PRIVACY TOOLS REVIEWS

Sparks News Reader is exactly what I was looking for - a clean, fast way to read news without being tracked by advertisers. No bloated JavaScript, no cookie banners, just pure content. The RSS aggregation works flawlessly and the article extraction is top-notch. Highly recommended for anyone who values their privacy while staying informed. Pros: No tracking whatsoever, lightning fast, clean interface, great RSS support. Cons: Could use more theme options.

<p>The customizability and options available are well worth the small fee they ask. For me at least. I'm well aware of Quad9. They're a great free tier option, however I'd prefer to pay a little to get the advanced options that NextDNS offers.</p>

Brave has it's own Search Engine?

Brave SearchABOhiccups7/24/2025

<p>I have been using Brave Search before I use SearXNG as main search engine.<br />Brave Search is good but not perfect. Brave Search is a privacy search engine. I like other Privacy Search Engines. Brave Search use it's own metadata. I think some tiny percent part are from Google and Bing.<br />I use Brave Search as a backup Search Engine when my self hosting server is not working (which means I can't use SearXNG).<br />Brave Search is still holds up as good Privacy Search Engine.</p>

A Self Hosting Version of Google?

WhoogleABOhiccups7/24/2025

<p>Whoogle is a self hosting version of Google. It only use Google metadata. It does it's job hide your traffic from Google.<br />The user interface is not as good as SearXNG and Startpage.<br />Just like SearXNG. You do have to self host your own Whoogle by using Docker or other self hosting tools. But there are several people host public instance. If you go to this URL. It takes you a list of Whoogle Public Instance.<br />https://github.com/benbusby/whoogle-search#public-instances<br />Personally, I think SearXNG is better than Whoogle. Whoogle only use Google metadata compare to SearXNG uses multiple different search engines metadata. SearXNG has more public instance than Whoogle.<br />Not bad. Still recommend it.</p>

You can self-host your own Search Engine?

SearxABOhiccups7/23/2025

What if I told you there is a Privacy-focus Search Engine that is run by you? Yep, it's true! You can self host your own Search Engine and it's free! SearXNG is a metasearch engine that use all metadata from multiple different search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Brave Search, etc. All your traffic will be hidden when searching your results. There is 1 con. That is you do have to self host your own by using Docker. But the good news is. There are many people self host their own SearXNG instance and it's available to the public for Free. Using someone else instance is a great start to get your feet wet before self hosting your own. Here's a link to all SearXNG Public Instances. https://searx.space/ I really like SearXNG. It gets the job done and I always keep using SearXNG when search something on the web.

A Portable Privacy OS That Everyone Needs This!

Tails OSABOhiccups7/23/2025

<p>This is the most secured portable privacy-focus operating system ever.<br />Tails OS has Tor Browser and Tor Network build-in. It has an option to hide your local network while connecting to Tor.<br />All the data you've done in Tails OS are stored into your Memory RAM. If you shut down your computer. All the data from Tails OS will be completely erased. This is perfect if you don't want anyone or the feds to see what you're doing on your computer or what you're doing in the Dark Web.<br />I heard if your USB Flash Drive is remove from your laptop. Tails OS will stop working and shutdown. I have tested with Ventoy Multiboot USB Drive. Tails OS is still running after removing a flash drive. I'm not sure if this only works with standalone USB Flash Drive or I was mislead.<br />Keep that in mind. Tor is not for everyday use. It's only for anonymous reasons and for accessing Dark Web. Just like Tor Browser. The Internet Speed will be slower when connecting into Tor Network.<br />I highly recommend Tails OS for Tor users and more security.</p>

If you want a good privacy out of the box browser, or if you want to get some people into privacy. Change their browser from google chrome to brave, it will load websites faster due to not loading ads and lower usage on pc!

This DNS Server protects your privacy. You can setup on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. I personally recommend setup Quad9 DNS on your main router. So everything is protected. DNS Server: 9.9.9.9 149.112.112.112

Tor Browser is the most secured and privacy Web Browser. Tor (The Onion Router) is a Darknet that tunnels your connection to multiple computers multiple times until it reach to it's final destination. Besides privacy. Tor Browser allows you to access the Dark Web. If you don't what the Dark Web is. On the Iceberg chart. There are 3 different layers of the internet. Surface Web where you can easy find a website through Search Engines. Deep Web is where websites are hidden from search engines such as your Bank Account, your Netflix Library, and even unlisted YouTube videos. If you click on this link. It takes you to unlisted YouTube video that you can't normally find it on YouTube search or any Search Engines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRmd4nDSdpk Dark Web is basically like the Deep Web but the website is encrypted and it can only be access through Tor Network. We know there are illegal websites that are hidden through Dark Web. But Dark Web is not just for criminals. Dark Web are used by journalists, whistleblowers, and everyone who wants to be anonymous. Do you know Facebook, Reddit, and DuckDuckGo has the Dark Web version of it's websites? There is a major con and that is the speed. Because you're connected to multiple onions. The chance are you're getting slow speed. Tor Browser is not for everyday use. It's only for anonymous reasons.

This is a test review content

I’ve been using StartMail for several months. The web user interface is very nice. It supports custom domain. It has a Dark Theme. There is one thing that makes me think is not perfect at all and that is there’s no native app for iOS and Android at all. If you’re looking for an encrypted email provider that has native app support. You wanna look someplace else. Because you have to use IMAP feature on 3rd Party Email Apps like Apple Mail.

I'm been using Brave Browser for years and I never going back to Google Chrome. This browser has AdBlock build-in. If you found Ads that are very annoying. This browser will terminate all of these Ads. Before you start replying with negative feedback. Yes, I know using AdBlock is taking money away from content creators and website hosts who worked so hard and make a lot of money from making content and hosting a website. Brave Browser has a feature to support Content Creators and Website Hosts. Is called BAT (Basic Attention Token). It's a cryptocurrency. If you have BAT in your Brave Browser Wallet. You will send BAT to Content Creators and Website Hosts and they get paid with crypto. If you also turn off AdBlock and support websites by dealing with Ads. Brave Browser has Brave Rewards Program where you get paid with BAT by getting pop-up Ads. Just make sure you turn on Brave Browser Notfication in your Windows Settings, MacOS Settings, or Linux Settings. So you get Ad popup to earn BAT. If you want to exchange BAT to real world money or other cryptocurrency. You do need Uphold Account to transfer BAT from Brave Browser to Crypto Exchange Account. If you're using BlueRetro for Retro Gaming Consoles. Keep that in mind. BlueRetro is not compatible with Brave Browser. You have to use Google Chrome in order to use BlueRetro for Firmware Update or configure Bluetooth Controllers. I highly recommend Brave Browser as Google Chrome alternative.

DuckDuckGo is a privacy focused search engine that is primarily used as a google alternative and those who prefer not to be tracked by websites. I personally use DuckDuckGo here and there, but a huge issue is search results.. We know Google is the search engine king and sadly no competitors can reach the results Google gives, must be all those trackers and algorithm trying to show you things you like.. which is good, but you are being tracked and most likely your data is being used to train AI. I personally do not use AI as much but DuckDuckGo AI promises to not sell your data nor track you so there is a gemini alternative.. Overall it is not bad, but search results are poor and it has slow loading times.

Librewolf is a fork of Firefox that promises and provides you a privacy focused browser. It blocks out ALL telemetry data collection and enables A LOT of privacy focused features automatically which Firefox does not. It is lightweight with my testing and it handles memory quite well! I enjoy the experience I have with it and have been on and off using it. There are no problems with extensions or Firefox features that I have noticed which is great! I would recommend this to people who do not want to use a chromium based browser, but focuses on Privacy and a great user experience!

uBlock origin does its job very well.. it blocks ads.. EVERY single ad.. I have been using the extension for over 4 years.. lucky me for finding this so early! It blocks every harmful and "innocent" ads and has a filter list so you can have control over what you want to filter out. I do like its UI, it is simple yet effective! Tells you how many ads it has blocked and trackers, which works very well and tells you in its icon as well! Overall I would say this is one of the best adblockers and semi-anti-tracker tools that does not require you to pay, so it's a huge win!