Grounds Tech Talk

  Privacy Report: Qwant Privacy Score: ☕☕☕☕☕ Highlights: Anonymized IP address Personal information is kept private (If collected)

  Borg Creative Studios has launched a cloud platform. Borg Creative Studios has launched BCS Cloud, a privacy-respecting cloud system with file storage, web analytics, calendars, forms, chat, and more. BCS Cloud can be used with NextCloud apps on MacOS, IOS, and Android. You can learn more here .

  This has been a big month for web browsers! Brave The Brave web browser now features its own privacy-friendly search engine as the default search option for users. Brave Search is an excellent search engine that respects user privacy, has reliable results, and is quick to load results. You can download Brave here . Waterfox Waterfox may not be quite as well known as Brave, it is certainly an excellent web browser that respects privacy. On the 19th, Waterfox version 4.0.0 was released. This new version brought ARM specific support to the MacOS version of the browser. You can download Waterfox here .

  Where do I even start? Because Tweetbot is absolutely FANTASTIC! I use Twitter, a bit (More than I want to admit) and I have been pretty annoyed by the ads (cause ads). Then, I heard about Tweetbot. A subscription based Twitter client that is ad-free. So, I did the free trial and I fell in love with the app and ended up getting a subscription. My favorite Tweetbot features are: • Feed filters (Yes, you can filter out content from your feed) • Several preset themes that include customization • Several app icons to choose from • No ads I highly recommend Tweetbot! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ You can learn more about Tweetbot HERE . Tweetbot is available for IOS and MacOS; I have only used the IOS version.

  These days there are so many search engines out there. Those with good privacy, those with good results, those with good privacy and good results. But which category does the Brave Search engine fall into?  I believe that Brave Search falls into the good privacy AND good results category. When searching random things and using it as my default search, I was always able to find what I was looking for within the top three results, which is REALLY good. I have done this same kind of test with others and they do not always past the test. So, if you value privacy, or just don't want to support big tech, I highly recommend Brave Search for you to use. You can find Brave Search here . ★★★★★

  Fluid is a must have app for Mac users. Fluid allows any computer user to make an application from a website. It is essentially a PWA maker for any website. I purchased the premium version a couple months ago and I have no regrets! I have been able to add my most visited websites to my dock and app menu with ease! ★★★★★ I highly recommend Fluid for any Mac user!

  For a long time I did not use cloud backups. I found out the hard way that this is a bad idea. I use to only use a local backup for my data. This way, someone could not hack into my account and obtain my information. However, a couple years ago when I had to reinstall my Mac's OS, I lost data because I was unable to complete a local backup before the problem occurred. If I had a cloud backup at the time, all of my files would have been backed up earlier in the day and I would have lost less data.  Since then, I have been paying for a terabyte of cloud storage from Microsoft and it is a life saver. Last week my Mac completely died (I have been limping it along for a long time) and I had not done a local backup for over a day, but because I have OneDrive set up, I was able to sign in on another device and continue my work. I recommend that you also get a cloud storage account. I recommend OneDrive, but there are other good cloud storage services available as well.  

Check out these awesome applications! FireAlpaca FireAlpaca is a fantastic drawing and animation application that is easy to use and free! ★★★★★ Zotero Zotero is an excellent application for any student or researcher. Zotero makes citing works and keeping track of resources easy and it's free. ★★★★ Kingpin Private Browser The Kingpin Private Browser is a great application for privacy concerned individuals. It is easy to use and secure! ( $9.99 ) ★★★★

  Our suggested privacy browsers Opera GX Top features: • Free built-in VPN • Built-in ad blocker • Built-in tracker blocker • CPU, RAM, and networker limiter • Built-in ambient music player • Customizable appearance  • Built-in battery saver • Opera Add On Store • Compatible with Chrome extensions. • Built-in social messengers • Tab groups Brave Top features: • Compatible with Chrome extensions. • Built-in ad blocker • Built-in tracker blocker • BAT Rewards (Cryptocurrency reward program) • Built-in news page  • TOR capable Min Top Features: • Fast loading • Built-in ad blocker • Built-in tracker blocker • Minimalist design • Tab groups Honorable mention Fruity (Beta) Fruity is in beta and unstable. However, I suggest you still check it out. Top Features: • Minimalist design • One-click cookie delete • Auto cookie and history delete on exit • Quick links

  Cryptomator is a must have data security tool. Cryptomator lets anyone secure their data on their devices or clouds. I have found that Cryptomator works very well with Microsoft OneDrive, flash drives, and built-in storage. With Cryptomator, you don't have to worry about your cloud storage solutions reading or stealing your information. ★★★★★ Find Cryptomator here .

 Keybase is an excellent data security tool. Keybase is an excellent tool for encrypted chat and file storage. Keybase's file storage includes a way to host a website securely through the company. The Keybase website is also available as an Onion site . This means that people can securely access the service without their IP being seen. I highly recommend using Keybase . ★★★★★

  Initial impression: Informative, easy to setup, enjoyable Analysis: First of all, the setup process is easy to use and separates free sources from paid (unlike other feed apps or sites). Newsadoo has a wide variety of sources including but not limited to TechCrunch, Vice, the New York Post, and other big name sources. The mobile app also has a "build your own" channel feature. This feature is really nice and is probably the highlight of the entire product. Overall, Newsadoo is a beautiful application with many features and no obvious bugs. Newsadoo is the highest quality feed app/service I have used yet. Newsadoo is a definite 5/5. ★★★★★ Find Newsadoo HERE .

The Firewalla Red is fantastic! The Firewalla Red allows any home or business to have advanced internet security. Firewalla allows for users to monitor internet traffic, block ads network wide, block inappropriate sites, block suspicious devices, and more. Firewalla is a game changer in wifi and internet security. ★★★★★

My three favorite CSS libraries: Bootstrap Bulma UIKit Bootstrap Boostrap has many nice features and is supported by many drag and drop platforms. Bulma Bulma is easy to use and implement. It is no where as big as Bootstrap. UIKit UIKit has many great features and is lightweight. However, it does not have many features, but it is easy to customize.

  Minds is a revolutionary social/micro-blogging platform. Minds has a unique way of encouraging users to create excellent content - cryptocurrency. When users like posts, the creator of the posts obtains a percentage of a Minds Token. Same thing happens when someone re-Minds (Re-post/share) a post or comments on it.  I think that Minds and platforms like it are the future of social media and the internet. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Learn more about Minds HERE!

 Parler is a text-oriented social platform like Twitter. Parler has many of the same features as Twitter. Parleys (posts), Direct Messages, private accounts, public accounts, user verification, etc. What makes Parler unique, is its lack of censorship. Parler censors inappropriate content like explicit images and threats. However, they do not censor what other social platforms call "hate speech". The purpose of Parler is to be a place where conservatives and liberals can post their opinions freely and not worry about being censored for having a unique opinion. ☆☆☆☆ Check it out HERE

Venturify Session Tracking is revolutionary. Venturify's web analytics platform is the best one I have used. Its abilities and ease of use far surpass any of its competitors'. I highly recommend Venturify's Session Tracking. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Learn more HERE

Facebook Messenger Facebook Messenger is extremely easy to use and it is reliable! I believe it is great for anyone who wants to keep in touch with friends from high school. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ WhatsApp   (From Facebook) WhatsApp has the simplicity and reliability of Messenger and strong security. WhatsApp is great for businesses and friends keeping in touch. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Skype Skype is excellent for video chats and it has a good messaging feature as well. I use it and I really like it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Step one: Throw out Chrome and Firefox. You did not hear me incorrectly. Both browsers automatically report data back to their developers and they record usage and browsing data. There is no way to prevent this in Chrome. Firefox has a way to prevent tracking but it has a tendency to reset to default sharing settings when it updates. Step two: Start using a privacy-oriented browser. The top three web browsers that I recommend for privacy and security are Brave , Opera , Waterfox , and TOR . These browsers are free for use. Step three: Install additional security addons. There are so many addons/extensions that give you full control of your privacy and security. Some of the best ones that I have found are, Ghostery, Avast Web Security, Privacy Badger, DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials, CyDec Platform, and Touch VPN. With these extensions you can prevent website trackers, cookies, fingerprinting, and more! These tools allow you to have total control of your browser. Step four: Enjoy ...

Privacy Web Browsers Rated (5 Stars maximum) Brave Pros: Built-in Ad, tracker, and fingerprinting blockers. It also has a built-in crypto wallet. Uses Chrome Add-ons. Has its own cryptocurrency. It can also use the Tor network. Cons: Occasional cryptocurrency outages ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cliqz Pros:  Built-in Ad, tracker, and fingerprinting blocker and a news page. Uses Firefox Add-ons. Cons: Occasionally crashes and has a few bugs when opening on MacOS (Just click the home button and the bugs are resolved). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Waterfox Pros:  Built-in Ad, tracker, crypto mining, and fingerprinting blockers. It has a password manager that syncs to all of your devices. Cons: The security blockers do not block as many security/privacy threats as its competitors.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Opera Desktop Browsers Pros: Built-in ad and tracker blocker, VPN, crypto wallet, and news page. It can use Chrome add-ons and its own. It has a sync feature for all of your devices. Cons: Opera's VPN has occasional out...