This is the best privacy setting that almost no one is using

[Zorro]

Protecting your online privacy is way too hard. A proposed California law would give you a privacy fairy godmother to handle the dirty work.

If the governor signs the law by a Sept. 30 deadline, you’d be able to click a box in any web browser or in your phone’s settings to command companies not to blab your personal information.

States around the country are laboratories for how to give you meaningful power over your data. The proposed addition to California’s existing privacy laws isn’t perfect, but it is an intriguing model for simple, legally binding privacy controls.

I’ll explain how the California measure could work for state residents and many other Americans — and how to try a privacy fairy godmother right now.

https://wapo.st/3TfhwBF

[Think. Again.]

1. No paywall link....

https://archive.is/vjKkE

[Zorro]

3. That's a gift link I posted

Shouldn't be paywalled.

[Think. Again.]

4. It would not let me read the full article without signing in.

[Zorro]

5. Looks like a new WaPo feature

Gift links now require an account to read the article. I did not realize that.

[orthoclad]

6. Part of their steady turn to the right

They want to harvest and sell your data from "free" links. Ironic in light of the subject of that article.

Someone told me that blocking scripts disables a lot of website functions, like spyware and paywalls. Never tried it, myself.

[Snarkoleptic]

2. In the meantime, here are some options-

Get a VPN, which can be used on cell phone and laptop.
Use Duck Duck Go browser to anonymize searches.
or
Use Firefox with EFF's free "Privacy Badger" extension, plus Ghostery (also free), plus Ad Guard AdBlocker (also free).

https://www.eff.org/pages/privacy-badger
Privacy Badger is an install-and-forget browser add-on that stops advertisers and trackers from secretly tracking where you go and what pages you look at on the web. If an advertiser or other third party seems to be tracking you across multiple websites without your permission, Privacy Badger automatically blocks them from loading any more content in your browser.

Here's more from EFF re: Surveillance Self-Defense-
https://ssd.eff.org/

[orthoclad]

7. Good EFF source

There's also the Tor browser, which acts like a vpn. Some websites block Tor echo sites.

The Brave browser has a "new private window with Tor" menu item.