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▸ privacy kit

The Privacy Starter Kit

Five steps. About 13 minutes. Every tool is free, runs entirely in your browser, and uploads nothing. Work through them in order — each one makes the next easier.

no accounts · 100% client-side · nothing uploaded · free forever

  1. Check your passwords for breaches

    ~1 min

    See whether a password you use has already appeared in a public data breach.

    Why it matters: Breached passwords are tried first by every attacker. If a password of yours is on a list, every account using it is one guess away.

    Done when: You know which of your passwords are burned — and which accounts to change tonight.

    Breach Checker/tools/breach-checker

  2. Generate a strong passphrase

    ~2 min

    Create a long, memorable passphrase built from real words — not a short soup of symbols.

    Why it matters: Length beats complexity. A five-word passphrase is harder to crack than P@ssw0rd! and far easier to remember. You will reuse this skill in steps 3 and 4.

    Done when: You have one strong passphrase you can actually remember — generated locally, never sent anywhere.

    Passphrase Generator/tools/passphrase-generator

  3. Turn on two-factor authentication

    ~5 min

    Add a second factor to your email, bank, and social accounts — then use this tool to understand and test how TOTP codes work.

    Why it matters: A stolen password alone no longer opens your account. Email first: it is the recovery key to everything else.

    Done when: Your most important accounts ask for a code from your phone in addition to the password.

    OTP Code Generator/tools/otp-code-generator

  4. Encrypt your sensitive files

    ~3 min

    Lock tax documents, ID scans, and private photos into encrypted files using the passphrase from step 2.

    Why it matters: An encrypted file is noise without your passphrase — safe to store in any cloud, on a USB stick, or on a shared computer.

    Done when: You can open the file only with your passphrase — and you stored a backup copy of the encrypted file somewhere safe.

    File Encryptor/tools/file-encryptor

  5. Strip photo metadata before sharing

    ~2 min

    Remove the hidden metadata — GPS location, device, timestamp — from photos before you post or send them.

    Why it matters: A photo from your phone can say exactly where you live and when you were there. Stripping metadata keeps the picture and drops the story behind it.

    Done when: The cleaned photo looks identical but carries no location or device information.

    EXIF Stripper/tools/exif-stripper

Make it stick

  • Re-run the breach check after any major breach makes the news — and whenever you reuse an old password somewhere new.
  • One passphrase per purpose. The step-2 passphrase guards your files; your accounts deserve their own.
  • Make stripping photos a habit before posting. It is the one step you will repeat most.

Curious what CosmoDev itself stores? Read theprivacy policy andThe Local Standard.