Every year on the Fourth of July, we celebrate the moment America declared independence from an oppressive government. It’s a good reminder that freedom isn’t just a historical idea—it’s something we still have to protect, especially in the digital world.

This week on KFGO, we talked about how you can take control of your privacy and defend your digital freedom using a few of our favorite tools. Think of this as your personal tech independence starter pack.

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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

If you’re not familiar with the EFF, it’s a nonprofit that fights for your rights online. They’ve been around since the early days of the internet, standing up for things like privacy, free speech, and transparency in government and tech companies.

They don’t just go to court—they also create tools to help everyday people protect themselves.

Check them out here:
🔗 EFF Homepage
🔧 Tools they offer: EFF Tools Page

If you believe in freedom of speech, the right to privacy, and not being tracked every time you go online, the EFF is worth supporting.

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Signal: Private Messaging That Actually Stays Private

When it comes to private messaging, Signal is the gold standard. It uses end-to-end encryption, which means only you and the person you’re talking to can read the messages—not even Signal can see them.

It’s free, open source, and works on both phones and computers.

Download it here: https://signal.org

Just a quick heads-up: If your phone or computer has malware, that malware can still access your messages after they’ve been decrypted. Signal does its job, but it can’t protect you if your device is already compromised. So, keeping your devices secure is just as important.

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uBlock Origin: Less Tracking, Fewer Distractions

uBlock Origin is our go-to browser extension. It blocks ads, trackers, pop-ups, and shady scripts that try to run in the background while you browse. It also makes your web experience faster and less cluttered.

Best of all, it doesn’t sell your data or slow your system down like some other ad blockers.

Install it directly from the official GitHub page:
🔗 uBlock Origin

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Brave Browser: Privacy on Your Phone (and Desktop)

If you want a browser that takes privacy seriously, Brave is a great choice. It has built-in ad and tracker blocking and even includes a feature that protects against fingerprinting. That’s the sneaky technique websites use to identify your device without cookies.

The best part? Brave comes with uBlock-style protection already built in. No extra steps needed. We’ve switched to using it as our main browser on our phones, and it’s made a big difference.

You can try it here: https://brave.com

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Why These Tools Matter

Freedom isn’t just about what you can do—it’s also about what you can keep private. These tools give you more control over your own digital life:

• The EFF defends your rights in court and builds helpful tech
• Signal lets you message without being watched
• uBlock Origin stops trackers before they load
• Brave keeps your browsing private right out of the gate

Using tools like these is a simple way to stay in control without feeling overwhelmed. It’s like locking your front door—you might trust your neighbors, but you still take precautions.

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Simple Tips to Keep Your Devices Private

• Use strong passwords and a password manager (Bitwarden is a good one)
• Keep your software and apps updated
• Be cautious about what you click
• Use the tools we just talked about

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We Can Help

Whether you’re trying to lock down your laptop, clean up your home network, or protect your business from digital threats, we’ve got you covered.

We work with both residential and business clients, and we’re happy to explain things in plain English.

🔧 Learn more at darkhorseit.com
🎙️ Missed the KFGO segment? Catch up at kfgo.darkhorseit.com

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