Open-Source: You have a trust issue and it is completely understandable. In recent years, all the big companies even Canonical of Ubuntu have reported that they collect data for our benefit.
So whether we are talking about the collection of data through telemetry from Windows 10, or the collection that websites carry out through browsers, there are very good reasons to be careful.
Below we will see how we can have a safer internet with open source software and tools (Open-Source).
Monica
Social networking wasn't supposed to be created to serve government propaganda and be the focus of privacy scandals. The goal of every social platform is to simplify finding friends and making it easier to communicate with them.
For some time now, many businesses have been using customer relationship management (CRM) software to record customer data for better service. How would you like a personal CRM that can help you improve your relationships and increase control over your personal data?
Monica is an open-source personal CRM designed to help you keep track of the people you choose to have relationships with. Using the web app, you can add notes about a person's family, track how often you communicate with them, schedule reminders, and even record the gifts you've shared with them.
The platform has apps for iOS and Android. The only downside to this whole thing is that your data is once again hosted online on third-party servers. If you're not thrilled with the idea, you can host Monica yourself.
OpenSSL
Before 2014, Secure Socket Layers (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) were not as well known as they are today. The security protocols started to get a lot of attention after the announcement of a very serious vulnerability, Heartbleed. The vulnerability affected about 17 percent of the servers that used OpenSSL to provide secure connections to websites.
Although Heartbleed was widely used by news agencies to collect clicks, the vulnerability was patched the same day it was discovered. The patch time was very fast even though the development team consists of only 13 people, 10 of whom are volunteers.
The OpenSSL protocol was first created in 1998 as an upgrade to the outdated open source SSLeay. Despite its humble origins, the implementation has now become the standard for encryption between web servers.
OnionShare
Sending large files over the internet is another privacy challenge. Cloud storage services make it easier than ever to share files online. But are you safe? You could perhaps use a service like Takeafile that allows you to share files without having to upload them to third-party servers. But we would once again recommend OnionShare . In addition to being an open source service, it also uses the TOR network to share your files securely and anonymously. There is software for all platforms (Linux, macOS and Windows) that creates a special web server on the TOR network. After transferring a file, the application gives you a unique .onion URL to share with the recipient. Your files are hosted only on your computer, so your data will stay out of the hands of third parties. To download the file, the recipient must open the URL in a TOR browser .
OpenWRT
In May 2018, researchers from Cisco's Talos team uncovered malicious applications that were targeting routers around the world. According to the researchers, as of May 24, 2018, VPNFilter had infected over 500,000 routers. The malware exploited the firmware of popular routers that were still using the default login credentials.
VPNFilter once again showed us that routers are another threat to our security. Your router's firmware very often contains vulnerabilities.
OpenWRT is an open-source firmware based on Linux and was developed to be integrated into devices such as routers. It is generally considered more stable than most firmware on the market. If you are not interested in the improvements of the router, then we should also mention the other features it has.
It can monitor your network traffic, run a BitTorrent application, and configure a VPN across your entire network. While no one can say for sure that OpenWRT will completely protect you from the next VPNFilter, it will ensure that you aren't using the default username and password on your router.
OpenVPN
Virtual private networks (VPNs) have been a staple of IT systems for decades. OpenVPN , first released in 2002, is an open-source VPN protocol. It supports all major platforms (Linux, MacOS, and Windows), and with dedicated apps for Android and iOS. OpenVPN uses 256-bit encryption via OpenSSL to protect your data in transit. With a VPN, you can bypass any ban that uses IP blocking.
Open Source for everyone
Control is necessary and important. However, technology companies continue to collect our data supposedly for our good, while it is now very common to make data available to third parties. Open source software is not a panacea, but we can know more about the processes running on our computer.
_________________________
- Microsoft GitHub: the past is the biggest challenge
- Internet: Article 13 of the EU the end of freedom of speech
