Internet Security for Persons of Interest

Good Ancestor provides pro-bono last mile assistance and security advice for security targeted individuals who face nation state actor threats.

VIPs we've served include our grantees, donors, and ecosystem partners, former heads of state in exile, human rights activists and their families, AI safety leaders, policy experts, journalists, and others facing threats from APTs, as well as more mundane actors. We receive these requests through our ecosystem partners and donors. You may also fill out this interest form.

Grantmaking:
As part of this project we have provided grants to
- GrapheneOS - An excellent high security Android based OS for people with security needs (runs on Google Pixel phones only)
- Molly - A security hardened version of Signal
- Citizen Lab - For their assistance in our investigations
- Human Rights Foundation - For activists that have security threats from state actors
- Irish Council for Civil Liberties - Enforce project on cell phone surveillance in EU/US
- International groups - bounties for the verified of use of Apple's "Lockdown Mode" amongst their constituency
- Guardian Project - Apps and software to project journalists and activists
- We also provided a microgrant to 404 Media for their technology journalism.
- Ludlow Institute - Naomi Brockwell on privacy and cybersecurity

Top Recommendations for Security Concerned Persons
- Computer: Use a Google Chromebook or Apple Macbook (in "lockdown mode")
- Mobile: Use a Google Pixel running Graphene OS, or a iPhone (in "lockdown mode")
- Web Browsers:
https://www.privacyguides.org/en/desktop-browsers/
https://www.privacyguides.org/en/mobile-browsers/
- Use a password manager to keep track of site unique passwords, which also checks your passwords against internet leak databases
- Utilize 2-factor authentication (instead of just passwords)
- Avoiding the use of SMS entirely, or clicking links sent in SMS (such as package tracking or boarding passes, especially while traveling)
- Do not click any links or play any media sent by unknown persons
- Understand that your cell phone is a real-time tracking device

For Google Users: Google Advanced Protection
For Apple Users: Cloud Advanced Data Protection and lockdown mode

We also recommend the Proton suite of services: https://proton.me/

Paid: We provide Donors and VIPs with recommendations for paid tools (such as secure and high priority cell providers), and offer licenses of https://iverify.org/ mobile security software to targeted persons.

Resources: 
Consumer Reports Security Planner 
Privacy Guides
Computer Security and Privacy
For paid subscribers we have a GrapheneOS Setup Guide

Security Professionals:
We would like to thank John-Scott Railton and several security researchers who prefer not to be named for their extensive pro-bono assistance.

For Human Rights Activists:
https://www.accessnow.org/help/

Privacy/Opt Out Lists
Unfortunately simply making purchases online, browsing the web, using social media and credit cards, purchasing insurance, buying a house, signing up for banking or sometimes even registering for a state ID is enough to spread extensive personal information through ad-tech networks, and to aggregation services which combine this data with consumer profiles and cell phone location information.

These networks are used by US intelligence services to spy on foreign actors and by foreign actors to spy on US intelligence and defense services alike, and there is not much you can do about it absent policy change. You can however somewhat reduce the flow of junk.

Junkmail - https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-stop-junk-mail
Opt out of credit card and insurance offers
https://www.optoutprescreen.com
https://DMAchoice.org
Do not email list: https://www.ims-dm.com/cgi/optoutemps.php
Do not call list: https://www.donotcall.gov/

We have at times provided online data services to our staff and grantees, using tools such as https://www.optery.com/ which automate removing oneself from online search sites.  Our 20% off promo / referral code : xzDurEsq

We cannot however endorse any of these methods as more than a modest improvement.