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Digital ID Detox: Practical steps, VPN setup, podcast prep and regaining privacy control online safely

Progress on the Digital ID Detox, including podcast prep, VPN setup, and moving from Gmail, offering practical, achievable steps to protect privacy and regain control of personal data.

By news@gippsland - 23rd November 2025 - Back to News

Every message has been read, appreciated, and will be answered in one form or another. Truly, thank you. Your insights have been brilliant in shaping where these newsletters are heading. And what’s encouraging: so many of you suggested exactly what we were thinking you've encouraged us to put the plan into action. We've called it our Digital ID Detox.

Digital ID is still voluntary, and there’s a lot we can do simply by refusing to go along with it. This will be a people driven movement: we do not need to comply

Digital detox journey

But first, confession time: I am a terrible procrastinator. Nothing gets done until the last possible second. Which made me realise: what better way to De-Digi-ID my life (aka amputate my Digital Twin) than to actually start doing the things I’ve been putting off and share the process with you as I go?

Here’s what I did this week:

• Got prepped for a Digital ID podcast catch-up with Adam Gibson from ACA Group Member Parents with Questions
• Got myself a VPN
• Started moving away from Gmail

If I can do this, anyone can. Below is a summary of each step: practical, simple, and achievable. There are no doubt a ton of ways to Digital ID Detox, so if you’ve got any recommendations, I’m all ears - send us an email (email address below)!

Prepping for the Digital ID Podcast with Adam Gibson from ACA Member Group Parents with Questions. Getting prepared for my catch up with Adam, I had a practice run with a friend and asked what she knew about Digital ID. Turns out: nothing.

Rethinking Digital ID

Cue Take 1

So I launched into my usual passionate elevator pitch. Too fast. Too much. Too apocalyptic. She was lost within 30 seconds and looking at me sideways. And that made me stop and rethink:

• How do we explain Digital ID clearly?
• How do we make it real without overwhelming people?
• How do we meet people where they are?

Cue Take 2

I changed tac and asked 4 questions:

• Q1. What do you know about Digital ID?
• Q2. How would you feel about all your once separate data (all your personal information) being pulled together into a "Digital Twin." of you?

Banking - Tax - Medical records - Education - Travel history (car, air, walking) - Biometrics - Social media - Spending patterns - Behaviour scores the list goes on!

• All connected
• All searchable
• All analysable
• All under one digital identity token

Q3. Have you seen the latest from Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez who is demanding a total END to online anonymity - forcing every social media account to link to a EU Digital ID! If you missed it, see his address on Twitter.

Q4. Don't we generally have anonymity when we are wandering around in our physical world?

This tracking and surveillance wasn’t possible a decade ago - but with today’s massive data hubs and AI, it is. The machinery is already built, and the government is working overtime to persuade people to sign up voluntarily. It’s coming fast, but don’t panic. Digital ID is still voluntary, and there’s a lot we can do simply by refusing to go along with it. This will be a people driven movement: we do not need to comply.

Getting a VPN - Yes, I finally did it and it was easier than I thought!

I always knew "tech-savvy people" used VPNs, but it turns out it’s something everyone should be doing. A VPN (Virtual Private Network):

• Masks your location - by hiding your IP address
• Prevents your ISP and third parties from tracking your browsing
• Encrypts your data
• Routes your traffic through another server
• Protects you on public Wi-Fi
• Helps prevent profiling and tracking

BUT important caution: A VPN only hides what can be hidden! For example, if your social media accounts still have your address, phone number, and full identity attached, you’ve just re-identified yourself across all platforms. So make sure you:

• Remove phone numbers, addresses, birthdays, and location permissions
• Turn off ad-tracking
• Delete old unused accounts

Don’t snooker yourself and undermine your VPN by leaving your home address on Facebook. VPNs available that people have mentioned including pros/cons:

• ACA Member Group Reignite Democracy Australia has partnered with Proton VPN, which you can check out Proton VPN. Proton has a strong reputation, but because they operate within Australia, they are still subject to Australian trade and regulatory laws
• VP Net is apparently one of the few retail VPNs that does not and cannot collect or scrape your data. It also cannot hand anything over to government agencies under eSafety or related requirements. More information is available at VP.net website

Pictures from Twitter website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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