Three simple rules for protecting your data

In 2023, the idea of having privacy online is unrealistic, Ellen Cushing writes. We are constantly being surveilled in ways that we can never be fully aware of—but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. The Atlantic’s new guide to digital privacy includes simple instructions for managing your privacy online and a personalized privacy-plan generator; the guide reminds us that as long as we know what information we care about protecting, we can still draw certain boundaries online.

Today’s newsletter brings you stories about managing digital privacy.

• “The Atlantic’s Guide to Digital Privacy,” by Ellen Cushing. Our personal information is what powers the modern internet. Here’s what that really means—and what you can do about it.
• “Slouching Toward ‘Accept All Cookies,’” by Charlie Warzel. When everything we do online is data to be harvested, resignation is easy. But there’s a better way to think about digital privacy.
• “You Should Worry About the Data Retailers Collect About You,” by Ian Bogost. But probably not for the reasons you think.
• “Kids Deserve Privacy Online. They’re Not Getting It.,” by S. Matthew Liao and Claudia Passos Ferreira. Today’s children face a world of constant surveillance. Their very sense of self is at stake.

— Katherine Hu, assistant editor