This is a collection of the best, most reputable and generally most acknowledged online privacy guides on the web. The list is updated frequently.

Links are sorted in alphabetical order to avoid any biases, and each of them contains a short snippet quoted from the respective sites. I have not and will not add privacy guides that are created by VPN “review” sites or other such entities that create content just to spam it with affiliate links.

I dare to say that these guides together cover all the bases when it comes to the best privacy practices, OPSEC, and basic online anonymity – even for the advanced users. However, if you think I’m missing a guide, please leave a comment below and I’ll happily review and possibly add it to the list, thank you.

AnonymousPlanet -The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Online Anonymity

This is a maintained guide with the aim of providing an introduction to various online tracking techniques, online ID verification techniques, and detailed guidance to creating and maintaining (truly) anonymous online identities. It is written with hope for activists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, whistle-blowers, and good people being oppressed, censored, harassed anywhere!

Auth0 – Practical Privacy: A Guide for Everyone

In this article we’ll take a super practical look at privacy concerns and how to protect yourself.

Choose to Encrypt – Beginner’s Guide to Internet Safety & Privacy

Privacy matters. Even if you think you have nothing to hide, it’s in your best interest to make your privacy a priority.

CryptoSeb – The Crypto Paper

We could find papers, forum posts, and discussion around little bits and pieces but we had to do the searching ourselves and put it all together. It really wasn’t suitable for like 75% of the Internet population. So in early 2016, I had this idea of writing a paper that would encompass everything related to security, privacy, and anonymity but tailor it to all walks of Internet users; whether that is my 59-year-old grandma, or Edward Snowden like individuals.

EFF – Surveillance Self-Defense

We’re the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an independent non-profit working to protect online privacy for nearly thirty years. This is Surveillance Self-Defense: our expert guide to protecting you and your friends from online spying.

freeCodeCamp – The Beginner’s Guide To Online Privacy

There is so much to privacy that I’m afraid it’s impossible to fully protect ourselves on the Internet from the eyes of amoral corporations, but we can minimize this risk. I invite you to find out how this can be done.

Hacker Noon – Internet Privacy Guide — Keeping Your Data Safe Online

So you think you have nothing to hide…think again. If you take precautions to protect all your information, responsible privacy practices will become second nature for you.

Privacy Guides – The guide to restoring your online privacy

Massive organizations are monitoring your online activities. Privacy Guides is your central privacy and security resource to protect yourself online.

Privacy Rights – Online Privacy: Using the Internet Safely

(No relevant excerpt available. PRC also has bunch of other “privacy basics” guides listed here.)

ProtonMail – The ProtonMail guide to taking control of your online privacy

Improve your online privacy with this comprehensive guide, developed by the ProtonMail team. Here, we’ll help you determine your threat model and take steps to achieve online privacy that meets your needs.

TheAnonymousJoker – 100% FOSS Smartphone Hardening non-root Guide 3.0 (for normal people) ft. some advanced tricks

I am back with the third version of the guide I started last year with the aim of getting nearly top grade levels of privacy in the hands (pun intended) of all smartphone users, focused on steps that normal, average people with basic tech knowledge can apply. This version of the guide is fundamentally an incremental improvement, so some parts of the guide may seem copy pasted, but they are supposed to be that way for obvious reasons.

The New Oil – The Beginner’s Guide to Data Privacy & Cybersecurity

Welcome to The New Oil. This site is designed to help readers take back control of their data and regain their privacy online. Whether you think the digital panopticon is immoral, or whether you simply find companies stalking your every digital move creepy, this site will help you learn the basics about protecting your identity, your safety, and your data.

ThinkPrivacy

It’s time big tech stop profiting off you. (Note: while their front page is mostly just listing of tools and services, they have additional information and guides in their blog section.)

Troy Hunt – Going dark: online privacy and anonymity for normal people

I want to talk about practical, everyday things that people who aren’t deeply technical can do to better protect themselves. They’re simple, mostly free and easily obtainable by everyone. I’d also like to encourage those who do give online anonymity a lot of thought to leave their suggestions in the comments section, keeping in mind the target audience being your normal, everyday people.

Web Hosting Geeks – A Beginner’s Guide to Online Privacy

A look into the entire area of online privacy and how it has affected our use of the Internet, including some practical advice on creating user-centric privacy-enhanced ux.

---

Honorable mentions

These articles either aren’t complete guides or they are just lists of privacy tools and services. Regardless, they still provide great value to privacy minded individuals.

Big Ass Data Broker Opt-Out List

This list is divided into people search sites on top, which will help you keep your home address and phone number off the web. At the bottom is some advice to deal with marketing sites.

EPIC – Online Guide to Practical Privacy Tools

EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center) does not lobby for, consult, or advise companies, nor do we endorse specific products or services. This list merely serves as a sampling of available privacy-enhancing tools.

Freedom Privacy over Internet (FPoI) – How to maintain freedom and privacy using technology and Internet

Our mission is to improve freedom of speech and privacy using technology and the Internet. We are part of the Digital Resistance against mass surveillance programs implemented by the states and ICT corporations.

Tisiphone – Thwart my OSINT Efforts while Binging TV!

Do you really want any casual stranger to know your home address, phone numbers, email addresses, and the names and ages of your kids? While disappearing from the internet completely can be nigh impossible, spending a little time removing easily accessible data can cause frustration and extra work for a nefarious (or nosy) person investigating you.

IntelTechniques – Data Removal Guide

The online removal process of your personal information, such as a home address or telephone number, is usually quite easy. Most services will offer you a website to request they remove your details. These direct links are often hidden within fine print or rarely visited pages. My goal in this guide is to take the research out of the removal process and simply tell you where to start. Instead of explaining each step of the process for every service, I decided to compress this information throughout this tutorial. Each removal summary will display the service, website, removal link, contact options, and any notes about the removal process.

Mozilla’s *Privacy Not Included buyer’s guide

How creepy is that smart speaker, that fitness tracker, that game console? We created this guide to help you shop for safe, secure connected products.

(Note: Mozilla also links back to my own article from their Oura ring privacy review, which is quite nice of them.)

PRISM Break

Opt out of global data surveillance programs like PRISM, XKeyscore and Tempora.

PrivacyTools.io

You are being watched. Private and state-sponsored organizations are monitoring and recording your online activities. Privacytools.io provides knowledge and tools to protect your privacy against global mass surveillance.

Restore Privacy – Privacy and Security Tools

With both governments and corporate entities trampling over the privacy rights of people throughout much of the world, choosing the right privacy tools is now more important than ever. (Note: while they still do affiliate marketing at least with VPN providers, and therefore Restore Privacy should NOT make my list, their site still provides a wealth of useful information, so I’m willing to make this one exception.)

Security in-a-box – Protect the privacy of your online communication

Each communication method, digital or otherwise, comes with advantages and disadvantages in terms of convenience, popularity, cost, and security, among other considerations. It’s up to each of us to weigh the benefits and risks of the methods we use to communicate. When our risks are higher, it is wise to choose our communication tools more deliberately.

Spread Privacy blog’s Device Privacy Tips and Privacy Crash Course

You deserve privacy online. And now with DuckDuckGo’s help, you can learn how to get it.

Stay Safe Online – Managing Your Privacy

In today’s world, everyone is digitally connected and must think about safety and security both online and offline. These privacy tips can help you, your family and friends be privacy-savvy and stay safer online.

US-CERT – Privacy Tips

Tips describe and offer advice about common security issues for non-technical computer users.

whonix – Modern Privacy Threats

This site has basically everything you ever wanted to learn about security and privacy. Start with their Modern Privacy Threats module, which includes data collection techniques, internet corporations and privacy concerns, surveillance capabilities, the importance of anonymity and tips on remaining anonymous. After that, move on to Basic Security Guide or Advanced Security Guide, depending on your skill level.

World Privacy Forum – Top Ten Opt Outs

As privacy experts, we are frequently asked about “opting out,” and which opt outs we think are the most important. This list is a distillation of ideas for opting out that the World Privacy Forum has developed over the years from responding to those questions. The list below does not contain all opt outs that are available. Rather, it contains the opt outs that we believe are the most important and will be the most useful to the most consumers.