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Today we will try to answer a question that is frequently asked: what alternatives There are to watch social networks privately? In fact, in this article we will not talk about real alternatives to social networks but about third-party applications to use the most famous social networks trying to protect privacy as much as possible.
Obviously without prejudice to the fact that our main advice is always to move towards ethical alternatives For example Mastodon, Peertube, Pixelfed or our Lemmy server, that is Feddit. However, we know that it is not always possible to do so and that we are often in some way forced to use mainstream social networks.
Sandboxes and redirects
Another solution, in addition to those listed below, is to use applications such as Native Alpha Plus or Hermit so as to keep the various social networks closed and separate from each other and without ever having to install their official applications!
A further possibility, valid more or less for all social networks, is to use extensions such as Privacy Redirect on Firefox And Brave/Chrome or UntrackMe For Android. These applications will automatically redirect the original URLs to the front ends private And alternatives!
Unfortunately there is no real third-party application to view Facebook. However, there are applications that isolate its use as much as possible. You can try using Frost for Facebook 1, is only available on F-Droid and it's a real one wrappers For Facebook. To make you understand better: it's as if you opened a Browsers with only Facebook installed with lots of notifications. Unfortunately Messenger it was recently excluded from mobile use so it no longer works on Frost either.
It also exists SlimSocial for Facebook, always available on F-Droid. This is also a very fast and lightweight application that will help you protect your privacy while using your account Facebook. Unlike Frost allows, albeit with some problems, the use of Messenger.
Unlike Facebook, Twitter allows you to log in from third-party applications. So there are more possible applications to use. One of the most used and perhaps the only one Open source And Twidere 2. In fact, it allows you to use multiple accounts at the same time, even from different sites. For example you can use it to have both in the same timeline Twitter That Mastodon! It is available on both F-Droid that on Play Store.
Also for Android you can also try Squawker (does not allow login).
Alternatively, if you don't need to use your account, you can view everything Twitter through the site nitter.net (or one of its many instances). Fast, easy to use and your privacy will be safe!
You can try using Proxigram. Here is a list of the various servers available.
Youtube
One of the biggest requests is that of watch Youtube privately:
- Exists Invidious and you can also use the site redirect.invidious.io/youTubevideocode to choose a server that is definitely working. For example: https://youtu.be/uKCIy9qok38 – the link becomes redirect.invidious.io/uKCIy9qok38.
- Piped is a new alternative to watch YouTube videos privately. This too inevitably Open source. We are currently only aware of one instance, the main one, but we are sure that they will soon multiply as has already happened Invidious. We've tried it a bit and it seems to work really well.
- For desktop (Windows, macOS And Linux) you can use the application FreeTube 3, very fast and independent of Invidious 4.
- For Android you can use the wonderful application Open source NewPipe 5, the most recommended of all: it is almost perfect. Alternatively you can also try SkyTube 6 or LibreTube.
Twitch
- There is a free application called Xtras and only available on F-Droid as well as downloading theAPK from GitHub.
- Alternatively you can also try Twire, an application Open source 7 absolutely without tracers nor advertising that allows you to watch Twitch without using the official application.
There is also a method to view LinkedIn privately. AND an extension for Chrome/Brave which allows you to use it easily LinkedIn in private mode.
Despite Reddit contains many tracers, remains a decent alternative social network. We don't particularly appreciate the +1/-1 voting system which is a bit reminiscent of the Chinese social credit score and which allows us to silence any voice that is out of the chorus and far from common thought. However some subreddit they are more or less happy islands, especially when they have relatively low numbers.
There were several client Open source to view Reddit, but after him API updates there are few left. One among all: Teddit 8 a great alternative front-end where you don't even need JavaScript.
We also add Libreddit, this also works without JavaScript and allows you to read Reddit privately. Here you will find all available servers. If you are interested, you can find more information in our article app for reading Reddit and some alternatives.
Also for Android there were many applications, almost all of them made outside of the API change. The only ones that should still work are Infinity For Reddit (Play Store, but it has become totally paid) and RedReader (F-Droid And Play Store).
If you don't need to use your own account and therefore respond to comments or create posts you can use the excellent ones Stealth And Geddit.
TikTok
The project ProxiTok allows you to view TikTok without an account. There are several servers that offer it and there found here. One above all, the official one: ProxiTok.
Telegram
Not everyone is aware of it but there are also alternative applications to the official one Telegram. This is the case, for example, of Telegram FOSS 9, on F-Droid and of Nekogram be on F-Droid what up Google Play 10. You can find many more atinside our article.
GitHub
After theMicrosoft's acquisition of GitHub we find it important and necessary that it is possible to visit GitHub also through alternative frontends. GotHub it is definitely the right project and you find it here is a list of available servers.
Quora
Quora also has its alternative frontend. Is called Quetre and find here is a list of available servers.
If you are passionate about Pinterest, you are interested in knowing that there is also an alternative frontend. Is called Binternet and find here is a list of all available servers.
Ferdium
About this application we talked about it in an article ad hoc. Ferdium it's an application Open source for desktop really smart and brilliant. It will allow you to log in to dozens of different messaging platforms without having to install their official programs!
Many of you have also suggested the same style Rambox.
- Frost for Facebook on GitHub[↩]
- Twidere on GitHub[↩]
- FreeTube on GitHub[↩]
- The Invidious Project Will Be Shutting Down Soon[↩]
- NewPipe on GitHub[↩]
- SkyTube on GitHub[↩]
- Twire on GitHub[↩]
- Teddit on Codeberg[↩]
- Telegram FOSS on GitHub[↩]
- Nekogram X on GitHub[↩]
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