Trying to regain control of your online privacy in 2025 can feel like an endless, uphill battle. Every click, every app you download, and even the places you visit create a digital trail that tech giants, advertisers, and data brokers are eager to follow. But this October, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is taking a stand, launching a month-long campaign to help everyday users push back against the relentless surveillance machine. According to EFF, online privacy "isn't dead," but it does require some effort—and a bit of know-how—to reclaim.
Every weekday throughout October, EFF is sharing practical tips to help people opt out of the many ways technology companies track, profile, and monetize their data. The campaign, which kicked off on October 6, 2025, is designed to break down the daunting task of privacy protection into manageable, bite-sized projects. As EFF puts it, "if you break it up into small tasks and take on one project at a time, it makes the process of protecting your privacy much easier." The goal? To "throw sand in the gears of the surveillance machine" and empower individuals to make privacy-protective choices—one tweak at a time.
But what does that actually look like for the average person? The first step, EFF stresses, is to establish good digital hygiene. That means using strong, unique passwords for every online account and enabling two-factor authentication wherever possible. "Using unique passwords for every web login means that if your account information ends up in a data breach, it won’t give bad actors an easy way to unlock your other accounts," EFF advises. Of course, remembering dozens of complex passwords is next to impossible, which is why password managers are strongly recommended—they generate and store secure logins, taking the mental load off users.
Two-factor authentication, meanwhile, adds a crucial second lock to your digital doors. Even if someone guesses or steals your password, they won’t be able to access your account without a temporary code sent to your phone or generated by an authentication app. "This makes it much harder for someone else to get into your account because it’s less likely they’ll have both a password and the temporary code," EFF explains. For those new to these concepts, the organization points to resources like Consumer Reports’ Security Planner and its own Surveillance Self-Defense guides to help users get started.
But strong passwords and two-factor authentication are just the beginning. One of the most insidious threats to privacy comes from data brokers—shadowy companies that harvest and sell personal information, often without individuals’ knowledge or consent. These brokers build detailed profiles using data like your address, online activity, financial transactions, and even your location history. The result? Scammers, advertisers, and even law enforcement agencies can buy access to intimate details of your life.
Luckily, recent state privacy laws have given people more power to fight back. As EFF notes, "several state privacy laws give you the right to see what information these companies have collected about you." By submitting a data access request, users can discover what data brokers know about them and, crucially, request that this information be deleted. Even in states without comprehensive privacy laws, some brokers will still honor these requests. EFF encourages everyone to exercise their rights: "Don’t let data brokers keep their spying a secret." The organization promises to share more detailed guidance later in the month on how to tackle people-search sites—a particularly invasive category of data brokers.
Of course, the surveillance ecosystem isn’t limited to shadowy third parties. Advertisers are constantly finding new ways to track users across devices and platforms. Ever notice how mentioning a product in conversation seems to result in eerily targeted ads? While your phone probably isn’t "listening" to you, advertisers are employing sophisticated profiling techniques to connect your interests, behaviors, and even your social circles.
EFF’s advice? Take back some control by disabling ad tracking on your devices. On iPhones and iPads, users can go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking and turn off "Allow Apps to Request to Track." Disabling "Personalized Ads" under the Apple Advertising section, as well as switching off "Privacy Preserving Ad Measurement" in Safari’s advanced settings, can further reduce data sharing. Android users can head to Settings > Security & privacy > Privacy controls > Ads, and tap "Delete advertising ID." Running Google’s "Privacy Checkup" is also recommended to review what information is being shared with advertisers and data brokers. These quick changes, EFF says, "can help keep bad actors from spying on you." For those seeking a deeper dive, EFF’s Surveillance Self-Defense guides offer step-by-step instructions for both iPhone and Android users.
Another often-overlooked privacy risk comes from the sheer number of apps installed on our devices. Many apps collect data in the background—even when they’re not in use—creating additional "peepholes" into our personal lives. EFF encourages users to regularly audit their apps, deleting those they no longer use and reviewing the permissions granted to the ones they keep. "Having a lot of apps increases the peepholes that companies can gain into your personal life," the organization warns. The advice is simple: "Look through the apps you have and identify ones you rarely open or barely use." Deleting unused apps not only frees up memory space but also cuts off unnecessary data collection at the source. And if you ever need an app again, you can always reinstall it.
Beyond these practical tips, there’s a broader movement underway: the rise of Privacy-Enhancing Technologies, or PETs. According to a recent article and video guide from Techloy.com, PETs are "tools and methods such as encryption, anonymisation, and secure data-sharing frameworks designed to protect sensitive information and limit data access." The goal of PETs is straightforward: to "shift control over digital privacy back to users while allowing continued use of digital services without sacrificing privacy." In other words, PETs represent a new generation of tools that let people enjoy the benefits of the digital world—communication, commerce, entertainment—without handing over their personal information as the price of admission.
As Ogbonda Chivumnovu, who researched and scripted Techloy’s guide, puts it, PETs are about "tipping the balance of power back in your favour." These technologies are changing the way we think about digital privacy, offering hope that individuals can reclaim agency in an environment that’s often stacked against them. Encryption scrambles messages so only the intended recipient can read them. Anonymisation removes identifying details from data sets, making it harder for companies to link information back to specific individuals. Secure data-sharing frameworks let organizations collaborate without exposing sensitive personal details. While these tools may sound technical, many are becoming increasingly accessible to regular users—sometimes built right into the apps and services we use every day.
Of course, there’s still a long way to go. As EFF acknowledges, "the tech giants make it a pain in the butt to achieve" real privacy. Many companies still default to invasive data collection, and the burden remains on individuals to dig into settings and opt out. But with each incremental change—each password updated, each app deleted, each data broker challenged—the balance shifts, however slightly, back toward the user.
For anyone feeling overwhelmed, EFF’s campaign is a reminder that privacy is not an all-or-nothing proposition. "This can be a little overwhelming to get started if you’re new to online privacy!" the organization concedes. But by taking one small step at a time, anyone can make meaningful progress. And with privacy advocates, technologists, and everyday users working together, there’s reason to believe that the future of digital privacy is not just a pipe dream, but an achievable reality.
