Brave and DuckDuckGo because they’re cross-platform and give you the option to sync your bookmarks.

DuckDuckGo has Duck Player which I use if I need to watch something on YouTube, I have it set to open in a new window and no ads.

I like Brave because it’s fast and the search is fairly accurate. You can add a video to it’s Playlist for later viewing. Brave gives you the share option to Copy Clean Link.

I used (and loved Firefox) until they revoked their promise of not selling user data and seems sluggish for the past several months, but I still use Firefox Focus.

I use both android and iOS which is why I prefer cross-platform software.

This article is from The Guardian:

On the advice of various experts, people are locking down social media, deleting photos and private messages, removing facial recognition, or even traveling with “burner” phones to protect themselves.

In Canada, multiple public institutions have urged employees to avoid travel to the US, and at least one reportedly told staff to leave their usual devices at home and bring a second device with limited personal information instead.

It seems like you already know what you’re doing and I agree with everyone else: backup your data and reinstall later. Create an iCloud account specifically for travel purposes.

This article mentions someone who opted to delete their social media accounts before coming to the US. So don’t be surprised or offended when some of us start deleting our comments, lol. Good luck.

EDIT: As long as you have a travel account you shouldn’t need Advanced Data Protection but perhaps after you/she reaches her destination.

Have you tried DuckDuckGo browser? That’s what I use if I need to view something on YouTube. There’s Enable Duck Player in Settings, mine is set up to open a new window (no ads).

EDIT: No sign up or phone number required. My VPN is always on.

What about Session? It’s cross-platform and decentralized.

There’s also Simple X chat which is also cross-platform and foss.

You can send photos and files on both. There’s no need for email and phone to sign up. My friends and I like Session for it’s simplicity but my niece made everybody download Simple X because it’s “prettier”.

You’re right, de-AWS will be difficult but maybe you can critique this Github* list.

*Github’s is owned by Microsoft.

Oh good, so glad you’re back!

Call your credit card company. Depending on the company/bank, they will either give you a few virtual numbers and/or have the option of having one virtual number locked to a certain merchant or utility company.

There’s MySudo (which I subscribe to) but they charge 3%. It’s basically the same as using Privacy.com. Good luck!

EDIT MySudo is not open-source, sorry.

…results that are complicated and intricate leaving users bewildered.

Perplexity is certainly an interesting choice for a company name. Coincidence perhaps?

Thank you, so is yours! Nice to meet you, “It”.

Happy cake day, Jimmycakes! 🍰

Happy cake day, Metz! 🍰

That’s awesome, SomeAmateur! I used to love sending postcards when I was younger, can’t believe I never heard of it. Thank ypu!

In case somebody’s curious, here’s a link to the Postcrossing website.

I’ve been seriously thinking about going back to Nokia. De-googled a few years ago, stopped using iCloud and switched to cross-platform and open-source software.

Currently, the Murena Fairphone 4 is the only one you can use in the US (Fairphone doesn’t directly deal with US customers) and incompatible with Verizon and AT&T. They recommend T-Mobile for US coverage.

Also heard about Cape here on a Lemmy post But Fairphone is “not eligible yet”.

This is the old Nokia 3650 that’s in my drawer. I loved it! Then AT&T made me upgrade because they were no longer supporting the old networks.

Thank you, Zerush! It’s nice to know that someone else thinks the same way.

Stop using any sites that require ID.

Ditto. Also:

• Try to use Memoji to make fake ID
• Go to the mall =O
• Go to the library
• Go to the brick and mortar places I used to visit before getting everything online (eg. bank, fam owned businesses)
• Talk to people instead of AI (going to practice that this weekend)
• Go for a walk outside instead of updating the firmware on treadmill
• Buy stamps! (and stationery, no more ecards or evites)
• Learn to plant food in addition to flowers
• Use iPhone to make phone calls
• Maybe buy a newspaper… maybe
• Use my cookbooks more (after I dust them off)
• Think of a new name/alias(es) for myself and start acting the part

…just to name a few.

LOL. Yes, suable is a word.

There’s Disroot and CryptPad which is E2EE and open source. Also, ditto on Anytype.

Yes.

“We’re not at all surprised the UK government is deploying this tactic now when the world is paying attention to the horrors unfolding, they’d rather silence the discussion than confront their own complicity,” the moderators of r/IsraelCrimnes told me. “By labeling brutally documented atrocities as ‘mature content’ and gate‑keeping access, they reveal themselves as hypocrites: preaching democracy and human rights abroad while trampling them at home.”

It gets better /s:

Reddit explained that it will verify users’ age by partnering with Persona, an identity verification company that raised $200 million in April in a series D round led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. Persona asks users to upload a selfie or photo ID in order to verify their age. Reddit says it does not have access to these images, and that Persona does not retain those photos for more than seven days.

Take a deep breath…

EDIT added /s for sarcasm

Never heard of it but I’m definitely curious especially when it states: “This website doesn’t use cookies.” I bookmarked your post; thank you for sharing.