Day one.
George Orwell famously wrote:
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
Elsewhere, he wrote:
And yet the peculiar horror of the present moment is that we cannot be sure that this is so. It is quite possible that we are descending into an age in which two and two will make five when the Leader says so.
In this case, "the Leader" is being inaugurated President of the United States later today.
He's a criminal, found guilty on 34 felony charges in the state of New York. He was also found liable to have committed real estate fraud and sexual assault. He owes hundreds of millions in fines for the fraud and for defaming the woman he assaulted.
These are facts. His MAGA cult will tell you they're lies - and that is just because their leader says so.
Protect your self. Protect your sensitive communications. Especially if you are in any of the communities soon to be targeted by The Leader's second administration.
Get a Proton Mail account.
From PCMag:
You can use Proton Mail at no charge, while paying for an account
removes some limits and enables advanced features. Proton Mail stores
your data using zero-knowledge encryption, meaning only you can access
it. A disgruntled employee can’t rummage through your Proton Mail
messages, and the best subpoena in the world can’t force the company to
turn over your account.
So if two people are communicating via Proton Mail, it's end-to-end encrypted. You can send encrypted email (password protected) out of Proton Mail as well.
You can store documents there as well - just go to Proton Drive.
Proton also has a VPN.
What's a VPN?
Again, PCMag:
A private network configured within a public network such as the
Internet or a carrier's network. A VPN provides anonymity and privacy
for every desktop and mobile device that accesses the Internet. VPNs
use so-called "tunneling" protocols because they tunnel a private
channel through a public network.
Get a
Tor Browser.
From PCMag:
The easiest way is with Tor Browser. Tor, which stands for The Onion Router, is more than just one of the best web browsers.
It's a technology stack that hides your web activity by routing and
obscuring it through multiple nodes, like the layers of an onion. Its
use for nefarious activities is well chronicled, but it's your best
option if you want real privacy online. Tor Browser is a free,
open-source project that simplifies protecting your identity online.
All of the above are available in free versions, though you can upgrade the Proton stuff.
I have no financial interest in any of it. I'm using the free versions.