People should stop using popular services and devices if they want to minimize the scale of surveillance and manipulation on the Internet. Simple ways to protect yourself on the Lenta.ru network were described by Robert Epstein, Ph.D. from Harvard University, leading psychologist and researcher at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology in California.
The professor urged to abandon smartphones on Android, since the operating system collects absolutely all data about user actions. Instead of Gmail, Epstein suggested using another email service, ProtonMail, which is based in Switzerland and is subject to strict privacy laws. The third rule, which will help ensure the safety of personal life, is to abandon all “smart” devices. The researcher recalled that they record everything that others say, even in an inactive state.
Epstein also recommended ditching the Google search engine and instead using the StartPage.com search engine, which does not collect user data. He noted the same with respect to the Chrome browser: the service tracks user actions even in “incognito” mode.
In addition, Epstein urged not to forget about the need to regularly clean the cache and cookies. This can be done several times a day. Epstein also advised using VPNs to keep yourself safe.
Read more about how IT giants are trying to “reprogram” humanity – in Epstein’s big interview with “Lente.ru”. The interview is published within the framework of a large-scale special project “Algorithm. Who controls you? ” – a comprehensive study on how the algorithms of social networks, instant messengers and other Internet services affect society, politics and global world processes. In six parts of the project, it is analyzed in detail how the content ranking system in social networks affects the real life of millions of people: it imperceptibly changes a person’s attitude to love, family, friendship, society, and affects the intellectual abilities of people. Besides, on the YouTube channel “Lenta.ru” a three-part documentary series is published, which explores who and how manipulates humanity with the help of algorithms, how they change reality, what dangers they pose to the world and how humanity confronts these challenges.