The path to resistance starts with identifying your 3 biggest systems of control. Whether it’s your phone ecosystem, financial institution, or social media addiction, these choke points dictate your daily life and keep you compliant. This article gives you a framework to spot them, name them, and begin personalizing your resistance.
Chains don’t always look like chains. Most of the time they look like apps, habits, and systems you “can’t live without.”
The Real Question
You can’t resist what you haven’t named. Everyone says they “value privacy.” Few can point to the exact systems that own them.
That’s the assignment today: find the 3.
Not the three you think sound cool. Not the three you’d brag about dodging. The three that actually run your life.
Why Three?
Because it forces focus. Too broad and you drown in paranoia. Too narrow and you miss the real choke points.
Three gives you clarity without overwhelm. It shows where you’re most captured, where resistance matters most.
Step One: Spot the Nets
Here are the categories where most people are trapped:
- Phone ecosystems: iOS or Android with all the defaults left on. Your phone is a snitch.
- Payment rails: Debit, credit, PayPal, Venmo. Every swipe and tap is logged, tied, sold.
- Work systems: Bossware, Zoom, corporate email. You’re monitored because you’re an “asset.”
- Social media loops: Facebook, TikTok, Instagram. Oversharing packaged as “connection.”
- Cloud sync traps: Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive. Your files are theirs first, yours second.
- Government IDs and logins: DMV databases, TSA PreCheck, tax portals. Control disguised as efficiency.
Your list might look different. But you’ll know when you see it.
Step Two: Ask the Right Questions
Don’t just pick what annoys you. Pick what binds you.
- Does this system know where I am at all times?
- Does this system control whether I can earn or spend money?
- Could this system cut me off overnight?
- If this system vanished, would my life collapse?
If the answer is yes, it goes on the list.
Step Three: Write It Down
Literally. Pen and paper. Not an app, not a cloud doc. Write your three systems down. There’s power in dragging them from the fog into black ink.
For me, my first list looked like this:
- Google (search, maps, mail, drive)
- Bank of America (card, payments, overdraft leash)
- Verizon (phone number, location, data)
It was sobering. Those three knew more about me than my family did.
Step Four: Break the Illusion
The point isn’t shame. The point is line of sight.
You’ll notice these systems don’t just track. They enforce. Your phone nags you back into the ecosystem. Your bank dictates how and when you pay. Social media bullies you into posting more.
They’re not neutral. They’re behavioral.
Step Five: Personalize Resistance
Once you’ve got your three, you can start to claw back.
- If your phone is on the list: strip the permissions, harden the OS, consider a second device.
- If your bank is on the list: add cash to your flow, test Bitcoin or Monero for certain purchases.
- If your workplace system is on the list: segment work devices, stop bleeding personal data through them.
- If your cloud storage is on the list: encrypt first, sync local first, stop default trust.
Resistance isn’t a fantasy. It’s a daily nudge. A refusal to let the leash tighten.
My Own Shifts
I didn’t ditch all three overnight. I chipped away.
I replaced Gmail with Proton.
I built local sync instead of Drive.
I kept a cash stash so my card wasn’t the only lifeline.
Not perfect. Just better.
Why This Matters
If you don’t know what holds you, you can’t resist it. You’ll waste time hardening in the wrong places. You’ll brag about your VPN while your phone leaks your entire life.
This isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things first.
The Pushback
Yes, you’ll hear “but you need that.” That’s the culture talking.
The assumption that dependency is normal. It’s not. It’s engineered. And once you see it, you can start building exits.
The Endurance Piece
This isn’t a one time homework assignment. Your three will shift over time. As you claw free from one, another may step up. That’s fine. It means you’re moving.
Resistance isn’t about perfection. It’s about refusing ownership.
Final Take
Your homework is simple.
List your 3. The ones that hold you the tightest.
Look them in the face. Name them. Then start cutting threads.
Because the systems don’t collapse all at once. They collapse piece by piece. And it starts with you refusing to play along.
Refuse the default. Claw it back.
-GHOST
Written by GHOST, creator of the Untraceable Digital Dissident project.
This is part of the Untraceable Digital Dissident series — tactical privacy for creators and rebels.
Explore more privacy tactics at untraceabledigitaldissident.com.