This goes out to everyone, but specifically the LGBT community, but especially the trans community.
Shit's getting concerning right now, not just in the US but also in the UK, and as you can see with how the UK went from being the best place in Europe for LGBT rights to going to rolling back transgender rights faster than they burnt documents relating to their Imperial Atrocities, I think we need to have a talk.
This goes out to everyone, but I want transgender people and Queer people generally to sit up and listen because the rest of the acronym is next. You need to start caring about your privacy, especially in regards to technology, because that will come back to bite you and it's the reason they're so gung ho on AI: Surveillance.
Here's some shit you should (at least try) and do:
Keep a paper diary and a paper notebook: A paper diary isn't merely theraputic, it's also very good to keep a historical record that isn't electronic because the government and their corporate allies can't fuck with it, and you can say all the things that would get your house raided either now or in the future when their "targets" change.
If you are going to do shit on a computer, keep shit either offline on your own computer or on a NAS if you have one. Replace Google Docs with LibreOffice, which is free and open source and cross platform. Keeping shit local is your friend. If you're keeping notes on your phone, try something like Notally, something that doesn't call back to your phone's servers. CoMaps let's you download OpenStreetMaps on your phone so even when you are offline, you have a fully functioning map app.
Encrypted Comms: No, WhatsApp is not safe, it's run by Meta and they want your fucking data and they will give it to whoever pays them. Get Signal: It's Open Source, Run by a non-profit who's whole goal is secure communications. It's got all the shit you'd want and more.
If you can, get off Windows or Mac and move to Linux: Linux isn't complex, Linux Mint is easy, and it's user friendly. It's not 2006 anymore.
Get a VPN. It's not that scary. The UK and parts of the US are already demanding you give away your ID to view social media and are blocking places that can't/won't comply. Imgur, the Image Hosting and meme sharing website is blocked in the UK and the Online Safety act has also forced the shit down of Support forms for Illnesses and Football supporter forums because they couldn't comply. I recommend Proton, which also have a good Email Service and a suite of things like cloud storage, a Password Manager and even an AI chat bot if you really can't live without it, but again, Local is best.
Keep Tor in your mind: yes that might sound like overkill but you don't know what might happen in the next government cycles.
Shit's getting bad, start thinking about your privacy.
