Privacy Guide

CCT

01 Mar 2025 • 5 min read

For typical US citizens with basic concerns

Opt Out Lists

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

Search Results Monitoring

Google: https://myactivity.google.com/results-about-you

Computer and Mobile Privacy (top easy recommendations)

If using Gmail, go to your gmail settings and turn on "Ask before displaying external images" (to avoid ad tracking)
Swap your chrome web browser for a more private browser like https://brave.com/ with built in ad blocking and private search
- If using a Chromebook and you can't - install ad blocking extensions
- https://www.privacyguides.org/en/desktop-browsers/
  https://www.privacyguides.org/en/mobile-browsers/
To go deeper, use these resources:
Privacy Guides (see Tools section)
Security Planner and our Internet Security advice for persons of interest

Financial Purchases and Physical Concerns

Depending on your threat you may wish to consider privacy type credit cards or something like https://anonyome.com/individuals/mysudo/
You may wish to utilize a mail scanning and forwarding service like https://travelingmailbox.com/ (there are many)

Be aware of your SmartTV, Amazon Alexa devices, Google Home, and other IoT devices which may compromise privacy via hacking, and shockingly when requested may be admissible in court! Consider ditching them or using private tools like https://www.home-assistant.io/

Also be aware of license plate cameras ALPRS and similar https://deflock.me/ which are insecure and can be accessed by foreign governments.

Automated Data Broker Removal

We have at times provided online data removal 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.

Manual Major Data Broker Removal

Acxiom: https://www.acxiom.com/privacy/
Epsilon Data Management: https://legal.epsilon.com/dsr/
LexisNexis Risk Solutions: https://consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/consumer
LiveRamp: https://liveramp.com/privacy/my-privacy-choices/
Publicis Sapient: https://publicisresources-privacy.my.onetrust.com/webform/a57c3297-68d3-4bc0-8843-262957a92400/5aedb450-5a2e-4d7c-b25e-51d838384c25

Consultants: There are also professionals you can hire if you are highly targeted person: for example: https://nexanet.ai/

AI Privacy for those with elevated risks

If you are using services from OpenAI, Anthropic, X.ai or others, note that their free offerings typically collect data for training, and their for-pay offerings often do not (but are also de-anonymized because of your login). Be sure to read the terms of service as these organizations start to develop data monetization partnerships. Be careful what information you send to AI services.

More exotic options: AI requests can be routed anonymously through OpenRouter. If you have a beefy enough computer, you can run a local model using LM Studio or Ollama, or via decentralized/anonymized app Freedom GPT or Morpheus, Maple, PPQ.ai.

For persons of interest who want to go deeper

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.

For a quick overview of the situation watch this 7 minute video.

If you are looking for security advice, consider our Internet Security advice for persons of interest or Guide to Setting up a Graphene OS high security phone

Here are a few common recommendations

Use an Apple device with ad tracking off, or better yet, a Google Pixel with GrapheneOS and read our Guide to Setting up a Graphene OS high security phone and Internet Security advice for persons of interest
Switch from Google/Gmail to the Proton app suite and consider anonymous / throw away email addresses and phone numbers and SMS (ex, SMS Pool)
Use a privacy protecting VPN like ProtonVPN and turn on their Net Guard (or otherwise setup DNS at blocking). See also Snowstorm beta nears release
- To fully isolate your phone and computer consider a 4G VPN router such as https://www.gl-inet.com/products/gl-e750/
Privacy oriented phone services exist (though we have not reviewed them)