A paper-only journal would defend against the state, but not against people you live with. A digital journal can be encrypted, but an intelligence agency could potentially gain access (like, them reading your anti-government rants that may involve violence… that sort of stuff).

So… how to defend against both threats?

(Also, I just realized, paper journals cannot really be easily backed up…)

  • Nursery2787@lemmy.mlEnglish
    1·
    5 days ago

    Obsidian stored in Veracrypt. Bonus if you get security keys for veracrypt, either as piv cards or using long passwords only on the key.

    Standard notes doesn’t require an email. Just make a private username and password.

    Protonmail and mailbox.org support pgp. Protonmail pgp is quantum resistant. Grab a public key and write emails to a free account.

    Honestly though, get a fire resistant bag or safe and a notebook. No bit rot. No hacking.

  • SaltSong@startrek.websiteEnglish
    2·
    12 days ago

    if you have legitimate concerns about the government coming after you, you simply do not keep a diary. At all. Not even one where you promise not to write anything incriminating.

    • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
      1·
      12 days ago

      I don’t have these legitimate concerns, and I STILL keep stuff like that as thoughts in my head. The only reason I’d journal my thoughts is if I eventually wanted someone to read them.

      I keep my journaling for things I actually do in real life that I want to keep track of.

      What is the purpose for writing it down? When you know that answer, then you look for the safest way to accomplish that purpose, which probably isn’t a diary.

      • SaltSong@startrek.websiteEnglish
        2·
        11 days ago

        Some people just process these things better by forcing themselves to put them into words. Journals, for some people are not written to be read, but to be written.

        I was like they in high school. Wrote out my thoughts. Lose-leaf paper in my binder with me other school stuff, so they didn’t survive more than a few months. But the writing was the point. No-one was ever going to read them, not even me.

    • ERROR: Earth.exe has crashed@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      0·
      12 days ago

      I’m not sure if I have a legitimate concern. I have never attended a protest (too scared) and I never had any large online presence. I don’t even show my name or face on the internet. I don’t have any wikipedia pages.

      So… maybe I’m just over-cautious… 🤷‍♂️

  • AnAmericanPotato@programming.devEnglish
    1·
    12 days ago

    A paper-only journal would defend against the state, but not against people you live with. A digital journal can be encrypted, but an intelligence agency could potentially gain access

    A digital journal doesn’t need to be any more government-accessible than a paper journal.

    Depending on your threat model, this could require special hardware, special software, or both. In order of ease of setup, I would suggest:

    • Keep all your data on your own physical media. No cloud services, period.

    • Keep it encrypted.

    • Disable network connectivity at every level that you possibly can, such as:

      • OS level: disable wi-fi, disable blutooth, and disable networking entirely.

      • Firmware/BIOS level: If you BIOS has options to disable networking components (especially wireless ones), do that.

      • Hardware level: If your laptop has a switch to disable wi-fi, use it. If ethernet, unplug the cable. Etc.

      • Physical level: Remove any removable wireless cards or antennas.

      • Wallet level: buy a computer than never had wi-fi or bluetooth in the first place. This could mean a retro computer, or could mean using a micro-pc like some models of Raspberry Pi.

  • Jeena@piefed.jeena.netEnglish
    0·
    12 days ago

    Keep it just in your head until Elon Musk forces Neural link on everyone, then you’re fucked.

    • lattrommi@lemmy.mlEnglish
      1·
      10 days ago

      This was my first thought as well. The code doesn’t even have to be very secretive to beat most people from figuring it out. Torture would be the only way and it still would have plausible deniability.

      So eventually no decipherable, nor understandable decryption easily succeeds. (The previous sentence has a secret message.)

    • ERROR: Earth.exe has crashed@lemmy.dbzer0.comOPEnglish
      1·
      11 days ago

      So here’s the thing.

      My country is being taken over by fascists.

      Economy is already fucked up before the fascists took control, now the economy is even worse. Cost of living is too high. Moving out is not an option. It’s either shitty toxic family, or some random strangers as roommates (I have no friends) in order to split the cost of rent, like it’s literally impossible afford to rent alone. People are getting fired all the time, any small issue with income would mean being homeless, and that would guarantee ending up snatched by the gestapo.

      There is no choice.