Lesson 10: Easy Online AI-Blocking Tricks You Can Do Right Now

"Simple Online Moves to Take Back Control from AI"

🔍 What’s the Problem?

AI-powered surveillance isn’t just in cameras and facial recognition—it’s baked into social media, search engines, ad networks, and even Web3 platforms.

✔ AI auto-tags you in photos across social networks.
✔ AI matches writing styles to link anonymous accounts.
✔ AI-powered advertising, browser tracking, and blockchain analytics quietly profile you 24/7.

💡 Good news: You don’t need to go off-grid—just make small, smart changes.

🤯 AI Privacy Fail Example

📌 A Crypto Trader Used a Pseudonym—But AI Unmasked Him

• A user posted on a Web3 forum under a fake name.
• AI pattern analysis matched his writing style to past Reddit posts.
• Lesson? AI doesn’t need a name—behavior & patterns are enough.
  

🛠 10 Easy Things You Can Do to Mess with AI Today

1️⃣ Change Your Profile Pics Slightly Across Platforms

✔ AI tracks your face, background, and even pose across sites.
✅ Use different angles & lighting on Twitter, Telegram, and Discord.
✅ Blurring & artistic filters help disrupt facial matching.
✅ Cartoon-style avatars work—but AI is getting better at reversing them.

2️⃣ Use a Privacy-Focused Search Engine

✔ Google tracks everything—even if you’re not logged in.
✅ Try DuckDuckGo or Brave Search for private, AI-free searches.
✅ Use Startpage if you need Google results without the tracking.

3️⃣ Block AI Tracking in Your Browser (Super Easy to Set Up)

✔ AI fingerprints browsers, even in incognito mode.
✔ Browser privacy is just as important as using a VPN.

✅ Use Brave or Firefox for built-in tracking protection.
✅ Install tracker blockers (uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger).
✅ Enable DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) for encrypted browsing.

4️⃣ Use a VPN to Block AI From Tracking Your Location & Behavior

✔ AI-powered trackers log your real IP address, linking browsing data across sites.
✔ A VPN hides your real IP, making it harder for AI to build a full profile.

✅ Choose a no-logs VPN (like Mullvad, ProtonVPN, or IVPN).
✅ Use different VPN locations to break tracking patterns.
✅ Avoid free VPNs—many sell user data instead of protecting it.

⚠️ What NOT to do:
❌ Thinking a VPN alone makes you invisible—AI still tracks behavior & habits.
❌ Staying connected to one VPN server all the time—AI can still pattern-match.

5️⃣ Stop Auto-Tagging in Social Media Photos

✔ AI auto-tags you in pictures, even when accounts are private.
✅ Disable auto-tagging on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Photos.
✅ Use filters, stickers, or slight distortions before uploading images.

6️⃣ Use Disposable Emails & Temporary Phone Numbers

✔ AI tracks email addresses across data leaks, social platforms & sign-ups.
✔ Phone numbers are used as permanent tracking beacons in Web2 & Web3.

✅ Use temp emails for sign-ups (SimpleLogin, AnonAddy, ProtonMail).
✅ For Web3 accounts, avoid linking email to wallet addresses.
✅ Use VoIP numbers (Google Voice, MySudo) instead of your real phone.

7️⃣ Disable AI-Powered Ad Tracking (One-Click Fix)

✔ AI tracks your interests & behaviors to build shadow profiles.
✔ Most ad networks give you an option to disable personalized tracking.

✅ Turn off ad tracking in Google, Facebook, Apple & Instagram.
✅ Use Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection for extra privacy.

8️⃣ Use a Private DNS to Stop ISP Tracking

✔ Your ISP (internet provider) sees all your traffic & sells your data.
✔ Using an encrypted DNS prevents tracking at the network level.

✅ Switch to Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or NextDNS for private DNS.
✅ Enable encrypted DNS on your phone & computer.

🔗 How to Set Up Private DNS

9️⃣ Use AI Voice Assistants with Caution (Or Disable Them Completely)

✔ Siri, Alexa & Google Assistant listen 24/7 and store voice data.
✔ Even if you rarely use them, your recordings are saved in AI databases.

✅ Turn off voice activation for Siri, Alexa & Google Assistant.
✅ Manually delete voice recordings from settings.

🔟 Try a Privacy-Focused Messaging App

✔ WhatsApp, Instagram & iMessage analyze metadata & store chat patterns.
✔ Some platforms use AI to scan messages (e.g., for ad targeting).

✅ Try Signal or Session for encrypted, metadata-free messaging.
✅ Use disappearing messages for extra security.

AI Myths: Does This Work?

🚫 “A VPN makes me 100% private.” ❌ Nope! AI still tracks behavior & habits.
🚫 “If I use Signal, nobody can find me.” ❌ Wrong! Metadata still exists.
✅ “Using multiple small privacy tools makes AI tracking harder.” ✅ Yes! AI relies on patterns—breaking them reduces tracking.

What’s Next?

👉 Congrats! You’ve almost completed the mini-course! You are short final though away from the final!