Lately I started including what happens to my data in case I die unexpectedly in my threat model. As of now I’d like for everything to stay private. All my accounts have a strong password that I store on a keepass datbase that I store only on encrypted devices which themselves are protected only by PIN or Password with no biometrics (I use the pin only on my phone which is set up to get wiped after 20 failed unlock attempts to mitigate bruteforce attacks). As for what I post online, I keep it to a minimum and nothing really personal, preferring only viewing content through clients with no account when possible. I know some services allow to set up what happens after a certain period of inactivity but I was wondering if you guys can suggest anything else. Maybe some program that wipes the computer’s drive after a period of inactivity? Some other tools or some tips I didn’t consider?
If you didn’t want it shared, why did you write it down? The only way to leave no trace is to leave no trace. Don’t want Alice to know something? Don’t tell Bob. Once the information leaves your control you genuinely have no control over it.
That is true, for real life it’s harder but as for digital, again. Until I’m here I think my data are protected simply because I’m pretty often around my devices and when that won’t be the case I would want it to stay that way.
To answer to your second reply, I do understand that evryone has their own secrets. I know that and I’m pretty sure that whatever secrets the people I know may have won’t bother me. We all have our things that might appear weird, strange or wrong to others and that’s common to everyone. But to me, if I applied that tought there would be no point in being into this foss and privacy movement at all. If I don’t care about my friends knowing my secrets then why would I care that a computer does? I’ve spent the last copule years trying to find alternatives to companies like google and I tried finding trusted software while also minimizing the amount of data I have online (I have around 30 accounts compared to the 100+ I had when I started) so since I’m so invested in this I aim to improve as much as I can.
100% privacy won’t be possble until the day I dig a hole on the bottom of the ocean to live in but for whatever can be done I aim to do it.
I’d sum up all this into something like I’m more of an “everything or nothing” kind of person when it comes to digital stuff, since I put effort into not using the convenient mainstream options, might as well always take it to an upper level.
When Bob is active part of what you don’t want Alice to know, it doesn’t matter whether you “tell” Bob or not, he knows.
You can try and hide it from him, add layers like an onion, but even that isn’t necessarily a failproof guarantee that you left no trace, even onions can be peeled or holes pierced.
It’s no longer your secret then, is it, if someone else is a part of it? That’s part of my point. If anyone other than you knows the secret, you cannot guarantee its secrecy. You can establish some sort of trust relationship and a classification policy. If you’re dead, all bets are off with those things. Some people with intersecting policies, eg doctors or lawyers with professional requirements, will continue to preserve secrets in some cases. Even that’s not a guarantee.
Yes, I got your point. Mine was that many of the things we do (specially online) cannot be protected by trying to keep it “secret” in the way you previously described. Because they often involve a “Bob”, even if it’s one we sometimes don’t even notice.
So it makes sense for someone to try and look for ways to at least get some level of protection from Alices in other ways than just “don’t tell Bob” even if they might not be flawless (you gave some examples of such ways in that last response).