After applying for several credit cards from different banks, I'm receiving various types of fraud and spam calls every day. So, to stop this from happening again in the future, I'm planning to separate my contact details across my bank accounts and credit cards.

Currently, I'm holding 4 credit cards, out of which 3 cards are from banks where I hold savings accounts as well. Now, I reached out to the customer care of these banks and only received an automated reply describing how to link user IDs. So, I don't see any hope of getting actual clarification on my query from their side.

So, here I'm asking you guys if any of you maintain multiple mobile numbers with one bank. Please let me know in the comments.

>TL;DR - Looking for a true offline encrypted notes app similar to KeePass. Don't want to use KeePass for notes.

I'm a multi-device user, so I mostly depend on cloud-based services to access my data from every device. But I always have the fear of losing my data. Though I maintain multiple backup copies of my data, my fear still has not gone away.

So, I'm planning to store a copy of my data in local apps for easier access in an emergency. I'm already using KeePass for storing my login credentials locally, and now I'm looking for an encrypted notes app where I can store my notes in encrypted form locally.

I'm currently using Notesnook, and both Notesnook and Standard Notes offer offline functionality, which means I can store my notes locally without using an account. But I'm not satisfied with it. I'm looking for something similar to KeePass but for storing notes. I know KeePass can be used for storing my notes, but I need a dedicated notes app.

I've tried a few locally stored notes apps — Notally, Quillpad, Logseq, Crystalpad, Orgo — but none of them either fits my needs or looks promising.

I own a Hero Honda Splendor Plus, 2006 model. It's 20 years old now and still has zero problems. This bike is one of my father's last memories and is most precious to me — he took care of it like his own child. It's also very close to me personally, since I learned to ride on it. So it shares a strong emotional bond with me.

Until last year, I was hopeful I'd continue owning it for as long as it stayed usable. I've put it through countless modifications — all LED conversion, a full-wave stator coil, a bigger RR unit, a brighter HJG LED headlight, you name it. Earlier this year, I even renewed the RC (5-year validity) and bought basic insurance. I also keep the PUC renewed on time.

But after the change in West Bengal's government, our new CM has announced a proposal to ban vehicles older than 15 years in urban areas. There's still no official notification from the RTO, but the possibility looks very high. The person who handles my paperwork at the RTO office has said next RC renewal might not even be possible.

If this rule will be implemented soon, I probably won't get a good price for my bike. Also, I don't have enough space at home to just let it sit there doing nothing. So because of all this, I'm thinking about selling it — and since it carries so many memories, I find myself quietly tearing up at this thought.

I've spoken to several people (most of them run their own businesses) who own vehicles 15 years or older, and they all told me they plan to keep using their vehicles and simply avoid main roads where police usually check vehicles.

I want to do the same, but I have a few problems:

1. My job keeps me away from home a lot, sometimes even outside the state. So no matter what bike I own, it ends up sitting unused for 1–2 months at a stretch.

2. I don't have many contacts in my city, so I have no idea where and when police​ checkings are performed. That means there's a high chance I'll be caught and my bike could be seized once the new rule takes effect.

3. I already have a lot of stress in my life, and I don't want to add another worry — like an expired RC — on top of it.

That's why I'm posting this — I want to hear your honest opinions on whether I should sell my 21-year-old bike.

Thanks, would really appreciate your opinions!

Hey everyone, I know prices are skyrocketing and there is no guarantee of getting this price down within 1 year. My device is pretty old and has started lagging, so I want to buy a new device, and also I want to buy a device for my father as well.

My budget is 30K for each device, but I can go up to 32-33K if there is any good device.

My requirements are — performance > battery backup > longevity

My dad's requirements are — battery > display > performance > camera > longevity

It is being claimed that Motorola devices have a motherboard issue, so I don't want to place my bet on it.

I haven't searched for the available devices, but these are the most recommended devices in Reddit comments — Realme P3 Ultra, Realme P4 Pro, Realme 15 Pro. Let me know if there is any better option available in same price range.

I'm asking for your suggestions to help me get the current best devices within my budget.

Hey everyone, I know prices are skyrocketing and there is no guarantee of getting this price down within 1 year. My device is pretty old and has started lagging, so I want to buy a new device, and also I want to buy a device for my father as well.

My budget is 30K for each device, but I can go up to 32-33K if there is any good device.

My requirements are — performance > battery backup > longevity

My dad's requirements are — battery > display > performance > camera > longevity

It is being claimed that Motorola devices have a motherboard issue, so I don't want to place my bet on it.

I haven't searched for the available devices, but these are the most recommended devices in Reddit comments — Realme P3 Ultra, Realme P4 Pro, Realme 15 Pro. Let me know if there is any better option available in same price range.

I'm asking for your suggestions to help me get the current best devices within my budget.

Hey everyone, I'm looking for a good bank to open an account solely for online investments — mutual funds, SIPs, fund transfers to my demat account, etc.

Currently, I have accounts with all three top private banks: HDFC, ICICI, and Axis. Since I want to keep my investments separate from my regular device, I'll be using a separate mobile number for this account. So I'm not sure whether these three banks allow accessing different accounts (linked to different mobile numbers) from two separate devices.

Because of this uncertainty, I'm planning to go with a different private bank this time. I've had a pretty bad experience with most PSU banks, so I'm ruling those out.

Unfortunately, the rest of the private banks don't have a single branch in my city and even in my district — the nearest branches are about 400–700 km away. So if the bank ever asks me for an in-person visit at some point, that could turn into a real problem.

The banks I'm considering are: Kotak, IDFC, IndusInd, IDBI, Yes, RBL, and Bandhan.

I generally avoid Small Finance Banks, and that's same for this time as well. But if there's truly no other option left then AU, Ujjivan, and Utkarsh might be the fallback choices.

Please let me know your suggestions based on my requirements. Thanks!

I always prefer email providers that collect minimal personal data, which is why I've shifted entirely to encrypted mail providers. I know encryption in emails makes no sense, especially since I'm mostly on the receiving end. Still, I believe that being privacy-focused, these encrypted mail providers collect little to no unnecessary data and don't use it for anything else. Even though my requirements would fit with a custom domain perfectly, I don't want to take that route.

Proton has an uncertain future in my country, and Tuta has a genuinely bad app experience — it has let me down every single time when I've tried to quickly check my mail.

I can change the email address on accounts of online services like password manager, cloud storage, notes etc. whenever I want. But if Proton gets banned here, official services like IDs, banking, and insurance will immediately stop sending mails to my ProtonMail addresses. Some of these services even require an in-person visit to update account details. So I'm looking for a more reliable email provider specifically for these kinds of services.

Why I'm not going with other privacy-friendly email providers —

1. In my privacy journey, I've used few official services that don't accept email addresses with PotonMail, Tuta, and Startmail domains— and these are important, non-negotiable services.
2. Aside from ProtonMail, Tuta, and Startmail, I haven't been able to find any other popular privacy-friendly provider that doesn't recycle usernames.

For these reasons, I've decided to use Outlook exclusively for my official services. I know Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo all are considered as worst providers when it comes to privacy, but my situation is forcing me to pick one — so I want to go with the least evil among them.

From what I've understood, Outlook seems slightly better than the other two providers because:

• Outlook offers aliases, unlike Gmail and Yahoo.
• It doesn't require a mobile number during signup (though Gmail doesn't either if you sign up from a mobile device).
• Microsoft is a software company, not an advertising company like Google, so I'd assume it collects comparatively less data than Gmail.

My doubts about Outlook — I've come across hundreds of posts criticizing Outlook for poor security, and some users even claim they don't receive emails at all on their Outlook addresses, and many more issues. This has left me a bit uneasy about my decision.

>TL;DR – Looking for a reliable, widely accepted email provider. Can't go the custom domain route. I'm planning to go with Outlook, but I'm seeing a lot of user complaints about it.

>Disclaimer – I'm already using ProtonMail and Tuta Mail for all my online accounts. The solution I'm looking for is just for official services, so even though my requirements would fit a custom domain perfectly, I don't want to take that route.

Proton has an uncertain future in my country, India, and Tuta has a genuinely bad app experience — it has let me down every single time when I've tried to quickly check my mail.

I can change the email address on accounts like password manager, cloud storage, notes and similar kinds of services whenever I want. But if Proton gets banned here, official services like IDs, banking, and insurance will immediately stop sending mails to my ProtonMail addresses. Some of these services even require an in-person visit to update account details. So I'm looking for a more reliable email provider specifically for these kinds of services.

Why I'm not going with other privacy-friendly email providers —

1. In my privacy journey, I've used few official services that don't accept email addresses with PotonMail, Tuta, and Startmail domains— and these are important, non-negotiable services.
2. Aside from ProtonMail, Tuta, and Startmail, I haven't been able to find any other popular privacy-friendly provider that doesn't recycle usernames.
3. Most businesses send mail via Gmail or Outlook anyway. Since I'm the receiver 99% of the time, I have no control over the privacy of those incoming emails regardless of what I use.

For all these reasons, I've decided to use Outlook exclusively for my official services. I know Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo all are worst providers for privacy, but my situation is forcing me to pick one — so I'm going with the least evil among them.

From what I've understood, Outlook seems slightly better than the other two providers because:

• All of them don't recycle usernames. Moreover, Outlook offers aliases, unlike Gmail and Yahoo.
• It doesn't require a mobile number during signup (though Gmail doesn't either if you sign up from a mobile device).
• Microsoft is a software company, not an advertising company like Google, so I'd assume it collects comparatively less data than Gmail.

My doubts about Outlook — I've come across hundreds of posts criticizing Outlook for poor security, and some users even claim they don't receive emails at all on their Outlook addresses, and many more issues. This has left me a bit uneasy about my decision.

>TL;DR – Looking for a reliable, widely accepted email provider. Can't go the custom domain route. I'm planning to go with Outlook, but I'm seeing a lot of user complaints about it.

I’ve been using Linkora for a long time. There are thousands of saved links, catgorized in separate folders. But over time, I’ve realized that I also need to use tags to find similar kinds of links in a single search.

I created some tags at first to try things out inside the Linkora app. After understanding how I’ll use them, now I want to delete those existing tags and create new ones.

But unfortunately, I couldn’t find any option where I can manage/delete all my tags. So I’m making this post to ask how I can manage or delete my existing tags inside the Linkora app.

Thanks.

Hey everyone, when we talk about user privacy, we often overlook mobile numbers. While “mobile number privacy” may not be fully possible in India anymore, we should still follow basic hygiene to protect ourselves as much as we can.

Today I want to clear a doubt about sharing a mobile number with official services that aren’t directly connected to me, but somehow end up being linked to my identity. This doubt has arisen after facing multiple incidents.

• Incident 1: COVID vaccination certificate — During the COVID vaccination, everyone had to share a mobile number. That number was later used to access vaccination certificates. If the same number is linked to Digilocker, users can also add their vaccination certificates there.
• Incident 2: SIR process — In the recent SIR process, we received a form from the BLOs where sharing a mobile number was mandatory.Though after submitting the forms, none of us received even a single message on our numbers.
• Incident 3: Ongoing census process — In the current census process, if someone wants to do self-enumeration, they must have to share a mobile number along with their details, which I believe can't be changed later.

These kinds of incidents are happening across India, so many of you can relate to them. There are also other examples. Like in my address, once a mobile number is added to a digital birth/death certificate, it can’t be changed. To update anything and download the latest copy of the certificate, an OTP is required, which is sent to the registered mobile number. Moreover, there are some state government websites for applying for government jobs where applicants must create an account and upload all the necessary details. Even these sites don’t allow updating the mobile number and email ID once registered.

The bigger concern— We don’t know how our data are being handled, and we also don’t know whether we’ll be able to change the registered mobile number in the future.

In my case, I usually share my publicly used number wherever required. I already receive lots of spam calls and messages on it, and my plan is to change that public number every 5–10 years to get rid off older job and donation calls (as well as experience new types of spam). But this plan becomes impossible if that number is being used in services where mobile number update isn't possible.

Most of us must have two or more numbers:

• one for day-to-day usage, public calling, apps login etc.
• another(s) for personal use, ID verification, UPI etc.

In those scenarios described above, which number do you share—the one everyone knows, or the one linked to your personal IDs?

Why it’s harder to maintain mobile number privacy than email addresses: Email addresses aren’t tiedto any user ID, and there’s no restriction on deleting and creating new addresses. On the other hands, mobile numbers are directly linked to our IDs. And to deregister a mobile number from your name, you need 90 days and more of inactivity, which is a long time. That’s why cycling numbers is much harder—so we usually have to stick with what we already have.

Drop your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks!

Whenever the topic of email setup comes up, custom domain is often mentioned as the ultimate solution. So today, I’m making this post to share my thoughts on using a custom domain for email setup.

I might have faced some difficulties discussing all of this if the audience are from other countries, but I’m pretty sure you all can relate to how Indian services work. This time, I'm mainly focusing on official services (banks, insurance, investments, P2P email communications, etc.) because we can change the email address in our personal digital accounts (such as cloud storage, password managers, VPNs, etc.) whenever we want, but when it comes to official services, the entire process feels like a headache.

Problems with Regular Email Providers

Emails aren’t meant for private communication, so we shouldn’t expect end-to-end encryption in email. But that doesn’t mean email providers collect our data and use it for their own profits. This is where two of the most recommended privacy-focused encrypted providers, Proton and Tuta come in. They’re known for their strong encryption. However, there are some catches.

• Uncertain Future of ProtonMail in India — Based on multiple past incidents involving our government, we can’t guarantee that Proton will remain fully operational in India for the next 10 years. I know Proton offers alternative routing, so users can still access the Proton services even when direct access to Proton services is blocked by ISPs and the government. That’s good, but once it gets blocked here, all Indian services will likely stop sending emails to ProtonMail addresses. Then users will have to change their email addresses in their accounts.
• Poor App experience of Tuta mail — On the other hand, the Tuta mobile app is the worst app. Many users, including me, have faced different kinds of issues, and over time none of those issues have been fixed yet. Sometimes emails randomly vanish from the mobile app, sometimes it can’t connect to the server, and sometimes the local data expires - you name it. I believe they could easily fix all of these issues if they released a full-fledged mail app. Did you know the current Tuta Mail mobile app is completely dependent on the system webview? You can say it acts as a wrapper on the system webview.
• Recycling of Usernames by Other Mail Providers — There are also many other privacy-friendly email providers that don’t offer encryption, but at least they don’t collect our data the way Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo do. The problem is that most of them recycle usernames, which is a privacy threat, especially in India. Even after closing or permanently deactivating an account, Indian users still receive emails from that provider. Sometimes those emails contain the real name of the user, and sometimes the provider sends birthday greetings too, which means the user’s date of birth is also exposed. In situations like these, you never really know whether the username you created was previously owned by someone else, or whether, if you ever close your account, someone else will end up receiving information about you because of creating the same username. Thanks to many Indian services for using such kinds of immortal promotional services.

Why we can’t just use what we have now and ignore the future

Reliability should be the first priority when choosing any service. If the service isn’t reliable enough, then even if it has good features, you can’t truly use them seamlessly.

In the case of cloud storage and password managers, most of us usually keep single or multiple backups of our data, but very few people maintain backups of their emails as well. Also, even if you have backups of your mails, most email service providers allow email import only on their paid plans, which is not good news for free users. Tuta Mail even deletes imported mails if the user stops paying for their paid plan. So, having backups of your email is not a life saver.

So ideally, we need a mail provider (free or paid) that feels

• more future-proof than Proton,
• more reliable than Tuta,
• collects minimal data compared to Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo,
• doesn’t recycle usernames unlike Mailbox, Fastmail etc.,
• and lastly offers email aliases

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a service that meets all of these requirements.

What’s the option then?

This is where custom domain enters the chat.

1. Zero Dependency on Email Provider — With a custom domain, you don’t have to depend on a specific email provider, so you don’t have to worry about changing email addresses across all your accounts when you switch to a new mail provider.
2. Unlimited Email Aliases — With the catch-all option turned on, you can get unlimited aliases with your custom domain.
3. Professional Look — If you buy a good domain name, your email addresses look more professional, so there’s no need to explain why you’re using protonmail.com or tuta.com as your email domain.
4. Long-lasting — As long as you keep paying the domain rental fee, you can keep using it. You can even change your domain registrar as well, so a custom domain feels like a tension-free choice for email setup.

But there are multiple issues with custom domains as well.

Things you should know before using a custom domain for email

• No Usage History — A custom domain isn’t a permanent asset; you rent it for a fixed time period. So the domain you own today was previously used by someone else. Unfortunately, you never know what the previous owner did with your domain, and that can seriously affect the domain’s reputation.
• Recycling Usernames — Yes, you read it right. The usernames you create on a custom domain today can be created by the future owner of that domain as well. Though the chances are very low but it’s still possible and we shouldn't forget it. Unlike Proton, Tuta, Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo - where once a username is created, it won’t be owned by someone else later, custom domains carry this risk.
• Reputation Risk from Using Multiple Subdomains — I believe the best way to ensure the longevity of a custom domain is to buy a domain with your last name or family name, so it can be transferred to the next generation. When you use a family-name.tld domain, each family member will have their own subdomains (for example: father.family-name.tld), which get created on the root domain you rented. Now, if multiple family members create accounts with a service provider and use the mail addresses from their own subdomains, there’s a high chance the system will identify it as spam and blacklist the root domain directly. As a result, emails sent from those email addresses created on the subdomains, and even on the root domain will silently go into the spam folder. Then the service provider will never be able to find your emails easily.

Will I use a custom domain for my email setup?

Never. For me, the downsides of using a custom domain for my email setup are greater than using Proton and Tuta. If Proton and Tuta ever get banned, I might compromise my privacy and go back to Gmail, Outlook, or even Yahoo, but I still wouldn’t choose a custom domain for my setup.

Why Indian email usage feels different from other countries

In first world countries, emails are treated as an actual communication medium. In India, emails are still seen as a digital way of sending documents to users. For most communications, Indian service providers first prefer connecting via mobile number rather than via email. So what works well for other countries might not be as suitable for Indians.

That’s all my thoughts about custom domains. Let me know what you think.

>Update - The issue has been solved now. The problem was - I didn’t update my contact details in the first step of ITR filing. After updating my mobile number and email address in ITR filing, the verification succeeded. But I still have one doubt: when I’m not using the EVC method, then why do I have to add the same contact details (mobile number and email address) from my bank account to my e-filing account?

>Previously, I had separate contract details in my e-Filing account, and it started showing this error. Then I read about EVC, and to use EVC, I added the same contact details (mobile number and email) and the verification passed.

This is my first ITR filing, and I’m doing it myself. After watching multiple YouTube videos, I decided to go ahead and entered all the details. Everything was going fine until it got stuck in verification. This happens after the preview window.

• Error Code - [#ITR/ITR1/Refund: required key [BankAccountDtls] not found]
• Suggestion - Please contact the developer of your utility with the error key.

Since I don’t have any refund claim this time but it mentioned bank account details, I went to my profile and then to “My bank account.” I added one of my bank accounts there.

As the mobile number and email ID in my PAN details are different from my bank account details, initially I saw two green right signs and two red cross signs below my bank account details. So, I updated the same mobile number and email ID in the e-Filing portal.

But the error is still showing. Can anyone guide me on how to fix this error?

>Update - The issue has been solved now. The problem was - I didn’t update my contact details in the first step of ITR filing. After updating my mobile number and email address in ITR filing, the verification succeeded. But I still have one doubt: when I’m not using the EVC method, then why do I have to add the same contact details (mobile number and email address) from my bank account to my e-filing account?

>Previously, I had separate contract details in my e-Filing account, and it started showing this error. Then I read about EVC, and to use EVC, I added the same contact details (mobile number and email) and the verification passed.

Previously, I had separate contract details in my e-Filing account, and it started showing this error. Then I read about EVC, and to use EVC, I added the same contact details (mobile number and email) and the verification passed.

This is my first ITR filing, and I’m doing it myself. After watching multiple YouTube videos, I decided to go ahead and entered all the details. Everything was going fine until it got stuck in verification. This happens after the preview window.

• Error Code - [#ITR/ITR1/Refund: required key [BankAccountDtls] not found]
• Suggestion - Please contact the developer of your utility with the error key.

Since I don’t have any refund claim this time but it mentioned bank account details, I went to my profile and then to “My bank account.” I added one of my bank accounts there.

As the mobile number and email ID in my PAN details are different from my bank account details, initially I saw two green right signs and two red cross signs below my bank account details. So, I updated the same mobile number and email ID in the e-Filing portal.

But the error is still showing. Can anyone guide me on how to fix this error?

Hey everyone, my grandfather died in 2022, and we received his digital death certificate a few weeks after his passing. The digital certificate is linked to one of my family relatives’ mobile numbers, and that person is currently not connected with our family.

To make any correction or download the latest copy of the death certificate, an OTP is sent to the linked mobile number. Without that OTP, nothing is possible.

Now we need to make some urgent corrections to that death certificate. Since we don’t have access to the linked mobile number, we visited our municipal office. The municipal employee says, “We can’t do anything without the OTP.” We provided all the required documents, including my father’s Aadhaar card and voter ID, as well as my grandfather’s death declaration certificate issued by the doctor, but nothing is working.

I want to ask: Is it possible to change the linked mobile number in a digital death certificate?