Re: [Trisquel-users] Learning self-defense

[gnuser]

I'm sorry, but I believe that must not be correct. According to  
https://tails.boum.org/doc/about/license/index.en.html
all their software is free software, and IIRC they even got rid of TrueCrypt  
some time ago (because of the issues with it).
Also, since this is based on Debian main distro, I believe there would be no  
blobs (since Debian removes those from the kernel). I might be wrong in this  
one, maybe TAILS puts them back in, but I don't see any indication of that  
anywhere (please provide a source if you can).
With all this in mind, I would consider TAILS as a free distro (at least as  
free as Debian itself, which is another debate) and the BEST tool to use in  
terms of OpSec. Actually, it is a good example to follow if you want to learn  
self-defense. For example, some of the software they use (MAT, KeePassX, etc)  
are available in the repositories and you should use them! :)

I am right now in the process of trying to convert Debian (native Debian, not  
any rebranded distro) into a more secure and privacy oriented system. I have  
decided that using Tor is not enough, so I started by taking a look at TAILS  
and Whonix to get some ideas. I have also started to work with grsecurity and  
AppArmor for improved security. the mempo project is also a good place to get  
some ideas. All in all, there are many little things you can and should do to  
improve your security online, without having to become a cracker (you have to  
be a hacker however to do this kind of thing, which means you have to think  
creatively and try to come up with new fun ways of doing things). There are  
also some good talks from GNU hackers meetings, Defcon and HOPE talks, that  
you could watch to learn the basics. I could provide some links if you want  
:)