Your Location Is Already Compromised—Thanks to Governments
When most people think of privacy, they immediately focus on location information. But for me, location is the least of my concerns. Under normal circumstances, I don’t feel the need to hide it at all.
Why? Because your location is already exposed to the worst possible entities—governments and their agencies. As long as your mobile phone is switched on and with you, they know where you are 24/7 through cell towers. While some countries have laws to protect cell-tower-based location data, those laws are limited, riddled with loopholes, and often unenforced. And let’s face it—can we truly trust the telecom companies to safeguard this data? Likely not. Even a basic feature phone without GPS or internet still gives away your location via cell towers. It’s not about the GPS; it’s about the network.
In rare cases, you can take specific measures to mask your location, but on an average day, attempting to hide it is futile. Your location data is already in the hands of the least trustworthy entities. So, who are you hiding it from?
Personally, I not only share my location with Google, but I also let them log it. My reasoning? Google, despite its flaws, is less dangerous than government agencies. Since I’m already “exposed” to the government, I willingly share my location with Google in exchange for services like Google Maps and location history. For example, I often can’t recall where I was two days ago—Google Maps does that for me.
Our Conversations Are Sacred
While location may not be worth stressing over, your conversations, opinions, and behaviours are a different story. Conversations are deeply personal and intended for specific people, making them the cornerstone of privacy. On a day-to-day basis, this is where your focus should be.
For personal conversations, always prioritise platforms with end-to-end (E2E) encryption. Here’s a simple analogy: imagine writing a letter in a secret code only your friend can understand. You seal it in an envelope and post it. Even if postal workers open the envelope, all they’ll see is gibberish. Only your friend knows how to decode it. That’s in a nutshell how E2E encryption works. But do you see, that who you are, where you are sending your letter, to whom, when, through which post office etc. “meta data” are still exposed? Remember that.
How to Choose Secure Platforms
Here’s a shortlist of platforms you can trust for secure conversations:
1. Signal
2. Threema
3. Self-hosted RocketChat or Matrix Chat
(Contact me if you need help setting up a self-hosted solution for your group or organisation.)
4. WhatsApp
Despite being owned by Meta and having some privacy concerns, WhatsApp still uses Signal’s encryption protocol for messages and calls. Your metadata (e.g., sender, recipient, and timestamps) is exposed, but the content remains encrypted.
For an in-depth comparison of messaging apps, visit: Comparing Messaging Apps.
Platforms to Avoid for Private Conversations
1. Google
Google is the biggest culprit when it comes to privacy of conversations. Avoid using their services for personal conversations at all costs. Google transcribes everything it hears—from audio to text—in over 41 languages. Since these transcriptions are stored as searchable text, they can be indexed, transferred, and archived indefinitely.
What about Android OS? That too is made by Google!
Android itself is open-source and not inherently evil. However, Google’s apps on Android devices are another story. If you can disable microphone access for Google apps, you might still be okay using Android.
2. Messenger, Instagram, and X
While Meta may be slightly less invasive than Google regarding audio privacy, Messenger and Instagram messages are not encrypted by default. If you must use a Meta-owned platform, stick to WhatsApp.
Personally, I use Facebook and Instagram for public-facing activities, but I avoid them for private conversations. Similarly, X (formerly Twitter) scores zero for privacy and trust.
Compartmentalise and Diversify
Sometimes, work requires you to use tools like Google Meet or Google Voice, where you must enable your microphone. The key to staying private and secure is compartmentalisation. Here’s how:
Use separate devices or browsers for work and personal activities.
If you use Chrome for work, switch to Firefox, DuckDuckGo, or Safari for personal browsing.
Never mix personal and work communications on the same platform.
When it comes to conversations, I use different platforms for different groups of people. For example, I might request close friends to use Signal, while general acquaintances remain on Messenger. This approach ensures sensitive conversations happen in secure environments.
It is better to diversify your tools, applications and networks. Using multiple platforms not only reduces dependency on a single service but also minimises the risk of widespread exposure if one platform is compromised. Remember: while your location may already be compromised, your conversations can and should remain private.
