Why #

Around 2019 I found myself going down a rabbit hole of software after listening to some Podcasts. Mainly Darknet Diaries, DestinationLinux, and LINUX Unplugged. There was some more but I’m forgetful at times. But listening to these podcasts and seeing that there was other software out there intrigued me. Which Comes to my first choice in my Stack Good ole.

Proton #

Proton is like if you want to use Google, but also tell your Government. NOT TODAY SATAN.

I’ve been using them since about 2019 as well going on 5 years and have invested close to $2000 over the years on the sub alone. The reason for the high price is I am locked in on the Visionary Plan. This Plan was created when they first started and is no longer available. I still would not switch for any reason even with the price.

Proton Currently has 5 soon to be 6 apps in its arsenal.

Mail #

• This has been my go and I have never looked back. All my Domains are routed through them for mail and with their SMTP Submission I’ve even been able to use it for alerts for my Proxmox and TrueNAS Servers.

VPN #

• I’ve used many VPNs and this has been far by the best if I am out and about and need to get on the internet and don’t trust the public Wi-Fi I just hop on the VPN and I feel somewhat better if I need to buy something or something of the sorts that I would not normally do on a not known Wi-Fi.

Drive #

• This Cloud storage when it was released had to be one of the more exciting things when I saw it. To be able to have a more privacy-centered PaaS is what at this time got me excited about choosing Proton. when I first was able to test this product. I was allocated about 2TB of space which is nice if you backup a lot of pictures or you want some extra space. Then about a year later when it was released I was Gifted another 1 TB of space. At the time of writing this, I’m at about 6TB of space shared on my account and I have not even touched the Surface.

Calendar #

• Calendar has to be one of my favorites as before I never really touched Calendars. With proton, it makes it really easy to use and as the whole topic of this article very private. The downside is an iOS user I’m currently not able to set it as my default Calendar. Which is a bummer but still very nice to have. They also actively work on updates. So I know It’s a matter of time. It’s also possible to import other calendars into Proton. The same goes for Mail as well.

Pass #

• Pass is a great password Manager that I use as my backup. Bitwarden is my current primary. We’ll talk about them next. Proton Pass allows you to use it offline and has apps for iOS and Android currently. No Desktop apps atm but that’s not a loss for me. Proton Pass allows you to import almost any other manager into them and just start using them it also supports TOTP and multiple vaults. The only downside I have is that there is no shortcut key to autofill and it goes by domain name and not hostname so with my Lab passwords it gets irritating at times. Besides that, if you’re looking for a password manager I highly Suggest Hopping on the Proton tain.
  
  

BitWarden #

• Bitwarden has been my go-to Password Manager for about 5 years now. I could honestly not live without this tool. I currently pay them $10 a year for the Premium Plan and has been so worth it. I’ve also self-hosted this tool with Vaultwarden. A Great Self-Hosted Alternative. Bitwarden also supports TOTP and Passkey as well which is great for that extra security or in the case of PassKeys password-less login. TAKE THAT HACKERS. With that being said Bitwarden is a great tool to keep your passwords safe and secure and they’re a Great Company.
  
  

Linux #

• Next on this List is my Distro of Choice Pop!_OS. Well, It’s not privacy-centered exactly it’s more focused on security than its upstream OS Ubuntu](https://ubuntu.com/). I’ve been using Pop!_OS for about 6 years now as my laptop OS and it’s been great It’s nice and fast and focuses on mainly LTS Releases of Ubuntu Which I enjoy as I hate a new release every 6 months. Pop!_OS is a great OS for intro users to Linux and It’s nice for Advanced users as well. If you want a really Secure Linux OS I highly suggest learning about Qubes OS.
  
  

2FAS #

The last one for this First Blog Post is 2FAS. I use 2FAS as a TOTP app for My Highly sensitive accounts. E.g. banking, Bitwarden, and Proton accounts. The reason I have it set up like this as it’s more secure to have a nice spread so you’re not relying on a single app to handle it all or in that case a single point of failure. 2FAS is Open Source as well which is a huge bonus the code can be found on GitHub. They are relatively new to my Privacy Stack but have done wonders for me I had found them on Privacytools.io and have not looked back since then. It’s also free so so no need for monthly or annual payments as well. The Vault is synced to my iCloud which is great for whenever I upgrade my phone. 2FAS is a solid TOTP app and if all you need is a TOTP app. I highly suggest them.

Epilogue #

So here we are at the end of this Post. I enjoyed writing this and telling people what I use to keep myself a little safer on the Internet. I know it’s not very detailed and just a run-down but I wanted to share this with people as I see a lot of misuse of the internet or just very bad Internet hygiene. Till next time. My next post will be about my HomeLab!