Privacy Tools for RC
Best Practices
v1.8 updated 2025 Mar 26
1. Overview
Increasingly easy-to-use and free software has been shown to extract, monetize, publicize and manipulate data on individuals. Even when holding directions to be open and honest, RCers are vulnerable to attacks and abuse in their use of technology.
Although there are no techniques that can completely protect us, there are steps we can take to make us less vulnerable and slow down abuses.
Some publishers of free tools have demonstrated egregious disregard for privacy, and employ methods to collect and aggregate our personal data. There are other organizations that have developed tools that protect users' privacy. We outline some of these tools here.
Our expectation is to maintain this document as new information arises.
2. Tools to Use with Caution
We can avoid abusive and unprotected systems and software, or use them with awareness. Some examples include:
- Google apps
- Most social media apps (eg: Whatsapp, X, Meta, Instagram, Tiktok, WeChat, etc)
- All unencrypted email and text messaging apps
These products are distributed widely for free. The intention is to collect, aggregate, monetize and sell our data without our intentional permission; to manipulate our buying habits and our political thought; and to facilitate controversy and proliferate "fake news" in order to addict users to these services, sell advertising and generate revenue for tech corporations.
In the RC context one should have no expectation of privacy using these tools.
3. Alternative Tools that Respect Privacy
We can lean toward the tools that protect privacy. Some are free and some have a cost. We may need to free ourselves from the aversion to paying for more secure systems when there are ‘free’ alternatives like Google apps. (Note that free software is paid for by users selling our privacy and personal data, and it is not a fair exchange of value!)
Resource #6 (below) contains a fairly comprehensive list of tools that can replace Google products. Some standouts that respect privacy include:
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Signal messaging app, for texting, calling and video calls for individuals and groups. (See Resource #11 below for comparison.)
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Jitsi Meet and Whereby for video conferencing (instead of Zoom).
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Cryptpad for office tasks (instead of Google Docs and Spreadsheets). Proton Drive has a collaborative text editing product.
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Duckduckgo and Startpage browser search engines (instead of Google Search).
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Brave, Firefox and Duckduckgo browsers (instead of Google Chrome).
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Ublock Origin browser extension to block ad trackers.
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Encrypted email systems such as Protonmail and Tutanova. Resource #7 contains other good choices.
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Encrypted calendar systems such as Protonmail and Tutanova.
4. Operational Security (OpSec)
It is not sufficient to use privacy-focused tools. It is also necessary to employ good privacy practices. For example, one could use all tool suggestions above while using weak passwords, such as '123456789' or no password. Or one could use a strong password, but the same one for many different online services.
5. The RC Website
We can use the secure RC Website for collecting workshop registration data and creating mailing lists for areas, regions, constituencies and events. Workshop organizers and approved RCers can create registration forms for securely collecting applicant data. For those who need help creating such forms, you can request help here.
6. Secure Passwords
We must secure our Passwords!
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Fun fact: The password that is used by the largest number of people in the world is ‘123456’. (You could become a successful computer hackers knowing just that!)
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It is best to use long and obscure passwords.
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It is best to avoid reusing passwords.
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And it is good to store them in a password manager where you only need to remember the password needed to unlock the manager.
Resource #3 contains a tutorial for setting up a free and secure password manager.
Additionally, Two-factor Authentication can further secure your most sensitive online accounts. Medical, financial and other websites allow you to set up another way to prove that a hacker is not breaking into your account. After you enter your password, the system typically sends a code to your smartphone, and you enter that as well. This can also be accomplished with a special authentication app that works with the webpage.
Resources
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- Privacy 101
- The best password managers
- A Tool for Creating and Managing Passwords (RC)
- The best VPN services
- 28 bad Internet behaviors – and how to fix them
- The complete list of alternatives to all Google products
- 10 Best Private and Secure Email Services
- Why Metadata Matters
- Secure Encrypted Messaging Apps
- Podcast on Privacy & Security
- Comparison of Whatsapp, Telegram and Signal
- What is 'Surveillance Capitalism'?