Best of Privacy — July 2025

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Article
Hacker News·45w
Open-Source Agentic Browser
BrowserOS is an open-source browser built on Chromium that integrates local AI agents for automating web tasks. It emphasizes privacy by running AI models locally using Ollama, avoiding data collection by search and ad companies. The browser includes features like automated workflow execution, semantic search over browsing history, and an LLM-based ad-blocker. Compatible with existing Chrome extensions, it targets users seeking privacy-focused browsing with AI-powered productivity tools.
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Article
80 LEVEL·43w
People Are Using Garry's Mod to Circumvent the UK Censorship Law
Users are exploiting facial recognition systems by using 3D character models from Garry's Mod and other games to bypass age verification requirements imposed by the UK's Online Safety Act. The technique works on platforms like Discord and Reddit, where even heavily distorted game character faces are accepted as valid human verification. This highlights potential vulnerabilities in biometric verification systems and raises questions about the effectiveness of current age verification methods.
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Article
Product Hunt·45w
browsr: because tabs slow you down.
Browsr is a desktop application that converts websites into standalone app windows with custom hotkeys, allowing users to overlay web content above other applications without tab switching. The tool focuses on privacy with local data storage, no accounts or subscriptions, and aims to improve multitasking workflows for users who need to reference web content while working in other applications.
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Article
Hacker News·43w
The Future is NOT Self-Hosted
Self-hosting offers digital independence by running personal cloud services at home, but it's technically complex and creates isolated systems that lack the convenience of shared cloud services. The author argues for community-hosted infrastructure instead - publicly funded, encrypted cloud services that combine the benefits of cloud computing with user ownership and privacy. This approach would provide accessible digital services through libraries or cooperatives, avoiding both corporate control and the inefficiency of individual self-hosting setups.
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Article
Getting started with AI·43w
Self-Hosted Private LLM using Ollama and Open WebUI
Learn how to set up a private, self-hosted ChatGPT alternative using Ollama and Open WebUI with Docker. This tutorial covers creating a local AI chatbot that runs entirely on your machine, protecting your data privacy while providing a familiar web interface. The guide includes Docker Compose configuration, model selection and installation, and step-by-step setup instructions for a complete offline AI solution.
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Article
Collections·44w
Proton's Lumo: A Privacy-First AI Assistant
Proton launched Lumo, a privacy-focused AI assistant that operates from European data centers with zero-access encryption and no server-side logging. Key features include ghost mode for temporary chats, no account requirement, and integration with Proton Drive for encrypted file handling. Built on open-source models, Lumo offers document summarization, code generation, email writing, and web search capabilities while ensuring user data isn't used for training. Available free with limited features or $12.99/month for unlimited access.
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Article
Collections·45w
Linux Achieves 5% Desktop Market Share in the USA
Linux desktop market share in the USA has reached 5% as of June 2025, doubling from three years ago. Windows maintains 63% share but declined 13% over the decade, while macOS dropped from 33% to 26%. Growth drivers include Steam Deck adoption, improved user interfaces, and privacy-focused features. Combined with Chrome OS, the Linux ecosystem represents 7.74% market presence, with actual usage potentially higher due to privacy-conscious users avoiding tracking.
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Article
Spread Privacy·44w
DuckDuckGo Browser: Fresh New Look, Same Great Protection
DuckDuckGo has released a visual refresh for its browser featuring redesigned icons, softer interface elements, and a new color palette. The update includes improved tracking protection indicators, easier access to Duck.ai (their private AI chat feature), and better cross-platform consistency between desktop and mobile versions. Users can optionally enable or disable AI features through browser settings.
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Article
Zed·44w
You Can Now Disable All AI Features in Zed — Zed's Blog
Zed code editor now allows users to completely disable all AI features through a global setting in settings.json. The feature addresses concerns from developers who prefer AI-free workflows due to privacy, organizational restrictions, or philosophical reasons. For those with only privacy concerns, Zed offers alternatives like using your own API keys or local AI models. The editor maintains its commitment to user choice while continuing to develop both AI-enhanced and AI-free experiences.
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Video
ThePrimeTime·47w
PewDiePie is more based than you
PewDiePie demonstrates his complete transition away from Google services by switching to Arch Linux, installing GrapheneOS on his phone, and self-hosting alternatives like Vaultwarden for passwords and NextCloud for file storage. He shares his journey of setting up various open-source tools on a Raspberry Pi and Steam Deck, highlighting both the benefits of increased privacy and control, as well as the technical challenges involved in degoogling one's digital life.
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Article
Hacker News·45w
Let me pay for Firefox!
A longtime Mozilla community member and former employee argues that Firefox should offer a paid version to create a sustainable user-funded business model. The author contends that charging for open-source software is ethically compatible with free software principles, citing the Free Software Foundation's stance. They propose Mozilla experiment with a premium Firefox version featuring no sponsored content, telemetry, or default Google integration, with built-in ad-blocking. The argument centers on avoiding the pitfalls of ad-funded business models that lead to user exploitation and enshittification.
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Article
It's Foss·44w
I Found a New Open Source Grammar Checker Tool And I Like it... Well... Kind of
Harper is a new open source grammar checker developed by an Automattic developer that processes text locally without sending data to cloud servers. Available as browser extensions and plugins for VS Code and Obsidian, it offers spell checking, repetition detection, and grammar correction with color-coded error types. While faster than cloud-based alternatives due to local processing, Harper has limitations in handling complex grammatical errors and may produce false positives with brand names. It serves as a solid privacy-focused alternative for casual users who don't need advanced AI writing features.
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Article
Claudette·44w
Uncover Online Identities with GoSearch: A Powerful OSINT Tool
GoSearch is an open-source OSINT tool that searches for usernames across 300+ websites, categorizing results as 'Exists', 'Not Found', or 'Unknown'. The tool is useful for username enumeration, security research, OSINT investigations, bug bounty hunting, and privacy monitoring. It provides a simple interface where users enter a username and receive categorized results from supported platforms.
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Article
TechCrunch·43w
Sam Altman warns there’s no legal confidentiality when using ChatGPT as a therapist
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns that conversations with ChatGPT lack legal confidentiality protections, unlike those with therapists or doctors. Users frequently share personal information with the AI for emotional support, but these conversations could be legally discoverable in lawsuits. Altman advocates for establishing privacy frameworks similar to doctor-patient confidentiality for AI interactions, as the current lack of legal protections poses privacy risks and could hinder broader adoption.
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