The Privacy Guide

An open-source web application that makes digital privacy accessible through clear, actionable tasks for everyday users.

Overview

The Privacy Guide transforms complex privacy concepts into practical, step-by-step actions. Built for non-technical users, it provides a gamified learning experience while maintaining strict privacy standards.

Live site: https://theprivacy.guide

Features

Interactive Privacy Tasks

• 21 practical tasks from 5-minute quick wins to advanced guides
• Complete social media privacy series
• Step-by-step instructions tested across platforms

Gamified Progress

• Points, badges, and level progression
• Progress tracking dashboard
• Personal achievement system

Privacy Pulse News

• Curated privacy news with actionable takeaways
• Links to relevant tasks
• Regular updates on privacy developments

Privacy-First Design

• No user accounts or personal data collection
• Local-only progress storage
• Anonymous analytics via GoatCounter
• Full data export/import capabilities

Architecture

Content-Driven

• Tasks and news stored as Markdown files
• Easy contribution without coding knowledge
• Static site generation for performance and security

Tech Stack

• Next.js 14 with App Router
• Tailwind CSS for styling
• Markdown content processing
• Local storage for progress tracking

Development Infrastructure

• Jest + React Testing Library for automated testing
• SonarCloud integration for code quality and security analysis
• GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline with automated testing
• ESLint and Prettier for code consistency
• Comprehensive test coverage reporting

Security Features

• Content Security Policy implementation
• Input validation and sanitization
• No external dependencies except analytics
• Enterprise-grade JSON import security

Content Structure

content/
├── tasks/          # Privacy task guides
└── news/           # Privacy news articles

Task Categories

• Quick Win (5-10 minutes)
• Essential (15-30 minutes)
• Social Media (10-20 minutes)
• Advanced (30+ minutes)

Privacy Architecture

The Privacy Guide implements privacy by design principles:

• Minimal Data Collection: Anonymous aggregate analytics only
• Local Storage: All user progress stays on device
• No Tracking: No cookies, cross-site tracking, or personal data
• User Control: Complete data export, import, and deletion
• Self-Hosted Assets: Eliminates third-party data leakage

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• npm or yarn package manager

Setup

git clone https://github.com/mcarlson501/theprivacy.guide.git
cd theprivacy.guide
npm install
npm run dev

Project Scripts

• npm run dev - Start development server
• npm run build - Build for production
• npm run start - Start production server
• npm run lint - Run linting checks

Contributing

We welcome contributions that make privacy more accessible. Ways to help:

Content Contributions

• Create new privacy tasks using our templates
• Write Privacy Pulse news articles
• Improve existing task instructions
• Translate content for broader accessibility

Code Contributions

• Bug fixes and performance improvements
• Accessibility enhancements
• Mobile experience optimizations
• Security improvements
• Test coverage improvements

Development Setup

npm install          # Install dependencies
npm test            # Run test suite
npm run test:watch  # Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:coverage # Generate coverage report
npm run dev         # Start development server
npm run build       # Build for production

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

Project Status

Current Stats

• 21 privacy tasks across four difficulty levels
• Complete social media privacy series
• Privacy Pulse news integration
• WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility considerations
• Enterprise-grade security implementation

Recent Enhancements

• Comprehensive test suite with Jest and React Testing Library
• SonarCloud integration for continuous code quality monitoring
• GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline with automated testing and security scanning
• JSON import security hardening with automated test coverage
• Comprehensive task formatting standardization
• Enhanced mobile experience
• Privacy Pulse call-to-action integration

Resources

• Live Site: https://theprivacy.guide
• Code Quality: SonarCloud Dashboard
• CI/CD Status: GitHub Actions
• Documentation: docs/ directory
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Security: SECURITY.md
• Task Backlog: docs/development/TASK_BACKLOG.md

License

Open source under the MIT License.

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The Privacy Guide: Making digital privacy accessible, one task at a time.