Addressing Privacy Fatigue

Privacy fatigue is a real feeling — here’s how to make it manageable

Supporting the Office of Australian Information Commissioner Privacy Awareness Week 2025: Privacy — It’s Everyone’s Business

Do you ever feel that when you start reading about privacy, you’re suddenly overwhelmed by endless lists of tips such as enable two-factor authentication (huh?), check app permissions (what for?), review privacy policies (from where?), use encrypted messaging (is this another language?), switch browsers (truly?), audit your social media settings and even get off social media (will I lose all my friends?). The list goes on and on.

We know the problem isn’t that people don’t care about privacy. It’s that the privacy ecosystem has become so complex that it’s genuinely a scary place to start. When every digital choice feels like it requires a PhD in cybersecurity to evaluate properly, it’s natural to…give up.

So, in support of this year’s OAIC Privacy Awareness Week, I want to give you some of my tips, in everyday language that I hope will help this topic appear less overwhelming.

Step 1: The foundation (High Impact, low effort)

Use a password manager: While there are many reasons why we have partnered with 1Password; remembering all of your passwords can feel unachievable. Most browsers will have a built-in option these days, however, using tools such as 1Password provides additional options, such as sharing password vaults between families and syncing easily between devices and different browsers. A password manager will securely manage your passwords, removing all of the pain you would be feeling otherwise, and it works for all technical skill levels!

Use strong, unique passwords. As I have already mentioned, using a password manager such as 1Password means you can build out unique and strong passwords. Even moving to the level of using a passphrase. This protects you across every service you use, and these modern password managers make it nearly effortless. They truly are worth the investment.

Step 2: Cleaning up (Moderate impact, some effort)

Review and clean up your social media privacy settings. Not because social media is all that bad, but because the default settings are usually designed to share more than you might want. This isn’t about ruling people out of your life, it’s about giving you back some control of who or what you want to let in! Don’t forget to also check your recent followers list to remove or block the unknowns. Tim234567jur89 may not be the same person you think they are!

Also, be selective about app permissions. You probably don’t need to give that flashlight app access to your contacts or location history for it to work. Providing apps with additional permissions that are unnecessary for their operation allows the builders of that app to gather additional information. This information may be used for marketing purposes, such as targeted advertising to you based on your behaviours. Consider all permission requests and if they are not necessary for it to operate, is it truly required?

Step 3: Aiming for protection excellence (Varying level of impact, greater effort)

I’m definitely far from a technical expert here, but this is where I know encrypted messaging and regular security audits come in. Depending on what products you choose, the level of protection provided by the way they encrypt your data will vary. Personally, this is where I see a difference in using Fastmail over other email products; I have greater control of my data, and Masked Email addresses mean I can have even better control of my digital presence.

So, this is where I do recommend to switch to a privacy respecting email provider such as Fastmail. Your email is the hub of your digital life - it’s connected to every account, contains your most sensitive communications, and often stores years of personal history. It even stores this sort of information about your family and friends too. Moving to an email service that doesn’t scan your messages or sell your data is probably the single most impactful privacy decision you can make. For you and for anyone you ever have or will communicate with digitally!

Making privacy sustainable

I feel that the key to overcoming privacy overwhelm is to remember that privacy protection is an ongoing focus, not just a one stop destination. You don’t need to achieve perfect privacy security to benefit from better privacy habits. Every small step you take reduces your exposure and puts you more in control of your digital life.

Start with one change that matters to you. Get comfortable with it. Then consider what might make sense next. Privacy isn’t about living in digital isolation - it’s about making intentional choices about how your personal information is used.

At Fastmail, we’ve structured our entire business model around the principle of privacy matters. We’re a paid service so we never have to sell ads or your personal data. You pay us, so you’re our priority, not advertisers. We don’t scan your emails to build advertising profiles. We don’t sell your data to third parties. We make money when you pay us for a top quality service you value that we constantly improve on - it’s that simple.

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Fastmail provides fast, private email that respects your privacy and puts you in control. No ads, no data mining, no nonsense. Learn more about how we’re different at fastmail.com.