Hi everyone,

This week I tried to aim for perspective.

Once you understand the difference between privacy, security, and anonymity, the next step is practical:

How do you think about all of this without getting overwhelmed?

That’s what this week was about — not tools or tricks, but perspective.


Monday – What Tech Companies Actually Know About You (and What They Don’t)

We started with a question people rarely ask out loud.

Most companies know less than people fear — but more than they realize.

And there’s no single “they,” just many separate systems doing specific jobs.

Understanding that alone lowers a lot of anxiety.

👉 https://www.pcrescue.me/blog/what-tech-companies-know-about-you


Tuesday – Common Privacy Myths (and Why They’re So Hard to Let Go)

Private browsing. VPNs. “My phone must be listening.”

This post separated what these things actually do from what we wish they did — and why bad advice spreads so easily.

👉 https://www.pcrescue.me/blog/common-privacy-myths


Wednesday – Security Without ‘Does-Everything’ Software

I talked about the rise of massive security suites that promise to do it all — and why they often create more noise than protection.

Good security is layered, built in, and quietly maintained — not something that constantly demands attention.

👉 https://www.pcrescue.me/blog/security-without-do-everything-software


Thursday – When You Actually Need Anonymity (and When You Don’t)

Anonymity is powerful, but it’s not a daily requirement for most people.

For everyday life, strong security and reasonable privacy go much further.

Anonymity has its place — just not as a default.

👉 https://www.pcrescue.me/blog/when-you-need-anonymity


Friday – A Personal Privacy Checkup

We wrapped up with something practical.

Not a checklist meant to overwhelm — just simple questions to help you think through accounts, devices, permissions, and backups.

Enough to stay in control without turning privacy into a full-time job.

👉 https://www.pcrescue.me/blog/personal-privacy-checkup


The takeaway from this series:

You don’t need perfect privacy.

You don’t need extreme tools.

You don’t need to fear your technology.

You just need a practical way to think about privacy and security — one that helps you make calm, intentional choices and recognize when something actually needs attention.


What’s Coming Next

Next week, I’m going to go deeper into privacy specifics:

  • permissions that matter most
  • location data and tracking
  • accounts and data you can safely ignore
  • where small changes make a real difference

Same tone. Same goal. Just more detail.

Have a great weekend,

Mike

PCRescue

https://www.pcrescue.me

Thinking Clearly About Privacy, Anonymity, and Security