Privacy as a Practice, Not a Product

I run Ubuntu as my daily driver. My browser goes through I2P. My DNS queries are encrypted. I use Monero when I want private transactions. This isn't paranoia; it's practice.

Why privacy matters (to me)

I came to privacy advocacy through the side door: curiosity about how networks work. Once you understand what a clearnet request looks like; your IP, your User-Agent, your DNS queries all broadcast in the open; you can't unsee it.

The tools I use aren't perfect, and I don't claim they make me invisible. But they raise the cost of surveillance. They make mass data collection harder. And in a world where every click is tracked, analyzed, and monetized, that matters.

My daily stack

• OS: Ubuntu Linux; full control over what runs on my machine
• Browser: Mullvad Browser (hardened Firefox fork) for daily use
• Network: Tor for .onion services, I2P (i2pd) for eepsites
• VPN: Mullvad VPN with encrypted DNS-over-TLS
• Crypto: Monero (XMR) via Feather wallet through I2P SOCKS5 proxy

Privacy isn't all-or-nothing

You don't need to go full darknet to improve your privacy. Start small:

1. Switch to Firefox with uBlock Origin
2. Use a password manager (Bitwarden is great)
3. Enable DNS-over-HTTPS in your browser
4. Try Signal instead of SMS

Each step raises the bar. Each step counts.