PRIVATE ALTERNATIVES

Switch Tools.

Starve Surveillance.

Mass surveillance is not inevitable. It is built through policy choices, public contracts, private infrastructure, weak enforcement, and legal loopholes.

Big Tech platforms are not neutral tools.

Many of the apps we use every day collect behavior, location, searches, emails, contacts, messages, files, and social activity. That data can feed ad targeting, AI training, profiling, cloud contracts, law enforcement access, military systems, and the broader surveillance economy.

You do not have to switch everything at once.

Start with one tool.
Reduce what they collect.
Move your life to platforms that respect privacy.

WHY THIS MATTERS

GOOGLE AND AMAZON

Google and Amazon hold the $1.2 billion Project Nimbus cloud contract with the Israeli government. WIRED reported that public statements and documents showed closer links between Nimbus and the Israeli military than the companies had publicly emphasized.

MICROSOFT

Microsoft terminated access to some services for a unit inside Israel’s Ministry of Defense after reports that its technology was used for mass surveillance of Palestinian civilian phone calls. Microsoft later said it would tighten human-rights controls for national security customers.

META

Human Rights Watch reported that Meta’s policies and systems silenced voices in support of Palestine and Palestinian human rights on Instagram and Facebook after October 7, 2023. Amnesty International also found that Meta’s Facebook systems substantially contributed to violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar.

BIG TECH IS INFRASTRUCTURE

Email, search, browsers, cloud storage, maps, ads, analytics, and AI tools are not just conveniences. They are data collection systems.

Choosing better tools does not solve everything.

But it shrinks the amount of data available for profiling, targeting, surveillance, and abuse.

10 guides
COMMUNICATION

SWITCH YOUR EMAIL

Replace
GmailOutlookYahoo Mail
Use
TutaProton Mail
Why

Your inbox contains contacts, receipts, password resets, legal notices, donations, organizing activity, travel, work, healthcare, and family communication.

A private email provider reduces how much sensitive activity is exposed to Big Tech ecosystems.

Recommended

Tuta for simple private email, calendar, aliases, and custom domain support. Tuta says its free email includes no tracking and no ads.

Proton Mail for encrypted email, strong usability, and a broader private ecosystem. Proton says it uses zero-access encryption, has no ads, and does not sell user data.

Best first move

Create a private email address and start using it for banks, donations, legal accounts, government accounts, healthcare, and organizing.

BROWSING

SWITCH YOUR SEARCH

Replace
Google SearchBing
Use
DuckDuckGoBrave SearchStartpageSearXNG
Why

Search reveals what you are thinking before you say it anywhere else.

It can expose health concerns, political views, immigration questions, religious research, legal fears, financial problems, and organizing activity.

Recommended

DuckDuckGo for the easiest mainstream switch. DuckDuckGo says its search engine does not track users or save or share search history.

Brave Search for a more independent search option inside the Brave ecosystem.

SearXNG for people who want a self-hosted or community-hosted metasearch option.

Best first move

Make DuckDuckGo or Brave Search your default search engine.

BROWSING

SWITCH YOUR BROWSER

Replace
ChromeEdge
Use
FirefoxBraveLibreWolfTor Browser
Why

Your browser sees nearly everything you do online.

It can expose your browsing history, cookies, trackers, fingerprints, logins, extensions, and searches.

Recommended

Firefox for a mainstream browser with built-in protection from known third-party trackers, social media trackers, cryptominers, cookies, and fingerprinting technologies.

Brave for stronger default blocking of ads, trackers, third-party data storage, and fingerprinting.

LibreWolf for a hardened Firefox-based browser.

Tor Browser for high-risk browsing when anonymity matters more than convenience.

Best first move

Switch from Chrome to Firefox or Brave, then install Tracker Blocker.

COMMUNICATION

SWITCH YOUR MESSAGING

Replace
SMSFacebook MessengerInstagram DMsTelegram for sensitive chatsWhatsApp for high-risk organizing
Use
Signal
Why

Messaging apps expose relationships, groups, timing, metadata, content, and organizing activity.

Recommended

Signal for private messaging, voice, video, and groups. Signal says it has no ads, no affiliate marketers, and no creepy tracking. Signal is also run by a nonprofit.

Best first move

Move sensitive conversations, organizing, family safety planning, and community work to Signal.

LOCATION

SWITCH YOUR MAPS

Replace
Google Maps
Use
Organic MapsOsmAndApple Maps where appropriate
Why

Maps can reveal where you live, work, worship, organize, protest, seek healthcare, travel, and meet people.

Recommended

Organic Maps for offline maps with no ads and no tracking. Organic Maps says it does not collect data or identifiers.

OsmAnd for advanced offline maps and OpenStreetMap-based navigation.

Best first move

Use Organic Maps for saved places, navigation, and travel when you do not need Google’s live business data.

SECURITY

SWITCH YOUR PASSWORD MANAGER

Replace
Chrome Password ManageriCloud Keychain onlySaved passwords in browsers
Use
BitwardenKeePassXCProton Pass
Why

A password manager lets you create unique passwords, reduce account takeovers, and move away from browser lock-in.

Recommended

Bitwarden for an open-source, end-to-end encrypted password manager. Bitwarden describes itself as open source and end-to-end encrypted.

KeePassXC for fully local password storage.

Proton Pass for people already using Proton.

Best first move

Move your most important accounts first: email, bank, phone provider, government, cloud storage, password resets, and social media.

PRODUCTIVITY

SWITCH YOUR DOCS AND FILES

Replace
Google DocsGoogle DriveMicrosoft OneDriveMicrosoft 365 for sensitive work
Use
CryptPadNextcloudProton DriveTresorit
Why

Docs and cloud storage often contain drafts, legal files, IDs, grant applications, donor lists, financial records, organizing plans, and community data.

Recommended

CryptPad for end-to-end encrypted collaborative documents and forms. CryptPad says it is open source and end-to-end encrypted, with encryption happening in the browser so the service cannot read document contents.

Nextcloud for self-hosted files, calendar, contacts, documents, and collaboration. Nextcloud describes itself as an open-source, self-hosted cloud file storage and collaboration platform.

Proton Drive for encrypted file storage in the Proton ecosystem.

Best first move

Use CryptPad for sensitive drafts and Nextcloud or Proton Drive for long-term private storage.

PRODUCTIVITY

SWITCH YOUR CALENDAR AND CONTACTS

Replace
Google CalendarOutlook CalendarGoogle Contacts
Use
Tuta CalendarProton CalendarNextcloud Calendar + Contacts
Why

Calendars and contacts expose your relationships, meetings, travel, organizing, work patterns, doctors, lawyers, funders, and community networks.

Recommended

Tuta Calendar for encrypted calendar use inside Tuta.

Proton Calendar for people already moving to Proton.

Nextcloud Calendar and Contacts for self-hosted control.

Best first move

Move sensitive meetings and community contacts out of Google Calendar first.

WEBSITES

SWITCH YOUR WEBSITE ANALYTICS

Replace
Google AnalyticsMeta PixelTikTok PixelLinkedIn Insight Tag
Use
PlausibleMatomoUmami
Why

Most websites do not need surveillance-based analytics.

You can understand traffic without following people across the web, building profiles, or feeding ad networks.

Recommended

Plausible for simple privacy-friendly analytics. Plausible says it does not use cookies, persistent identifiers, cross-site tracking, or cross-device tracking.

Matomo for a fuller analytics platform with data ownership and self-hosting options. Matomo says it is privacy-first and can be self-hosted with full data ownership.

Umami for a lightweight open-source analytics option.

Best first move

Remove Google Analytics and Meta Pixel from your website. Replace them with Plausible or Matomo.

ORGANIZING

SWITCH YOUR ORGANIZING STACK

Replace
Facebook GroupsGoogle DocsSlack for sensitive organizingPublic spreadsheetsUnencrypted email chains
Use
SignalCryptPadProton Mail or TutaNextcloudJitsiElement / Matrix
Why

Organizing tools can expose membership, roles, plans, meeting notes, personal risk, and political activity.

Recommended

Signal for sensitive chats.

CryptPad for shared documents and forms.

Tuta or Proton Mail for email.

Nextcloud for files and contacts.

Jitsi for low-friction video calls.

Element / Matrix for community chat when you need channels.

Best first move

Move the highest-risk conversations first. Do not migrate everything at once.

QUICK SWITCH PLAN

DAY 1

Install Firefox or Brave.
Set DuckDuckGo or Brave Search as default.
Install Signal.
Create a Tuta or Proton email.

DAY 2

Move your most sensitive accounts to your new private email.Install Bitwarden.Change passwords on your most important accounts.

DAY 3

Move sensitive docs to CryptPad, Proton Drive, or Nextcloud.Move private meetings to Tuta, Proton, or Nextcloud Calendar.

DAY 4

Replace Google Maps with Organic Maps where possible.Remove Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, and other ad trackers from your website.

DAY 5

Invite your team, family, or community to Signal.Share this page with someone who still depends on Big Tech for everything.

FOR ORGANIZERS, JOURNALISTS, AND HIGH-RISK COMMUNITIES

Use Signal for sensitive conversations.

Avoid Google Docs for sensitive plans, membership lists, legal notes, protest logistics, source information, immigration-related details, or community safety work.

Avoid Meta platforms for sensitive organizing.

Avoid storing sensitive community information in tools funded by surveillance advertising.

Use private tools, minimize data collection, and only collect what you actually need.

The safest data is the data you never collect.

WHAT IS AN ETHICAL ALTERNATIVE?

An ethical alternative is a tool that reduces tracking, surveillance, lock-in, data extraction, advertising dependence, or complicity in harm. No tool is perfect. The goal is to choose tools that collect less, protect more, and give users more control.

DO I NEED TO SWITCH EVERYTHING?

ARE PROTON AND TUTA PERFECT?

SHOULD I DELETE GOOGLE COMPLETELY?Who is this for?

IS APPLE AN ETHICAL ALTERNATIVE?

IS TELEGRAM SAFE?

WHAT SHOULD MY ORGANIZATION SWITCH FIRST?

WHAT IF MY COMMUNITY IS NOT TECHNICAL?

THE SURVEILLANCE ECONOMY RUNS ON DEFAULTS.

Default email.
Default search.
Default browsers.
Default cloud storage.
Default analytics.
Default tracking.

Change the defaults.

Switch tools. Reduce exposure. Starve surveillance.

Start Switching

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