers to search through duckduckgo.com
• View all the sites and apps you've previously registered with. And request deletion of your personal data on those sites or apps you no longer use. For the rest, change your password using a password generator and enter them into your password manager. Set a password instead of logging in to sites via social networks
• Set two-factor authorization for important applications - banks, stock exchanges, messengers.
• Have Tor, VPN and browser plugin to bypass blocking and use them when necessary.
• Set up your profiles in Google, Yandex, etc., so that as little data about you as possible would be collected and deleted after some time, for example, after a year.
• Start a crypto-wallet to make some purchases if possible

Advanced Level ​

• Install LineageOS or another open source mobile operating system on your phone without tracking and wiretapping. Chances are your phone doesn't support it, so you'll have to buy the appropriate device
• If some commercial application has a PWA (Progressive Web Applications) web version, then install it on your desktop and uninstall the regular application. Since the regular app has more rights than PWA and can collect more data about you
• Install root on your phone to get powerful automation and customization features on your phone. Be careful here, do only what you really need to do and check the sources from which you install apps that require root access.
• Either give up Google Play Services altogether, or use MicroG - a project that implements the most basic functionality from Gapps (but there may be some problems in some commercial applications). I personally use MicroG - flight is fine
• Switch from Windows or macOS to Linux on a laptop or desktop computer
• Forget Windows and Apple products, as their code is proprietary and they collect users' personal data
• Forgo commercial applications on your computer as much as possible. In fact, it's not that hard to do, there are a lot of open source analogs.
• Start your own, fully controlled network storage. It can be NextCloud, OwnCloud or just synchronize your files with Syncthing. Transfer not only files, but also applications that work with your data: notes, tasks, kanban boards, contacts, calendar, password manager, etc. to the same place
• Give up commercial smart wristwatches that collect data about you. Switch to open source watches or abandon them altogether

Hardcore (just for the record, no need to strive for this) ​

• Completely abandon commercial apps on your phone
• Have to give up voice assistant
• Only access the internet through Tor.
• Use a specially customized browser that has the most typical fingerprint and cleans cookies
• Buy a gray phone and never insert a SIM card into it, go online from it only via WIFI or Bluetooth.
• In especially paranoid cases, work through a virtual machine that destroys the current state at the end of the session
• Do not pay with a bank card. Pay only with cash or cryptocurrency