Earlier this month, a massive data breach exposed the precise location data of millions of users across popular apps including Candy Crush, Tinder, and MyFitnessPal. The breach was particularly alarming because some of the affected apps were VPNs and privacy tools — apps that people trusted to protect their data.
Table of contents
- Brave Browser: Privacy-first browsing
- DuckDuckGo: Private search engine
- Proton: Private email, wallet, VPN, storage
- Venice: Private AI interactions
- OneTrust: Enterprise data privacy governance
- Signal: Encrypted messaging app
- Privado: Privacy scanning for developers
- Manta Network: Privacy-first blockchain
- 1Password: Securing your private information
- Dispatch: Real-time smart contract and wallet monitoring
This incident exposed the use of real-time bidding (RTB), which involves “data brokers” auctioning off your browsing activity and personal information to the highest bidder — all to power the advertising industry. Your location, device details, content you viewed, and other private information are shared with auction winners in milliseconds, often without your knowledge. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), “while only one advertiser wins the auction, all participants receive the data,” including malicious parties posing as ad buyers.
And that’s just one of the latest hacks in the news. With today being Data Privacy Day and new data breaches happening left and right, there’s no better time to take control of your digital privacy. While it can sound daunting, protecting yourself is simpler than you might think. Let's look at ten essential tools that can help protect your privacy in 2025.
Quick tip to get started:
Data brokers and apps are constantly trying to track your every move online. Here are two simple ways to throw them off:
- iPhone users: Head to Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking and turn off "Allow Apps to Request to Track"
- Android users: Try DuckDuckGo's App Tracking Protection to block trackers
This helps limit the amount of personal information apps can collect and share.
Disclaimer: The following tools are presented for educational purposes only. We are not endorsing, sponsoring, or receiving compensation from any of these privacy services. Always conduct your own research, read reviews, and verify the credibility of any privacy tool before use.
Brave Browser: Privacy-first browsing
Brave Browser privacy settings. Source: Brave
The foundation of your online privacy starts with your browser. While Chrome and Safari collect some user data by default, Brave stands out by blocking trackers, third-party cookies, and ads automatically, putting privacy first.
What makes Brave stand out is how the browser prioritizes online privacy without sacrificing performance:
- No trackers or ads means web pages load noticeably faster, and pages aren’t cluttered with ads that make it hard to focus on content
- Direct connection to the decentralized web through IPFS lets you access content that can't easily be censored
- Private browsing with Tor integration helps hide your IP address and location
For anyone frustrated with Google's data harvesting or skeptical of Apple's privacy marketing, Brave offers a serious alternative. It's built on the same Chromium platform as Chrome, so you get familiar speed and compatibility — just with privacy protection turned on from the start.
Brave browser best for:
DuckDuckGo: Private search engine
DuckDuckGo search engine. Source: DuckDuckG
While most search engines store and build a profile of your every online move, DuckDuckGo takes a different route. Built around its privacy-first search engine, the platform offers tools that help you browse and search without becoming a data point for advertisers.
Key privacy features include:
- Private search with zero history collection or user profiling
- Standalone browser apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android with built-in tracking protection
- Email protection service that strips trackers from your incoming messages
- Browser extensions for desktop to extend your privacy protection (you can add the DuckDuckGo extension to Brave)
The Gravy Analytics breach laid bare the dangers of unchecked app tracking, especially on Android devices. DuckDuckGo's tools act as a shield, blocking trackers before they can vacuum up your personal information.
DuckDuckGo best for:
Proton: Private email, wallet, VPN, storage
Swiss-based Proton came to fame for ProtonMail, "encrypted email that's private by default". Since then, the company has expanded its offerings to include a VPN, cloud storage, password manager, calendar, and self-custody crypto wallet — all based around their belief that "Nobody should be able to exploit your data, period."
ProtonMail inbox. Source: ProtonMail
ProtonMail uses end-to-end and zero-access encryption, ensuring your messages stay between you and your intended recipient — and no one else.
Key privacy features include:
- Rock-solid encryption for emails between ProtonMail users
- Zero-access encryption that keeps even ProtonMail's own team from peeking at your messages
- Encrypted calendar that keeps your schedule as private as your conversations
- Headquartered in Switzerland, with some of the world's strongest privacy protections
- Optional encrypted storage for contacts and attachments
Unlike other email services run by companies that make money from selling your information to advertisers, ProtonMail works seamlessly with most email clients.
ProtonMail best for:
Venice: Private AI interactions
Venice AI private chat. Source: Venice AI
Generative AI apps like ChatGPT and Claude have become essential for everything from writing code to generating images. However, most of these tools store your conversation history, attach it to your identity, and their employees can review your conversations "to improve". Venice takes a different approach to generative AI apps, keeping your information right where it belongs—with you.
Key features include:
- Code writing and debugging without exposing your codebase
- AI text generation that keeps your prompts and outputs private
- Image creation tools that shield your creative process
- Uncensored AI chat that respects your conversation's confidentiality
Especially for developers and teams working with sensitive information, Venice's privacy-focused approach solves a crucial problem. They also purport to use "leading open-source AI models".
Venice AI best for:
OneTrust: Enterprise data privacy governance
OneTrust data dashboard. Source: OneTrust
As organizations handle more data and AI, responsible management becomes critical. OneTrust helps companies enforce compliance and optimize data strategies while protecting user privacy.
Key features include:
- Automated privacy request handling
- Data governance and risk management
- AI system compliance monitoring
- Privacy-focused consent management
- Data collection and usage controls
While primarily serving enterprises, you've likely encountered OneTrust's tools through cookie consent banners or privacy request forms on major websites. The platform helps organizations balance data innovation with privacy protection and regulatory compliance.
OneTrust best for:
Signal: Encrypted messaging app
Signal iPhone app. Source: Signal
We all want our private conversations to stay private. Signal takes this seriously, using encryption for every message, call, and chat. Unlike messaging apps that track your interactions, Signal ensures your messages are seen only by you and your intended recipients.
Key features include:
- End-to-end encryption for messages and calls
- Zero data collection — no storing messages or tracking conversations
- Disappearing messages for those moments you want to leave no trace
- Username options to keep your phone number private
- Encrypted group chats that feel just like your usual group conversations
Being open source means security experts can analyze and scrutinize the code for potential security vulnerabilities and to ensure they’re keeping their promise of protecting your privacy.
Signal best for:
Privado: Privacy scanning for developers
Privado AI platform UI. Source: Privado AI
Privado helps organizations identify and manage privacy risks in their software by automatically scanning code for personal data handling. Unlike manual privacy assessments that can take months, Privado provides real-time visibility into how applications collect and share data.
Key features include:
- Automated personal data discovery across applications
- Third-party data sharing detection
- Data flow mapping and tracking
- AI-powered privacy risk detection
- Real-time compliance monitoring
For development and privacy teams, Privado bridges the gap between software development and privacy compliance, helping prevent potential privacy mishaps and mistakes.
Privado best for:
Manta Network: Privacy-first blockchain
Manta Pacific bridge. Source: Manta Network
For Web3 developers looking for privacy-oriented networks to build on, Manta Network leverages zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to enable privacy-preserving applications on the blockchain. Through its two main systems, developers can build applications that maintain confidentiality while preserving blockchain's transparency where needed.
Key features include:
- Zero-knowledge proof systems allow validating transactions without revealing sensitive details of the transactions
- Support for privacy-preserving applications
- Two networks:
- Manta Pacific: L2 for ZK applications on Ethereum
- Manta Atlantic: ZK Layer 1 network on Polkadot
Some popular projects in Manta's ecosystem include Dmail for decentralized communication, Manta Wallet for asset management, and ZeroLend for decentralized lending.
Manta Network best for:
Privacy and protection: A two-way street
Privacy and security go hand in hand. While previous tools focused on controlling data collection, these next tools show how security can help strengthen privacy protection.
1Password: Securing your private information
1Password password application. Source: 1Password
Managing unique passwords for every account isn't just about security — it's an important privacy strategy. Making use of 1Password’s random password generator helps ensure that a breach of one service doesn't expose your private data across all your accounts.
Key features include:
- Secure password generation and storage to prevent unauthorized access to your private accounts
- Travel Mode protects sensitive data privacy while crossing borders
- Watchtower monitoring for privacy breaches and compromised accounts
- Secure Notes for storing sensitive personal documents
- Secure sharing for families and teams without exposing data to third parties
- Integration with biometric authentication to keep your password vaults private
The platform works across devices and browsers, making it easy to generate, store, and use super-secure, encrypted passwords and other sensitive information, no matter where you are.
1Password best for:
Dispatch: Real-time smart contract and wallet monitoring
Dispatch’s Contract History view
In Web3, privacy breaches often begin with subtle changes in smart contract behavior. Dispatch can help you catch unexpected smart contract activity by monitoring these changes in real time, ensuring your transactions and interactions remain under your control.
Key features include:
- Real-time monitoring of smart contract events and function calls
- Automated alerts for permission changes and proxy upgrades
- Custom triggers for wallet and token activity monitoring
- No-code interface for setting up monitoring
- Multi-chain support across Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, and Optimism
What makes Dispatch powerful is its simplicity. Without writing complex queries, you can monitor your smart contracts and receive instant alerts through Discord, Telegram, email, or use webhooks to power your own dashboards and dApps. When critical changes occur — like unexpected permission updates or unusual contract activity — you'll know immediately.
Dispatch best for:
Give Dispatch a try
Monitor your smart contracts and wallets for free with Dispatch → Start for free
Building your privacy stack
Privacy requires a multi-layered approach. Each tool we've covered plays a specific role: browsers block tracking, messaging apps protect communications, and monitoring tools watch for threats. When used together, these tools protect your personal information and online activity. Recent breaches remind us that our personal information is increasingly vulnerable. But with the right tools and protections in place, we can take back control of our privacy.
