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A couple weeks ago, I was watching Joe Rogan's interview with Edward Snowden. It was a fascinating interview, and of course, reminded me of just how much every person and everything we do is being tracked one way or another, especially on the Internet.

In this day and age, I think it's important to understand that almost everything we have and everywhere we go, some kind of device is tracking what we do, what we say, and what we look like. Even tech giant leaders like Mark Zuckerberg are aware of this, and he masks his own computer's webcam with tape. And Apple has even updated its most recent operating system for their iPhones and iPads with features which allow customers to keep apps from tracking their usage and data through bluetooth.

But I recently found a few services that take that privacy protection even further. They have to do with our spending and browsing habits, which probably take up the majority of our modern lives today. So, without further ado, here are two apps that can help you protect your data and information online.

1. The Brave Browser (and Tor)

This is probably the most well-known one, as just this past week the Brave Browser released its “1.0” version, and has surpassed the Firefox browser on Apple's App store as one of the most downloaded utilities today.

The Brave Browser proposes to do two things: help users protect their privacy while also giving them the ability to profit from advertising. The second part it does by distributing a cryptocurrency token called BAT to users when they view browser-specific ads. The coins can then be collected in a wallet or distributed by users to their favorite creators online. It's a great way to help monetize the public's usage of the internet, and some of its functions I actually previously proposed Coil could adopt in an earlier post.

However, it's the privacy functions of Brave that I find particularly good. Brave is an offshoot of the Chromium open source project, which is the engine behind Google's Chrome and Chrome OS. This means that Brave is just as secure as Google's Chrome, can use any extension that Chrome can, and adds privacy features on top of it.

It has its own ad-blocker, blocks third-party cookies, upgrades all connections to HTTPS, and never downloads your data onto any servers to be sold to third party businesses or websites. Of course, these features exist in Google's Chrome as settings and extensions you can download. But Brave has it all in one neat package without any hassle. And because it blocks so many cookies and ads, it actually loads most webpages much faster.

If you need additional privacy, you can open a private browsing window in Brave with Tor. Tor is basically a VPN-type browser with additional privacy and security features. Instead of directly connecting to a website, you connect via proxy through other computers so that you're much more difficult to track online. Also, just like private browsing on Chrome, browsing in Brave with Tor won't keep track of websites or data you use while in that privacy mode. Of course, there are certainly ways for companies to get around these things if they really want to track you. If you want even more privacy and security, I would recommend just downloading the Tor browser.

Because the browser is generally the most ubiquitous service which all our internet-connected devices use, it's a good idea to have a browser which is secure. Brave is definitely this, with an added bonus of actually paying you for the time you spend on it.

2. Privacy

Yup, this one is literally called Privacy. It's an app that facilitates payments online by creating a new credit card for every purchase or merchant you designate. All I have to do is create a card, designate it as a single-use or merchant card, and set a limit to how much that card can spend.

For single-use cards, once I purchase the item I desire, that card is immediately locked down and cannot be used for literally anything else any more. So if, somehow, someone steals that credit card's information, they wouldn't be able to use it at all.

For merchant cards, once I purchase what I want, the card locks onto that merchant. For example, if I create a card and use it on Etsy, it is forever locked onto Etsy. If I try to use it for Amazon or another merchant, I won't be able to. Furthermore, for all cards, if I (or anyone for that matter) try to spend above the limit, it won't be accepted on the card.

This is especially useful for subscription-type services. I can create a card, lock it onto the subscription, limit it to what the subscription would charge every month, and that card can no longer be used for anything else. If I decide to cancel the subscription, all I have to do is delete the card, and I no longer have to worry about being charged ever again. I can even use this for those trial services which force me to put down a credit card to use. I just create a card, sign it onto the service, and then cancel the card. I'll never be charged, and if I want to continue the service by actually subscribing and paying, I can always create another card.

On top of all this, Privacy promises to never sell my data, charge interest, or have any annual fees for their cards. This means I don't have to worry about my spending data being tracked on any websites or credit card companies. It's an amazingly awesome way to make sure that my purchase and spending habits are private and secure, and remain always in my control.

The best part about both services mentioned above is that they are 100% FREE. In a world where security matters, it's pretty great that the average individual can, without needing to upfront any cost whatsoever, protect their own data and information. And I believe, as even big companies like Apple are beginning to be weary of government and third-party encroachment of data, valuable services such as these will only increase in the near future.

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