Just felt the need to jump in here.
PC security / privacy 101
FREE - Don't think Windows spy's on you? Want to make you PC run faster? Disable windows features you hate?
Download
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FREE - At the very least, clean junk & data files that windows collects to beam back to the mother ship & bogs down your computer
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Don't use MS or Google's browsers. They are designed from the ground up to data mine & track you.
FREE -
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and
FREE -
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are great alternatives.
You can download compressed files into a directory and scan them before you open them (with anything other than MS Defender). Try to avoid downloading self-installing executables as much as possible as there's no way of knowing what they're going to download once they kick off on an install.
Got a virus? So what? Shit happens. Especially if you don't pay attention to the preceding paragraph. Download an AV, scan your computer, figure out which one(s) you have and SE a way to remove them. It's hardly the end of the world.
Use private email. Companies like Google offer free email so they can read it. They also offer you the "convenience" of logging in on different websites with your Google or Facebook account so they can too.
Use a VPN always, except for when YOU want them to be able to verify your identity. Like when you're checking your bank account or shopping online. Youtube doesn't need to know who I am because I felt like watching a video of dancing cats.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Free VPN's are really slow because 500 million people are all trying to use it at the same time. So pay a little extra for a fast one? It's worth it. I've tried out a few and ended up liking Proton, but feel free to experiment & try others. And it costs less than I spend on paper towels every month.