Privacy @lemmy.ml hopefull_cottonball @lemmy.ml 5mo ago

how to post YouTube videos anonymously?

Hello! what is the best setup for creating content without compromising my privacy? i am aware of most opsec stuff but i have some questions:

how do i use 2FA without giving YouTube my phone number?
how big of an identifier is my voice? should i use a voice filter?

thanks.

26 comments

I highly recommend using PeerTube instead of YouTube.

For voice, I recommend using something Ardour or LMMS to mask your real voice with some filters.
- There is a surprising (to me) amount of Perrtube recommendations here. Has something happened that suddenly so many of you recommend it?
  
  Also, could you give advice on a few instances that are maintained and allow uploading? In the past (a half or 1 year ago) I've had trouble finding one.
  
  TIL Vids is a really well maintained instance. It is not federated, and not everyone is allowed to upload just like that. Go to their Matrix channel for more information and discussions.
YouTube is Google. Asking how to use Google without losing your privacy is asking how to swim without getting wet.

Use PeerTube. You're asking this question on Lemmy, so surely you're comfortable with the whole Fediverse thing.
- asking how to swim without getting wet
  
  Wetsuit? Though, I don't think that covers the head. Full on diving gear?
  
  And now I wonder if you can swim in dry water.
  
  Drysuit. Wetsuits keep you warm, not dry.
Purchase spare chromebook (with cash)

Purchase spare SIM (cash)

Get TOTP working with spare SIM, link FOSS authenticator app, delink phone number.

Throw away SIM.

Get a flash drive, wipe, load videos on it.

Go to public location, sign into Google account from there, upload video.

Remove battery from Chrome book after uploading video, only ever plug it into power in the proximity of WiFi hotspots which can't be traced to you.

Preferably don't bring your phone with you since they can track you through that
- what about facial recognition and vehicle tracking?
  
  Depending where you live public transport has camera inside the vehicles.
  
  Use public transport, wear baggy thrift store clothes, preferably masks on. Will fool everything but the sophisticated (and expensive) AI systems. Won't work if you're in the UK or China because their governments are insane
- Your IMEI number just got linked. You need a disposable phone and SIM. Or just go to one of those SIM swap parties where everyone swaps a used phone and SIM randomly from a basket
  
  In that case one should install a MFA application via a Linux chroot on their laptop. Throw away both the phone and SIM
Get others to reupload your stuff.
Pay some random guy on the internet to upload for you. Yes, your voice will get you identified. Keep in mind that even a voice filter won't be enough to protect you from authorities. Some people use AI voices instead of theirs to stay anonymous
- Adding to this, uploading audio/video instead of text means a lot more info and metadata for future adversaries to chew on and discover what you might be hiding. There are instances of people being traced to their country/city based on tiny details like the electrical outlets on the wall, geographical features and noises from nearby electronics like national news broadcasts.
  
  A picture is worth a thousand words.
  
  or a lot of pictures in the case of video.
Who are you protecting your privacy against here?

Because if it's Google, then why on earth would you want to upload content to YouTube in the first place?

OK, let's say you didn't give them your phone number and masked your voice. If you're not connecting over a VPN or something like Tor, they still have your IP address.

OK, you now use a VPN, but your browser can still be very effectively fingerprinted and that fingerprint could be nearly unique.

And so on and so on. And this isn't even going into metadata in & about your video files that could be used to fingerprint the system they were done on.
- Who are you protecting your privacy against here?
  
  viewers and potential malicious hackers.
  
  Because if it’s Google, then why on earth would you want to upload content to YouTube in the first place?
  
  I understand everyone wanting me to use PeerTube, but i can't see my content being successful there.
  
  And so on and so on. And this isn’t even going into metadata in & about your video files that could be used to fingerprint the system they were done on.
  
  i confess i didnt consider this. but i think there are tools to remove all metadata from videos. in the end, i dont need to hide myself from google or anything of the sort. i just want my information to be harder to find.
  
  If you want to protect your privacy against viewers of your videos, how you upload them to YouTube makes more or less no difference. With this scenario the question is how much information are you leaking in your content, and that'd cover everything from writing style idiosyncracies to anything that can be used to potentially identify eg. where you live and so on.
  
  If you're worried about "malicious hackers", then the question is who are these potential hackers you're protecting against? Would they be attacking Google or you? If it's you, then how you upload things to YT is again completely meaningless. If they're attacking Google and get far enough to actually exfil data, what they'd actually be able to get out of it is anybody's guess. Using a VPN and a throwaway email is probably good enough in any case.
you can use something like smspool.net to verify the account with a one time use #. then google will allow you to link an authenticator app to the account. removing the # from the account afterwards does not remove the TOTP code either.
Use MoneroSMS. And use an AI generated voice. Or pay a voice actor.
Upload to Odysee and use the YouTube Sync feature.

26 comments