There are some open source tax software around. Depending on your country’s requirements you should get by with it. It might be “clunky”, and you might have to persevere with some kind of inconvenience, but I’m of the opinion that any open-source transparent software, preferably a local installation, is worth using. The alternatives are usually hostile to you despite selling as convenient and friendly. Remember that any cloud solution is basically “someone else computer”. Would you put your most private financial information on some random person’s computer? Any assurance of security is a farce. There’s been many data breaches of tax prep corporate databases. Having said, that’s not the worst aspect of using most app based or online tax prep software. Most of them look at your data, profile you, and then sell that information (your private financial information) to data brokers! If you’re using the app you likely agreed to them doing that whether you’re aware or not. Check the privacy policy and terms of use. Additionally, many hold your records for ransom! You need to keep a certain number of years worth of records, and if you aren’t keeping a local copy for yourself they are the only source. Many will deny you your tax records if you haven’t payed for their services. It’s extortion. Something that belongs to you cannot be attained unless you pay them to give it to you. It ensures that you remain a customer forever. If you want to quit them, they know they will get years of payment out of you because you need access to your own financial documents. This is an insidious practice and I don’t know why anyone puts up with it. Find an accountant who is willing to work with alternate open source software. They exist.

Is Mullvad better than Firefox?

That’s hard to qualify. The question needs to be more specific. Is Mullvad better than Firefox* at what*? Firefox is a great general browser with decent security and privacy in mind. It allows you theme and modify to your desire. However, any time you add theming or extensions it makes your browser more unique and identifiable. The more you add, the more unique. Stock Firefox is a little promiscuous for my liking and I usually install UBlock Origin and add a little css, like Betterfox. You can create a new Firefox profile which you can swap between depending on the purpose of the window. Or, you can just add a user.js file to your existing Firefox profile. This is called “hardening”, and there’s many different hardening css available. Some make most things unusable, so a balance is recommended. If you’re on Linux you could just use Librewolf which is a sandboxed Flatpak app that is built from Firefox, and, has a great balance of security and privacy tweaks out-of-the-box. Then we have Mullvad browser. Is it better? Maybe it isn’t as fast. Maybe it doesn’t open some web pages that stock Firefox would. However, Mullvad is brilliant at making you blend in. Mullvad have created the browser with a great balance of privacy and security tweaks that harden it somewhat. What it does, just like Tor browser, is make your online “fingerprint” look like thousands of other people’s browsers. As long as you don’t identify yourself somehow there’s a better chance at anonymity. Identifying yourself could include logging in a known account, adding themes or extensions or using social media. Read more about it here. I recommend you use both. A lightly hardened Firefox that you use for general purpose, and a Mullvad for browsing, searching and shopping (not purchasing). Mullvad browser is best used with a VPN that lumps your IP in with many other VPN users, like MullvadVPN or IVPN.

I hope this helps.

That is the whole point - your indifference screws us all. We ALL end up with no choice!

These laws and the ability to remove currently hard-coded apps is a good first step. What citizens the world over should be demanding of their respective law makers is forcing apps to disclose EXACTLY what they do and what they collect and EXACTLY who that gets shared with. For example, there’s many apps that don’t need access to your contacts, location or camera to operate sufficiently, but do that anyway. App creators should be forced to explain WHY their app is accessing that data or utility. Data harvesting is the most lucrative business right now. The underhanded deceitful ways that corporations steal people’s data needs to be made transparent in plain language. The practice of hiding inferred consent to all manner of abuse in legalaleze has to stop. PLAIN FUCKING LANGUAGE! Fail to disclose - You get fined.

Apologies for TLDR. The latest posts about [auto manufacturers harvesting mountains of personal data without proper consent[(https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/) just broke me. ALL 26 major car manufacturers failing to meet most basic privacy standard. Despite being part of groups that declare they do, they’ve been found to do the exact opposite and in abundance. Together with Google’s contemptuously deceitful WEI, I feel broken, used and pessimistic about any hope of having rights or freedom. We NEED this disclosure and education about apps and data harvesting.

1. Explain explicitly the app’s required privileges and whether it needs that to function.

2. Any administrative privilege needs to be explained further, especially if the app doesn’t need more than user status to do it’s expected function.

3. Exactly what data, files and utilities this app accesses. I mean exactly in detailed plain language, not ambiguous broad sweeping possibilities. And WHY and HOW OFTEN. People might be less inclined to install that stupid little game or social media app if they knew it sends a pulse of data back to the makers every four minutes, even while running in the background.

4. Exactly what methods of personal tracking is utilized. Exactly what technology is being used and explain it in plain language.

For example, most people were, and still are, completely ignorant of the fact most Covid apps were just a quick UI tweak of NSO’s citizen tracking software utilizing bluetooth. It connects to ANY discoverable device and logs it’s identity. Then creates a digital mesh that can be used to track any single one of those devices as it moves among all other devices with the app. To spell it out, you can be tracked even if you don’t have that app. People should be told in plain language that their government app makes them part of a surveillance network. Did you honestly think your government could whip up a quality app with such sophistication that worked on nearly all device brands and models in such a short time? THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE - There’s many.

5. The app should supply a list of EXACTLY who receives the disclosed data the app sends. If some entity other than the ones listed is found to be getting it the app makers are fined.

6. The app should supply a list of exactly WHO the data is shared with or sold to AFTER it has been received by the nominated recipients. The makers need to list if it’s their intention to sell your data to data brokers, law enforcement or any other entity. If found selling data to any entity not on the list the app maker gets fined.

You may not install that pregnancy app if you knew they sell the data to law enforcement, or a data broker who has no hesitation doing so. If your data is found to have been sold to anyone not on the list the app maker gets fined.

7. App makers need to be transparent about data breaches. It needs to be prominent in the app. They need to include both the details and what they’ve done to rectify the breach. Failure to comply - You get fined.

The data harvesting and brokering industry is abusive and deceptive. Forcing app developers to disclose everything the app does in detail could help people make informed decisions instead of having their right to privacy prison-raped. It would lead to better software, and, it would force these corporate entities to implement better security practices and security on their networks and servers. The current amount and frequency of data breaches is astounding. These incompetent corporate assholes want to make money off your data and do almost nothing to ensure it’s safety.

I’m not saying developers, governments and corporations can’t have or sell data. Or create a profile on you for marketing purposes. They would just have to be completely transparent, up front and honest about it, or get fined. Imagine this world.

It’s frustrating, I get it too. Nobody cares until the leopard bites their face. Then it’s too late, and we’re all affected by their indifference/laziness/ignorance.

No, Mullvad browser is built from and in conjunction with Tor browser, which is built from Firefox. It works really well if you leave it stock, which is the whole purpose. Blending in with all users.

Thanks.

Idiocracy is a prophetic volume. We’re in the great unfolding where it’s secrets manifest.

Yes, I’ve noticed a relatively large drop in reading comprehension among my close friends and family, and in the community in general. It goes hand in hand with the excessively banal small talk and their sudden inability to think critically. It’s almost like they’ve been hypnotized or brain drained. It certainly is a cause for concern.