De-Googling and Rejecting Corporations
Background
Here are multiple products/services you can switch to so you can limit big tech's control over your life, all while increasing privacy and fighting back against our corporate overlords. r/degoogle and r/CorpFree are also very good resources.
You don't need to remove everything.
With how crucial big tech's services are to simply existing in modern life, it is basically impossible to fully remove yourself from their ecosystem. For example, I have gotten my Google usage down to only a few services, along with opting out of them saving any of my user activity, but I still use a lot.
I still use Messages, Contacts, and Phone because Google Messages is the only app that supports RCS on Android (the thing that makes texting between iPhone and Android usable). I still have a few Sheets since open-source alternatives aren't good enough yet (Proton is really close). I still use Play because there's no other way to download most apps. I still use Android as my phone operating system. I still use YouTube, although a modified version without ads.
Even if you still use some of their platforms, you're still doing something. Despite how many Google products I still use, I've stopped using Gmail, Chrome, Search, Workspace and Drive (except Sheets), Calendar, Maps, Keep, Password Manager, Gemini, Translate, Gboard, Pay, and Authenticator in addition to signing out where possible, turning off activity tracking, and removing Google's source of profit by blocking ads and trackers everywhere.
Your Data
Google offers a service called Takeout which allows you to download all of your data across all of the services you use. You can download everything ranging from Passwords, Drive, Gmail, Classroom, Keep, Maps, Messages, YouTube, Calendar, Chrome, Contacts, and over 70 other platforms.
Microsoft offers a similar services within your account settings, although theres much less data to export.
This is invaluable when backing up data or when transferring to a different platform. Free and available from any browser.
Your Accounts
By going to your Google Account Settings, you can change numerous settings to limit Google's control over your account. You can change settings from the Data & privacy menu and delete your activity on My Activity. Free and available from any browser.
One of the most annoying parts of this whole process for me was going through all the accounts I've made by signing up with Google and either deleting them or changing them to my new email, along with setting a password before unlinking Google. You can manage your connections on the Third-party apps & services page from your Google Account.
You can do the same for your Microsoft Account by going to your Microsoft Account Home. You can change your privacy settings under the Privacy page.
Free and available from any browser.
Proton
Proton is a nonprofit-owned company that was founded in 2014 to "build a better internet where privacy is the default" (Proton). They first rolled out Proton Mail, followed by Proton VPN (which you may have heard of as it's often considered to be the best VPN). Now they also have Proton Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Meet, Authenticator, a Password Manager, a private AI chatbot, and more. They are constantly adding new products to their lineup that have all the benefits of a big online ecosystem that big tech offers, with features they wouldn't want you to have, while being an open-source, ethical, and innovative alternative to Google and Microsoft's monopolies. The only downside is that for their products to be as fully functional as Google's, you need to subscribe to one of their plans. Personally, subscribing to the discounted student plan is more than worth it if it means I'm not supporting a company that actively arms both the Israeli and US militaries, let alone all the other reasons previously discussed.
Using Proton's platforms does not make you immune. For example, just recently they helped the FBI find a Stop Cop City protester, despite their claims of anonymity from the governments of the world (Cox).
Browsers and Search Engines
Web browsers are the apps you use to view the internet (think Google Chrome, Safari, or Edge). Search engines are the sites you use to actually search the web (like Google Search or Bing). I understand most people won’t want to switch from Google Chrome and Search, but I did and I don’t regret it one bit.
Google has been cracking down on ad blockers recently, especially on YouTube. Switching to a non-Chromium browser and being able to take control of my browser has been great. I love that if there’s something I don’t like about Firefox, I can simply change it.
As I’m sure everyone’s aware, Google Search has gotten so much worse with the advent of AI. There are worse results, an AI overview that you can’t turn off that’s often wrong, and the previously discussed reasons to not support Google.
There is much debate over the best browsers and search engines online. It couldn't be more true than in this section that the most private and ethical something is, the less usable and functional it is. I think these picks are the best ones for general users, but they definitely are not the most private options. r/degoogle and r/CorpFree have lots of guides and discussions over which is the best if you would like more information.
Firefox
- Firefox is a, if not the most popular, non-Chromium based browser.
- It is extremely customizable. Advanced customization is possible with userChrome.css and userContent.css.
- You can further increase security by getting a custom user.js file
- If you have concerns about its owner Mozilla, consider looking into one of its various forks. Despite the concerns, I still choose Firefox so I can have a widely supported browser that's constantly getting new updates. It's very easy to limit Mozilla's access to your device with a custom user.js file. I do not recommend Brave due to them being Chromium based and due to the investments they received from Peter Thiel, founder of Palantir.
- AI is opt-out.
- Free and open-source. Available on most mobile and PC platforms, but worse on iOS.
Startpage
- Startpage is one of the most popular privacy forward browsers on the market.
- It allows you to stay anonymous online while getting quality results from existing search engines like Google or Bing.
- There is no force-fed AI.
- It is extremely simple.
- Note that using POST for your searches is more secure than GET.
- If you have concerns about it's owner System1 or the fact that it uses anonymized results from big tech, consider looking into SearXNG. Despite the concerns, I still choose Startpage due to its stated goals, its simplicity, and its quality results. I do not recommend Brave Search due to the investments they received from Peter Thiel, founder of Palantir.
- Free. Available from any browser.
Switching your email provider is a lot easier than you may think. There are lots of small niche emailing services, but Proton Mail is relatively popular and common to the point where you may know someone or something who has a Proton Mail address. Proton has a program called Easy Switch that makes it extremely easy to switch. You'll set up forwarding so that any email sent to your old email address will now be copied to your new one, meaning you don't need to go through the hassle of changing accounts and telling people you have a new email if you don't want to. Also during Easy Switch, you can copy over everything like emails and labels so you can continue to use your email just as you were, without missing anything.
Making a new email address is also a great opportunity to change your email from whatever you set it to when you were 12. Switching emails also gives you a good opportunity to start new habits with internet privacy and security. I recommend that whenever you make a new account or switch an old one, you use a +Alias by appending the name of the service you're signing up for after a plus (+) in your address. For example, if you're signing up for UpScrolled, instead of setting your email as "alicejones@proton.me" set it to "alicejones+upscrolled@proton.me". You will still get your emails as normal, but you'll know where they are coming from and how they got that email address, as the email address the emails are sent to will contain the alias. If that service ever sells your email, when you start getting spam emails you'll see who they got the email from based on the service name appended to it. If you're petty like me or just don't care about that service anymore, you could then take an action like deleting the account out of spite. +Aliases are also available on Gmail.
The most annoying thing out of anything on this guide is changing over your accounts from your old email to your new one. Thankfully because of the forwarding you set up, it's not strictly required. You can take as much time as you need. I only just finished slowly working through it after a couple of months of going through the apps I have installed on my phone, the passwords I have saved on my password manager, and the accounts linked to my Google Account that you can find under Third-party apps & services. It's crucial that you change over the accounts that you use Sign in with Google on, as you likely don't have a password set so you have no other way to sign in.
With a free account, you can only receive up to 150 messages a day and there's a limit to how many folders and labels you can have. The PC application isn't available with a free account (the browser version still is). Open-source.
Before making the switch, I recommend reviewing Proton's plans and making sure none of the restrictions placed on free accounts are deal breakers if you don't intend to pay.
Other
Debloating Windows
Windows isn't what it used to be. AI being shoved down your throat, forcing you to download things you don't want, performance, their founder/former CEO being in the Epstein Files, etc (New York Times). It is fully in your power to control what goes on your computer. Use this guide by Chris Titus in order to set up your computer (if you aren't factory resetting your device, you can skip the first part) without any of the bloat or spyware, especially using his Windows Utility. You can use Windhawk to customize Windows to your liking even further.
Ethical Devices
With concerns like child labor and the treatment of overseas workers, it may seem impossible to find ethical alternatives to devices from big tech. For phones, I recommend checking out Fairphone and Nothing. For computers, I recommend checking out Framework.
Alternatives
Google is one of the web's largest ad suppliers. See Blocking Ads, Internet Privacy, and more for information on how to block ads.
Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite) includes platforms like Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drawings, Gmail, Calendar, Keep, Gemini, and more. Microsoft Office includes platforms like OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.
LibreOffice is a Free and open-source alternative to Google or Microsoft's suite of documents. They also have things that Google and Microsoft don't have, like editors for diagrams, databases, math, and charts. Proton has Docs and Sheets, with more possibly on the way. In my experience, Proton's are more user-friendly, but you can only access them via the web like with Google and they lack some features. You could compare Proton's environment to Google's, and LibreOffice's to Microsoft's.
You have the option of self-hosting AI Chatbots. Because they are self-hosted, you can use them offline and without restrictions. You have the option of what AI model you use. Two are by big tech, but they are free, open-source, and offline. I recommend DeepSeek, Llama (by Meta, compare to Meta AI), or Gemma (by Google, compare to Gemini).
However, try not to rely on AI too much in your life. It may seem easy and harmless, but studies show reliance on AI can actually decrease your brain activity and make you dumber (Kosmyna et al.). That's not to mention the environmental toll generative AI has brought upon the world (Zewe). Personally, I restrict my usage of generative AI to things that encourage learning, not outsource it. In practice, I only use AI chatbots for one-on-one tutoring for class subjects (not to generate answers, but to actually learn), finding information that I can't seem to find with a search, and for assistance with things like coding.
Proton's suite is available from any browser, while LibreOffice is available for download on most mobile and PC platforms. All are Free and open-source unless otherwise noted. Here are the alternatives for each product: