VicenteMMOS
New Member
Hello all!
I feel like I want to "get off the grid", I believe is the expression. Basically everything I do is dependent on Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple... and I feel like it's all too much. I want to start taking up measures in order to protect myself and my personal information better. I know, starting by using a fake username would be a good start, but at this point, that's the least concerning thing I have to do.
I feel overwhelmed with the amount of measures I'd need to take in order to do this right, I feel intimidated by the task itself. I mean, I have once tried using the Tor browser, and I noticed some big warning messages about not using some kinds of services, I don't even remember which. If I remember well, something about internet cookies, or other things, but given that everything that I have online is so stricktly connected to those corporations I mentioned, I feel like if I were to start using Tor a lot, I'd be involuntarily making myself even more exposed than what I already am. So, I never actually used it with any of my personal accounts.
Still, I feel like I want and should transition away from it all, if not at least start using open source softwares, from the everyday internet browsers, or gaming clients (hole purpose of me being in my home computer to begin with), up to the operating system itself. Just yesterday I had reformatted my hard drives and reinstalled Windows 10, because uninstalling Rollback Rx somehow cause all my desktop's user interface to go black. (I uninstalled it because system images were taking way too much space, and I had little to no control on when and how to make them. It was actually a suggestion from their own customer support).
Anyways, even if I just downloaded right now a good, reliable, user-friendly version of Linux (of which I have no knowledge, not even the name and SP), and somehow miraculously manage to install it, what do I do next? I'm quite sure this is just one step towards being safer and more anonymous on the internet, but surely it isn't enough. I want to better protect my information and access to me from all these bloodsuckers, but so much of me is out there... things I need like Google Spreadsheets I created on Drive, or all other sorts of information... not to mention my cellphone! That's another huge point of weakness with regards to this issue, that even though should be effective immediately, I believe goes a bit beyond the scope of this discussion.
So here's my first question: where do I start? I believe I should start from the OS, deciding which one would be best for me, that would be user-friendly enough to allow me to use my computer as I intend (mostly for gaming on Steam, Battle.net or other assorted clients) and for general use, email, web browsing (also on YouTube and Facebook, even though I can replace Google with say DuckDuckGo or something), open source office tools, etc. If I were to start by the OS, which one(s) would you recommend, considering I'm used to Windows 10, and everything else I said?
This seems like an insurmountable obstacle, from my point of view, not because I'm uncapable, but because I don't know where to find all the information I need to know. I'm hoping this topic will help me get started.
Thank you,
I feel like I want to "get off the grid", I believe is the expression. Basically everything I do is dependent on Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple... and I feel like it's all too much. I want to start taking up measures in order to protect myself and my personal information better. I know, starting by using a fake username would be a good start, but at this point, that's the least concerning thing I have to do.
I feel overwhelmed with the amount of measures I'd need to take in order to do this right, I feel intimidated by the task itself. I mean, I have once tried using the Tor browser, and I noticed some big warning messages about not using some kinds of services, I don't even remember which. If I remember well, something about internet cookies, or other things, but given that everything that I have online is so stricktly connected to those corporations I mentioned, I feel like if I were to start using Tor a lot, I'd be involuntarily making myself even more exposed than what I already am. So, I never actually used it with any of my personal accounts.
Still, I feel like I want and should transition away from it all, if not at least start using open source softwares, from the everyday internet browsers, or gaming clients (hole purpose of me being in my home computer to begin with), up to the operating system itself. Just yesterday I had reformatted my hard drives and reinstalled Windows 10, because uninstalling Rollback Rx somehow cause all my desktop's user interface to go black. (I uninstalled it because system images were taking way too much space, and I had little to no control on when and how to make them. It was actually a suggestion from their own customer support).
Anyways, even if I just downloaded right now a good, reliable, user-friendly version of Linux (of which I have no knowledge, not even the name and SP), and somehow miraculously manage to install it, what do I do next? I'm quite sure this is just one step towards being safer and more anonymous on the internet, but surely it isn't enough. I want to better protect my information and access to me from all these bloodsuckers, but so much of me is out there... things I need like Google Spreadsheets I created on Drive, or all other sorts of information... not to mention my cellphone! That's another huge point of weakness with regards to this issue, that even though should be effective immediately, I believe goes a bit beyond the scope of this discussion.
So here's my first question: where do I start? I believe I should start from the OS, deciding which one would be best for me, that would be user-friendly enough to allow me to use my computer as I intend (mostly for gaming on Steam, Battle.net or other assorted clients) and for general use, email, web browsing (also on YouTube and Facebook, even though I can replace Google with say DuckDuckGo or something), open source office tools, etc. If I were to start by the OS, which one(s) would you recommend, considering I'm used to Windows 10, and everything else I said?
This seems like an insurmountable obstacle, from my point of view, not because I'm uncapable, but because I don't know where to find all the information I need to know. I'm hoping this topic will help me get started.
Thank you,