Guide / Protect Yourself
Protect Yourself

Separate identities and accounts

One account for everything lets a single breach or mistake expose your whole life. Compartmentalize.

Goal

Keep different parts of your life—work, activism, dating, finance—in separate identity containers.

Best first move

Pick one area to separate first, then create a dedicated email, browser profile, and accounts for it.

Recommended path

Best first move: Pick one area to separate first, then create a dedicated email, browser profile, and accounts for it.

  1. 1

    List your roles

    Work, public presence, activism, finance, dating, hobbies—each may deserve a compartment.

  2. 2

    Use separate email aliases

    SimpleLogin, AnonAddy, or separate providers reduce cross-linking.

  3. 3

    Browser containers or separate browsers

    Use Firefox containers, separate profiles, or different browsers per identity.

  4. 4

    Unique passwords and 2FA

    Never reuse passwords. Use a password manager and hardware/software 2FA.

  5. 5

    Mind cross-contamination

    Do not log into multiple identities from the same browser session or phone.

Best tools for this

Qubes OS

advanced

Isolating identities and workflows.

Compartmentalized virtual machines; one identity per qube.

Bitwarden

easy

Password manager for unique strong passwords.

Open source, audited, supports self-hosting.

KeePassXC

medium

Offline password safe.

Local database, no cloud required, cross-platform.

Aegis Authenticator

easy

Open-source 2FA codes.

Encrypted backups, open source, no cloud dependency.

Warnings

One mistake connects compartments

Logging into a work account from your activist browser can link them.

Phone numbers are hard to separate

Many services require SMS; consider VOIP or separate SIMs.

Limitations

More compartments = more maintenance

It is easy to lose access to accounts if you forget which email or password you used.

Devices can still be linked

Using the same device for all compartments may leave traces.

Related use cases

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