Pro-Privacy Tools to Use When You Are Planning to Work from Home (Part 1)

If you are working from home since the COVID-19 outbreak, this new work arrangement may seem unfamiliar to you. Don’t worry, I will share to you some helpful tools during this coronavirus pandemic. You can still collaborate with your staff while working far from each other. Thankfully, platforms like – DuckDuckGo – are advocates of privacy so let’s get into some serious business without exactly exposing your identity online. The tools listed below will help you protect your privacy during these difficult times.

Video Calls

First on the list are video conferencing recommendations. Of course, team collaboration won’t happen if you don’t talk to your team. Nowadays, Zoom.us has been a popular choice, but is it safe? On March 30, 2020, the FBI reported about that users complained about being hijacked during their Zoom teleconference. A high school based in Massachusetts stated that an unknown person joined in an online class. Thus, the term “zoom-bombing” was coined. So, what are the alternatives for this?

• Facetime

  • This ain’t something foreign to you, but Facetime offeres end-to-end encryption as stated on Apple’s list of privacy features. On all devices, Apples ensures end-to-end encryption on the messages and calls on iMessage and FaceTime. Additionally, Apple stayed that FaceTime and Group FaceTime calls are NOT stored on their servers.

• Microsoft Teams

  • If there’s Apple, Microsoft also has an entry with the help of Microsoft Teams. On April 6, 2020, Microsoft reiterated its privacy and security features. According to the said blog post, Microsoft Teams “encrypts data in transit and at rest.”

• Jami

  • Jami is a cross platform alternative, making it available to Windows, MacOS, Android, and even Linux users. In their website, Jami is direct in saying that it is private and anonymous. Communications made within Jami are end-to-end encrypted. Moreover, they do NOT require any personal information from anyone when signing up for an account.
• PRO-TIP: Just because these tools say that it is protects your provacy and offers strong encryption, it doesn’t mean you won’t apply your own precautionary measures. Please do mute or turn off any smart devices during your company calls. For sure, you wouldn’t want Alexa, Cortana, or any smart assistant eavesdroping while you make calls.

Webcam Covers

Video conference won’t be complete without webcams. Sadly, hackers can get into your computers and spy through the webcam on your computer. They send seemingly harmless emails your way when, in fact, these are attempts to install malware on your email. Read more on Beware of Coronavirus Scams and Other Related Malicious Sites

To avoid any malicious programs entering your computer, a webcam cover can help with this ordeal. You can opt use a sticker laying around your desk, a stocky note you have, or a masking tape, or any tape really. These are your FREE options.

But of course, if you want a sturdy and reliable cover, there are webcam sliders or sliders you can easily buy online. Lastly, thanks to DuckDuckGo for providing a list of pro-privacy tools for everyone to use.

Next? Pro-Privacy Tools to Use When You Are Planning to Work from Home (Part 2)