How to encrypt your entire life in less than an hour

[Ninurta]

The basic principles presented are fairly sound, but I believe some of the "solutions" are... less than optimal. For example, the "two factor authentication" offered by Google is nothing more than an excuse to link your cell phone to the rest of the info Google has documented on you, making their data mining job easier and ensuring that ALL of your information can be stored in one handy, convenient place. I don't believe it's EVER a good idea, for ANY reason, to link your cell phone to your e-mail, or any other Google service. As a matter of fact, I've taken every single thing that I can from my cell phone to minimize my Google footprint on it. No gmail, no banking, no browsing, no Google searching, and for God's sakes NO MAPPING, LOCATION, OR OTHER TRACKING SERVICES on it. That goes double for any "apps" that MUST be procured through the "Google Store". I have automatic suspicion of anything that can only be obtained from one source, especially if that "One source" is one whose stock in trade is tracking your every move and action. The only "apps" I would even consider for my phone would be those developed and distributed independently of Google.

Likewise, the suggestion to use native Microsoft "solutions" for encrypting your hard drive. Microsoft already has developed your Windows operating system, and trusting them to play nice in encrypting it is more trust than I would care to place in Microsoft, given their track record. That is like trusting the fox to guard the henhouse, only worse. The fox has already designed and built the henhouse, and I see no reason to give him the keys to it, too. I use a third party open source solution, called "VeraCrypt".

I have no experience with the "Signal secure messaging app", but if it is ONLY available at the "Google Store", it's automatically suspect. See above.

I'm on lunch, gotta git back to work. maybe I'll add more after I get back home again.