Ive just startee getting into privacy, but i had a few questions.

  1. I havent switched operating system yet due to fear of losing my data. I have a lot of pictures, contacts and messages i dont want to go missing. I have a one plus and i really love it. I do not want a pixel phone. Is there a way i can maintain privacy without changing phones?
  2. If i delete google play services, will my phone not work correctly?
  3. I have been replacing my apps with open source apps, is that helpful?
  4. What vpn should i use? I have malewarebytes.
  • shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip
    1·
    24 days ago

    I suggest keepassxc on desktop and keepassdx on android. If you are an iphone user keepassium is pretty good (mom approved).

    As for whether you should be using Monero with Tor. You don’t have to, and it’s a lot slower if you do, but you do get some benefits if you do in certain scenarios.

    I run my own local node which has a copy of the blockchain so that I don’t have to trust anyone except for myself and do not have access to a static IPv4 or IPv6 address and so I host my node as a Tor hidden service. By doing so, I can access my own personal node from anywhere in the world, no matter what network I’m on. And again, since I trust myself, I know that I’m getting correct data. By default, Monero.com and Cake Wallet use the Cake Wallet nodes and they are a rather trustworthy entity. So I would feel safe recommending just using them until you become more advanced and want to run your own. If you access the nodes through Tor, then obviously they won’t know your IP address. Whereas if you don’t access them through Tor, they would know your IP where you connect from. And it’s really up to you to determine whether that’s a problem for you or not. If you already use a VPN, you could just use that as well.

    • pandorabox@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      2·
      23 days ago

      Thanks so much! Im gonna give those a try! I probably wont be fancy enough to back them up with a flash drive. I should tho.

      Yep definitely not smart enough to do that yet🤣🤣 I’ll have to stick with retoswap or buying it through the actual website. Im gonna get a different vpn based on all these comments. Im gonna try mullvad, is that good one?