this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2023
429 points (94.8% liked)

Privacy

32177 readers
403 users here now

A place to discuss privacy and freedom in the digital world.

Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.

In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.

Some Rules

Related communities

much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

It took a few months preparation but I deleted all my google accounts today, and it feels good.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 63 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Now, send a gpdr deletion request because Google still has your data.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's going to be difficult after deleting the account though

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

Difficult but legally required by them, including establishing your bona fides.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Do you have any guides or tips?

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago (7 children)

A lot of (all?) email services will allow you to forward your mail from Gmail. My advice would be set that up, have all of them going to a specific folder, and only use your new email moving forward. No harm in allowing some email forwarding while you adjust for the next 6 to 12 months. But that way you can also immediately stop using Gmail itself.

Gdrive unless it is really baked into your daily life in a complicated way, it’s pretty easy to replace. Lots of great services out there.

Proton mail allowed me to export my Google Calendar over with just a few clicks. So that was pretty painless. I’m sure there are other calendar services like that. YMMV.

Google maps is tough lol

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For the google maps, it helps for us to contribute to Open Street Maps through recording with Mapillary or making edits in our community.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Is the app itself ready for prime time yet? Can I use it daily? I live in a small but major city.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you can contribute, that would be great. Especially business names and addresses. The best thing I have found to do is get an address from a place via the internet and plug that into gps-coordinates.net and use the first 7 numbers like 31.12345 -82.12345 into osmand when navigating. Then when i arrive i add it to osm so nobody can claim i stole data from another mapping service.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Would you be able to let us know the services you used, the replacements, and how did the migration process work?

[–] [email protected] 41 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Here are the things I replaced my Google/Microsoft/Meta services with:

  • Tuta(nota): Email
  • Nextcloud: Cloud
  • Typst: LaTeX/Docs alternative
  • LineageOS: Degoogled Android rom
  • Aurora Store: Google Play Store alternative
  • NewPipe, Odysee, Peertube: YouTube alternatives
  • Firefox: Chrome/Chromium alternative
  • SearXNG: Meta search engine
  • Linux/BSD: Windows alternatives
  • Bitwarden: Password manager & 2FA client
  • OpenStreetMaps (OsmAnd): Google maps replacement
  • LibreTranslate, Deepl: Google translate alternative
  • Signal, SimpleX, Briar, Matrix: chat and group organization

DO NOT FORGET TO MIGRATE ACCOUNTS BEFORE DELETING

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

StreetComplete is a great app to help contribute to OpenStreetMaps

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Proton for email and cloud storage. Graphenos on a pixel 7a for phone. Phone spps from aurora and fdroid. Kagi.com paid search engine too.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Seconded.

Without a single word on replacements for email, calendar, phone, etc... this post is pretty much useless to everyone else than the OP.

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago

Welcome to the club.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I want to delete mine too, but I use GMail and I have not found a good alternative yet. Tutanota doesn't have Thunderbird support and ProtonMail has, but only on paid accounts. I really want to use Thunderbird because it is such a great email client.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

I was in a similar situation and after a lot of research I found posteo.net and I liked its privacy, FOSS and environmental policies and gave it a try. Happy with its service for just 1€ a month.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I’ve been using Proton for about a year and a half now. It’s been really good for my needs, I started on the free version but then decided to pay to help support them and to get access to everything else (specifically SimpleLogin).

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Welcome to the real world.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You think that's air you're breathing?

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This is a daunting proposition, I'm admittedly massively invested in Google's ecosystem. Gmail and Google calendar, I have a pixel phone, watch and buds and have YouTube premium. I feel like the time I switch is when I have a homelab and am able to find open source alternatives to everything heavily use and be able to do so with all devices I use.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Use newpipe anad install grapheneos on your pixel. I wish i had a pixel to install grapheneos.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Some are easier than others. Especially if you don't mind paying. Protonmail, calendar, drive solve some big ones right away. Maps is tough though, I've tried to find a better solution and haven't been able to so far.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Yeah same. It sucks. I got into Google stuff back when Gmail was in beta and invite only. Admittedly I really only use Gmail, drive and the calendar. But the sso aspects is the part that is the hangup I think. I have so many accounts utilizing their identity provider solution.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Hi,

Trying to do it myself but I'm stuck with YouTube.

I mean, I need a gmail account to pay for the Premium sub. And then, most creators are still using YouTube not the few alternatives... How do you guys do?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My friend, look into Grayjay, SponsorBlock, Firefox and UBlock

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

if you're using a desktop, try Firefox with the Ublock origin and SponsorBlock Addons. On Android either try the above or use Re Vanced.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (6 children)

why would you do something so barbaric as paying yt premium?

not sarcasm joke, really curious

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (4 children)

not sarcasm joke, really curious

I take your question without sarcasm.

Disclaimer: I use uBlock Origin myself, as I really don't like being forced to see ads.

That said, I don't think paying for content is 'barbaric' either. It's a personal choice. Either you want to pay and you can, or you don't want to, or you simply can't. All three are fine by me.

As a teen, back in the 80s, I could not and did not pay for content (it was not online back then but copying music, books and even movies, or computer applications was a thing). Since then I got a few jobs, and the money that come with them. So, I can support the creators I like and I don't need to spend time copying anything or searching for workarounds to access it. Be it on YT, or anywhere else. I would love to not pay Google, mind you, but since so, so many creators are still only hosted there, and since YT premium makes it so easy to pay them (a single monthly payment)...

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Try Invidious, FreeTube, NewPipe,... All allow you to watch regular youtube content without ads. You can also create instance local accounts to "create playlists" and "subscribe" to people.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

I'm building up to doing the same. Already using Protonmail and Kagi. Looking for a less Google-dependent phone to switch over to and then I might pull the plug myself.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I'm considering it. Youtube just removed a comment of mine calling an elon simp a cracker for "harassment"

Really it's just about the last straw, they passively protect billionaires but will let outright hate speech stay up. They also advertise nazis.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Well done!

I ended up keeping mine for occasional things like leaving YT comments or subscribing to Firebase-distributed apps.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Any suggestions on starting this process? I have a Raspberry Pi and was looking into self-hosted Google Drive/Photos/Gmail replacement. Best FOSS replacements?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Look up Syncthing and then never stop trying to replace closed source and paid software/services. Like any time you launch something ask yourself “does this hit the same way as when I swapped to Syncthing?” If the answer is no you then put “[name of thing you want to replace] foss alternative” into your search engine of choice. You’ll end up down so many rabbit holes, but you’ll come out the other side a whole lot better at making your technology work for you, not the company that made it, and with a suite of free open sourced tools you are in complete control of.

Here are some tools I use that are super easy to get going.

  • Syncthing (cloud storage replacement)
  • KeepassXC or Pass if you’re a command line person (locally stored password manager, coupled with Syncthing you have your own private cloud password manager
  • Tailscale/wireguard (private VPN that allows you to easily connect all your devices without exposing any of the traffic to The Internet)
  • PiHole (a DNS sinkhole that blocks a lot of ads and tracking on your entire network, bonus points if you set it as you Tailscale DNS provider to give all your devices ad block no matter where you are as long as the device was a connected to Tailscale)

Those are the ones that got me going and I personally believe act as a solid core. Most people will find all of those useful. Other services are more user specific, but that’s a lightweight bundle of software that your RPi will handle well. Much more and you might want to look at beefier hardware.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I can't wait to graduate college so I can stop using my Google account. I still have to use mine for the online office suite. I use LibreOffice if it's just me but I have to collaborate and do group assignments on Google Docs and Slides too.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

It's a nice journey, and you can also start to look into proxmox for self hosting things. It really feels amazing to have your own little lab of stuff rather than using the public web for all services.

[–] onlinepersona 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Welcome to the degoogled fold 🤗

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›