Privacy-First Software & Apps

When you browse the internet or use free digital platforms, there’s often a hidden exchange taking place – your data for free access.  

Popular free services such as Google (browser, search, email, analytics…), Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft use both your data (e.g. keywords in email, social connections, geo data in photos etc.) and track you across the internet – sometimes even at the scroll/ click level –  creating detailed profiles to target you with personalised ads and shape your online experience. 

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/cookie-pop-up-ad-tech-partner-top-websites

If you’d like to go some way in reducing your data being used for this, here’s a great list of browsers, email platforms, messaging services, and more, who prioritise privacy and are committed to safeguarding users’ data security.   

Browsers

Brave

Brave are a free, open-source browser built to block privacy-invasive ads & trackers. 

They’re on a mission to protect your privacy online, offering a host of internet privacy tools including a browser and search engine that shield you from the ads, trackers, and other creepy stuff trying to follow you across the web. Making for a faster, more private web.  

Check out Brave here. 

DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo has become a leading alternative to Google with their traffic having increased 46% in 2021 alone. 

Within their extension browser, they have a tracker blocker which stops trackers and creepy ads before they even load, evading hidden data collectors and speeding up websites. 

Best of all, it’s free!  

Check out DuckDuckGo here. 

Firefox

Firefox offers a lightning-fast browser that blocks ads and trackers, not only to protect your privacy but also to speed up loading times. 

Firefox is available in over 90 languages and compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux, ensuring it works seamlessly no matter what device you’re using or where you are. 

Check out Firefox here.  

Messaging Platforms

Threema

Unlike the popular instant messaging app, WhatsApp, Threema can be used without providing any personal data whatsoever. The system is designed from the ground up to generate as little user data as technically possible.  

Their commitment is to ensure their users can communicate without having to worry about privacy and security.  

Check out Threema here. 

Signal

Privacy is at the core of what Signal do by providing users with end-to-end encryption for messaging and voice-calling. 

They can’t read your messages or listen to your calls, and no one else can either. Additionally, there are no ads, no affiliate marketers, and no external tracking.   

Check out Signal here. 

Session

Session is a free, highly secure and ultra-private open-source messaging app, available for use on all your devices. 

It offers end-to-end encrypted messages that minimise sensitive metadata, designed and built for people who want absolute privacy and freedom from any form of surveillance.  

Check out Session here. 

Emails

Proton Mail

Proton Mail provide an encrypted email service aimed at keeping all your conversations secure and private.  

Popular email providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, scan the content of your emails and use your email address to create a detailed profile on you and profit from your data. 

Proton Mail’s end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption ensure only you can see your emails. Not even Proton can view the content of your emails and attachments. 

Check out Proton Mail here. 

Fastmail

Fastmail ensure your email remains private and secure with strong encryption protecting your data during transmission and while being stored. 

All data is stored encrypted on disks inside locked racks in their highly secure data centers. 

Check out Fastmail here. 

Prevail

PreVeil functions as a secure and private email network, ensuring that sensitive data is accessible only to authorised users. 

Users can send and receive end-to-end encrypted emails using existing email address from Outlook, Gmail, and Apple Mail. It works on both mobile devices and browsers. 

Check out Preveil here. 

Analytics

Matomo

Matomo Analytics is a free, open source analytics platform that can help you gather and analyse important information about your users and your content.  

They give you the tools to track key performance indicators such as visits, goal conversion rates, downloads, keywords and more. 

In their words, Matomo is a “Google Analytics alternative that protects your data and your customers’ privacy. Take back control with Matomo – a powerful web analytics platform that gives you 100% data ownership.” 

If you want to learn more about Matamo, read our full review here. 

Check out Matomo here. 

Plausible

Plausible Analytics is an open source project dedicated to making web analytics more privacy-friendly. 

They are an intuitive and lightweight platform, that don’t use cookies and are fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA and PECR.  

Their script is super lightweight (75 times smaller than Google Analytics), helping to speed up load times and reduce your carbon footprint for a greener and more sustainable web.  

Check out Plausible here. 

Privacy Focused Analytics

Privacy Focused Analytics simply offer a comprehensive and collaborative list of website analytics tools that prioritise privacy, do not use cookies, and don’t require user consent. 

Check out Privacy-Focused Analytics here.