diff --git a/docs/activism/toolbox/tip-beware-of-privacy-snake-oil.md b/docs/activism/toolbox/tip-beware-of-privacy-snake-oil.md index 2ef97400..5a8559c1 100644 --- a/docs/activism/toolbox/tip-beware-of-privacy-snake-oil.md +++ b/docs/activism/toolbox/tip-beware-of-privacy-snake-oil.md @@ -1,20 +1,20 @@ --- title: Beware of Privacy Snake Oil -description: In your privacy advocacy, it's important to recommend tools that are reliable to protect yours and other people's privacy. Learn how to evaluate privacy claims. +description: In your privacy advocacy, it's important to recommend tools that reliably protect your and other people's privacy. Learn how to evaluate privacy claims. icon: fontawesome/solid/skull-crossbones cover: activism/banner-toolbox-tip-snakeoil.webp --- -In your privacy advocacy, it's essential to use and recommend tools that are reliable to protect privacy. For this, you need to **investigate and remain highly skeptical** of any dangerous or unproven marketing claims. +In your privacy advocacy, it's essential to use and recommend tools that *reliably* protect privacy. For this, you need to **investigate and remain highly skeptical** of any dangerous or unproven marketing claims. Here's how to evaluate privacy claims, and recommend tools that are trustworthy: ## Why is there so much privacy snake oil? -Regrettably, it's quite common to see businesses using privacy promises only as a marketing strategy to reassure understandingly concerned users. But many aren't genuinely doing the work to make these promises come true. +Regrettably, it's quite common to see businesses using privacy promises as a mere marketing strategy to reassure understandingly concerned users. But many aren't genuinely doing the work to make these promises come true. -Many businesses want to have their cake and eat it too, by attracting users with false promises of privacy all the while exploiting their data for profit. Other times, failure to meet privacy promises simply comes from incompetence or negligence. +Many businesses want to have their cake and eat it too, by attracting users with false promises of privacy while exploiting their data for profit all the while. Other times, failure to meet privacy promises simply comes from incompetence or negligence. -Misleadingly, or fraudulently, presenting a product, service, or organization as being responsible and trustworthy with data privacy when it isn't is called [privacy washing](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/08/20/privacy-washing-is-a-dirty-business/). +Misleadingly, or fraudulently, presenting a product, service, or organization as being responsible and trustworthy with data privacy when it isn't is called "[privacy washing](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/08/20/privacy-washing-is-a-dirty-business/)." There are many things you can learn to become more resistant to privacy washing, and become better at using and recommending genuinely privacy-preserving technologies. @@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ Here are some red flags you should always keep in mind when evaluating a privacy
-- [**Conflict of interest**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#conflict-of-interest): Is the source telling you this product is trustworthy independent of the company or parent-company that owns this product? +- [**Conflict of interest**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#conflict-of-interest): Is the source that is telling you this product is trustworthy independent of the company or parent-company that owns this product? - [**Biased reviews**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#fake-reviews): Is the review recommending this product truly independent, or has it received sponsorship money? Was the review AI-generated? @@ -54,25 +54,25 @@ Here are some red flags you should always keep in mind when evaluating a privacy - [**Buzzword language**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#buzzword-language): Is the advertising and description of the product using a lot of privacy buzzwords like "military-grade encryption" or "AI-powered"? -- [**Unsupported claims**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#checkbox-compliance-and-copy-paste-policies): Are the claims supported by documentation and detailed descriptions? It's not enough to write "end-to-end encrypted." This claim should be supported by a detailed account of *how* the data is end-to-end encrypted, and using which protocols and algorithms. +- [**Unsupported claims**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#checkbox-compliance-and-copy-paste-policies): Are the product's claims supported by documentation and detailed descriptions? It's not enough to write "end-to-end encrypted." This claim should be supported by a detailed account of *how* the data is end-to-end encrypted, including which protocols and algorithms it is using. - [**Unrealistic claims**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#unverifiable-and-unrealistic-promises): Are the privacy claims being made realistic? Nothing can be 100% private or 100% secure. A trustworthy product will give you reasonable warnings about its limitations. -- [**Lack of deletion process**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#flawed-or-absent-process-for-data-deletion): Is this product or service offering a clear process to delete user's data upon request? How much and how quickly could you delete your data if you wanted to stop using this service tomorrow? +- [**Lack of deletion process**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#flawed-or-absent-process-for-data-deletion): Does this product or service offer a clear process to delete your data upon request? How much of your data can you delete, and how quickly can you delete it if you wanted to stop using this service tomorrow? -- [**Untested technologies**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#new-and-untested-technologies): Has this technology been tested by experts before? Are there any external actors who have verified its claims? +- [**Untested technologies**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#new-and-untested-technologies): Has this technology been tested by experts before? Are there any *external* parties who have verified its claims? -- [**Bad reputation**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#critics-from-experts): What are privacy and security experts saying about this product or organization? Was the product or organization subjected to multiple critics from privacy experts? Was the organization impacted by important data breaches? +- [**Bad reputation**](https://www.privacyguides.org/articles/2025/09/03/red-and-green-privacy-flags/#critics-from-experts): What are privacy and security experts saying about this product or organization? Was the product or organization subjected to multiple critiques from privacy experts? Has the organization ever been impacted by major data breaches?
## How to trust privacy tools and services -You should never trust a product, service, or organization at 100%. Additionally, your trust should always be revocable, and you should revoke it as soon as new information warrants it. Even privacy professional sources that you trust might not always be up-to-date. +You should never *completely* trust a product, service, or organization. Additionally, your trust should always be revocable, and you should revoke it when new information comes to light that warrants it. Even privacy professional sources that you trust might not always be up-to-date. Things can change quickly in the tech world, and we must all be prepared to revoke our trust and adapt quickly when required. -That being said, here are some green flags you can keep in mind when evaluating a privacy tool, service, or organization: +With that in mind, here are some green flags you can keep in mind when evaluating a privacy tool, service, or organization: