Tips & Tricks: Using our App for Different Major Websites
What browsers & locations should be used for each site
General guidelines:
Browsers:
The MORE surveillance the website does, the LESS you should block Javascript and lie.. because the more they will penalize you. (eCommerce, Twitter, Reddit, ect)
Locations:
The MORE you are concerned with being anonymous, the more free country you should go to, which for many people means FARTHER away. (Malaysia, Iceland, ect). However, a lot of sites are biased against non-US/UK IPs. If that’s the case, then do Tor->socks5 proxy with our Seattle or Ohio locations.
Logins:
In general, for websites you login, there is a much higher risk of fingerprinting and Javascript being required. For websites like random person’s Wordpress blog, you usually don’t need JavaScript with Tor to view static articles and content. But if it’s videos, then you’ll want WireGuard.
Tor vs WireGaurd:
You can’t do video calls over Tor, because it’s UDP packets, and Tor is TCP. So for any kind of web conference call, do Wireguard with countries closer to you.
Site specific
Twitter / X:
Larry Ellison of Oracle helped Elon Musk buy Twitter, so they can train the AI on your data.
Country
Use US/UK IPs, as they are heavily biased against EU ones. As of Feb 2025 I’ve seen it reported that the captcha makes you SEND THEM a text if you use an EU IP & SMS. While as the US SENDS YOU a text.
Browser:
I’d do Ungoogled Chromium to blend in. Avoid Librewolf or anything spoofing timezone. Potentially avoid all firefox based browsers, since it’s the default on Linux distros, and then their spam system thinks you’re a bot in a VM since you got a completely fresh browser.
Reddit:
Privacy for web browsers normally works by having you blend in with a crowd… in other words, your fingerprint is the same as others. The problem with this is that Reddit wanst to block bot spam. So if you’re the same as everyone else, you’re now a spammer.
Captchas
So for restrictive social media, such as Twitter or Reddit, where they may initially allow you through but then give you a hard time after with captchas, temporary silences, or repeat confirmations. You’ll face the most difficulty on the sign-up then if you already have an account… I’d avoid Librewolf as it lies about your timezone and blocks some.
Country
Use USA IPs, as they are heavily biased against Europe and Asia. If you’re worried about US surveillance, do a Tor->socks5 proxy.
Browser:
For Twitter or Reddit, I’d use Ungoogled Chromium or Brave to blend in. Potentially avoid all firefox based browsers, since it’s the default on Linux distros, and then their spam system thinks you’re a bot in a VM since you got a completely fresh browser.
Facebook:
CIA Malware
Facebook is among the most malicious fingerprinters and trackers. In fact, some analysts think the CIA uses Facebook to do malware. Our system can contain this far better than the Firefox containers or facebook extensions, which only really deal with cookies. These other systems basically ignore the fingerprint, and don’t isolate the filesystem. And Mozilla is essentially just as bad as Facebook.
Isolate
So Facebook is likely in your real name, and has many contacts with people you know. So isolate Facebook to it’s own profile. If you’re making a NEW Facebook, then the ecommerce rules apply. While as if you ALREADY HAVE a Facebook account, then any browser would be fine.
The main thing with Facebook is to isolate the filesystem because it’s malware.
Country
Doesn’t matter much as far as I’ve seen.
Browser
Doesn’t matter much as far as I’ve seen.
Youtube/Gmail:
Gmail obviously needs an SMS. Check our list of SMS burner providers:
Protocol
For Youtube you’re going to want to use Wireguard for speed, which can be anonymous if you stack it on a systemwide Wiregaurd.
Country
Country is not that important, but your SMS country needs to match your IP country.
Browser
I’d use Chromium-based browsers. I’d recommend Brave, because you want to use a Google-based browser so their web app works right, but if you use Ungoogled Chromium then they know you’re a trouble-maker. Brave is popular enough, and not too rebellious since it uses the Google extension store.
eCommerce: Amazon / Walmart:
eCommerce is an excellent way to track you, because there is money to be made if they can advertise more to you. And because they can prevent you from blocking Javascript and force you to verify info like an SMS phone number, under the guise of preventing fraud.
First sign-up
For most eCommerce, when you first sign-up, there is the most scrutiny. For these I’d avoid other countries and avoid restricting Javascript or spoofing.
Country
Your Home country or locations near it are the best to not set off fraud flags.
Browser
Vanilla Firefox is actually the best for eCommerce according to Michael Bazzell. Or Ungoogled chromium for ebay. Avoid Librewolf.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is corrupt, they make the bulk of their money from selling user data. This is the real reason they are hard on verification, is to make sure the data they sell is accurate.
Even if LinkedIn is in your real name, you want to avoid them having access to any of your other info. And especially keeping them from accessing other social media you have.
Likely you’ll want to do this with a profile in your home country, and Chromium, Firefox, and Brave are all fine choices. Avoid Librewolf.
Porn:
Porn presents unique challenges, since Tor Browser is horribly slow and blocking Javascript kills the functionality… Yet you want to be anonymous. The best solution is just make an isolated fingerprint for Porn, and if you log into a premium service, then keep the same profile. However, if the user wishes to be a different “person” for free Porn, then toggle the screen size and browser around, but keep the same country and subscription.
AI (such as Chatgpt.com)
Self-hosted AI is the best way to avoid surveillance, but some like the convenience of using stuff already setup. For these situations, make sure to have an isolated profile for AI. You could potentially buy credits using Cake Wallet on Linux.
Nostr web apps:
Most Nostr sites use Cloudflare. If you use Nostr in a web browser, then I’d recommend isolating it to it’s own thing. Not only for fingerprinting, but also to keep your nsec key in it’s own isolated filesystem and away from other profiles. Use the Nos2fx or Nos2x extensions, as currently Flamingo’s popups have a sizing issue with our system.
Browser:
For web browsers, any of them should work but often Nostr devs are n00bs and so Firefox things MAY break down.
Country:
For countries to use on Nostr, freer jurisdictions such as Iceland or Malaysia would good since they won’t restrict.
Protonmail or Tutanota:
The best solution is a self-host decentralized email system that we offer setups for. We've advised against Proton because they are likely a honeypot. The reason I say this is because it's such weak and flawed privacy, that is marketed in a deceiving way. Assuming you've seen our articles or podcasts on this issue, and do not care then..
This being said, you are going to need an email for most accounts. There is naturally a tendency to want to re-use the same email for all accounts. Let me break this up to you simply:
If you wish to fool the government:
You absolutely need completely separate emails for each profile. Do NOT trust Proton if you’re trying to stop the government from connecting the dots on different profiles.
If you ONLY wish to fool Big Tech:
You should use a service like AnonAddy or even proton’s built-in stuff. You need to have different emails for each account, but they can be these fake burner forwarding things like AnonAddy.
If it’s any of these things:
-Medical
-KYC bills/finances
-KYC crypto or investments
-Managing family things
Then:
You can re-login to your same Proton or Tutanota account if you need to on different profiles.
But if it’s ANY kind of hiding from governments, then do NOT.
Medical:
Medical is a VERY tricky profile. Because WebMD and Google are not healthcare providers, and therefore NOT bound by US HIPPA laws to keep your data private. This is why WebMD blocks Tor, so they can gather data. However, this adds complexity, because if you use the same profile for Medical appointments in your name, then you’ve just doxxed yourself to WebMD.
Appointments
Medical appointments, research, looking up doctors on your health insurance providers, and paying that bill are a huge source to track you.
Offices
Most physicans offices use complete malware on their websites and use Google stuff behind the scenes. So when you schedule a medical appointment, often they will use Google captchas or have 3rd party non-sense on their site. You can’t block the captcha to submit stuff, and often the website has Gmail on the backend. Many journalists have commented on Facebook violating HIPPA laws by being integrated with medical websites: [link]
Therefore here is my recommendation:
No Pre-existing:
If you do NOT have a pre-existing condition or any serious medical issue, THEN:
Put scheduling routine medical appointments in with your financial profile for paying bills.
Pre-existing:
If you DO have a pre-existing condition or any serious medical issue, THEN:
I’d have an isolated medical profile for just doing research. Then potentially a second profile for scheduling appointments, paying insurance, or dealing with the logistics of actual care. You could also change the screen size in the “edit profile” since it won’t wipe the cookies. And then go to private mode to avoid a 2nd profile.
Your Bank:
If your bank knows where you live, and then they may restrict VPNs, you may consider just connecting directly in a regular browser for just that. But avoid that browser for anything else.
If you really want to learn and take your privacy to the next level, subscribe to our new content via: Podcast RSS, Session list, Nostr, Bastyon, Article RSS, or join the Signal Group
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