RSS: A Privacy-Friendly Way To Stay Updated
Simple and private way to follow your favorite websites
💡Privacy Tip: Cover Your Tracks (coveryourtracks.eff.org) is a project created by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) that allows you to test your web browser of tracking and fingerprinting tech. Give your browser a run through and use the results to learn on to improve the privacy and security of your web browser.
Earlier this year, I finally learned what an RSS feed is. Standing for "Really Simple Syndication," RSS is a more effective way to stay up to date on all the websites you follow. Instead of having to constantly go to each website and see the updates, RSS streamlines this process by giving you notifications of updates in an RSS reader. An RSS reader (sometimes called news aggregators) is an application that allows you to add the websites that you follow into one place, making it easier to stay up to date.
RSS feeds aren't just limited to websites, though. Feeds can also be generated for certain social media sites. Bluesky, Mastodon, and YouTube are some examples that are able to create RSS feeds so you can stay up to date without having to either create an account or subscribe.
RSS feeds can also be created for Substack newsletters. Simply copy the link to the newsletter and add it to the RSS reader, and boom! Now you can stay up to date with your favorite newsletters without having to provide an email address. Some Substack writers might be bothered by this since, from my understanding, RSS feeds will not be reflected in subscriber numbers and analytics. Still, I think it's great that Substack provides this option. Not everyone wants to subscribe to newsletters, provide their personal information and be submitted to tracking.
This is all well and good, you’re probably saying. Now, what does an RSS have to do specifically with privacy? Here are several ways an RSS feed can improve your privacy.
You will not be subjective to ads, cookies, and other tracking technologies since you don't have to visit every website and all updates appear in RSS reader.
No information can be collected or sold since you are not visiting the websites.
There is no algorithm telling you what you should see or think you want to see. You have full control over what pops up on your feed.
No need to subscribe or create accounts to read content.
If you want to get started on creating your personal RSS feed, you will need an RSS reader. Even though RSS feeds are privacy-friendly, there are many RSS readers that are not. To make it easier, here are a few RSS readers that are known to be privacy-focused.
NetNewsOWire (netnewswire.com) - Free and open source. Available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users.
Feeder (github.com/spacecowboy/Feeder) - Free and open source. Available for Android users. Also available on F-Droid store. Donations are welcomed.
Miniflux (miniflux.app) - Free and open source. Paid hosting only, "$15/year and includes a free 15-day trial period". Can also self-host. Donations are welcomed.
FreshRSS (freshrss.org) - Free and open source. Available for self-hosting only. Donations are welcomed.
That being said, RSS feeds do have drawbacks. The biggest one being is that you cannot interact with the content, you can only read it. If you want to interact (such as leave comments), you will then need to visit the website or follow or subscribe. But, if you just want to read the content, then RSS feeds is a good option to have.
My experience with RSS feeds so far has been great. I can't believe it took me till 2025 to find out what they were. They have been game changers for me because it's so much easier to stay up to date on the websites that I follow while taking back some of my privacy.
What are your thoughts on RSS feeds? Feel free to let me know in the comments.
Until Next Time,
Monique 📲
P.S. Subscribe to my RSS feed for my personal blog! 😉
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