Extreme Privacy
by Michael Bazzell · first published 2019
75% recommend25% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical guide to reducing your traceable footprint: compartmentalizing accounts with custom domains, limiting data-broker exposure, and keeping phone and mailing addresses anonymous. For readers wanting concrete steps.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"My Successes and Failures While Making People Disappear" Michael Bazzell has helped hundreds of celebrities, billionaires, and everyday citizens disappear completely from public view. He is now known in Hollywood as the guy that “fixes” things. His previous books about privacy were mostly REACTIVE and he focused on ways to hide information, clean up an online presence, and sanitize public records to avoid unwanted exposure. This 630-page textbook is PROACTIVE. It is about starting over. It is the complete guide that he would give to any new client in an extreme situation. It leaves nothing
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
At one end of the spectrum you might read "Extreme Privacy: What It Takes to Disappear" by Michael Bazzell 3rd ed. or even an older edition might be enough.
on “Ask HN: How to use a smartphone in a privacy conscious manner?” ↗Extreme Privacy: What It Takes to Disappear by Michael Bazzell https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0898YGR58 This guy sells books on both sides, OSINT and privacy.
on “Ask HN: How can I prevent myself from being doxxed?” ↗Here’s a book that might interest you: https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Privacy-What-Takes-Disappear/... Friendly reminder that your viewing of this product is tracked by Amazon and is ultimately accessible by the government ;)
on “Ask HN: Whats the tech stack that top-tier hackers use for staying undetectable?” ↗Potentially helpful (and a must-have for any hacker bookshelf): https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Privacy-What-Takes-Disappear/...
on “Tell HN: GitHub banned me permanently” ↗A fun book about this stuff is Michael Bazell’s Extreme Privacy: What It Takes to Disappear in America. With extreme effort you can keep a surprising number of things unlinked from your government name if you really want to.
on “Want anonymity? Make a persona not a mystery” ↗Yeah, the gold standard for that (AFAIK) is Michael Bazzell's "Extreme Privacy" book.
on “U.S. Intelligence Has Amassed 'Sensitive and Intimate' Data on 'Nearly Everyone'” ↗Extreme Privacy by Michael Bazzell is a great resource to learn how to limit exposure to these aggregator services. https://inteltechniques.com/book7.html
on “Inside the "3 billion people" national public data breach” ↗…>Social media I only use it through web browsers. Apps may be fine, but much harder to trust. GrapheneOS does make me feel better about it, but all the web apps now are great in mobile so it seems fine. Extreme Privacy by Michael Bazzell[1] is an excellent read on this topic. It provides insight into mostly practical tips and can always be watered down to meet your requirements. [1]: https://inteltechniques.com/book7.html
on “Ask HN: What do you do for online privacy?” ↗I would recommend reading Extreme Privacy by Michael Bazzell if these types of thing concern you. A relevant passage: "First, I would never provide my home address on any application or W-9 form. This should only be your PO Box, UPS Box, or…
on “The IRS Is Building a System to Share Taxpayers' Data with ICE” ↗Your strategy seems good to me. The primary reference that I use for this kind of stuff is Michael Bazzell's book "Extreme Privacy". It goes into some detail about his strategy for using custom domains to compartmentalize things. That's what I base my own strategy on. The only thing that I would add is that I prefer to "salt"…
on “Become unbannable from your email” ↗…for the service, and most require payment with a credit or debit card. For a detailed discussion about phone anonymity, there is a good book written by a former police officer: Michael Bazzell (2024) Extreme Privacy: What It Takes To Disappear, fifth edition. https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Privacy-What-Takes-Disappear/...
on “Filming ICE is legal but exposes you to digital tracking” ↗…which is slowly becoming reserved for the wealthy. The 1% already have privacy consultants to help them keep their data private through shell corporations, legal trusts and other tricks. (The book 'Extreme Privacy' is from one such consultant and well worth a read) Now if your want privacy in AI? Shell out $$$ for local hardware.
on “Claude is only available to people over 18 years” ↗I have anecdata about victims of domestic violence using these tools. There are even entire guides for how to do so (eg Michael Bazzell's Extreme Privacy). It's hard to tell how many people are doing this when the entire purpose of doing it is to obfuscate who you are.
on “US passes anti-corruption law that effectively bans anonymous shell companies” ↗How does this compare to Michael Bazell's Extreme Privacy book? Apart from this being a free resource.
on “Show HN: A ninja's Handbook: A book on privacy, security, and anonymity online” ↗I've read the Extreme Privacy book, and it seems like a very condensed pocket book comparatively. The book has a lot more stories and anecdotes about his mistakes in the past.
on “Show HN: A ninja's Handbook: A book on privacy, security, and anonymity online” ↗