Maintaining your privacy online can be a lot of work. The average person likely wants to spend as little time as possible worrying about protecting their privacy and just wants to be able to use their devices.
For many people, the best option for this is going to be Apple phones, computers, and tablets. Operating systems from Microsoft and Google are more invasive (by design), although the privacy benefit of using Apple products is rapidly deteriorating, and they are no longer much better than other options from a privacy standpoint. All of these companies have integrated AI into their operating systems in deeply troubling and privacy invasive ways. Meredith Whittaker, the president of Signal, has released statements and warnings about the dangers of this AI integration into operating systems (Signal president warns AI agents are making encryption irrelevant).
For a lot of people, Apple is also too expensive, or they just want to use the operating systems they are already familiar with. The steps on this site will improve your privacy no matter which operating system you use. That being said, if you are at high risk of being targeted or persecuted by a government or other powerful organization, we believe there is a benefit to use open source operating systems. For people at high risk of persecution from their own government, GrapheneOS is the only phone operating system recommended. Linux is the only major privacy-respecting computer operating system. These options are not for true technology beginners, but also aren’t incredibly hard to use. If you believe you are at high risk, they are options worth learning about. There is more info in the final section of this guide.
Google, Apple, and Microsoft are all integrating AI into their operating systems at a very rapid pace. The addition of AI into operating systems greatly harms both the privacy and security of those systems. If you are an individual at high risk of persecution, it is becoming more important to consider switching to alternate operating systems like GrapheneOS and Linux. If you do not plan to switch operating systems, disable as many AI features of your operating system as possible. We cannot stress this highly enough. Try an online search for something like "disable AI features in Windows" or "iOS AI harm reduction guide". The integration of AI features is changing too rapidly for the maintainers of this site to provide specific recommendations.
Be aware that when communicating with anyone using a Google, Microsoft, or Apple operating system, the presence of AI in their system will affect the privacy and security of your conversations. Unless all folks involved are adhering to stringent privacy and security protocols it is best to hold sensitive conversations in person, away from electronic devices.