Opt Out October 2026 has arrived, offering a practical route for anyone wanting to take back control of their personal data and devices. The Electronic Frontier Foundation launched its updated guide on Thursday, encouraging users to review the services that mine their information, train artificial intelligence on their activity, or raise fees through repeatedly updated terms and conditions.
The guide is aimed at people who have been meaning to change their privacy settings, stop social media platforms from tracking their behaviour, and avoid age verification requirements. It walks through the toggles worth flipping and highlights the platforms or services best avoided altogether, suggesting better alternatives where they exist. The foundation has said it will update the instructions and details if anything changes.
What You Can Opt Out Of
The focus falls on services shown to handle personal data poorly, and there are plenty of them. A dedicated AI tools section explains how to stop chatbots and platforms such as Twitch and Snapchat from training on your data. For those frustrated by how social media uses personal information, serves intrusive adverts, or runs face-analysing age checks, the guide lists alternative social networks worth considering.
It also covers moving away from Chrome’s activity tracking, finding a free and user-friendly design tool beyond Adobe, and switching from Windows to Linux for anyone tired of adverts and AI being pushed into the operating system.
Going Further With Home and Device Privacy
Social media and AI tools are a sensible starting point, but there is more to do. A VPN can encrypt your internet traffic and disguise the country you are connecting from. Physical privacy also matters, including checking what personal information appears about your home online and removing your home address from the internet.
Smart devices warrant attention too. Alexa settings can be adjusted to improve the voice assistant’s privacy, while several Ring features, including various AI options on its video doorbells and security cameras, are worth switching off. Reviewing the privacy settings on the specific devices you use at home can tighten protection further.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s 2026 guide remains a living resource, with the organisation committing to revise it as platforms and services change their practices.
