The YubiKey is the hardware security key that made two-factor authentication strong: tap it instead of typing codes, phishing-resistant by design, supported by every major platform. Yubico’s own guides cover setup on hundreds of services. The firmware is not fully open source, which puts purists on Nitrokey, and a lost key means living by your […]
Rclone can copy and synchronize files between local storage and configured storage services. Its optional crypt backend adds client-side encryption to a remote you configure. Before you choose Encryption is not automatic for every remote. Send files through the configured crypt remote; using its underlying remote directly bypasses encryption. The documentation also explains that file […]
RANDOM.ORG generates randomness from atmospheric radio noise rather than software formulas, offering free random numbers, passwords, drawings and shuffles. It has been the internet’s trusted referee for giveaways since 1998. It is a web service, so anything sensitive you generate passes a third party, and the free quota is limited. Use it for giveaways and […]
Wheel of Names does exactly what it says: paste a list, spin a colorful wheel, get a winner, publicly and verifiably. Free, no account required, and the spin animation keeps classrooms and meetings honest. It is not a security tool and the wheel’s randomness is software-grade. For raffles, rosters and picking who makes the coffee, […]
NixOS defines your entire operating system in one configuration file: packages, services, settings, all declarative and reproducible, so a machine can be rebuilt exactly from that file. It solves the “works on my computer” problem for whole systems. The learning curve is a cliff, and the documentation assumes patience. For people who treat their computers […]
Jami is open-source calling and messaging that works peer-to-peer: no servers store your conversations because there is no central server, and accounts are cryptographic keys rather than phone numbers. GNU project, maintained for years. The network is small, connection times vary, and features trail the polished messengers. A genuine distributed alternative for people who measure […]
Conversations is the Android XMPP client that shows the old federated protocol still works: end-to-end encryption, voice notes and video calls, on any server you choose or the developer’s own. XMPP’s openness means you can always switch servers or apps. It is Android-only, and XMPP’s encryption between different server users has historically been patchier than […]
Debian is the community-run Linux distribution that much of the internet is built on: three decades of stability, a social contract that puts users first, and tens of thousands of packages with no telemetry anywhere. Ubuntu, Linux Mint and countless others descend from it. Stability means older software versions, and installation asks more questions than […]
addy.io, formerly AnonAddy, generates unlimited email aliases that forward to your real inbox, so every shop, service and newsletter gets a different address you can switch off when it misbehaves. Open source, with a transparent Monero-friendly payment option. Aliases are one-way protection: they hide your address but not your behavior, and reply flows take a […]
Your contacts list is a map of your entire social world, which makes it prime data for apps that hoover address books. EteSync syncs contacts between your devices through end-to-end encryption, so the contents stay between you and your devices. It is plumbing rather than an app, and setup means connecting it to your existing […]
BellCrier breach check
Most people are, and never hear about it. BellCrier checks your email against known data breaches for free, then alerts you when it turns up in a new one, with exactly what leaked and how to fix it.
