5 Tech Gadgets That Actually Protect Your Privacy

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We live in a digital world, and the internet is often at the core of our ever-online lives. From the banality of scrolling through social media to the seriousness of banking and accessing financial records, every part of our lives is somehow touched by the internet. While the internet has opened up a world of possibilities and brought people closer than ever, it's also raised a number of privacy concerns.

With everyday devices such as your smartwatch potentially selling your personal health data, your privacy is more important than ever. As we continue to become more connected and reliant on the internet, the rates of cyberattacks have increased. And it might only be getting worse as massive companies are releasing products that are potential privacy nightmares, such as Amazon's AI Bee.

Thankfully, there are a number of tools and gadgets that focus on protecting your privacy. We've selected several devices designed to help users secure their online accounts, protect themselves from sophisticated hacking, prevent possible monitoring by third-party applications, and more. We've got everything from privacy-focused smartphones to gadgets that let you secure your microphone, so stay tuned.

If you're concerned about your privacy, the smartphone in your pocket might be the most vulnerable and targeted vector for attack by hackers. You are constantly sending and receiving information, even when you might not realize it. From banking information to personal photos, you often need to open up and trust your digital lives to corporations that may not always have your best interests in mind.

It doesn't take much to compromise a smartphone. Visiting a shady website, clicking on a random link, or installing a compromised app are just a few ways you can potentially lose control over your digital life. That's where the Librem 5 smartphone that's priced at $799 comes into the picture. Designed with security and privacy in mind, the Librem 5 smartphone has various hardware features that can protect the user. 

With built-in physical kill switches, users can disconnect Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the camera and microphone, and even cell service instantly. The Librem 5 also runs PureOS, a Linux-based operating system that is free from Apple or Google control. It might not be the fanciest or most powerful smartphone on the market, but it's one to check out if privacy and user control are your foremost concerns.

It's almost impossible to get through the day without using a computer at some point. Whether it is work-related tasks, browsing the internet, reading and writing emails, checking financial records, playing games, and more. And if you're reading this, chances are you're doing so from either a PC or a laptop.

With computers so integral to our daily lives, the need to protect your privacy is greater than ever. The FIDO2 U2F Security Key from TrustKey that sells for $18 is one way to help keep your online accounts protected from unauthorized access by taking advantage of U2F authentication. The company claims that FIDO2 is the world's most protective security key and works with such platforms as Bank of America, Google, Facebook, Apple, Binance, eBay, and more.

If someone gets access to your account information, they won't be able to log into your services without the physical key. This adds a strong layer of protection, something great for those that bank online and are active on social media. Sure, it's a little annoying to always have a physical key on you, but the peace of mind it provides might be worth it for the privacy-focused out there.

Wi-Fi as a technology has changed how we live and work, but it is also one that hackers can use to target individuals who find themselves traveling often. Connecting to public Wi-Fi networks can potentially open you up to intrusion from all manner of bad actors. But there are solutions for those that are always on the go and forced to connect to random public Wi-Fi such as in a hotel, an AirBnB, at a convention, a coffee shop, and more.

A travel router such as the $59.99 TP-Link Roam 6 AX1500 can help create a private, secure network that all of your devices can connect to instead of each device individually connecting to an available public Wi-Fi network. The router then serves as an intermediary, creating a secure network for you and those you choose to share it with.

The TP-Link Roam 6 AX1500 also supports VPN encryption from over 35 different providers with support for both OpenVPN and WireGuard. And you have full control over your network through the Tether app, simplifying everything and allowing you to see and monitor up to 60 devices that the AX1500 router can support.

Privacy doesn't always need to cost an arm and a leg. Something as simple as a smartphone privacy screen protector like the $6.98 Ailun Privacy Screen Protector for iPhone is a great example of this. When you're out in public and on your iPhone, you might be unintentionally offering up a lot of sensitive information to those around you.

Known as visual hacking, this is when someone around you is looking at your device while in use. They can see your private messages over your shoulder, spy on your keyboard when you type usernames and passwords, and peek at your photo roll while you are scrolling. And someone truly nefarious can use this type of hacking, even at a distance, to gain access to personal information without you even knowing it.

A simple privacy screen protector helps to mitigate this type of hacking. These types of screen protectors work using micro-louver technology by reducing screen visibility when looked at an angle of 30 degrees or greater. This helps keep the prying eyes of those around you from catching any sensitive information and helping to keep your life a little more private when out in public.

Many of the devices that we use today have microphones built into them. And with researchers proving that your phone is spying on you, the thought of hackers and even companies being able to turn on your microphone doesn't feel all that far-fetched. This is made worse when you realize that you don't often have any physical control over turning a microphone on or off on your device.

Mic-Lock seems to have a solution for this with its Mic-Lock Microphone Audio and Data Security 3.5mm adapter that retails on Amazon for $14.99. If your phone doesn't have a headphone jack, you can also go for the USB-C or Lighting connector-based adapter, but all do the same thing — secure your microphone input. When inserted, the Mic-Lock adapter becomes your device's main microphone and prevents others from accessing it.

It works by fooling your device into thinking the microphone is actively being used and recording a quiet environment. Any apps or programs on the system will then not be able to actually trigger the microphone when the Mic-Lock device is inserted. This adds a layer of protection for those concerned with the possibility of someone listening in on them through their device or their audio used for targeted marketing.

In order to select the gadgets featured in this list, we searched across the internet to find out user's privacy concerns as well as the devices they use to protect themselves. We scoured Reddit and various social media platforms for recommendations from the general public and security community. We also looked to YouTube for recommendations from technology-based channels, as well as review and use footage of the devices themselves. We also took into account user reviews for many of the gadgets on Amazon in order to help create our list.