Security
 

Hi folks !

Linux newbie, I would like to know which are the safest linux distributions to protect data privacy ?

According to RMS ubuntu is not safe : should I prefer debian ?

Thanks for your help.

Welcome to the forums!

The answer likely depends on who is out to get you, and what tools they are using to spy on you.

My personal rule of thumb is, I never do anything on my computer that I would mind reading about in the newspaper the next day.

Debian is a wonderful distribution, and would be a fine choice for someone concerned about data privacy, in my opinion. I personally do not have an ethical problem with what Ubuntu is doing (it is no different than, for example, what happens when you shop on a site like Amazon.com) but I am not fond of Ubuntu for different reasons.

First you have to define "protecting data privacy". The range of meanings might be very wide.

Computer security/privacy is a process, not a product. As snowpine said "The answer likely depends on who is out to get you, and what tools they are using to spy on you." Decide what level of security/privacy you're looking for, and take it from there. Search for such things as "hardened Linux" for more info on how to go about this.

Edit: Having said this, I use OpenBSD, because of their focus on clean code and security.