I don’t exactly know where you are in your journey but since you ask “Where should I begin” I’ll start with some basics:
- switch your Search Engine (Techlore recommendations, Privacy Guides recommendations)
- switch your Browser to Brave (you can disable most of the crypto crap) or Firefox
- make sure you use an Ad block, Brave already comes with one and for Firefox use uBlock Origin
- stop oversharing your private life on social media
- change the privacy settings on your social media
- look into the privacy setting of every service/program/OS you use, you don’t have to do it all at once just do 1 or 2 every time you have some spare time and feel like it
not privacy related but still worth doing:
- setup 2FA whenever possible
- use a password manager
- make sure to have backups of your most important files
some traps (IMO) i see people falling into:
- privacy/debloat scripts for Windows
- every single person I’ve seen using them had problems because of them in the long run, Windows will break or get instable (usually those people complain how shitty modern Windows is and that it breaks all the time and when you ask the “have you used any debloat scripts” they will answer “oh yea its the first thing i do every time I install Windows”
- VPNs
- they do have benefits but they are not a magical tool that instantly solves all of your privacy problems
- don’t overthink it too much, some people fall into VPNs and all they can think about is VPNs
- Data removal services
- they sound nice and are nice in theory but in reality (at least some) just hire people from the 3rd world to send email with all of your information to every data broker and say “please delete those” (obviously oversimplified) even if the data broker didn’t have your data in the first place (I’m also half convinces that some of the people that get hired to write the emails also sell your data to make an extra buck(I saw a drastic increase of spam calls/emails after using one)).
last thoughts:
- don’t rush it, its a marathon not a sprint
- you sound like you already have one so stick with your threat model and don’t go too far overboard