The Self-Defense BaseCamp is the ideal introduction to the topics of defending privacy and IT security. It is suitable for professional teams, but especially for private individuals and families with a normal working and (school) everyday Internet life. With the knowledge you have acquired, you will protect yourself from cybercrime and learn how to protect yourself from digital mass surveillance and manipulation.

Defend your digital freedom!

WELCOME TO THE SELF DEFENSE BASE CAMP

Start building your knowledge today. The course is free and paves the way for more fun and security when dealing with new media.

And who knows, maybe the topic won’t let you go and you want to continue and get involved with CloudPirat for digital freedom rights.

How can the Basecamp help you?

If you get involved with BaseCamp, you will then understand why protecting your privacy and our digital freedom are more important today than ever. You will consciously recognize when and where you run the risk of revealing too much about yourself and you will make better decisions. You decide consciously whether it’s worth the risk or whether you better keep your hands off one tool or the other. In the toolbox you get CloudPirat’s personal favorites to build up your security either quickly or more technically.

Who is the SelfDefense Basecamp for?

  • People who want to know what happens to their data

  • Teachers and people who want to pass this knowledge on to their students,

  • Companies that want to become trusted providers

  • Journalists, NGOs and all professions in focus.

Who is the SelfDefense Basecamp not for?

  • Advanced and hacktivists (there will be Advanced Camp for you soon),

  • People who don’t feel the need to protect themselves

  • People who need regular contact with a coach should get in touch directly,

  • unethical companies and people who work for them.

PART 1: WARM UP

Let’s start training your perception

In three lessons that are as simple as possible, you will learn the basics and connections on the internet.

Warm up 1

10 important ground rules for your online life

What shoals and cliffs are out there and what 10 things you should embrace.

Warm up 2

Who is actually violating your privacy?

Who is invading your privacy? Is the internet broken? And is there anything else you can do?

Warm up 3

Which topics belong to digital self-defence?

Table of contents and explanations of the learning material

Take a break You have learned a lot! Treat yourself to something sweet or take a break! 🙂

PART 2: BASIC KNOWLEDGE

Lesson 1

What is metadata?

How is metadata created and how can linking and evaluating it lead to mass surveillance?

Lesson 2

Protect your identity with secure passwords

Why you need your own secure password for every online access.

Lesson 3

What are trusted providers?

How can you recognize them and change your usage behavior?

Take your time and look around. Observe yourself and train your perception more and more. When you’re ready, take the next step.

Applications for use on your computer, mobile phone, tablet …

PART 3: THE CLOUDPIRAT TOOLBOX

The Privacy Toolbox is the treasure chest for modifying and expanding your applications step-by-step.

The goal in the CloudPirat Privacy Toolbox is to present exactly two options for each application.

The first can usually be used immediately and quickly and offer good basic protection.

The second recommendation usually requires a little more work or IT experience.

The presented solutions are all open source . This means that the program source code has been published by the manufacturer so that a worldwide community of specialists can check the quality and security of an application.

CloudPirat uses all of these solutions itself and regularly compares its recommendations with other international experts and friendly organizations.

Other criteria are:

  • that the provider is trustworthy ,

  • that the solution can be used well in everyday digital life.

Depending on your interests and needs, you can decide in which order you read the content.

Toolbox 1

The right password manager

Learn here which requirements the use of a password manager should meet.

Toolbox 2

When does using a VPN make sense?

Using a Virtual Private Network service can help protect your privacy. Here you will learn about the advantages and disadvantages.

Toolbox 3

Internet browsers that protect you

Which internet browsers protect your privacy instead of tracking you.

Toolbox 4

Search engines that respect your privacy.

Why should you question the use of search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo?

Toolbox 5

Instant Messenger – encrypted and without tracking

Life without WhatsApp is possible – but pointless?!

Toolbox 6

E-mail, contacts and calendar in good hands

Popular tools vs. specialized providers where your data is in good and safe hands.

Toolbox 7

Secure cloud storage

Cloud means outsourcing and handing over security. How do you solve that.

Toolbox 8

LibreOffice vs Microsoft Office 365

Write, calculate or present without Microsoft looking over your shoulder.

Toolbox 9

Secure and private video conferencing

Trusted video conferencing systems as alternatives to Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Viber or GoToMeeting.

PART 4: Secure and private on computer and cell phone

Configuration suggestions and behaviors to protect you

Computer & Operating System

Security and privacy for Windows, macOS and Linux

System configuration, behaviors and apps that help you protect data and privacy on your PC.

Mobile Basics

Safe handling of cell phones

Behaviors and basics for more privacy and IT security in everyday mobile life.

iPhone

Privacy and security for your iPhone

In the article you will find a step-by-step configuration guide plus my recommendation for privacy apps that protect your data.

Google Pixel & GrapheneOS

GrapheneOS: Private and secure without Google

GrapheneOS is a private, secure mobile operating system and compatible with Android apps. In the article you will find installation help, important settings plus my recommendations for privacy apps from the CloudPirat Privacy Toolbox.

Work in progress

Congratulations!!

You have come to the end of the Self-Defense BaseCamp and have learned a lot. Nobody can fool you that easily anymore!

And what comes now?

If you would like to dive deeper into the topic, have questions or encounter technical problems when implementing my toolbox recommendations, I will be happy to help. The help is free for private individuals.

That’s why the Self-Devense BaseCamp is free

Unfortunately, our governments do not yet see it as their natural task to also protect the digital environment of their citizens. Universities and schools cannot really keep up with the speed of digital changes in society.

Themes like:

  • the sovereignty of the individual over his data ,
  • the protection of privacy on the Internet ,
  • protection against manipulation and data trading by Internet companies or
  • self-protection against cyber attacks

could become self-evident learning content, for example, in ethics lessons or in media studies in schools.

Until then, these tasks have to be compensated for by personal initiative and a lot of private commitment.

Every donation helps
to get going!!