Background #
After years of using Google Android, Microsoft Windows, and a litany of other proprietary apps, I had come to realize just how much of my digital life I had outsourced to closed ecosystems. I had also gotten lazy; I relied on weak, reused passwords, skipped two‑factor authentication, created countless accounts, downloaded apps without thinking twice, and granted permissions without scrutiny.
I wanted to update my security practices in a way that strengthened both my privacy and my control over my own data. By turning to free and open-source software (FOSS) and prioritizing self-hosting where it made sense, I could reduce my reliance on third-party platforms and improve my data sovereignty.
At the same time, I approached my digital choices through the lens of tech minimalism, carefully asking myself whether I truly need a given service or tool in my life, or if it only added complexity and unnecessary risk. Thus I sought to find a balance of privacy-conscious technology, personal ownership, and intentional minimalism to build a digital environment that is both secure and aligned with my values.
It’s probably best to define each of these.
P/S/A #
P/S/A stands for “Privacy, Security, and Anonymity”. These terms are all often used interchangeably, but they are distinct concepts.
Privacy #
Privacy is the assurance that your data is only seen by the parties you intend to view it. In the context of an instant messenger, for example, end-to-end encryption provides privacy by keeping your message visible only to yourself and the recipient.
— Privacy Guides
Security #
Security is the ability to trust the applications you use—that the parties involved are who they say they are—and keep those applications safe. In the context of browsing the web, for example, security can be provided by HTTPS certificates. Certificates prove you are talking directly to the website you’re visiting, and keep attackers on your network from reading or modifying the data sent to or from the website.
— Privacy Guides
Anonymity #
Anonymity is the ability to act without a persistent identifier. You might achieve this online with Tor, which allows you to browse the internet with a random IP address and network connection instead of your own.
Pseudonymity is a similar concept, but it allows you to have a persistent identifier without it being tied to your real identity. If everybody knows you as
@GamerGuy12online, but nobody knows your real name, that is your pseudonym.
— Privacy Guides
FOSS #
FOSS stands for “Free and Open Source Software”. It is a combination for two distinct ideas.
Free Software #
A program is free software if the program’s users have the four essential freedoms:
- The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0).
- The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
- The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others (freedom 2).
- The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
A program is free software if it gives users adequately all of these freedoms. Otherwise, it is nonfree.
Open Source Software #
Open source doesn’t just mean access to the source code. The distribution terms of open source software must comply with the following criteria:
- Free Redistribution
The license shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several different sources. The license shall not require a royalty or other fee for such sale.
- Source Code
The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in source code as well as compiled form. Where some form of a product is not distributed with source code, there must be a well-publicized means of obtaining the source code for no more than a reasonable reproduction cost, preferably downloading via the Internet without charge. The source code must be the preferred form in which a programmer would modify the program. Deliberately obfuscated source code is not allowed. Intermediate forms such as the output of a preprocessor or translator are not allowed.
- Derived Works
The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software.
- Integrity of The Author’s Source Code
The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified form only if the license allows the distribution of “patch files” with the source code for the purpose of modifying the program at build time. The license must explicitly permit distribution of software built from modified source code. The license may require derived works to carry a different name or version number from the original software.
- No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
The license must not discriminate against any person or group of persons.
- No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic research.
- Distribution of License
The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed without the need for execution of an additional license by those parties.
- License Must Not Be Specific to a Product
The rights attached to the program must not depend on the program’s being part of a particular software distribution. If the program is extracted from that distribution and used or distributed within the terms of the program’s license, all parties to whom the program is redistributed should have the same rights as those that are granted in conjunction with the original software distribution.
- License Must Not Restrict Other Software
The license must not place restrictions on other software that is distributed along with the licensed software. For example, the license must not insist that all other programs distributed on the same medium must be open source software.
- License Must Be Technology-Neutral
No provision of the license may be predicated on any individual technology or style of interface.
Self-hosting #
Self-hosting is the practice of running and maintaining a website or service using a private web server, instead of using a service outside of the administrator’s own control. Self-hosting allows users to have more control over their data, privacy, and computing infrastructure, as well as potentially saving costs and improving skills.
— Wikipedia
Tech Minimalism #
Tech Minimalism is the concept that technology should be intentionally integrated into one’s life with purpose and restraint. Technology should have a tangible utility that does not compromise one’s autonomy.
Other #
When I’m not messing with software/hardware, I have other hobbies like cooking and board games.