lissy93/awesome-privacy
On GitHub, lissy93/awesome-privacy has picked up 10.0k stars, Security, Astro. 🦄 A curated list of privacy & security-focused software and services
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A curated list of privacy-respecting apps, software, and providers
🌐 awesome-privacy.xyz
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Intro
Large data-hungry corporations dominate the digital world but with little, or no respect for your privacy. Migrating to open-source applications with a strong emphasis on privacy and security will help stop corporations, governments, and hackers from logging, storing or selling your personal data.
[!CAUTION] Remember that no software is perfect, and it is important to follow good security practices
📋 Contents
- Essentials
- Password Managers (8)
- 2-Factor Authentication (12)
- File Encryption (3)
- Browsers (5)
- Search Engines (6)
- Communication
- Encrypted Messaging (4)
- P2P Messaging (4)
- Encrypted Email (4)
- Email Clients (6)
- Mail Forwarding (4)
- Email Security Tools (3)
- VOIP Clients (2)
- Virtual Phone Numbers (8)
- Team Collaboration (5)
- Security Tools
- Browser Extensions (21)
- Mobile Apps (22)
- Online Tools (17)
- Networking
- Virtual Private Networks (7)
- Self-Hosted Network Security (8)
- Anonymity Networks (3)
- Proxies (2)
- DNS Providers (3)
- DNS Clients (5)
- Firewalls (14)
- Ad Blockers (7)
- Host Block Lists (6)
- Router Firmware (2)
- Network Analysis (3)
- Intrusion Detection (5)
- Cloud Hosting (4)
- Domain Registrars (2)
- DNS Hosting (1)
- Mail Servers (3)
- Productivity
- Digital Notes (9)
- Calendar (4)
- Scheduling (2)
- Task Management (3)
- Backup and Sync (4)
- Cloud Productivity Suites (4)
- Encrypted Cloud Storage (6)
- Secret Sharing (3)
- File Drop (1)
- Browser Sync (4)
- Habit Trackers (1)
- Secure Conference Calls (2)
- Maps & Navigation (1)
- Accessibility (1)
- Utilities
- Virtual Machines (3)
- PGP Managers (8)
- Metadata Removal (3)
- Data Erasers (8)
- Operating Systems
- Mobile Operating Systems (3)
- Desktop Operating Systems (5)
- Linux Defenses (7)
- Windows Defences (17)
- Mac OS Defences (2)
- Anti-Malware (2)
- Development
- Code Hosting (5)
- IDEs (1)
- Terminal Emulators (1)
- Developer Tools (3)
- Smart Home & IoT
- Smart Home (1)
- Security Cameras (1)
- Wearables & Health (1)
- Finance
- Cryptocurrencies (2)
- Crypto Wallets (6)
- Crypto Exchanges (2)
- Crypto Tools (1)
- Virtual Credit Cards (2)
- Other Payment Methods (3)
- Secure Budgeting (7)
- Social
- Social Networks (4)
- Video Platforms (2)
- Blogging Platforms (6)
- News Readers (1)
- Proxy Sites (4)
- Media
- Gaming (1)
- Media Servers (3)
- Music Players (1)
- Video Players (1)
- Photo Management (2)
- Podcast Players (1)
- Torrent Downloaders (1)
- File Converters (2)
- Creativity
- Image Editors (8)
- Video Editors (7)
- Audio Editors & Recorders (1)
- Casting & Streaming (1)
- Screenshot Tools (1)
- 3D Graphics (2)
- Animation (1)
Essentials
Password Managers
Bitwarden - Fully-featured, open source password manager with cloud-sync. Bitwarden is easy-to-use with a clean UI and client apps for desktop, web and mobile. See also Vaultwarden, a self-hosted, Rust implementa…
KeePass - Hardened, secure and offline password manager. Does not have cloud-sync baked in, deemed to be gold standard for secure password managers. KeePass clients: Strongbox (Mac & iOS), KeePassium (Mac & iOS)…LessPass - LessPass is a little different, since it generates your passwords using a hash of the website name, your username and a single main-passphrase that you reuse. It omits the need for you to ever need to…
ProtonPass - From the creators of ProtonMail, ProtonPass is a new addition to their suite of services. They have a full collection of user-friendly native mobile and desktop apps. ProtonPass is one of the few "tru…
Pass - The Standard Unix Password Manager
AliasVault - End-to-end encrypted open source password and alias manager with built-in email server. AliasVault protects your privacy by creating alternative identities, passwords and email addresses for every web…
PaperVault - Store secrets and passwords on encrypted paper with distributed keys. Designed to last generations. Open source, client-side only, works offline.2of3 by Ente - Turn a recovery key, password, or other secret into 3 cards you can keep in different places. Open-source, client-side only, with an offline recovery page.
✳️ Notable Mentions
- Password Safe - An offline, open source password manager designed by Bruce Schneier, with native applications for Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android and iOS, and support for YubiKey. The UI is a little dated, and there is no official browser extension, making is slightly less convenient to use compared with other options
- PassBolt - A good option for teams. It is free, open source, self-hosted, extensible and OpenPGP based. It is specifically good for development and DevOps usage, with integrations for the terminal, browser and chat, and can be easily extended for custom usage, and deployed quickly with Docker
- 1Password - (proprietary) A fully-featured cross-platform password manager with sync. Free for self-hosted data (or $3/ month hosted). Be aware that 1Password is not fully open source, but they do regularly publish results of their independent security audits, and they have a solid reputation for transparently disclosing and fixing vulnerabilities
ℹ️ Further Info
Other Open Source PM: Buttercup, Clipperz, Pass, Padloc, TeamPass, PSONO, UPM, Gorilla, Seahorse (for GNOME), GNOME Keyring, KDE Wallet Manager.
If you are using a deprecated PM, you should migrate to something actively maintained. This includes: Firefox Lockwise, Encryptr, Mitro, Rattic, JPasswords, Passopolis, KYPS, Factotum.
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2-Factor Authentication
2FAS - Free, secure and open source authenticator app for both iOS and Android. Supports creating encrypted backups and syncing between devices without the need for an account.
Aegis - Free, secure and open source authenticator app for Android. Has a backup/ restore feature and a customisable UI with dark mode
Stratum - Free and open-source two factor authentication app for Android. It features encrypted backups, icons, categories and a high level of customisation. It also has a Wear OS companion app
Tofu - An easy-to-use, open-source two-factor authentication app designed specifically for iOS
Authenticator - Simple, native, open source 2-FA Client for iOS, which never connects to the internet - built by @mattrubin.meAuthenticator GNOME - Rust-based OTP authenticator. Has native With GNOME Shell integration. Also available through flathub.
Authenticator CC - Authenticator Extension is an in-browser One-Time Password (OTP) client, supports both Time-Based One-Time Password (TOTP, specified in RFC 6238) and HMAC-Based One-Time Password (HOTP, specified in RFC 4226…
Ente Auth - Free, open source TOTP authenticator for mobile, desktop and web. Works fully offline, or with an Ente account to sync codes across devices with end-to-end encrypted backups. Codes can be imported fro…Bitwarden Authenticator - Bitwarden Authenticator is a free and open-source app which stores and generates time-based codes for multi-factor authentication. It can be used with an online account to backup and sync your tokens…
Proton Authenticator - Proton Authenticator is free, open source, and available for both iOS and Android. A Proton account is required to use Proton Authenticator. Existing 2FA codes can be imported from other popular apps…
Chronos Authenticator - Chronos Authenticator is a free, open-source two-factor authentication app for iOS, designed to provide robust security and reliable backup options.
Autheris - Open-source 2FA authenticator for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. Secrets stay in the device Keychain, with no account, no analytics and optional iCloud Sync
✳️ Notable Mentions
OTPClient (Linux), gauth (Self-Hosted, Web-based), Etopa (Android)
For KeePass users, TrayTop is a plugin for managing TOTP's - offline and compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux.
ℹ️ Further Info
Check which websites support multi-factor authentication: 2fa.directory
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File Encryption
VeraCrypt - VeraCrypt is open source cross-platform disk encryption software. You can use it to either encrypt a specific file or directory, or an entire disk or partition. VeraCrypt is incredibly feature-rich, w…
Cryptomator - Open source client-side encryption for cloud files - Cryptomator is geared towards using alongside cloud-backup solutions, and hence preserves individual file structure, so that they can be uploaded.…
age - ageis a simple, modern and secure CLI file encryption tool and Go library. It features small explicit keys, no config options, and UNIX-style composability
⚠️ Word of Warning
Where possible, choose a cross-platform and well established encryption method, so that you are never faced with not being able to access your files using your current system.
Although well-established encryption methods are usually very secure, if the password is not strong, then an adversary may be able to gain access to your files, with a powerful enough GPU. If your system is compromised, then the password may also be able to be skimmed with a keylogger or other similar malware, so take care to follow good basic security practices
✳️ Notable Mentions
- AES Crypt - A light-weight and easy file encryption utility. It includes applications for Windows, Mac OS, BSD and Linux, all of which can be interacted with either through the GUI, CLI or programatically though an API (available for Java, C, C# and Python). Although it is well established, with an overall positive reputation, there have been some security issues raised recently.
- CryptSetup - is a convenient layer for use on top of dm-crypt. EncFS is a cross-platform file-based encryption module, for use within user local directories. geli is a disk encryption subsystem included with FreeBSD.
- BitLocker - is popular among Microsoft Windows and enterprise users, and provides fast, efficient and (if correctly configured) reasonably secure full drive encryption. However it is not open source, has poor compatibility with other operating systems, and has some very dodgy defaults, which could lead to your system being compromised. Similarly, Apple's FileVault on MacOS is easy and secure, but again, the source code is proprietary.
- DiskCryptor - Windows-only, open source, file and volume encryption solution, that makes a good alternative to BitLocker.
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Browsers
LibreWolf - An independent fork of Firefox hardened for privacy by default. No telemetry, uBlock Origin bundled, anti-fingerprinting, strict settings
Brave Browser - Chromium-based browser with strong built-in ad, tracker and fingerprint blocking, and timely Chromium security updates. Note that Brave does bundle potentially unwanted features, like crypto, rewards…
Firefox - The main independent browser, on Mozilla's own Gecko engine rather than Chromium. Reliable, long-standing, with frequent security updates, broad extension support and strong customization. However tel…Tor Browser - Tor provides an extra layer of anonymity, by encrypting each of your requests, then routing it through several nodes, making it near-impossible for you to be tracked by your ISP. While excellent for a…
Mullvad Browser - A Firefox-based browser maintained in collaboration between the Tor Project and Mullvad. With strong anti-fingerprinting (so users look alike), no telemetry and uBlock Origin bundled
⚠️ Word of Warning
New vulnerabilities are being discovered and patched all the time - use a browser that is being actively maintained, in order to receive these security-critical updates.
Even privacy-respecting browsers, often do not have the best privacy options enabled by default. After installing, check the privacy & security settings, and update the configuration to something that you are comfortable with. 12Bytes maintains a comprehensive guide on Firefox Configuration for Privacy and Performance
✳️ Notable Mentions
- Cromite - Chromium fork and successor of Bromite. Adds built-in ad and tracker blocking, removes Google service calls, and disables several fingerprinting vectors. Note that patches often lag several weeks behind upstream> - WaterFox - Firefox fork with telemetry, studies and data collection removed. The legacy Classic line retains support for XUL/NPAPI extensions; the current Quantum-based release does not.> - PaleMoon - Independent Firefox-derived browser using its own Goanna engine. Disables telemetry and retains support for legacy XUL extensions. Lagging support for modern web-platform features (e.g. CSP) has led to incidents of Cloudflare blocking the browser.> - Iridium - Chromium fork with telemetry, background pings and most Google service integrations stripped out or made opt-in.> - SeaMonkey - All-in-one internet suite (browser, mail, IRC, HTML editor) derived from the Mozilla Application Suite. Receives security fixes but lags upstream Firefox on features.> - Ungoogled-Chromium - Chromium with all Google web service integrations, binary blobs and background calls removed. Tries to retain the default Chromium experience as closely as possible. No built-in auto-updates; relies on third-party rebuilds for security patches.> - Basilisk Browser - Firefox/UXP-based fork originally created by Moonchild Productions and independently maintained since 2022. Retains NPAPI plugin and XUL extension support dropped by mainline Firefox.> - IceCat - GNU's fully-free Firefox fork. Removes proprietary components such as DRM and EME, and bundles LibreJS to block non-free JavaScript. Tracks Firefox ESR, but release cadence lags upstream and can delay security fixes.
ℹ️ Further Info
12Bytes maintains a list of privacy & security extensions.
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Search Engines
DuckDuckGo - DuckDuckGo is a user-friendly and fast secure search engine. While it doesn't use trackers or cookies, there are search-related ads. It's also highly customisable, with theming, languages, bangs and p…Startpage - Dutch search engine returning primarily Google results, proxied to strip IP and identifiers. Includes an "Anonymous View" proxy for previewing results privately. No third-party tracking or cookies, bu…
Brave Search - Brave Search is a privacy-focused search engine that does not track users or their searches, does not use secret algorithms or user profiling, and is based on its own search index.
Mojeek - British search engine providing independent and unbiased search results using its own crawler. Has a zero tracking policy (it is not open source)
Uruky - Uruky is an ad-free, private search engine focused on personalization. It uses, among other providers, Mojeek and Marginalia. It is EU-based and does not keep or track any personal data (it is not 100…
PriEco - PriEco is an independent web search engine with growing index. It is EU-based and 100% open source. It allows customization via Goggles.
✳️ Notable Mentions
- Qwant - French search engine, running on Bing results and the new European Search Perspective. Contains contextual, non-tracking ads. Privacy policy is out-dated, and Qwant does track users despite claiming not to. See full review for more info.
- MetaGear
- YaCy
- Searx - Self-hostable search engines that use the results of multiple other engines (such as Google and Bing) at the same time. They're open source and self-hostable, although using a public instance has the benefit of not singling out your queries to the engines used. A fork of the original Searx.
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Communication
Encrypted Messaging
Signal - Probably one of the most popular, secure private messaging apps that combines strong encryption (see Signal Protocol) with a simple UI and plenty of features. It's widely used across the world, and ea…
SimpleX - Simplex is gaining popularity as a secure and private messaging app renowned for its robust encryption protocol without user IDs or phone numbers and this improves your privacy. Simplex offers instant…
XMPP - XMPP, also known as Jabber, is an open standard for decentralized messaging that has been widely used for decades. It has actually been the basis upon which WhatsApp, Facebook's Chat and Google's Talk…Matrix - Matrix is a decentralized open network for secure communications, with E2E encryption with Olm and Megolm. Along with the Element client, it supports VOIP + video calling and IM + group chats. Note th…
⚠️ Word of Warning
Many messaging apps claim to be secure, but if they are not open source, then this cannot be verified - and they should not be trusted. This applies to Telegram, Cypher, Wickr, Silent Phone and Viber, to name a few - these apps should not be used to communicate any sensitive data. Wire has also been removed, due to a recent acquisition
✳️ Notable Mentions
- Chat Secure
- KeyBase - Allows encrypted real-time chat, group chats, and public and private file sharing. It also has some nice features around cryptographically proving social identities, and makes PGP signing, encrypting and decrypting messages easy. However, since it was acquired by Zoom in 2020, it has no longer been receiving regular updates.
- OpenPGP - can be used over existing chat networks (such as email or message boards). It provides cryptographic privacy and authentication, PGP is used to encrypt messages.
Note/ Issues with PGP PGP is not easy to use for beginners, and could lead to human error/ mistakes being made, which would be overall much worse than if an alternate, simpler system was used. Do not use 32-bit key IDs - they are too short to be secure. There have also been vulnerabilities found in the OpenPGP and S/MIME, defined in EFAIL, so although it still considered secure for general purpose use, for general chat, it may be better to use an encrypted messaging or email app instead.- Threema - A paid, business-focused Swiss messenger. The apps are open source, but the server is proprietary.
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P2P Messaging
With Peer-to-Peer networks, there are no central server, so there is nothing that can be raided, shut-down or forced to turn over data. There are P2P networks available that are open source, E2E encrypted, routed through Tor services, totally anonymous and operate without the collection of metadata.
Briar - Tor-based Android app for P2P encrypted messaging and forums. Where content is stored securely on your device (not in the cloud). It also allows you to connect directly with nearby contacts, without i…
Ricochet Refresh - Desktop instant messenger, that uses the Tor network to rendezvous with your contacts without revealing your identity, location/ IP or meta data. There are no servers to monitor, censor, or hack so Ri…
Jami - P2P encrypted chat network with cross-platform GNU client apps. Jami supports audio and video calls, screen sharing, conference hosting and instant messaging.Tox & qTox client - Open source, encrypted, distributed chat network, with clients for desktop and mobile - see supported clients. Clearly documented code and multiple language bindings make it easy for developers to int…
✳️ Notable Mentions
- Cwtch
- BitMessage
- RetroShare
- Xeres
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Encrypted Email
Email is not secure - your messages can be easily intercepted and read. Corporations scan the content of your mail, to build up a profile of you, either to show you targeted ads or to sell onto third-parties. Through the Prism Program, the government also has full access to your emails (if not end-to-end encrypted) - this applies to Gmail, Outlook Mail, Yahoo Mail, GMX, ZoHo, iCloud, AOL and more.
For a more details comparison of email providers, see email-comparison.as93.net
ProtonMail - An end-to-end encrypted anonymous email service. ProtonMail has a modern easy-to-use and customizable UI, as well as fast, secure native mobile apps. ProtonMail has all the features that you'd expect…
Tuta - Free and open source email service based in Germany. It has a basic intuitive UI, secure native mobile apps and desktop email clients, anonymous signup, and an encrypted calendar. Tuta has a full-feat…
Mailfence - Mailfence supports OpenPGP so that you can manually exchange encryption keys independently from the Mailfence servers, putting you in full control. Mailfence has a simple UI, similar to that of Outloo…
MailBox.org - A Berlin-based, eco-friendly secure mail provider. There is no free plan, the standard service costs €12/year. You can use your own domain, with the option of a catch-all alias. They provide good acco…
⚠️ Word of Warning
- When using an end-to-end encryption technology like OpenPGP, some metadata in the email header will not be encrypted.
- OpenPGP also does not support Forward secrecy, which means if either your or the recipient's private key is ever stolen, all previous messages encrypted with it will be exposed. You should take great care to keep your private keys safe.
✳️ Notable Mentions
- HushMail
- Soverin
- StartMail
- Posteo
- Disroot
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Email Clients
Email clients are the programs used to interact with the mail server. For hosted email, then the web and mobile clients provided by your email service are usually adequate, and may be the most secure option. For self-hosted email, you will need to install and configure mail clients for web, desktop or mobile. A benefit of using an IMAP client, is that you will always have an offline backup of all email messages (which can then be encrypted and archived), and many applications let you aggregate multiple mailboxes for convenience. Desktop mail clients are not vulnerable to the common browser attacks, that their web app counterparts are.
Mozilla Thunderbird - Free and open source email application developed and backed by Mozilla -it's secure, private easy and customizable. As of V 78.2.1 encryption is built in, and the TorBirdy extension routes all traffic…eM Client - Productivity-based email client, for Windows and MacOS. eM Client has a clean user interface, snappy performance and good compatibility. There is a paid version, with some handy features, including sn…
SnappyMail - Simple, modern, fast web-based mail client. This is an IMAP-only fork of RainLoop that mitigates a severe RainLoop vulnerability and adds several new features.…
RoundCube - Browser-based multilingual IMAP client with an application-like user interface. It provides full functionality you expect from an email client, including MIME support, address book, folder manipulatio…
FairEmail - Open source, fully-featured and easy mail client for Android. Supports unlimited accounts and email addresses with the option for a unified inbox. Clean user interface, with a dark mode option, it is…
K-9 Mail - K-9 (or Thunderbird for Android) is open source, very well supported and trusted - k9 has been around for nearly as long as Android itself! It supports multiple accounts, search, IMAP push email, mult…
⚠️ Word of Warning
One disadvantage of mail clients, is that many of them do not support 2FA, so it is important to keep your device secured and encrypted
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Mail Forwarding
Revealing your real email address online can put you at risk. Email aliasing allows messages to be sent to [anything]@my-domain.com and still land in your primary inbox. This protects your real email address from being revealed. Aliases are generated automatically, the first time they are used. This approach lets you identify which provider leaked your email address, and block an alias with 1-click.
Addy - An open source anonymous email forwarding service, allowing you to create unlimited email aliases. Has a free plan.SimpleLogin - Fully open source (view on GitHub) alias service with many additional features. Can be self-hosted, or the managed version has a free plan, as well as hosted premium option ($2.99/ month) for using cu…
Firefox Private Relay - Developed and managed by Mozilla, Relay is a Firefox addon, that lets you make an email alias with 1 click, and have all messages forwarded onto your personal email. Relay is totally free to use, and…
Forward Email - Catch-all email forwarding service with unlimited aliases and custom domains, configured via DNS records. Self-hostable; the hosted version has a limited free plan, with paid plans (from $3/month) add…
✳️ Notable Mentions
Some full email providers include aliasing or catch-all addresses as a built-in (usually premium) feature. For example, Proton (catch-all, plus hide-my-email aliases via Proton Pass), StartMail, mailbox.org and Posteo all offer this.
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Email Security Tools
Email Privacy Tester - Tests whether your mail client "reads" emails before you open them, and what analytics, read-receipts or other tracking data it leaks back to the sender. Developed by Mike Cardwell; use a spare addres…
DKIM Verifier - Verifies DKIM signatures and shows the result in the e-mail header, in order to help spot spoofed emails (which do not come from the domain that they claim to).
Paperweight - Paperweight scans your inbox to map your digital footprint, then helps you take back control and delete your data.
✳️ Notable Mentions
If you are using ProtonMail, then the ProtonMail Bridge enables you to sync & backup your emails to your own desktop mail client. It works well with Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook and others
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VOIP Clients
Mumble - Open source, low-latency, high quality voice chat software. You can host your own server, or use a hosted instance, there are client applications for Windows, MacOS and Linux as well as third-party ap…
Linphone - Open source audio, video and IM groups with E2E encryption and built-in media server. SIP-based evolving to RCS. Native apps for Android, iOS, Windows, GNU/Linux and MacOS.…
✳️ Notable Mentions
- SpoofCard - Lets you make anonymous phone calls + voicemail, but not open source and limited information on security (avoid sending any secure info).
- MicroSip - An open source portable SIP softphone for Windows based on PJSIP stack
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Virtual Phone Numbers
SMSPool - Don't feel comfortable giving out your phone number? Protect your online identity by using our one-time-use non-VoIP phone numbers. We support over 50+ countries and support over 300+ services.
Silent.link - Anonymous eSIM for sending / receiving SMS, incoming calls and 4G / 5G internet + world-wide roaming. No data is required at sign-up. Affordable pricing, with payments and top-ups accepted in BTC. Req…
Crypton.sh - Physical SIM card in the cloud, for sending + receiving SMS messages. Messages are encrypted using your chosen private key. Includes a web interface, as well as an API for interacting with it from any…
Jmp.chat - Phone number for incoming + outgoing calls and messages, provided by Soprani. Works with Jabber, Matrix, Snikket, XMPP or any SIP client. Pricing starts at $4.99 / month. Only available in the US and…
MoneroSMS - Anonymous SMS service able to activate accounts. Accessible over web, CLI, or email. Pricing starts at $3.60 / month. The service is in beta as of 2022.
PikaSim - Privacy-focused eSIM provider for 170+ countries, with instant eSIM delivery. No account, ID, email needed, and accepts crypto via a self-hosted BTCPay Server.nadanada - Disposable (20-min) and extendable rental (3-month) phone numbers for anonymous SMS verification, plus anonymous eSIM data plans for 200+ countries. No account, no email, no KYC. Pay with Bitcoin, Mon…
Narayana - Anonymous physical SIMs, eSIMs, VoIP phone numbers, and other advanced features. Inbound/outbound calls, SMS and roaming internet. Very private, has a Tor mirror, accepts crypto, doesn't KYC and you c…
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Team Collaboration
Now more than ever we are relying on software to help with team collaboration. Unfortunately many popular options, such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google for Work and Discord all come with some serious privacy implications.
Typical features of team collaboration software includes: instant messaging, closed and open group messaging, voice and video conference calling, file sharing/ file drop, and some level or scheduling functionality.
Rocket.Chat - Easy-to-deploy, self-hosted Slack alternative with polished cross-platform apps. End-to-end encryption is supported, but off by default - without it, workspace admins can read all messages. Usage stat…
Element - Privacy-focused messenger using the Matrix protocol. The Element client allows for group chat rooms, media sharing, voice and video group calls. End-to-end encryption by default for message content, b…
Mattermost - Self-hostable Slack alternative with native desktop, mobile and web apps, and many integrations. There's no end-to-end encryption, so the server can read all messages, and telemetry is on by default.…
Zulip - Open source team chat organized around topic-based threading, which keeps busy conversations easier to follow than channel-only tools. Can be self-hosted, or used as a paid cloud service. The threadin…
Xeres - A decentralized, encrypted P2P friend-to-friend app for chat, forums, channels, boards, voice calls and anonymous file sharing. Best for trusted contacts, as it isn't anonymous unless you route it thr…
✳️ Notable Mentions
Some chat platforms allow for cross-platform group chats, voice and video conferencing, but without the additional collaboration features. For example, Tox, Mumble and Jami.
IRC is decentralized, easy to self-host and has a wide choice of clients, making it a good fit for open community channels and public project support. But there's no end-to-end encryption - TLS only protects the connection to the server, so operators can read all messages, and your IP may be exposed unless the network supports host cloaking. Avoid it for private or confidential team communication.
For Conferences, OSEM is an open source all-in-one conference management tool, providing Registration, Schedules, Live and Recorded Sessions, Paper Submissions, Marketing Pages and Administration.
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Security Tools
Browser Extensions
The following browser add-ons give you better control over what content is able to be loaded and executed while your browsing.
Before installing anything, you should read the Word of Warning section below.
Privacy Badger - Blocks invisible trackers, in order to stop advertisers and other third-parties from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you look at. Less configurable but simpler than uBlock, and focuses o…
uBlock Origin - Block ads, trackers and malware sites. Download: Chrome - Firefox…
Firefox Multi-Account Containers - Firefox Multi-Account Containers lets you keep parts of your online life separated into color-coded tabs that preserve your privacy. Cookies are separated by container, allowing you to use the web wit…WebRTC-Leak-Prevent - Provides user control over WebRTC privacy settings in Chromium, in order to prevent WebRTC leaks. Download: Chrome. For Firefox users, you can do this through browser settings. Test for WebRTC leaks,…
Canvas Fingerprint Blocker - Block fingerprint without removing access to HTML5 Canvas element. Canvas fingerprinting is commonly used for tracking, this extension helps to mitigate this through disallowing the browser to generat…
ClearURLs - This extension will automatically remove tracking elements from the GET parameters of URLs to help protect some privacy Download: Chrome - Firefox / Source…
Privacy-Oriented Origin Policy - Prevent Firefox from sending Origin headers when they are least likely to be necessary, to protect your privacy Download: Firefox - Source…LocalCDN - Emulates remote frameworks (e.g. jQuery, Bootstrap, Angular) and delivers them as local resource. Prevents unnecessary 3rd party requests to tracking CDNs Download: Firefox…
Decentraleyes - Similar to LocalCDN, Serves up local versions of common scripts instead of calling to 3rd-party CDN. Improves privacy and load times. Works out-of-the-box and plays nicely with regular content blocker…Privacy Essentials - Simple extension by DuckDuckGo, which grades the security of each site. Download: Chrome \ Firefox…
User Agent Switcher - Spoofs browser's User-Agent string, making it appear that you are on a different device, browser and version to what you are actually using. This alone does very little for privacy, but combined with…
PrivacySpy - The companion extension for PrivacySpy.org - an open project that rates, annotates, and archives privacy policies. The extension shows a score for the privacy policy of the current website. Download:…
Skip Redirect - Some web pages use intermediary pages before redirecting to a final page. This add-on tries to extract the final url from the intermediary url and goes there straight away if successful Download: Firefox…
Web Archives - View archived and cached versions of web pages on 10+ search engines, such as the Wayback Machine, Archive.is, Google etc Useful for checking legitimacy of websites, and viewing change logs Download:…
Flagfox - Displays a country flag depicting the location of the current website's server, which can be useful to know at a glance. Click icon for more tools such as site safety checks, whois, validation etc Download…AmIUnique Timeline - Enables you to better understand the evolution of browser fingerprints (which is what websites use to uniquely identify and track you). Download: Chrome - Firefox…
Netcraft Extension - Notifies you when visiting a known or potential phishing site, and detects suspicious JavaScript (including skimmers and miners). Also provides a simple rating for a given site's legitimacy and securi…
Linguist - Linguist is a privacy‑focused translation solution in-browser that has an embedded offline translator and lets users create custom translators to use any translation API, even if it's locally deployed…
LibRedirect - A browser extension that redirects popular sites to alternative privacy friendly frontends Download: Firefox - Chrome…
SponsorBlock - Crowdsourced browser extension that skips sponsored segments and other unwanted parts of YouTube videos using community-submitted timestamps. Download: Firefox - Chrome…
DeArrow - Crowdsourced browser extension that replaces YouTube video titles and thumbnails using community-submitted versions to stop clickbait. Download: Firefox - Chrome…
⚠️ Word of Warning
- Having many extensions installed raises entropy, causing your fingerprint to be more unique, hence making tracking easier.
- Much of the functionality of the above addons can be applied without installing anything, by configuring browser settings yourself. For Firefox this is done in the user.js
- Be careful when installing unfamiliar browser add-ons, since some can compromise your security and privacy. At the time of writing, the above list were all open source, verified and 'safe' extensions.
- In most situations, only a few of the above extensions will be needed in combination.
- See the arkenfox wiki for more information on the obsolescence and purposelessness of many popular extensions, and why you may only need a very limited set.
✳️ Notable Mentions
- Extension source viewer - A handy extension for viewing the source code of another browser extension, which is a useful tool for verifying the code does what it says
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Mobile Apps
Orbot - System-wide Tor proxy, which encrypts your connection through multiple nodes. You can also use it alongside Tor Browser to access .onion sites.
NetGuard - A firewall app for Android, which does not require root. NetGuard provides simple and advanced ways to block access to the internet, where applications and addresses can individually be allowed or den…Island - A sandbox environment, allowing you to clone selected apps and run them in an isolated box, preventing it from accessing your personal data, or device information.
Insular - An actively-maintained fork of the Island project with additional enhancements
Exodus - Shows which trackers, each of your installed apps is using, so that you can better understand how your data is being collected. Uses data from the Exodus database of scanned APKs.Bouncer - Gives you the ability to grant permissions temporarily, so that you could for example use the camera to take a profile picture, but when you close the given app, those permissions will be revoked.
SuperFreezZ - Makes it possible to entirely freeze all background activities on a per-app basis. Intended purpose is to speed up your phone, and prolong battery life, but this app is also a great utility to stop ce…Secure Task - Triggers actions, when certain security conditions are met, such as multiple failed login attempts or monitor settings changed. It does require Tasker, and needs to be set up with ADB, device does not…
Cryptomator - Encrypts files and folders client-side, before uploading them to cloud storage (such as Google Drive, One Drive or Dropbox), meaning none of your personal documents leave your device in plain text.
1.1.1.1 - Lets you use CloudFlares fast and secure 1.1.1.1 DNS, with DNS over HTTPS, and also has the option to enable CloudFlares WARP+ VPN.
Fing App - A network scanner to help you monitor and secure your WiFi network. The app is totally free, but to use the advanced controls, you will need a Fing Box.
Blokada - This application blocks ads and trackers, doesn't require root and works for all the apps on your Android phone. Check out how it works here.
TrackerControl - Monitor and control hidden data collection in mobile apps about user behavior/ tracking. Get from F-Droid
Greentooth - Auto-disable Bluetooth, then it is not being used. Saves battery, and prevent some security risks. Get from F-Droid
PrivateLock - Auto lock your phone based on movement force/ acceleration. Get from F-Droid See also PluckLock
CamWings - Prevent background processes gaining unauthorized access to your devices camera. Better still, use a webcam sticker.- ScreenWings - Prevent background processes taking unauthorized screenshots, which could expose sensitive data.
AFWall+ - Android Firewall+ (AFWall+) is an advanced iptables editor (GUI) for rooted Android devices, which provides very fine-grained control over which Android apps are allowed to access the network. Get fro…
Catch the Man-in-the-Middle - Simple tool, that compares SHA-1 fingerprints of the the SSL certificates seen from your device, and the certificate seen from an external network. If they do not match, this may indicate a man-in-the…
RethinkDNS & Firewall - An open-source ad-blocker and firewall app for Android 6+ (does not require root).
F-Droid - F-Droid is an installable catalogue of FOSS applications for Android. The client enables you to browse, install, and keep track of updates on your device.
Spectre - A radio frequency scanner app for Android with recon and offensive capabilities.
⚠️ Word of Warning
Too many installed apps will increase your attack surface - only install applications that you need. Be sure to check the permissions, and what data an app has access to prior to installation. Only install from official sources.
✳️ Notable Mentions
For more open source security & privacy apps, check out these publishers: The Guardian Project (Play Store, F-Droid), The Tor Project (Play Store, F-Droid), Oasis Feng (Play Store), FairCode (Marcel Bokhorst) (Play Store, F-Droid), SECUSO Research Group (Play Store, F-Droid), and Fossify (Play Store, F-Droid) - all of which are trusted developers or organisations, who've done amazing work.
For offensive and defensive security, see The Kali Nethunter Catalogue of apps
For advanced users, the following tools can be used to closely monitor your devise and networks, in order to detect any unusual activity. [PortDroid] for network analysis, [Packet Capture] to monitor network traffic, [SysLog] for viewing system logs, [Dexplorer] to read .dex or .apk files for your installed apps, and [Check and Test] to check status and details of devices hardware.
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Online Tools
A selection of free online tools and utilities, to check, test and protect your security
Have i been pwned - Checks if your credentials (Email address or Password) have been compromised in a data breach. See also Firefox Monitor.
εxodus - Checks how many, and which trackers any Android app has. Useful to understand how data is being collected before you install a certain APK, it also shows which permissions the app asks for.Panopticlick - Check if your browser safe against tracking. Analyzes how well your browser and add-ons protect you against online tracking techniques, and if your system is uniquely configured—and thus identifiable.
Phish.ly - Analyzes emails, checking the URLs and creating a SHA256 and MD5 hash of attachments, with a link to VirusTotal. To use the service, just forward a potentially malicious or suspicious email to scan@ph…Browser Leak Test - Shows which of personal identity data is being leaked through your browser, so you can better protect yourself against fingerprinting.
IP Leak Test - Shows your IP address, and other associated details (location, ISP, WebRTC check, DNS, and lots more).
EXIF Remove - Displays, and removes Meta and EXIF data from an uploaded photo or document.
Redirect Detective - Check where a suspicious URL redirects to (without having to click it). Lets you avoid being tracked by not being redirected via adware/tracking sites, or see if a shortened link actually resolves a l…
Blocked.org - Checks if a given website is blocked by filters applied by your mobile and broadband Internet Service Providers (ISP).
Virus Total - Analyses a potentially-suspicious web resources (by URL, IP, domain or file hash) to detect types of malware (note: files are scanned publicly).
Hardenize - Scan websites and shows a security overview, relating to factors such as HTTPS, domain info, email data, www protocols and so on.
Is Legit? - Checks if a website or business is a scam, before buying something from it.Should I Remove It? - Ever been uninstalling programs from your Windows PC and been unsure of what something is? Should I Remove It is a database of Windows software, detailing whether it is essential, harmless or dangerou…
10 Minute Mail - Generates temporary disposable email address, to avoid giving your real details.MXToolBox Mail Headers - Tool for analyzing email headers, useful for checking the authenticity of messages, as well as knowing what info you are revealing in your outbound messages.
Site Report - A tool from Netcraft, for analysing what any given website is running, where it's located and information about its host, registrar, IP and SSL certificates.
⚠️ Word of Warning
Browsers are inherently insecure, be careful when uploading, or entering personal details.
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Networking
Virtual Private Networks
Mullvad - Mullvad is one of the best for privacy, they have a totally anonymous sign up process, you don't need to provide any details at all, you can choose to pay anonymously too (with Monero, BTC or cash).
Azire - Azire is a Swedish VPN provider, who owns their own hardware with physically removed storage and a no logging policy. Pricing starts at €3.25/mo, with crypto (including XMR) supported. Note that they'…IVPN - Independently Security Audited VPN with anonymous signup, no logs, no cloud or customer data stored, open-source apps and website. Strong ethics: no trackers, no false promises, no surveillance ads. A…
ProtonVPN - From the creators of ProtonMail, ProtonVPN has a solid reputation. They have a full suite of user-friendly native mobile and desktop apps. ProtonVPN is one of the few "trustworthy" providers that also…OVPN - A court-proven VPN service with support for Wireguard and OpenVPN support, and optional ad-blocking. Running on dedicated hardware, with no hard drives.
Party VPN - Crypto-native VPN with pay-as-you-go pricing. Accepts cryptocurrency only, including Monero. WireGuard and AmneziaWG protocols, no-logs policy, REST API for developers. No subscriptions or credit card…Windscribe - An audited and court-proven VPN with a free 10GB plan, in-RAM servers, browser extensions and open source WireGuard/IKEv2/OpenVPN clients. Supports split tunneling, customizable DNS blocking, MAC spoo…
⚠️ Word of Warning
- A VPN does not make you anonymous - it merely changes your public IP address to that of your VPN provider, instead of your ISP. Your browsing session can still be linked back to your real identity either through your system details (such as user agent, screen resolution even typing patterns), cookies / session storage, or by the identifiable data that you enter. Read more about fingerprinting
- Logging - If you choose to use a VPN because you do not agree with your ISP logging your full browsing history, then it is important to keep in mind that your VPN provider can see (and mess with) all your traffic. Many VPNs claim not to keep logs, but you cannot be certain of this (VPN leaks). See this article for more
- IP Leaks - If configured incorrectly, your IP may be exposed through a DNS leak. This usually happens when your system is unknowingly accessing default DNS servers rather than the anonymous DNS servers assigned by an anonymity network or VPN. Read more: What is a DNS leak, DNS Leak Test, How to Fix a DNS Leak
- Stealth - It will be visible to your adversary that you are using a VPN (usually from the IP address), but other system and browser data, can still reveal information about you and your device (such as your local time-zone, indicating which region you are operating from)
- Many reviews are sponsored, and hence biased. Do your own research, or go with one of the above options
- Using Tor (or another Mix Network) may be a better option for anonimity
✳️ Notable Mentions
If you don't trust a VPN provider not to keep logs, then you could self-host your own VPN. This gives you you total control, but at the cost of anonymity (since your cloud provider, will require your billing info). See Streisand, to learn more, and get started with running a VPN. Digital Ocean provides flexible, secure and easy Linux VMs, (from $0.007/hour or $5/month), Here is a 1-click install scriptfor on Digital Ocean, by Carl Friess. Recently distributed self-hosted solutions for running your own VPNs have become more popular, with services like Outline letting you spin up your own instance and share it with friends and family. Since it's distributed, it is very resistant to blocking, and gives you world-wide access to the free and open internet. And since you have full control over the server, you can be confident that there is no logging or monitoring happening. However it comes at the cost of anonymity, especially if it's only you using your instance.
ℹ️ Further Info
While choosing a VPN, consider the following: Logging policy (logs are bad), Jurisdiction (avoid 5-eyes), Number of servers, availability and average load. Payment method (anonymous methods such as BTC, Monero or cash are better), Leak protection (1st-party DNS servers = good, and check if IPv6 is supported), protocols (OpenVPN and WireGuard = good). Finally, usability of their apps, user reviews and download speeds.
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Self-Hosted Network Security
Fun little projects that you can run on a Raspberry Pi, or other low-powered computer. In order to help detect and prevent threats, monitor network and filter content
Pi-Hole - Network-level advertisement and Internet tracker blocking application which acts as a DNS sinkhole. Pi-Hole can significantly speed up your internet, remove ads and block malware. It comes with a nice…Technitium - Another DNS server for blocking privacy-invasive content at its source. Technitium doesn't require much of a setup, and basically works straight out of the box, it supports a wide range of systems (an…
IPFire - A hardened, versatile, state-of-the-art open source firewall based on Linux. Its ease of use, high performance and extensibility make it usable for everyone.
PiVPN - A simple way to set up a home VPN on any Debian server. Supports OpenVPN and WireGuard with elliptic curve encryption keys up to 512 bit. Supports multiple DNS providers and custom DNS providers - wor…
E2guardian - Powerful open source web content filter.
PF Sense - Widely used, open source firewall/router.Zeek - Detect if you have a malware-infected computer on your network, and powerful network analysis framework and monitor.
Firezone - Open-source self-hosted VPN and firewall built on WireGuard®.
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Anonymity Networks
I2P - I2P offers great generic transports, it is well geared towards accessing hidden services, and has a couple of technical benefits over Tor: P2P friendly with unidirectional short-lived tunnels, it is p…
Freenet - Freenet is easy to setup, provides excellent friend To Friend Sharing vs I2P, and is great for publishing content anonymously. It's quite large in size, and very slow so not the best choice for casual…
⚠️ Word of Warning
To provide low-latency browsing, Tor does not mix packets or generate cover traffic. If an adversary is powerful enough, theoretically they could either observe the entire network, or just the victims entry and exit nodes. It's worth mentioning, that even though your ISP can not see what you are doing, they will be able determine that you are using a mix net, to hide this - a VPN could be used as well. If you are doing anything which could put you at risk, then good OpSec is essential, as the authorities have traced criminals through the Tor network before, and made arrests. Don't let Tor provide you a false sense of security - be aware of information leaks through DNS, other programs or human error. Tor-supported browsers may might lag behind their upstream forks, and include exploitable unpatched issues. See #19
Note: The Tor network is run by the community. If you benefit from using it and would like to help sustain uncensored internet access for all, consider running a Tor relay
✳️ Notable Mentions
- GNUnet
- IPFS
- ZeroNet
- Panoramix
- Nym
ℹ️ Further Info
Tor, I2P and Freenet are all anonymity networks - but they work very differently and each is good for specific purposes. So a good and viable solution would be to use all of them, for different tasks. You can read more about how I2P compares to Tor, here
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Proxies
A proxy acts as a gateway between you and the internet, it can be used to act as a firewall or web filter, improves privacy and can also be used to provide shared network connections and cache data to speed up common requests. Never use a free proxy.
ShadowSocks - Secure socks5 proxy, designed to protect your Internet traffic. Open source, superfast, cross-platform and easy to deploy, see GitHub repo.
Privoxy - Non-caching web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for enhancing privacy, modifying web page data and HTTP headers, controlling access, and removing ads and other obnoxious Internet junk.
⚠️ Word of Warning
Malicious Proxies are all too common. Always use open source software, host it yourself or pay for a reputable cloud service. Never use a free proxy; it can monitor your connection, steal cookies and contain malware. VPNs are a better option, better still - use the Tor network.
✳️ Notable Mentions
V2ray-core is a platform for building proxies to bypass network restrictions and protect your privacy. See more TransparentTorProxy is a Linux CLI utility that transparently routes all system traffic through the Tor network.
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DNS Providers
Without using a secure, privacy-centric DNS all your web requests can be seen in the clear. You should configure your DNS queries to be managed by a service that respects privacy and supports DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-HTTPS or DNSCrypt.
CloudFlare - One of the most performant options, Cloudflare's DNS supports DoH and DoT, and has a Tor implementation, providing world-class protection. They have native cross-platform apps, for easy set-up.
AdGuard - Open-source DNS provider, specialising in the blocking of ads, trackers and malicious domains. They have been independently audited and do not keep logs.NextDNS - An ad-blocking, privacy-protecting, censorship-bypassing DNS. Also comes with analytics, and the ability to shield kids from adult content.
⚠️ Word of Warning
Using an encrypted DNS resolver will not make you anonymous, it just makes it harder for third-partied to discover your domain history. If you are using a VPN, take a DNS leak test, to ensure that some requests are not being exposed.
✳️ Notable Mentions
- Quad9 - A well-funded, performant DNS with a strong focus on privacy and security and easy set-up, however questions have been raised about the motivation of some of the financial backers.
- BlahDNS - (Japan, Finland or Germany) is an excellent security-focused DNS> - OpenNIC - NixNet DNS and UncensoredDNS are open source and democratic, privacy-focused DNS
- Unbound - A validating, recursive, caching DNS resolver, designed to be fast and lean. Incorporates modern features and based on open standards
- Clean Browsing - A good option for protecting kids, they offer comprehensive DNS-based Content Filtering
- Mullvad - Mullvads public DNS with QNAME minimization and basic ad blocking. It has been audited by the security experts at Assured. You can use this privacy-enhancing service even if you don't use Mullvad.
ℹ️ Further Info
DNS Protocols
DNS-over-TLS was proposed in RTC-7858 by the IETF, then 2 years later, the DNS-over-HTTPS specification was outlined in RFC8484 in October '18. DNSCrypt, is a protocol that authenticates communications between a DNS client and a DNS resolver. It prevents DNS spoofing, through using cryptographic signatures to verify that responses originate from the chosen DNS resolver, and haven't been tampered with. DNSCrypt is a well battle-tested protocol, that has been in use since 2013, and is still widely used.
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DNS Clients
DNScrypt-proxy 2 - A flexible DNS proxy, with support for modern encrypted DNS protocols including DNSCrypt V2, DNS-over-HTTPS and Anonymized DNSCrypt. Also allows for advanced monitoring, filtering, caching and client…
Unbound - Validating, recursive, caching DNS resolve with support for DNS-over-TLS. Designed to be fast, lean, and secure Unbound incorporates modern features based on open standards. It's fully open source, an…
Nebulo - Non-root, small-sized DNS changer utilizing DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS. (Note, since this uses Android's VPN API, it is not possible to run a VPN while using Nebulo.)
RethinkDNS & Firewall - Free and open source DNS changer with support for DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-Tor, and DNSCrypt v3 with Anonymized Relays. (Note, since this uses Android's VPN API, it is not possible to run a VPN while…
Stubby - Acts as a local DNS Privacy stub resolver (using DNS-over-TLS). Stubby encrypts DNS queries sent from a client machine (desktop or laptop) to a DNS Privacy resolver increasing end user privacy. Stubby…
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Firewalls
A firewall is a program which monitors the incoming and outgoing traffic on your network, and blocks requests based on rules set during its configuration. Properly configured, a firewall can help protect against attempts to remotely access your computer, as well as control which applications can access which IPs.
NetGuard - Provides simple and advanced ways to block access to the internet. Applications and addresses can individually be allowed or denied access to Wi-Fi and/or mobile connection.- RethinkDNS & Firewall - An open-source ad-blocker and firewall app for Android 6+ (does not require root).
Lockdown - Firewall app for iPhone, allowing you to block any connection to any domain.
SimpleWall - Tool to control Windows Filtering Platform (WFP), in order to configure detailed network activity on your PC. (Windows)
LuLu - Free, open source macOS firewall. It aims to block unknown outgoing connections, unless explicitly approved by the user.
Little Snitch - A very polished application firewall, allowing you to easily manage internet connections on a per-app basis. (Mac OS)
OpenSnitch - Makes internet connections from all apps visible, allowing you to block or manage traffic on a per-app basis. GNU/Linux port of the Little Snitch application firewall.
Gufw - Open source GUI firewall for Linux, allowing you to block internet access for certain applications. Supports both simple and advanced mode, GUI and CLI options, very easy to use, lightweight/ low-over…Uncomplicated Firewall - The ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall) is a GUI application and CLI, that allows you to configure a firewall using
iptablesmuch more easily.- IPFire - IPFire is a hardened, versatile, state-of-the-art Open Source firewall based on Linux. Easy to install on a raspberry Pi, since it is lightweight and heavily customizable.
Shorewall - An open source firewall tool for Linux that builds upon the Netfilter system built into the Linux kernel, making it easier to manage more complex configuration schemes with iptables.
BunkerWeb - BunkerWeb is an open-source Next-Generation Web Application Firewall (WAF). It provides easy protection for your web services and is designed to remain secure by default. It integrates seamlessly with…
OPNSense - Enterprise firewall and router for protecting networks, built on the FreeBSD system.
⚠️ Word of Warning
There are different types of firewalls, that are used in different circumstances. This does not omit the need to configure your operating systems defences. Follow these instructions to enable your firewall in Windows, Mac OS, Ubuntu and other Linux distros.
Even when properly configured, having a firewall enabled does not guarantee bad network traffic can not get through and especially during boot if you don't have root privileges.
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Ad Blockers
There are a few different ways to block ads - browser-based ad-blockers, router-based / device blockers or VPN ad-blockers. Typically they work by taking a maintained list of hosts, and filtering each domain/ IP through it. Some also have other methods to detect certain content based on pattern matching
- Pi-Hole - Incredibly powerful, network-wide ad-blocker. Works out-of-the-box, light-weight with an intuitive web interface, but still allows for a lot of advanced configuration for power users. As well as block…
Diversion - A shell script application to manage ad-blocking, Dnsmasq logging, Entware and pixelserv-tls installations and more on supported routers running Asuswrt-Merlin firmware, including its forks.
hBlock - A POSIX-compliant shell script, designed for Unix-like systems, that gets a list of domains that serve ads, tracking scripts and malware from multiple sources and creates a hosts file (alternative for…Blokada - Open source mobile ad-blocker that acts like a firewall. Since it's device-wide, once connected all apps will have ads/ trackers blocked, and the blacklist can be edited. The app is free, but there is…
- RethinkDNS & Firewall - Free and open source ad-blocker and a firewall for Android 6+ (no root required).
- uBlock Origin - Light-weight, fast browser extension for Firefox and Chromium (Chrome, Edge, Brave Opera etc), that blocks tracking, ads and known malware. uBlock is easy-to-use out-of-the-box, but also has a highly…
AdGuard Home - Self-hosted, network-wide DNS server that blocks ads and trackers for every device on your network, comparable to Pi-hole. Open source, with a web dashboard, encrypted DNS, and parental controls. Need…
✳️ Notable Mentions
Some VPNs have ad-tracking blocking features, such as TrackStop with PerfectPrivacy.
Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, PureVPN, and NordVPN also have ad-block features. But do not meet security/privact requirements to be included.
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Host Block Lists
SomeoneWhoCares/ Hosts - An up-to-date host list, maintained by Dan Pollock - to make the internet not suck (as much).
Hosts by StevenBlack - Open source, community-maintained consolidated and extending hosts files from several well-curated sources. You can optionally pick extensions to block p0rn, Social Media, gambling, fake news and othe…
No Google - Totally block all direct and indirect content from Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft (or just some).EasyList - Comprehensive list of domains for blocking tracking, social scripts, bad cookies and annoying stuff.
iBlockList - Variety of lists (free and paid-for) for blocking content based on certain topics, inducing: spam, abuse, political, illegal, hijacked, bad peers and more.
HaGeZi DNS Blocklists - A set of DNS blocklists that block ads, trackers, telemetry, phishing, malware, scams, and other unwanted domains network-wide. They work for any region and with every common DNS server, ad blocker, a…
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Router Firmware
Installing a custom firmware on your Wi-Fi router gives you greater control over security, privacy and performance
OpenWRT - Plenty of scope for customization and a ton of supported addons. Stateful firewall, NAT, and dynamically-configured port forwarding protocols (UPnP, NAT-PMP + upnpd, etc), Load balancing, IP tunneling…
DD-WRT - Easy and powerful user interface. Great access control, bandwidth monitoring and quality of service. IPTables is built-in for firewall, and there's great VPN support as well as additional plug-and-pla…
⚠️ Word of Warning
Flashing custom firmware may void your warranty. If power is interrupted mid-way through a firmware install/ upgrade it is possible for your device to become bricked. So long as you follow a guide, and use a well supported system, on a supported router, than it should be safe
✳️ Notable Mentions
- Tomato
- Gargoyle
- LibreCMC
- DebWRT
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Network Analysis
Whether you live in a country behind a firewall, or accessing the internet through a proxy - these tools will help you better understand the extent of blocking, deep packet inspection and what data is being analysed
OONI - Open Observatory of Network Interference - A free tool and global observation network, for detecting censorship, surveillance and traffic manipulation on the internet. Developed by The Tor Project, an…
Goodbye DPI - Passive Deep Packet Inspection blocker and Active DPI circumvention utility, for Windows.Proxy Checker - You can quickly check if a given IP is using a proxy, this can also be done through the command line.
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Intrusion Detection
An IDS is an application that monitors a network or computer system for malicious activity or policy violations, and notifies you of any unusual or unexpected events. If you are running a server, then it's essential to know about an incident as soon as possible, in order to minimize damage.
OSSEC - OSSEC is an Open Source host-based intrusion detection system, that performs log analysis, integrity checking, monitoring, rootkit detection, real-time alerting and active response.Kismet - An 802.11 layer2 wireless network detector, sniffer, and intrusion detection system.
Snare - SNARE (System iNtrusion Analysis and Reporting Environment) is a series of log collection agents that facilitate centralized analysis of audit log data. Logs from the OS are collected and audited. Ful…picosnitch - picosnitch helps protect your security and privacy by "snitching" on anything that connects to the internet, letting you know when, how much data was transferred, and to where. It uses BPF to monitor…
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Cloud Hosting
Web, VPS, storage and managed app hosting, from privacy-conscious providers that own and run their own infrastructure
Njalla - VPS, VPN and domain service run by njalla.srl in Costa Rica, on its own Swedish machines. Sign up with an email or XMPP address, and pay in crypto. Njalla is the legal registrant of domains you buy: y…
Bunker - French sovereign cloud from France Nuage: managed open-source apps, PostgreSQL and S3-compatible storage in its own datacenters. Source is public but under SSPL-1.0, which is not OSI-approved. ISO 270…1984 - Icelandic hosting, VPS and email, running on its own network (AS44925) and hardware since 2006. Bitcoin and Monero accepted, ISO 27001 certified, and powered by geothermal and hydro. Iceland sits outs…
Infomaniak - Swiss web hosting, VPS and OpenStack cloud, from a company that builds and runs its own datacenters and network (AS29222). ISO 27001 certified since 2018, and Swiss law keeps it outside the 14 Eyes an…
⚠️ Word of Warning
The country that your data is hosted in will be subject to local laws and regulations. It is therefore important to avoid a jurisdiction that is part of the 5 eyes and other international cooperatives who have legal right to view your data.
✳️ Notable Mentions
See also: Bahnhof, which offers high-security hosting from its own data centres in Sweden, but takes card and PayPal only. Greenhost runs its own network in Amsterdam, and hosts GlobaLeaks whistleblowing platforms for journalists and NGOs. Exoscale is an ISO 27001 certified Swiss IaaS provider with EU zones, though it is owned by Telekom Austria and colocates rather than owning its data centres. FlokiNET hosts in Iceland, Finland and Romania, needs no personal data and takes Monero, but its network is tracked by threat intelligence feeds for abuse. And Packetra offers hosting in Finland and Switzerland, with no identity documents at signup and payment in Bitcoin or Monero via a self-hosted BTCPay instance, though it is a new provider with no track record yet (see #749 for details).
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Domain Registrars
Orange Website - Anonymous domain registration, with low online censorship since they are based outside the 14-eyes jurisdiction (in Iceland). Crypto is accepted, but through third-party gateways which reserve the rig…
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DNS Hosting
deSEC - Free DNS hosting provider designed with security in mind, and running on purely open source software. deSEC is backed and funded by SSE.
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Mail Servers
Mail-in-a-box - Easy-to-deploy fully-featured and pre-configured SMTP mail server. It includes everything from webmail, to spam filtering and backups.
Docker Mailserver - A full-stack but simple mailserver (smtp, imap, antispam, antivirus, ssl...) using Docker. Very complete, with everything you will need, customizable and very easy to deploy with docker.
mailcow - A mail server with everything you need (SMTP, IMAP, webmail, NextCloud support..) using Docker.
⚠️ Word of Warning
Self-hosting your own mail server is not recommended for everyone, it can be time consuming to setup and maintain and securing it correctly is critical
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Productivity
Digital Notes
Standard Notes - S.Notes is a free, open-source, and completely encrypted private notes app. It has a simple UI, yet packs in a lot of features, thanks to the Extensions Store, allowing for: To-Do lists, Spreadsheets,…
Turtle - A secure, collaborative notebook. Self-host it yourself, or use their hosted plan (free edition or $3/ month for premium).Notable - An offline markdown-based note editor for desktop, with a simple, yet feature-rich UI. All notes are saved individually as .md files, making them easy to manage. No mobile app, built-in cloud-sync, en…
Joplin - Cross-platform desktop and mobile note-taking and todo app. Easy organisation into notebooks and sections, revision history and a simple UI. Allows for easy import and export of notes to or from other…
Logseq - Privacy-first, open-source knowledge base that works on top of local plain-text Markdown and Org-mode files. Supports lots of different note modes, including task management, PDF annotation, flashcard…
Obsidian - A powerful knowledge base that works on top of local plain-text Markdown files. It has a strong community, and a lot of plugins and themes. Generally privacy-respecting, but no encryption out of the b…
Cryptee - Private & encrypted rich-text documents. Cryptee has encryption and anonymity at its core, it also has a beautiful and minimalistic UI. You can use Cryptee from the browser, or download native apps. C…VNote - A free, open-source note-taking application built with Qt, focused on providing a pleasant Markdown editing experience. It manages notes directly as plain text files on your local system.
Poznote - Self-hosted notes and tasks app with rich-text, Markdown and drawing editors, tags, multi-user, OIDC login and a REST API. Docker-based (PHP + SQLite); the only outbound call is a daily update check.…
✳️ Notable Mentions
If you are already tied into Evernote, One Note etc, then SafeRoom is a utility that encrypts your entire notebook, before it is uploaded to the cloud.
Org Mode is a mode for GNU Emacs dedicated to working with the Org markup format. Org can be thought of as a more featureful Markdown alternative, with support for keeping notes, maintaining todo lists, planning projects, managing spreadsheets, and authoring documents -all in plaintext.
For a simple plain text note taking app, with strong encryption, see Protected Text, which works well with the Safe Notes Android app. Laverna is a cross-platform secure notes app, where all entries are formatted with markdown. Bangle.io is a local-first WYSIWYG Markdown notes PWA, storing notes in browser storage or user-selected folders.
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Calendar
Proton Calendar - The calendar app from the Proton suite. End-to-end encrypted. Supports ICS (not encrypted), colours, recurring events, mail integration, notifications and multiple time zones.
Nextcloud Calendar - Calendar app for the self-hosted Nextcloud platform. Uses CalDAV for sync across devices. No E2E encryption support.
Fossify Calendar - Fossify Calendar from the family of forked FOSS apps from the discontinued SimpleMobileTools. Simple, customizable, includes widgets. Note that CalDAV support is currently limited (see #921…
KashCal - Offline-first Android calendar that syncs with iCloud, CalDAV and device calendars. No account, no telemetry; credentials are stored in the Android Keystore. Events are not end-to-end encrypted, so sy…
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Scheduling
Tymeslot - Open-source (AGPL-3.0), self-hostable scheduling and calendar platform. Guests book without creating an account; hosts get a full calendar with two-way sync to Google, Outlook and iCloud. A managed cl…
Rallly - Open-source & self-hostable scheduling tool that helps you find the best date and time to meet. Create a poll with a few options, share the link, and let your participants vote on when they're availab…
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Task Management
Super Productivity - Privacy-respecting, open-source task manager and time tracker. All data is stored locally on your device - no account required, no cloud dependency, and zero telemetry. Supports Jira, GitLab, GitHub,…
Mindwtr - A Getting Things Done + Pomodoro productivity system for desktop and mobile. Local-first, no account required, can sync via WebDAV/Dropbox/local file or self-hosted deployment. With a CLI, REST API an…Vikunja - Vikunja is an open-source to-do application. It is suitable for a wide variety of projects, supporting List, Gantt, Table and Kanban views to visualize all tasks in different contexts. For collaborati…
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Backup and Sync
SeaFile - An open source cloud storage and sync solution. Files are grouped into Libraries, which can be individually encrypted, shared of synced. Docker image available for easy deployment, and native clients…
Syncthing - Continuous file synchronization between 2 or more clients. It is simple, yet powerful, and fully-encrypted and private. Syncthing can be deployed with Docker, and there are native clients for Windows,…
NextCloud - Feature-rich productivity platform, that can be used to backup and selectively sync encrypted files and folders between 1 or more clients. A key benefit the wide range of plug-ins in the NextCloud App…
bewCloud - Modern and simpler alternative to Nextcloud/ownCloud crafted with TypeScript. Unifies file management, sync, sharing, notes, RSS, expenses, calendars, contacts, and photos, with MFA, WebDAV, CalDAV, C…
⚠️ Word of Warning
You should always ensure that any data stored in the cloud is encrypted. If you are hosting your own server, then take the necessary precautions to secure the server. For hosted solutions - use a strong password, keep your credentials safe and enable 2FA.
✳️ Notable Mentions
Alternatively, consider a headless utility such as Duplicacy or Duplicity. Both of offer an encrypted and efficient sync between 2 or more locations, using the rsync algorithm.
SpiderOak, Tresorit and Resilio are good enterprise solutions, all with solid encryption baked-in
FileRun and Pydio are self-hosted file explorers, with cross-platform sync capabilities.
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Cloud Productivity Suites
CryptPad - A zero knowledge cloud productivity suite. Provides Rich Text, Presentations, Spreadsheets, Kanban, Paint a code editor and file drive. All notes and user content, are encrypted by default, and can on…- NextCloud - A complete self-hosted productivity platform, with a strong community and growing app store. NextCloud is similar to (but arguably more complete than) Google Drive, Office 365 and Dropbox. Clear UI an…
Disroot - A platform providing online services based on principles of freedom, privacy, federation and decentralization. It is an implementation of NextCloud, with strong encryption configured - it is widely us…Sandstorm - An open source platform for self-hosting web apps. Once you've set it up, you can install items from the Sandstorm App Market with -click, similar to NextCloud in terms of flexibility.
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Encrypted Cloud Storage
Backing up important files is essential, and keeping an off-site copy is recommended. But many free providers do not respect your privacy, and are not secure enough for sensitive documents. Avoid free mainstream providers, such as Google Drive, cloud, Microsoft Overdrive, Dropbox.
It is recommended to encrypt files on your client machine, before syncing to the cloud. Cryptomator is a cross-platform, open source encryption app, designed for just this.
Tresorit - End-to-end encrypted zero knowledge file storage, syncing and sharing provider, based in Switzerland. The app is cross-platform, user-friendly client and with all expected features. £6.49/month for 50…
IceDrive - Very affordable encrypted storage provider, with cross-platform apps. Starts as £1.50/month for 150 GB or £3.33/month for 1 TB.
Peergos - A peer-to-peer end-to-end encrypted global filesystem with fine grained access control. Provides a secure and private space online where you can store, share and view your photos, videos, music and do…
Internxt - Store your files in total privacy. Internxt Drive is a zero-knowledge cloud storage service based on best-in-class privacy and security. Made in Spain. Open-source mobile and desktop apps. 10GB FREE a…
FileN - Zero knowledge end-to-end encrypted affordable cloud storage made in Germany. Open-source mobile and desktop apps. 10GB FREE with paid plans starting at €0.92/month for 100GB.
Koofr - GDPR compliant storage (web/desktop/mobile/WebDAV/RClone) with a sensible privacy policy. Has optional open-source client-side encryption, compatible with RClone. Can connect to other cloud services a…
✳️ Notable Mentions
An alternative option, is to use a cloud computing provider, and implement the syncing functionality yourself, and encrypt data locally before uploading it - this may work out cheaper in some situations. You could also run a local server that you physically own at a secondary location, that would mitigate the need to trust a third party cloud provider. Note that some knowledge in securing networks is required.
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Secret Sharing
crypt.fyi - crypt.fyi is an ephemeral zero-knowledge sensitive data sharing platform with web, cli, and chrome-extension clients. It offers a suite of configurations beyond the standard for comparable private pas…
1time.io - 1time.io - Zero-knowledge one-time secret sharing with AES-256-GCM browser-side encryption, HKDF key derivation, CLI tool, and Docker self-hosting.
SkySend - Share end-to-end encrypted Markdown notes, files, code and passwords/keys, or request secrets from others. Set a password, expiration time and/or maximum views. No account necessary. Self-hostable and…
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File Drop
OnionShare - An open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share a file of any size, via Tor servers. OnionShare does require installing, but the benefit is that your files are transferred directly to…
✳️ Notable Mentions
Instant.io, is another peer-to-peer based solution, using Web Torrent.
For specifically transferring images, Up1 is a good self-hosted option, with client-side encryption.
Finally PsiTransfer is a feature-rich, self-hosted file drop, using streams.
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Browser Sync
Floccus - Simple and efficient bookmark syncing using either NextCloud Bookmarks, a WebDAV server (local or remote) or just a local folder through LoFloccus. Browser extensions available for Chrome, Firefox, an…
XBrowserSync - Secure, anonymous and free browser and bookmark syncing. Easy to setup, and no sign up is required, you can either use a community-run sync server, or host your own with their docker image. Extensions…
Unmark - A web application which acts as a todo app for bookmarks. You can either self-host it, or use their managed service which has a free and paid-for tier.
Shiori - Simple bookmark manager written in Go, intended to be a clone of Pocket, it has both a simple and clean web interface as well as a CLI. Shiori has easy import/ export, is portable and has webpage arch…
✳️ Notable Mentions
Ymarks is a C-based self-hosted bookmark synchronization server and Chrome extension.
syncmarx uses your cloud storage to sync bookmarks (Chrome and Firefox).
NextCloud Bookmarks has several community browser extensions, inducing FreedomMarks (Firefox) and OwnCloud Bookmarks (Chrome).
Finally, Turtl Notes has excellent link saving functionality built-in
RainDrop is a fully-featured all-in-1 bookmarking and web-snip suite. It has a beautiful UI, good data controls and some very handy integrations and features. Available on desktop, mobile, web and through a browser extension. The catch is that it is not open source, there is a free and premium plan, but no option for self-hosting.
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Habit Trackers
OpenHabitTracker - Free, open source habit tracker. Take notes, plan tasks, and track habits. All data stored locally or self-hosted via Docker. No accounts required.
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Secure Conference Calls
With the many, many security issues with Zoom, and other mainstream options, it becomes clear that a better, more private and secure alternative is required. As with other categories, the "best video calling app" will be different for each of us, depending on the ratio of performance + features to security + privacy required in your situation.
Jami - A free and open source, distributed video, calling and screenshare platform with a focus on security. Jami is completely peer-to-peer, and has full end-to-end encryption with perfect forward secrecy f…
Jitsi - Encrypted, free and open source video calling app, which does not require creating an account/ providing any personal details. Available as a web app, and native app for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android…
✳️ Notable Mentions
Apache OpenMeetings provides self-hosted video-conferencing, chat rooms, file server and tools for meetings.
together.brave.com is Brave's Jitsi Fork.
For remote learning, BigBlueButton is self-hosted conference call software, aimed specifically at schools and Universities. It allows for the host/ teacher to have full control over the session, and provides high-quality video streaming, multi-user whiteboards, breakout rooms, and instant chat.
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Maps & Navigation
Mainstream mapping apps log your location history, search queries and routes, building a detailed picture of where you live, work and travel. A privacy-respecting maps app keeps navigation on your device, works offline, and collects nothing about you.
CoMaps - Community-led, not-for-profit offline maps and navigation app built on OpenStreetMap data. No tracking, ads or data collection; all search and routing happen on-device. A community fork of Organic Map…
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Accessibility
Accessibility software like screen readers, dictation and voice input often runs in the cloud, sending everything you say or read to a remote server. Privacy-respecting alternatives keep this processing on your device, so your input never leaves it.
Vocalinux - Offline system-wide voice dictation for Linux (X11 and Wayland). Uses local models (whisper.cpp, Whisper, or VOSK) so microphone audio never leaves the device. Tray app with hotkeys; GPLv3. Currently…
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Utilities
Virtual Machines
A virtual machine (VM) is a sandboxed operating system, running within your current system. Useful for compartmentalisation and safely testing software, or handling potentially malicious files
VirtualBox - Open source, powerful, feature-rich virtualization product, supporting x86 and AMD64/Intel64 architectures. Available for Windows, MacOS, Linux and BSD, and free for both personal and enterprise use.…
Xen Project - Open source virtual machine monitor intended to serve as a type-1 hyperviser for multiple operating systems using the same hardware - very useful for servers, as it allows for fully independent virtua…
UTM - Open source, feature rich, powerful type 2 hypervisor for Mac, can emulate x86-64 OSes on Apple Silicon Macs. There's also an iOS version (so you can run Windows on your iPhone!)…
✳️ Notable Mentions
QEMU is a virtual hardware emulation tool, meaning it is less appropriate for creating fully independant sandboxes, but performance is considerable better than that of a traditional virtual machine.
VMWare is popular in the enterprise world, it is not open source, and although there is a free version, a license is required to access all features. VMWare performs very well when running on a server, with hundreds of hosts and users.
For Mac users, Parallels is a popular option which performs really well, but again is not open source.
For Windows users, there's Hyper-V, which is a native Windows product, developed by Microsoft.
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PGP Managers
Tools for signing, verifying, encrypting and decrypting text and files using GnuPG standard
SeaHorse - Application for managing encryption keys and passwords, integrated with the GNOME Keyring.
Kleopatra - Certificate manager and a universal crypto GUI. It supports managing X.509 and OpenPGP certificates in the GpgSM keybox and retrieving certificates from LDAP servers.
GPG4Win - Kleopatra ported to Windows.
GPG Suite - Successor of MacGPG. Plays nice with MacOS apps, including Finder, Appple Mail, Keychain and Spotlight. Makes encrypting files, emails, and messages / data very easy. As well as GUI for generating key…OpenKeychain - Android app for managing keys, and encrypting messages. Works both stand-alone, and as integrated into other apps, including k9-Mail. Everything can be done through a simple yet powerful GUI. Open sou…
PGP Everywhere - iOS app for encrypting/ decrypting text. Has native keyboard integration, keychain support and app integrations which makes it quick to use in any app.
FlowCrypt - Browser extension for using PGP within Gmail, for Chrome and Firefox. Mobile version supported on Android and iOS.Mailvelope - Mailvelope is an addon for email applications, that makes using PGP very easy for beginners. You can use the hosted version for free, or opt to host your own instance. Works with Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook…
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Metadata Removal
Exif/ Metadata is "data about data", this additional information attached to files can lead us to share significantly more information than we intended to.
For example, if you upload an image of a sunset to the internet, but don't remove the metadata, it may reveal the location (GPS lat + long) of where it was taken, the device is was taken on, precise camera data, details about modifications and the picture source + author. Social networks that remove metadata from your photos, often collect and store it, for their own use. This could obviously pose a security risk, and that is why it is recommended to strip out this data from a file before sharing.
ExifCleaner - Cross-platform, open source, performant EXIF meta data removal tool. This GUI tool makes cleaning media files really easy, and has great batch process support. Created by @szTheory, and uses ExifTool.
ExifTool - Platform-independent open source Perl library & CLI app, for reading, writing and editing meta data. Built by Phill Harvey. Very good performance, and supports all common metadata formats. An official…
ImageOptim - Native MacOS app, with drag 'n drop image optimization and meta data removal.
✳️ Notable Mentions
It's possible (but slower) to do this without a third-party tool. For Windows, right click on a file, and go to:
Properties --> Details --> Remove Properties --> Remove from this File --> Select All --> OK.Alternatively, with ImageMagic installed, just run
convert -strip path/to/image.pngto remove all metadata.If you have GIMP installed, then just go to
File --> Export As --> Export --> Advanced Options --> Uncheck the "Save EXIF data" option.Often you need to perform meta data removal programmatically, as part of a script or automation process.
- GoLang: go-exif by @dsoprea
- JS: exifr by @MikeKovarik
- Python: Piexif by @hMatoba
- Ruby: Exif by @tonytonyjan
- PHP: Pel by @mgeisler
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Data Erasers
Simply deleting data, does not remove it from the disk, and recovering deleted files is a simple task.
Therefore, to protect your privacy, you should erase/ overwrite data from the disk, before you destroy, sell or give away a hard drive.
Eraser - Allows you to completely remove sensitive data from your hard drive by overwriting it several times with carefully selected patterns.
SDelete - Microsoft Secure Delete is a CLI utility, uses DoD 5220.22-M.
OW Shredder - File, folder and drive portable eraser for Windows. Bundled with other tools to scan, analyze, and wipe, and other traces that were left behind. Includes context menu item, recycle bin integration.DBAN - Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it c…
shred - A CLI utility that can be used to securely delete files and devices, to make them extremely difficult to recover.
Secure Remove - CLI utility for securely removing files, directories and whole disks, works on Linux, BSD and MacOS.
Mr. Phone - Proprietary, closed-source suite of forensic data tools for mobile. The data eraser allows for both Android and iOS to be fully wiped, through connecting them to a PC.
✳️ Notable Mentions
There's no need to use a third-party tool. You can boot into a UNIX-based system, mount the disk you need to erase, and use a command to write it with arbitrary data. For best results, this process should be repeated several times. This is a good way to wipe a disk, before selling or destroying it, to protect your data.
Such as the
ddcommand, is a tool to convert and copy files, but runningsudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=1Mwill quickly overwrite the whole disk with zeros. Or badblocks which is intended to search for all bad blocks, but can also be used to write zeros to a disk, by runningsudo badblocks -wsv /dev/sdd.An effective method of erasing an SSD, it to use hdparm to issue a secure erase command, to your target storage device, for this, see step-by-step instructions via: wiki.kernel.org.
Finally, srm can be use to securely remove files or directories, just run
srm -zsv /path/to/filefor a single pass over.
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Operating Systems
Mobile Operating Systems
If you are an Android user, your device has Google built-in at its core. Google tracks you, collecting a wealth of information, and logging your every move.
A custom ROM, is an open source, usually Google-free mobile OS that can be flashed to your device.
GrapheneOS - GrapheneOS is an open source privacy and security focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility. Developed by Daniel Micay. GrapheneOS is a young project, and currently only supports Pixel devices,…
LineageOS - A free and open-source operating system for various devices, based on the Android mobile platform - Lineage is light-weight, well maintained, supports a wide range of devices, and comes bundled with P…
CalyxOS - An open source, de-Googled Android OS focused on privacy and security, with optional microG, a built-in firewall and encrypted backups. Runs on select Google Pixel, Fairphone and Motorola devices, and…
⚠️ Word of Warning
It is not recommended to root, or flash your device with a custom ROM if you are not an advanced user. There are risks involved
- Although the above ROMs omit Google, they do open up other security issues: Without DM-verity on the system partition, the file system could be tampered with, and no verified boot stack, the kernel/initramfs also could be edited. You should understand the risks, before proceeding to flash a custom ROM to your device
- You will need to rely on updates from the community, which could be slower to be released - this may be an issue for a time-urgent, security-critical patch
- It is also possible to brick your device, through interrupted install or bad software
- Finally, rooting and flashing your device, will void your warranty
✳️ Notable Mentions
Replicant OS is a fully-featured distro, with an emphasis on freedom, privacy and security.
OmniRom, Resurrection Remix OS and Paranoid Android are also popular options.
Alternatively, Ubuntu Touch is a Linux (Ubuntu)- based OS. It is secure by design and runs on almost any device, - but it does fall short when it comes to the app store.
To install apps on the Play Store without using the Play Store app see Aurora Store. For Google Play Service see MicroG
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Desktop Operating Systems
Windows and MacOS have many features that violate your privacy. Microsoft and Apple are able to collect all your data (including, but not limited to: keystrokes, searches and mic input, calendar data, music, photos, credit card information and purchases, identity, passwords, contacts, conversations and location data). Microsoft Windows is also more susceptible to malware and viruses, than alternative systems.
Switching to Linux is a great choice in terms of security and privacy - you don't need necessarily need to use a security distro, any well-maintained stable distro is going to be considerably better than a proprietary OS
Qubes OS - Open-source security-oriented operating system for single-user desktop computing. It uses virtualisation, to run each application in its own compartment to avoid data being leaked. It features Split G…
Whonix - Whonix is an anonymous operating system, which can run in a VM, inside your current OS. It is the best way to use Tor, and provides very strong protection for your IP address. It comes bundled with ot…
Tails - Tails is a live operating system (so you boot into it from a USB, instead of installing). It preserves your privacy and anonymity through having no persistent memory/ leaving no trace on the computer.…
Parrot - Parrot Linux, is a full Debian-based operating system, that is geared towards security, privacy and development. It is fully-featured yet light-weight, very open. There are 3 editions: General Purpose…
Alpine Linux - Alpine is a security-oriented, lightweight distro based on musl libc and busybox. It compiles all user-space binaries as position-independent executables with stack-smashing protection. Install and se…
✳️ Notable Mentions
Septor is a Debian-based distro with the KDE Plasma desktop environment, and Tor baked-in. Designed for surfing the web anonymously, and completing other internet-based activities (with Thunderbird, Ricochet IM, HexChat, QuiteRSS, OnionShare). Septor is light-weight, but comes bundled with all the essential privacy + security utilities (including: Gufw, Ark, Sweeper, KGpg, Kleopatra, KWallet, VeraCrypt, Metadata Anonymisation Toolkit and more).
Subgraph OS is designed to be an adversary resistant computing platform, it includes strong system-wide attack mitigations, and all key applications run in sandbox environments. Subgraph is still in beta (at the time of writing), but still is well tested, and has some nice anonymization features
For defensive security, see Kali and BlackArch, both are bundled with hundreds of security tools, ready for pretty much any job (not reccomended as a daily driver!)
Other security-focused distros include: TENS OS, Fedora CoreOS, Kodachi and IprediaOS (Avoid systems that are not being actively maintained)
ℹ️ Further Info
General Purpose Linux Distros
If you do not want to use a specalist security-based distro, or you are new to Unix - then just switching to any well-maintained Linux distro, is going to be significantly more secure and private than Windows or Mac OS. Since it is open source, major distros are constantly being audited by members of the community. Linux does not give users admin rights by default - this makes is much less likely that your system could become infected with malware. And of course, there is no proprietary Microsoft or Apple software constantly monitoring everything you do.
Some good distros to consider would be: Fedora, Debian, or Arch- all of which have a large community behind them. Manjaro (based of Arch) is a good option, with a simple install process, used by new comers, and expers alike. POP_OS and PureOS are reasonably new general purpose Linux, with a strong focus on privacy, but also very user-friendly with an intuitive interfac and install process. See Detailed Comparison.
BSD
BSD systems arguably have far superior network stacks. OpenBSD is designed for maximum security — not just with its features, but with its implementation practices. It's a commonly used OS by banks and critical systems. FreeBSD is more popular, and aims for high performance and ease of use.
Windows
Two alternative options for Windows users are Windows 10 AME (ameliorated) project and the LTSC stream.
- Windows 10 AME AME project aims at delivering a stable, non-intrusive yet fully functional build of Windows 10 to anyone, who requires the Windows operating system natively. Core applications, such as the included Edge web-browser, Windows Media Player, Cortana, as well as any appx applications (appx apps will no longer work), have also been successfully eliminated. The total size of removed files is about 2 GB. Comes as a pre-built ISO or option to build from scratch with de-bloat scripts. Strong, supportive community on Telegram.
- Windows 10 LTSC LTSC provides several security benefits over a standard Win 10 Installation. LTSC or Long Term Servicing Channel is a lightweight, low-cost Windows 10 version, that is intended for specialized systems, and receives less regular feature updates. What makes it appealing, is that it doesn't come with any bloatware or non-essential applications, and needs to be configured from the ground up by the user. This gives you much better control over what is running on your system, ultimately improving security and privacy. It also includes several enterprise-grade security features, which are not available in a standard Windows 10 instance. It does require some technical knowledge to get started with, but once setup should perform just as any other Windows 10 system. Note that you should only download the LTSC ISO from the Microsoft's official page
Improve the Security and Privacy of your current OS
After installing your new operating system, or if you have chosen to stick with your current OS, there are a couple of things you can do to improve security. See: Windows 10 security guide, Mac OS security guide or Linux security guide.
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Linux Defenses
Gufw - Open source GUI firewall for Linux, allowing you to block internet access for certain applications. Supports both simple and advanced mode, GUI and CLI options, very easy to use, lightweight/ low-over…
ClamTk - ClamTk is basically a graphical front-end for ClamAV, making it an easy to use, light-weight, on-demand virus scanner for Linux systems.
chkrootkit - Locally checks for signs of a rootkit.
Snort - Open source intrusion prevention system capable of real-time traffic analysis and packet logging.
BleachBit - Clears cache and deletes temporary files very effectively. This frees up disk space, improves performance, but most importantly helps to protect privacy.
SysWarden - Open-source, host-local Linux security orchestrator combining nftables enforcement, system telemetry, threat-intelligence feeds, out-of-band WAAP log analysis and a terminal dashboard. It requires Lin…
✳️ Notable Mentions
SecTools.org is a directory or popular Unix security tools.
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Windows Defences
ShutUp10 - A portable app that lets you disable core Windows features (such as Cortana, Edge) and control which data is passed to Microsoft. (Note: Free, but not open source).
WPD - Portable app with a GUI, that makes it really easy to safely block key telemetry features, from sending data to Microsoft and other third parties (It uses the Windows API to interact with key features…
GhostPress - Anti low-level keylogger: Provides full system-wide key press protection, and target window screenshot protection.
KeyScrambler - Provides protection against software keyloggers. Encrypts keypresses at driver level, and decrypts at application level, to protect against common keyloggers.SafeKeys V3.0 - Portable virtual keyboard. Useful for protecting from keyloggers when using a public computer, as it can run of a USB with no administrative permissions.
RKill - Useful utility, that attempts to terminate known malware processes, so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections.
IIS Crypto - A utility for configuring encryption protocols, cyphers, hashing methods, and key exchanges for Windows components. Useful for sysadmins on Windows Server.NetLimiter - Internet traffic control and monitoring tool.
SigCheck - A CLI utility that shows file version number, timestamp information, and digital signature details.
BleachBit - Clears cache and deletes temporary files very effectively. This frees up disk space, improves performance, but most importantly helps to protect privacy.
USBFix - Detects infected USB removable devices.GMER - Rootkit detection and removal utility.
ScreenWings - Blocks malicious background applications from taking screenshots.CamWings - Blocks unauthorized webcam access.
Win11Debloat - Open-source PowerShell script that removes bloatware, disables telemetry and pre-installed apps for Windows 10 and 11, with whitelists/blacklists reversion support. It heavily modifies the OS, so a re…
⚠️ Word of Warning
(The above software was last tested on 01/05/20). Many of the above tools are not necessary or suitable for beginners, and can cause your system to break - only use software that you need, according to your threat model. Take care to only download from an official/ legitimate source, verify the executable before proceeding, and check reviews/ forums. Create a system restore point, before making any significant changes to your OS (such as disabling core features).
From a security and privacy perspective, Linux may be a better option.
✳️ Notable Mentions
See also these lists:
- github.com/Awesome-Windows/Awesome#security
- github.com/PaulSec/awesome-windows-domain-hardening
- github.com/meitar/awesome-cybersecurity-blueteam#windows-based-defenses
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Mac OS Defences
LuLu - Free, open source macOS firewall. It aims to block unknown outgoing connections, unless explicitly approved by the user.
Stronghold - Easily configure macOS security settings from the terminal.
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Anti-Malware
Cross-platform, open source malware detection and virus prevention tools
ClamAV - An open source cross-platform antivirus engine for detecting viruses, malware & other malicious threats. It is versatile, performant and very effective.- VirusTotal - Web-based malware scanner, that inspects files and URLs with over 70 antivirus scanners, URL/domain services, and other tools to extract signals and determine the legitimacy.
⚠️ Word of Warning
For Microsoft Windows, Windows Defender provides totally adequate virus protection in most cases. These tools are intended for single-use in detecting/ removing threats on an infected machine, and are not recommended to be left running in the background, use portable editions where available.
Many anti virus products have a history of introducing vulnerabilities themselves, and several of them seriously degrade the performance of your computer, as well as decrease your privacy. Never use a free anti-virus, and never trust the companies that offer free solutions, even if you pay for the premium package. This includes (but not limited to) Avast, AVG, McAfee and Kasperky. For AV to be effective, it needs intermate access to all areas of your PC, so it is important to go with a trusted vendor, and monitor its activity closely.
✳️ Notable Mentions
For 1-off malware scans on Windows, MalwareBytes is portable and very effective, but not open source
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Development
Code Hosting
SourceHut - Git and mercurial code hosting, task management, mailing lists, wiki hosting and Alpine-based build pipelines. Can be self-hosted, or used through the managed instance at sr.ht.
Codeberg - A fully-managed instance of Forgejo.Gitea - Lightweight self-hosted git platform, written in Go.
Gogs - Lightweight self-hosted git platform, written in Go.
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IDEs
VSCodium - Free and open source binaries of VS Code, built without Microsoft branding and with community-driven defaults. Extension compatibility can differ from Microsoft's official VS Code build.
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Terminal Emulators
Alacritty - Fast, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator focused on simplicity, performance, and extensive keyboard-driven workflows.
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Developer Tools
DevToys - Open-source offline toolbox for developers, with utilities for JSON, YAML, hashes, JWTs, Base64, text comparison and more. Useful alternative to pasting sensitive data into random online tools.
Bruno - Open-source, local-first API client that stores collections as plain text files and works seamlessly with Git. A privacy-focused alternative to cloud-based API tools.
gitGost - Push to GitHub anonymously: add gitGost as a git remote and it opens a pull request with your name, email and commit metadata stripped, optionally over Tor. Anonymity isn't perfect, and the hosted ser…
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Smart Home & IoT
Voice Assistants
Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri don't have the best reputation when it comes to protecting consumers privacy, there have been many recent breaches.
For that reason it is recommended not to have these devices in your house. The following are open source AI voice assistants, that aim to provide a human voice interface while also protecting your privacy and security
⚠️ This section is still a work in progress ⚠️
Check back soon, or help us complete it by submitting a pull request
⚠️ Word of Warning
If you are building your own assistant, you may want to consider a hardware-switch for disabling the microphone. Keep tabs on issues and check the code, to ensure you are happy with how it works, from a privacy perspective.
✳️ Notable Mentions
Mycroft and Kalliope removed, as no longer active.
If you choose to continue using Google Home/ Alexa, then check out Project Alias. It's a small app that runs on a Pi, and gives you more control over your smart assistants, for both customisation and privacy.
For a desktop-based assistant, see Dragonfire for Ubuntu, and Jarvis for MacOS.
LinTO, Jovo and Snips are private-by-design voice assistant frameworks that can be built on by developers, or used by enterprises.
Jasper, Stephanie and Hey Athena are Python-based voice assistant, but neither is under active development anymore. See also OpenAssistant.
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Smart Home
Gladys Assistant - An open source privacy-respecting Home Assistant, compatible with a wide range of devices including Raspberry Pi, desktop computers, or NAS systems. Actively developed, with good french community and…
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Security Cameras
Secluso - An open source, end-to-end encrypted home security camera solution (Pi Zero 2W). Easy to setup with GUI deploy tool. Fully E2EE remote access (live streaming & smart motion alerts) via mobile app and…
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Wearables & Health
Gadgetbridge - Open source Android app that connects smartwatches and fitness trackers to your phone without the vendor app or cloud account. Supports 30+ brands (Mi Band, Amazfit, Pebble, Huawei), though feature pa…
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Finance
Cryptocurrencies
Monero - One of the most private cryptocurrencies, since no meta data is available (not even the transaction amount). It uses complex on-chain cryptographic methods such as Ring signatures, RingCT, Kovri, and…
ZCash - Uses zero-knowledge proofs to protect privacy cryptographic technique, that allows two users to transact without ever revealing their true identity or address. The Zcash blockchain uses two types of a…
⚠️ Word of Warning
Not all cryptocurrencies are anonymous, and without using a privacy-focused coin, a record of your transaction will live on a publicly available distributed ledger, forever. If you send of receive multiple payments, ensure you switch up addresses or use a mixer, to make it harder for anyone trying to trace your transactions. Cryptocurrencies that allow private and public transactions may reveal meta data about your transactions and balances when funds are moving from private to public addresses which can compromise your privacy with methods similar to a knapsack problem.
Always store private keys somewhere safe, but offline
Note: Cryptocurrency prices can go down. Storing any wealth in crypto may result in losses. If you are new to digital currencies - do your research first, don't invest more than you can afford to loose, and be very weary crypto-related scams are very common. as is and cryptocurrency-related malware.
This is NOT financial advice
✳️ Notable Mentions
Other privacy-focused cryptocurrencies include: PIVX, Verge, and Piratechain.
ℹ️ Further Info
It is still possible to use currencies that have a public ledger 'privately', but you will need to take great care not to cause any transactions to be linked with your identity or activity. For example, avoid exchanges that require KYC, and consider using a service such as Local Bitcoins. If you use a Bitcoin ATM, then take care to not be physically tracked (CCTV, phone location, card payments etc)
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Crypto Wallets
Wasabi Wallet - An open source, native desktop wallet for Windows, Linux, and MacOS. Wasabi implements trustless CoinJoins over the Tor network. Neither an observer nor the participants can determine which output bel…
Trezor - Open source, cross-platform, offline, crypto wallet, compatible with 1000+ coins. Your private key is generated on the device, and never leaves it, all transactions are signed by the Trezor, which ens…Electrum - Long-standing Python-based Bitcoin wallet with good security features. Private keys are encrypted and do not touch the internet and balance is checked with a watch-only wallet. Compatible with other w…
Sparrow Wallet - Sparrow is a Bitcoin wallet for those who value financial self-sovereignty. Sparrow’s emphasis is on security, privacy, and usability. Sparrow does not hide information from you - on the contrary, it…
CryptoSteel - A steel plate, with engraved letters which can be permanently screwed - CryptoSteel is a good fire-proof, shock-proof, water-proof, and stainless cryptocurrency backup solution.
BitBox02 - Open source hardware wallet, supporting secure multisig with the option for making encrypted backups on a MicroSD card.
⚠️ Word of Warning
Avoid using any online/ hot-wallet, as you will have no control over the security of your private keys.
Offline paper wallets are very secure, but ensure you store it properly - to keep it safe from theft, loss or damage.
✳️ Notable Mentions
Vultisig is a seedless, self-custodial wallet. It uses MPC threshold signatures to split your key across several devices you own, so there's no seed phrase to write down or leak. It adds no on-chain privacy, and chain queries default to Vultisig's own endpoints unless you set a custom RPC.
Metamask (Ethereum and ERC20 tokens) is a bridge that allows you to visit and interact with distributed web apps in your browser. Metamask has good hardware wallet support, so you can use it to swap, stake, sign, lend and interact with dapps without you're private key ever leaving your device. However the very nature of being a browser-based app means that you need to stay vigilant with what services you give access to.
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Crypto Exchanges
Bisq - An open-source, peer-to-peer application that allows you to buy and sell cryptocurrencies in exchange for national currencies. Fully decentralized, and no registration required.
RoboSats - RoboSats is an easy way to privately exchange Bitcoin for national currencies. It simplifies the peer-to-peer experience and makes use of lightning hold invoices to minimize custody and trust requirem…
✳️ Notable Mentions
For traders, BaseFEX doesn't require ID and has a good privacy policy.
BitMex has more advanced trading features, but ID verification is required for higher value trades involving Fiat currency.
For buying and selling alt-coins, Binance has a wide range of currencies,
and ID verification is not needed for small-value tradesbut ID verification is required in most countries.Cunicula is a curated directory of no-KYC and privacy-first services, including crypto exchanges, swap services, P2P markets, and non-custodial wallets. Each entry is tagged with its KYC level, jurisdiction, supported payment methods, and a trust score reflecting audit history and known incidents.
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Crypto Tools
Umbra - Umbra is a stealth address protocol on the EVM. It allows users to send payments to a one-time address controlled by a recipient without their interaction, promoting unlinkability (if proper hygiene i…
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Virtual Credit Cards
Virtual cards generated provide an extra layer of security, improve privacy and help protect from fraud. Most providers have additional features, such as single-use cards (that cannot be charged more than once), card limits (so you can be sure you won't be charged more than you expected) and other security controls.
In most countries KYC is required. The bank will of course be able to see all your transactions. Be sure to read their privacy policy and terms of service beforehand. Not all services are available in all countries.
Privacy.com - Privacy.com has a good reputation, and is the largest virtual card provider in the US. Unlike other providers, it is free for personal use (up to 12 cards per month) with no fees, apps and support is…
MySudo - Much more than just virtual cards, MySudo is a platform for creating compartmentalised identities, each with their own virtual cards, virtual phone numbers, virtual email addresses, messaging, private…
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Other Payment Methods
Cash - Actual physical cash is still the most private option, with no chance of leaving any transactional records.
Gift Cards - Gift cards can be purchased for cash in many convenience stores, and redeemed online for goods or services. Try to avoid CCTV as best as possible.
Pre-paid Cards - Similarly to gift cards, buying a pre-paid card for cash can enable you to purchase goods and services in stores that only accept card payments.
⚠️ Word of Warning
Note that credit card providers heavily track transaction metadata, which build up a detailed picture of each persons spending habits. This is done both to provide improved fraud alerts, but also because the data is extremely valuable and is often 'anonymized' and sold to 3rd parties. Hence your privacy is degraded if these cards are used for daily transactions
ℹ️ Further Info
Paying for goods and services is a good example of where privacy and security conflict; the most secure option would be to pay with credit card, since most providers include comprehensive fraud protection, whereas the most private option would be to pay using crypto currency or cash, since neither can be easily tied back to your identity.
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Secure Budgeting
Firefly III - A free and open source personal finance manager. Firefly III features a clean and clear UI, is easy to set up and use, and is backed by a strong community. Regular updates bring new features, improvem…
GnuCash - A full-featured cross-platform accounting application suitable for personal and small business finance. Stable and reliable, GnuCash offers a comprehensive suite of financial management tools. Availab…Plain Text Accounting - Utilizes plain text files and scriptable, command-line-friendly software for bookkeeping/accounting, offering full control over data. Popular tools include Ledger, hledger, and Beancount among others,…
ezBookkeeping - A lightweight, self-hosted personal finance app for recording daily transactions and analyzing spending patterns. Self-hosted, with all data staying on your own server. Supports 2FA and OICD.
Actual - A local-first personal finance app
BeeCount - Privacy-first cross-platform personal expense tracker (Android/iOS/Web) with offline-first design. Multi-cloud sync options — self-hosted BeeCount Cloud, iCloud, Supabase, WebDAV or S3 — keep data und…
rotki - A self-hosted, opensource, privacy-first portfolio tracking and accounting tool for crypto and more. Support for all 3 major Operating systems and docker. The tool focus is on data self-sovereignty.
✳️ Notable Mentions
Spreadsheets remain a popular choice for managing budgets and financial planning. Collabora or OnlyOffice (on NextCloud), Libre Office and EtherCalc are popular open source spread sheet applications. Mintable allows you to auto-populate your spreadsheets from your financial data, using publicly accessible API - mitigating the requirement for a dedicated budgeting application.
Other notable open source budgeting applications include: Smart Wallet (iOS), My-Budget (Desktop), MoneyManager EX, Skrooge, and kMyMoney.
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Social
Social Networks
Over the past decade, social networks have revolutionized the way we communicate and bought the world closer together - but it came at the cost of our privacy.
Social networks are built on the principle of sharing - but you, the user should be able to choose with whom you share what, and that is what the following sites aim to do.
Discourse - A fully open-source, self-hostable discussion platform usable as a mailing list, discussion forum, or long-form chat room.
Mastodon - An open-source, distributed social media platform functioning similarly to Twitter, without algorithmic timeline manipulations. It operates across independent servers.
Lemmy - A federated, open-source link aggregator and discussion platform, similar to Reddit. Built on ActivityPub. Wide range of cross-platform client apps.
✳️ Notable Mentions
- diaspora*, Pleroma, Friendica and Hubzilla - distributed, decentralized social networks, built on open protocols
- Tildes, Lemmy and notabug.io - bulletin boards and news aggregators (similar to Reddit)
- Pixelfed - A free, ethical, federated photo sharing platform (FOSS alternative to Instagram)
ℹ️ Further Info
The content on many of these smaller sites tends to be more niche. To continue using Twitter, there are a couple of tweaks, that will improve security. For Reddit, use a privacy-respecting client - such as Reditr. Other main-stream social networking sites do not respect your privacy, so should be avoided, but if you choose to keep using them see this guide for tips on protecting your privacy
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Video Platforms
PeerTube - A federated video platform leveraging peer-to-peer technology to decrease server load during video streaming. Supports self-hosting or joining existing instances, enabling video viewing from any PeerT…
DTube - A decentralized, ad-free video platform emphasizing minimal moderation. It rewards users with cryptocurrency, leveraging blockchain technology.
⚠️ Word of Warning
Without moderation, some of these platforms accommodate video creators whose content may not be appropriate for all audiences
ℹ️ Further Info
YouTube Proxies
The content on many of the smaller video sites, often just doesn't compare to YouTube. So another alternative, is to access YouTube through a proxy client, which reduces what Google can track.
- Good options are: Invidious (web), Piped (web), FreeTube (Windows, Mac OS, Linux), NewPipe (Android), YouTube++ (iOS)
- Or download videos with youtube-dl (cli) or youtube-dl-gui (gui). For just audio, there is PodSync
Video Search Engines
Petey Vid is a non-biased video search engine. Unlike normal search engines it indexes videos from a lot of sources, including Twitter, Veoh, Instagram, Twitch, MetaCafe, Minds, BitChute, Brighteon, D-Tube, PeerTube, and many others.
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Blogging Platforms
Write Freely - A minimalist, federated blogging platform offering a clean UI. It's free, open source, and caters to writers seeking simplicity and federation capabilities. For hosted options, visit Write.as.
Telegraph - A quick, anonymous blogging platform by Telegram. It's designed for simplicity and speed, allowing for straightforward content publishing without registration.
Mataroa - A minimalist blogging platform focused on privacy and simplicity. It's open source and eschews complex features for a straightforward writing and publishing experience.
Bear Blog - A no-nonsense, super-fast blogging platform prioritizing privacy. It strips back unnecessary features to focus on straightforward blogging. The platform is open source.
Movim - A web frontend for XMPP, offering decentralized blogging and chatrooms. Movim is open source, integrating social and communication tools in a unified platform.
Pico - Web services over SSH, including blogging with Prose, microsites with Pages, and a pastebin with Pastes. The services use public-key cryptography by default with no browser-based tracking and minimal…
✳️ Notable Mentions
If you use Standard Notes, then Listed.to is a public blogging platform with strong privacy features. It lets you publish posts directly through the Standard Notes app or web interface.
Other minimalistic platforms include Notepin.co and Pen.io.
Want to write a simple text post and promote it yourself? Check out telegra.ph, txt.fyi and NotePin. For seriously anonymous platforms, aimed at activists, see noblogs and autistici. It is also possible to host a normal WordPress site, without it being linked to your real identity, although WP does not have the best reputation when it comes to privacy.
Of course you could also host your blog on your own server, using a standard open source blog platform, such as Ghost and configure it to disable all trackers, ads and analytics.
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News Readers
Tiny RSS - A web-based news feed reader and aggregator, supporting RSS/Atom feeds. It's free, open source, and offers a customizable and self-hostable platform for managing your news feeds.
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Proxy Sites
These are websites that enable you to access existing social media platforms, without using their primary website - with the aim of improving privacy & security and providing better user experience. The below options are open source (so can be self-hosted, if you wish), and they do not display ads or tracking (unless otherwise stated).
Nitter - A privacy-centric alternative to Twitter's front-end, focusing on preventing user tracking. It's free, open source, lightweight, supports multiple themes, and offers customizable RSS feeds. All client…
Invidious - An open source, privacy-focused YouTube frontend. It minimizes Google tracking, supports audio-only mode, integrates Reddit comments, and offers advanced playback options. Lightweight and can function…
WebProxy - A free proxy service offering a Tor mode for evading censorship and accessing geo-restricted content. Claims to encrypt traffic, but caution is advised for personal information. Managed by DevroLabs.
Redlib - An alternative private front-end to Reddit, with its origins in Libreddit. Has workarounds to access data without relying upon the restrictive Reddit API.
⚠️ Word of Warning
When proxies are involved - only use reputable services, and never enter any personal information
✳️ Notable Mentions
- NewPipe - An open source, privacy-respecting YouTube client for Android.> - FreeTube - An open source YouTube client for Windows, MacOS and Linux, providing a more private experience, with a native-feel desktop app. It is built upon the Invidious API.
ℹ️ Further Info
alternative-front-ends provides information on dozens of alternative front-end options for popular platforms, such as YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, and more.
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Media
Gaming
Heroic Games Launcher - Open source game launcher for the Epic Games Store, GOG and Amazon Prime Gaming on Linux, Windows and Mac. Replaces the official proprietary clients, though it still connects to your third-party store…
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Media Servers
Jellyfin - Self-hosted server for streaming your own films, TV, music and live TV to apps on most devices. Volunteer-run, with no telemetry or paid tiers. Some media endpoints don't require login, so avoid expos…
Navidrome - Self-hosted music streaming server with a web player, and support for the many Subsonic-compatible apps (there's no official mobile app)
Koel - Music streaming solution that turns your personal collection into a sleek, web-based listening experience. With (smart) playlists, scrobbling, podcasts, radio, Last.fm/Spotify/MusicBrainz integrations…
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Music Players
Feishin - A desktop or self-hosted web music player for Navidrome, Jellyfin and OpenSubsonic compatible music servers. A fork with support for Plex is also available.
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Video Players
VLC Media Player - Free, cross-platform media player from the non-profit VideoLAN project. Plays almost any audio or video format locally, with no ads, trackers or telemetry. VLC has many powerful features and settings,…
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Photo Management
Immich - Self-hosted photo and video backup and management server, with automatic mobile upload, timeline view, albums, search and facial recognition. Needs to be self-hosted, but gives you full ownership + co…
Ente Photos - Provides an open source, audited end-to-end encrypted platform to store photos in the cloud without needing to trust the service provider. With apps for desktop, web and mobile, album sharing, public…
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E-Book Readers
⚠️ This section is still a work in progress ⚠️
Check back soon, or help us complete it by submitting a pull request
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Podcast Players
AntennaPod - An open-source podcast manager for Android. Subscribe to any RSS feed, with offline downloads, variable playback speed, and optional gpodder.net or Nextcloud sync. Contains no ads or trackers, but is…
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Torrent Downloaders
qBittorrent - A cross-platform BitTorrent client with built-in torrent search, RSS feeds, and an optional web interface. It contains no ads or bundled software. As with any BitTorrent client, your IP address is vis…
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File Converters
FFmpeg - A complete, cross-platform solution to record, convert, and stream audio and video. It's the industry standard multimedia framework, handling a vast range of formats. As a command-line tool, it guaran…
VERT - Web-based file conversion utility, which runs locally on your device using WebAssembly. Supports 250+ formats across images, audio, documents, and video.
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Creativity
Image Editors
Gimp - A free, open source, cross-platform image editor. GIMP is a powerful tool for photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring. It is highly customizable, and supports a wide range of file for…
InkScape - A free, open source, professional vector graphics editor. It is a powerful tool for creating illustrations, icons, logos, diagrams, maps, and web graphics.
Paint.NET - A more advanced take on Microsoft Paint. Suitable for basic image editing, with support for basic layers, unlimited undo/redo, and extendable via plugins
PixlrX - A free web-based image editor, with a modern UI. Also offers premium/paid features, such as AI-powered generation, touchup and editing
RawTherapee - A powerful raw photo processing system and editor, for non-destructive editing of raw digital photos
PhotoPea - A free online image editor, for both raster and vector graphics, with a very wide range of supported formats
Krita - Digital painting application. Free and open source (backed by KDE), with cross-platform support, Krita is popular among both professional and amateur artists due to it's comprehensive feature set, and…
DarkTable - A photography workflow application (similar to Adbobe Lightroom) Includes a non-destructive raw developer for raw images and managing digital negatives.
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Video Editors
Shotcut - A free, open source, cross-platform video editor, using FFmpeg Shotcut supports a wide range of formats, and has a comprehensive feature set, including 4K & 8k resolution, webcam + audio capture, batc…
OpenShot - A free, simple, cross-platform video editor. Great for trimming/slicing, video effects, adding titles, scene animations and more
Kdenlive - KDE Non-Linear Video Editor, is an editor based on the MLT Framework, KDE and Qt, written using C++ and using FFmpeg
FlowBlade - A multitrack non-linear video editor with a simple interfaceCinelerra GG Infinity - Simple video editor, for applying transitions, effects and text as well as splicing video clips
VitCutter - A simple Python-based cross-platform tool for cutting and splicing videos
Natron - Free & open desktop node-graph based video compositing software. Similar in functionalities to Adobe After Effects. Features flexible rotoscoping, 2D & planner tracking, keying tools, curve & dope-shi…
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Audio Editors & Recorders
Audacity - An easy-to-use, multi-track audio editor and recorder for desktops, great free alternative to Adobe Audition. Features recording from real and virtual devices, import/export to a wide range of formats…
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Casting & Streaming
OBS Studio - Powerful desktop software for live streaming and screen recording. Free and open source software for video recording and live streaming. Features real-time video/audio capturing, scene composition, en…
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Screenshot Tools
ShareX - Open-source screen-capture tool for Windows. Takes screenshots and short screen recordings, with annotation, OCR, a colour picker, and configurable save/upload destinations. Note that (if configured)…
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3D Graphics
Blender - Free desktop 3D creation suite, with a wide range of tools for modeling, sculpting, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering, compositing, motion tracking, and video editing. It's easily extendable vi…
Wings3D - A simple and easy-to-use subdivision 3D modeler with AutoUV facility for unfolding a models surface for painting/texturing. Unlike Blender, it has no built-in animation capabilites, and it's feature s…
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Animation
Aseprite - An animated sprite editor & pixel art tool for Windows, macOS and Linux.
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Final Notes
Conclusion
Many corporations put profit before people, collecting data and exploiting privacy. They claim to be secure but without being open source it can't be verified, until there's been a breach and it's too late. Switching to privacy-respecting open source software will drastically help improving your security, privacy and anonymity online.
However, that's not all you need to do. It is also important to: use strong and unique passwords, 2-factor authentication, adopt good networking practices and be mindful of data that are collected when browsing the web. You can see the full personal security checklist for more tips to stay safe.
Important Considerations
Compartmentalise, Update and Be Ready
No piece of software is truly secure or private. Further to this, software can only as secure as the system it is running on. Vulnerabilities are being discovered and patched all the time, so you much keep your system up-to-date. Breaches occur regularly, so compartmentalise your data to minimise damage. It's not just about choosing secure software, you must also follow good security practices.
Attack Surface
It is a good idea to keep your trusted software base small, to reduce potential attack surface. At the same time trusting a single application for too many tasks or too much personal data could be a weakness in your system. So you will need to judge the situation according to your threat model, and carefully plan which software and applications you trust with each segment of your data.
Convenience Vs Security
There is often a trade-off between convenience and security. Construct a threat model, and choose a balance that is right for you. In a similar way in some situations there is privacy and security conflict (e.g. Find My Phone is great for security, but terrible for privacy, and anonymous payments may be good for privacy but less secure than insured fiat currency). Again it is about assessing your situation, understanding the risks and making an informed decision.
Hosted Vs Self-Hosted Considerations
When using a hosted or managed application that is open-source software - there is often no easy way to tell if the version running is the same as that of the published source code (even published signatures can be faked). There is always the possibility that additional backdoors may have been knowingly or unknowingly implemented in the running instance. One way round this is to self-host software yourself. When self-hosting you will then know for sure which code is running, however you will also be responsible for the managing security of the server, and so may not be recommended for beginners.
Open Source Software Considerations
Open source software has long had a reputation of being more secure than its closed source counterparts. Since bugs are raised transparently, fixed quickly, the code can be checked by experts in the community and there is usually little or no data collection or analytics.
That being said, there is no piece of software that it totally bug free, and hence never truly secure or private. Being open source, is in no way a guarantee that something is safe. There is no shortage of poorly-written, obsolete or sometimes harmful open source projects on the internet. Some open source apps, or a dependency bundled within it are just plain malicious (such as, that time Colourama was found in the PyPI Repository)
Proprietary Software Considerations
When using a hosted or proprietary solution - always check the privacy policy, research the reputation of the organisation, and be weary about which data you trust them with. It may be best to choose open source software for security-critical situations, where possible.
Maintenance
When selecting a new application, ensure it is still being regularly maintained, as this will allow for recently discovered security issues to be addressed. Software in an alpha or beta phase, may be buggy and lacking in features, but more importantly - it could have critical vulnerabilities open to exploit. Similarly, applications that are no longer being actively maintained may pose a security risk, due to lack of patching. When using a forked application, or software that is based on an upstream code base, be aware that it may receive security-critical patches and updates at a slightly later date than the original application.
This List: Disclaimer
This list contains packages that range from entry-level to advanced, a lot of the software here will not be appropriate for all audiences. It is in no way a definitive list of secure applications, and aims only to be a guide, a collection of software and services that myself and other contributors have used, and would recommend. There will always be new vulnerabilities discovered or introduced, bugs and security-critical glitches, malicious actors and poorly configured systems. It is up to you to do your research, draw up a threat model, and decide where and how your data are managed.
If you find something on this list that should no longer be deemed secure or private/ or should have a warning note attached, please raise an issue. In the same way if you know of something that is missing, or would like to make an edit, then pull requests are welcome, and are much appreciated!
Further Reading
More Awesome Software Lists
This list was focused on privacy-respecting software. Below are other awesome lists, maintained by the community of open source software, categorised by operating system.
- Windows: awesome-windows-apps by 'many'
- MacOS: awesome-macOS-apps by @iCHAIT
- Linux: awesome-linux-software by @luong-komorebi
- iOS: open-source-ios-apps by @dkhamsing
- Android: open-source-android-apps by @pcqpcq
- Server: awesome-selfhosted by 'many'
- More GitHub Awesome Lists →
Security List
- Personal Security Checklist - A curated list of security and privacy advice, tools, and resources.
News & Updates
A custom Reddit feed covering news and updates for all the apps covered here can be found here
The Website
The easiest way to browse Awesome Privacy, is via our website, at awesome-privacy.xyz
About Website
The source for the website is in the web/ directory.
This is a statically generated site, built with Astro, Svelte, TypeScript an SCSS.
At build-time, it reads the data from awesome-privacy.yml and generates the pages.
Running the Website Locally
You'll need Node.js (20.11.1 or later) and Git installed.
Then run the following commands to fetch the code, install dependencies and start the dev server.
git clone [email protected]:Lissy93/awesome-privacy.git
cd awesome-privacy/web
cp .env.sample .env
yarn install
yarn dev
# Then open 127.0.0.1:4321 in your browser
Deploying the Website
Follow the steps above, then run yarn build to generate the static files.
You can then upload the ./dist directory to any web server, static host or CDN.
Alternatively, you can fork the repo and import it into either Vercel or Netlify.
Contributing
We welcome suggestions, additions, edits and removals to the list.
It's thanks to contributors like you that this project is possible 💜
All data is stored in awesome-privacy.yml.
If you're adding, editing or removing a listing - this is the only file you need to edit.
Please familiarise yourself with the Contributing Guidelines before submiting your pull request, as we have some guidelines that must be followed to ensure your PR can be accepted.
If you're new to open source, you can find some resources to get you started at git-in.to, but feel free to reach out if you need any help 😊
The API
We also have a free, no-auth, CORS-enabled RESR API, which you can use to access Awesome Privacy's data programmatically, or to build your own apps on top of it.
To get started, try our Swagger Explorer, which outlines all endpoints, usage and examples.
You can either use our public instance, at: https://api.awesome-privacy.xyz
or self-host your own, with the source of the api/ directory.
Acknowledgements
Sponsors
Huge thanks to the following sponsors, for their ongoing support 💖
Contributors
This project exists thanks to all the people who've helped build and maintain it 🌟
And, of course our Stargazers, forkers and followers!
License
Lissy93/Awesome-Privacy/web is licensed under MIT
awesome-privacy.yml is licensed under CC0-1.0 license
Copyright © Alicia Sykes <aliciasykes.com> 2026.
For information, see TLDR Legal > MIT
Expand License
The MIT License (MIT)
Copyright (c) Alicia Sykes <[email protected]>
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sub-license, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished
to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included install
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY, FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT
HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION
OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE
SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
© Alicia Sykes 2026
Licensed under MIT &
CC0-1.0
Thanks for visiting :)
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Quick answers
How active is development on lissy93/awesome-privacy?
The most recent commit recorded on lissy93/awesome-privacy was 2 months ago, based on the GitHub push timestamp. The repository has 685 forks — one of the better signals of community interest.
How many stars does lissy93/awesome-privacy have?
lissy93/awesome-privacy has 10.0k GitHub stars — refresh the page for the live number, or check github.com/lissy93/awesome-privacy. TopGit mirrors GitHub's count but does not claim minute-by-minute accuracy.
What else is in the Security space?
lissy93/awesome-privacy is tracked by TopGit under the Security category, alongside 6 GitHub-tagged topics. Trending and Topics pages list peer repositories of comparable stars and language.
What language is lissy93/awesome-privacy written in?
lissy93/awesome-privacy is written primarily in Astro. GitHub's language field is based on the largest share of bytes in the default branch.
What topics is lissy93/awesome-privacy associated with?
GitHub's repository topics for lissy93/awesome-privacy: "awesome", "awesome-list", "privacy", "security", "self-hosted", "software". TopGit's editorial category is Security.
Where do I read more about lissy93/awesome-privacy?
This TopGit page is a snapshot — the READ ME tab shows the project's own README content (links stripped, images preserved). The GitHub repository at github.com/lissy93/awesome-privacy is the definitive source.
Why is lissy93/awesome-privacy categorized under Security?
TopGit places lissy93/awesome-privacy in the Security category based on its GitHub topics and description (tagged: "awesome", "awesome-list", "privacy"). Categories are assigned from real repository metadata, not editorial guesswork.
Read full README in the tab above.
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