I recently watched a conversation between the Scammer Payback team and the CEO of Proton — and honestly, it stopped me in my tracks. Not because it was shocking, but because it put into plain language something I think about all the time as a software developer: most of us have handed over enormous amounts of personal data without really understanding what that means.
If you've ever felt a vague unease about how much Google or Facebook seems to "know" about you — this post is for you. And the good news? You don't have to delete everything and go live off the grid. There are real, practical first steps you can take today to start getting your privacy back.
Big Tech's Business Model Is You
Here's the thing most people don't fully grasp: when a product is free, you are the product. Google, Facebook, and countless other platforms offer free services because they make billions of dollars analyzing your behavior, your searches, your location, your messages — and selling that insight to advertisers.
That's not a conspiracy theory. It's publicly documented. The Proton CEO said it plainly in that video: these companies are not privacy-first by design. Privacy costs them money. So it has to be a choice you actively make.
Simple First Steps You Can Take Today
You don't have to overhaul your entire digital life overnight. Start with one or two of these:
Switch your email to Proton Mail. Proton is end-to-end encrypted, meaning even Proton can't read your emails. It's free to start and takes about 10 minutes to set up. Your Gmail inbox is not private — Google scans it.
Change your default search engine. DuckDuckGo and Brave Search don't track your searches or build a profile on you. It takes 30 seconds to change in your browser settings.
Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi. Whenever you're on a coffee shop or airport network, a VPN encrypts your connection so no one on that network can see what you're doing. Proton VPN has a solid free tier.
Audit your app permissions. Go through your phone settings and check which apps have access to your location, microphone, and camera. Most apps don't need that access. Revoke what isn't necessary.
These aren't radical changes. They're just more intentional choices — and they add up quickly.
A Matter of Stewardship
I want to bring in something that's foundational to how I approach my work: my faith. As a Christian, I believe we're called to be good stewards — of our resources, our time, our relationships, and yes, our data.
Think about it this way: your personal information isn't just about you. Your contact list contains the names and numbers of people who trust you. Your emails contain conversations people assumed were private. When you hand all of that over carelessly to a platform built to monetize it, you're not just making a choice for yourself.
Being a good digital steward means being thoughtful about what you share, with whom, and why. That doesn't require fear — it requires intention.
How Custom Software Fits In
This is where my world as a software developer intersects with this conversation in a big way.
Most small businesses run on off-the-shelf tools — CRMs, form builders, scheduling platforms, e-commerce plugins. Many of those tools are collecting data on your customers, often in ways you didn't read in the terms of service. That data may be sold, shared, or left vulnerable.
When I build custom software for a client, privacy isn't an afterthought — it's an architecture decision. We decide what data to collect, where it lives, who can access it, and how long it's retained. You're not beholden to a third-party platform's privacy policy that can change at any time.
That's a real advantage for businesses that handle sensitive customer information — whether that's healthcare, legal, financial services, or even just a business that values the trust their customers place in them.
Custom-built doesn't have to mean expensive. It means intentional. And for businesses serious about protecting their customers, that intentionality is worth every penny.
Start Somewhere
You don't have to de-Google your life in a week. But I'd challenge you to pick one thing from this list and do it today. Change your search engine. Set up a Proton account. Spend 10 minutes reviewing your app permissions.
Privacy isn't about paranoia — it's about stewardship. It's about deciding that your digital life deserves the same care and thought you give the rest of your life.
If you're a business owner and you want to talk about how custom software could help you protect your customers' data and reduce your dependence on third-party platforms, I'd love to have that conversation.