How to keep your private conversations private

As we all live more of our lives online, it’s important to understand who might have access to our conversations and internet searches – and to understand how to maintain privacy in an increasingly connected world.

As we all live more of our lives online, it’s important to understand who might have access to our conversations and internet searches – and to understand how to maintain privacy in an increasingly connected world. In the days since billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency associates have blazed through various government agencies, journalists have encouraged federal government workers to contact them through end-to-end encrypted platforms, like the messaging app Signal. Signal is one of a number of relatively simple tools that can be used not only to help keep secure conversations with reporters, but also for communicating with colleagues when not discussing work projects, researching legal resources or even chatting with friends. It’s safe to assume that anything you do on a work computer or phone could be visible to your employer, because they have the right to monitor usage of devices they own. “You want to think about who has access to the communications that you’re making if you’re worried that someone might try to retaliate you for having these discussions,” said Daniel Khan Gillmor, a senior staff technologist for the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to use a personal device for personal conversations and Google searches.