20+ Ways to Take Action With Data, Dollars & Attention in 2025
In an era of data-driven economies, powerful corporations setting the standard for data privacy, increased digital risk for data breaches, and information overload flooding countless channels, it’s easy to feel like our individual choices won’t move the needle toward a better future.
The truth is, our collective actions can have a big impact.
By making conscious decisions about how we use our data, where we spend our money, and what we give attention to, we can protect our interests and shape a world we want to live in.
Here are some ideas you can action today:
Sign up for an identity management services like IDX, Dashlane, or DuckDuckGo that monitors your data, social media handles, cards, and more on the dark web.
Connect to a VPN like ones found on IDX, Dashlane, or DuckDuckGo on your phone and laptop to mask your IP address to keep online activity private.
Create unique, complex passwords for all of your digital accounts with an industry leading password manager like Dashlane.
Set up two-factor authentication solutions on all of your digital accounts with secure solutions like Authy.
Sign up for encrypted, open source cloud storage with some of the strictist privacy policies like Proton Drive to protect your most sensitive files such as finances, recovery keys, and records.
Delete historical data, turn off unnecessary personalized ads and AI features, limit the collection of sensitive data, and limit the visibility of your accounts on social channels.
Delete apps off your phone and computer that do not have encryption, privacy policies, and business practices that align with your values.
Browse using a private search engine like DuckDuckGo that promise not to track searches and block access to private data.
Leverage an app to send secure messages like Signal that promises encryption and prioritizes privacy.
Learn how to quickly freeze your credit in the event of unauthorized exposure to your personally identifiable information (PII) with IDX, Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion.
Open checking and savings accounts at a Credit Union like Advantis to house your money in a member-owned, non-profit space that offers lower fees and higher dividends.
Adjust your investment portfolio to represent the future you want to see such as more Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) businesses.
Direct spending to brands that align to your values by leveraging apps like Progressive Shopper and marketplaces like Simple Switch, GoodBuy, and Grove.
Buy local from the farmers, groceries, restaurants, and retail stores in your direct community.
Get to know your neighbors by hosting a gathering, starting a group chat on Signal, creating a neighborhood watch, and creating an emergency plan.
Invite friends to a privacy-first social platform like Vero or MeWe or the open-source, decentralized, and ad-free network of apps in the Fediverse like Mastadon or Pixelfed.
Identify local, value-aligned organizations to receive updates from, donate to, and volunteer at that are driving agendas you believe in and legality such as ACLU or Common Cause.
Sign up for independent news digests from writers on SubStack and journalistic organizations that value investigative, ethical reporting such as AllSides, Ground News, ProPublica, TruthOut, Democracy Now!, PBS News, Common Dreams, Morning Brew.
Practice digital wellness by setting up screen time limitations and focus settings on your devices to avoid over consumption of news and apps.
Set up time with experts in finance, law, and health to understand the implications of new policies to your household and how you can plan for it.
Call your representatives to voice an opinion on policies and share the actions you expect to be taken for your community’s best interests by looking them up on Common Cause or using ResistBot.
By making conscious choices about our data, dollars, and attention, we can collectively create a world that reflects our values and aspirations.
The future is ours to shape.
Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended as a substitute for professional legal, financial, or technology advice. It is essential to conduct your own research and consult with qualified professionals before making any decisions related to your personal finances, legal, or technology matters.
