The Android private DNS setting is just for a DNS-over-TLS resolver. The only thing about it that’s private is your queries are encrypted en route to the server (traditonal DNS is cleartext). There’s no filtering or blocking.

Some Android versions also have a hard coded DNS server set to Google, which based on my tinkering uses DNS-over-HTTPS. Not only is it annoying but I find it awfully insecure - even if you think you have stuff locked down it might just not be. I fixed that issue by blocking all DNS-over-HTTPS servers in my router, and also have all outgoing requests to port 53 redirected to my local resolvers (Pihole + Unbound).

secure anonymous access

A VPN doesn’t provide this on its own. Nothing does.

“Better than a VPN” but it looks more like some decentralised social and content network. So not a replacement or alternative to a VPN in any way. It just preys on the people who already bought the “VPNs make you private online” marketing.

Looks like a silicon valley VC cash grab.

I use whichever editor is convienient at the moment and which I lile the UX of (Micro on a terminal, Pulsar on desktop, Markor on mobile), and commit the markdown files to a privately hosted git server (Forgejo). The git server is backed up regularly.

The editor doesn’t matter too much as long as it doesn’t have spyware and/or AI “features” like vscode.

When I’m on the go and need to read or write notes I have a clone of the repo on my phone, and if I absolutely need to pull/push to origin I connect via VPN.

I’m not sure how syncthing or similar work with merging different versions of files from different devices, so I’ve just stuck with git for that reason as well as version control (I make notes about homelab configs and issues so being able to go back is handy).