Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The humble Contact List in our phone is a goldmine of data. Each contact is filled with the personal information like names, numbers, email addresses, home addresses, birthdays, work details and social media information. It’s the kind of information that data brokers salivate over because it allows unprecedented insight into consumer behavior, political leanings, and even potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited. The worst thing is, it's not even your information that's being taken -- When we don't protect our contacts list, it's the information that OTHERS have entrusted to us that we're sharing.
In this video I talk about Contact Lists, why you might not want to store them in your phone or share them with other apps on your device, and finally I’ll talk about more private ways to store them.
00:00 Your Phone Compromises Your Contacts
00:28 Overview
00:39 Why Contacts Lists Are Important
01:51 Who Sees Our Contact List
05:37 Private Ways To Store Contacts
06:23 Reviewing App Permissions
06:57 Third Party Contact Apps
07:53 Encrypted Contact Storage
08:43 Graphene: The Ultimate Solution
09:57 It’s Time to Take Back Control!
By disabling automatic cloud syncing, regularly reviewing and managing our apps’ contact permissions, and using privacy-focused apps and services, we can reduce the indiscriminate harvesting of our social graph. Our contacts deserve to be treated with the utmost care and respect.
NOTE: In our video, we mention Simple Contacts Pro, but we have since learned that it has been acquired by ZipoApps, a company known for adding ads and tracking to apps. One of the developers forked the project, and the fork, “Fossify,” is an alternative that you can consider instead.
github.com/FossifyOrg/Contacts
Brought to you by NBTV team members: Lee, Cube Boy, Kieran Mesquita, Reuben Yap, Sam Ettaro, Will Sandoval and Naomi Brockwell
Watch all of the tutorials in our Phone Privacy Playlist HERE:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt3zZ-N423gXV-0pdxnRn-nw0WzVKh4NY
To support NBTV, visit:
https://www.nbtv.media/support
(tax-deductible in the US)
Visit our shop!
https://Shop.NBTV.media
Our eBook "Beginner's Introduction To Privacy:
amzn.to/3WDSfku
Beware of scammers, I will never give you a phone number or reach out to you with investment advice. I do not give investment advice.
Watch this video on Odysee:
odysee.com/@NaomiBrockwell:4/Phone-Contacts:9
________________________________________________________________________
Here are a bunch of products I like and use. Using these links helps support the channel and future videos!
Recommended Books:
Beginner's Introduction To Privacy - Naomi Brockwell
amzn.to/3WDSfku
Permanent Record - Edward Snowden
amzn.to/305negc
What has the government done to our money - Rothbard
amzn.to/2KMzmcu
Extreme Privacy - Michael Bazzel (The best privacy book I've ever read)
amzn.to/4jrseiS
Digital version: inteltechniques.com/book7.html (non affiliate link)
No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State - Glenn Greenwald
amzn.to/2UQmJ4m
Some of my favorite products to help protect your privacy!
Brave browser: brave.com/nao076
Faraday bag (signal stopping, to protect your fob, credit card, computer, and phone)
amzn.to/3z02UiF
Data Blocker (if you're charging your phone in an unknown port, use this so that no data is transferred)
amzn.to/2SVh0J2
Camera tape (electrical tape is the best tape for covering phone and computer cameras)
amzn.to/3Xn8xBn
USB-C to ethernet adapter:
amzn.to/2lOVBoy
Privacy Screens (use your phone and computer in public? Keep your information safe!)
Computer: (Search for the size right for your computer)
MacBook Air 13" amzn.to/3VQvpZ7
HP/Dell/Acer/Asus/Lenovo 15.6" amzn.to/3KK1Oda
Lenovo Thinkpad/HP Elitebook/Dell 14" amzn.to/4enT2zq
Phone: (Search for the size for your phone, decide whether you want glass or plastic!)
Galaxy s24 - amzn.to/3VGgb8H
iPhone 15 - amzn.to/45vCd1h
Pixel 8 - amzn.to/3KFDuJF
The humble Contact List in our phone is a goldmine of data. Each contact is filled with the personal information like names, numbers, email addresses, home addresses, birthdays, work details and social media information. It’s the kind of information that data brokers salivate over because it allows unprecedented insight into consumer behavior, political leanings, and even potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited. The worst thing is, it's not even your information that's being taken -- When we don't protect our contacts list, it's the information that OTHERS have entrusted to us that we're sharing.
In this video I talk about Contact Lists, why you might not want to store them in your phone or share them with other apps on your device, and finally I’ll talk about more private ways to store them.
00:00 Your Phone Compromises Your Contacts
00:28 Overview
00:39 Why Contacts Lists Are Important
01:51 Who Sees Our Contact List
05:37 Private Ways To Store Contacts
06:23 Reviewing App Permissions
06:57 Third Party Contact Apps
07:53 Encrypted Contact Storage
08:43 Graphene: The Ultimate Solution
09:57 It’s Time to Take Back Control!
By disabling automatic cloud syncing, regularly reviewing and managing our apps’ contact permissions, and using privacy-focused apps and services, we can reduce the indiscriminate harvesting of our social graph. Our contacts deserve to be treated with the utmost care and respect.
NOTE: In our video, we mention Simple Contacts Pro, but we have since learned that it has been acquired by ZipoApps, a company known for adding ads and tracking to apps. One of the developers forked the project, and the fork, “Fossify,” is an alternative that you can consider instead.
github.com/FossifyOrg/Contacts
Brought to you by NBTV team members: Lee, Cube Boy, Kieran Mesquita, Reuben Yap, Sam Ettaro, Will Sandoval and Naomi Brockwell
Watch all of the tutorials in our Phone Privacy Playlist HERE:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt3zZ-N423gXV-0pdxnRn-nw0WzVKh4NY
To support NBTV, visit:
https://www.nbtv.media/support
(tax-deductible in the US)
Visit our shop!
https://Shop.NBTV.media
Our eBook "Beginner's Introduction To Privacy:
amzn.to/3WDSfku
Beware of scammers, I will never give you a phone number or reach out to you with investment advice. I do not give investment advice.
Watch this video on Odysee:
odysee.com/@NaomiBrockwell:4/Phone-Contacts:9
________________________________________________________________________
Here are a bunch of products I like and use. Using these links helps support the channel and future videos!
Recommended Books:
Beginner's Introduction To Privacy - Naomi Brockwell
amzn.to/3WDSfku
Permanent Record - Edward Snowden
amzn.to/305negc
What has the government done to our money - Rothbard
amzn.to/2KMzmcu
Extreme Privacy - Michael Bazzel (The best privacy book I've ever read)
amzn.to/4jrseiS
Digital version: inteltechniques.com/book7.html (non affiliate link)
No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State - Glenn Greenwald
amzn.to/2UQmJ4m
Some of my favorite products to help protect your privacy!
Brave browser: brave.com/nao076
Faraday bag (signal stopping, to protect your fob, credit card, computer, and phone)
amzn.to/3z02UiF
Data Blocker (if you're charging your phone in an unknown port, use this so that no data is transferred)
amzn.to/2SVh0J2
Camera tape (electrical tape is the best tape for covering phone and computer cameras)
amzn.to/3Xn8xBn
USB-C to ethernet adapter:
amzn.to/2lOVBoy
Privacy Screens (use your phone and computer in public? Keep your information safe!)
Computer: (Search for the size right for your computer)
MacBook Air 13" amzn.to/3VQvpZ7
HP/Dell/Acer/Asus/Lenovo 15.6" amzn.to/3KK1Oda
Lenovo Thinkpad/HP Elitebook/Dell 14" amzn.to/4enT2zq
Phone: (Search for the size for your phone, decide whether you want glass or plastic!)
Galaxy s24 - amzn.to/3VGgb8H
iPhone 15 - amzn.to/45vCd1h
Pixel 8 - amzn.to/3KFDuJF
