#UnplugTrump, European alternatives and the new/old guilty conscience

06 Mar, 2025

The hashtag #UnplugTrump is currently trending, meaning to digitally decouple from Trump and the big tech oligarchs while promoting a fairer, independent digital world. (See also) This is not entirely new. Data protection is an issue that needs to be taken very seriously and it is far too easy to stop thinking about what actually happens to your own data, some of which is very sensitive, primarily out of convenience.

At the moment, it's mainly my guilty conscience that's telling me that I urgently need to distance myself from big (tech) companies, because on the one hand I don't agree with their political/human attitude and on the other hand, of course, I'm worried about my data.

Examples: The fact that X is right-wing - see also Musk's “yoga exercises” with his right arm - finally led to me deleting my account there. The fact that Meta allows condescending comments about LGBTQ is an absolute no-go! Or that things that are backed up on US servers can be searched at any time - what the hell? Although the latter is nothing really new. We should have known by now that data protection is significantly higher in Europe.

At the end of the day - at least for now - it's convenience that I continue to use services like Google Photos. The service is inexpensive and practical. But where are my photos actually stored? Photos of me and my children. Photos that show my life in a comprehensible way. If you think about it, it can be scary. For my part, I'm currently researching where I can and will put what and how. The requirements for this are: The data must be stored securely and not simply disappear, the price must be acceptable and a little convenience wouldn't be a bad thing either. I can't rush into this, but I will gradually take digital steps away from the USA (also some other countries) and from companies whose attitude I can't justify. Only in very exceptional cases will I continue to use services and things that I simply like too much to throw them away at the drop of a hat.

If you would like to opt out of services due to concerns in one direction or another, I can recommend European Alternatives. This site collects services that are hosted in Europe and comply with the strict GDPR or DSGVO guidelines.

Here are a few examples of the steps I have already taken recently:

• Firefox has been replaced by Waterfox. The reason for this was an adjustment to the terms of use: “When you upload or input information through Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use that information to help you navigate, experience, and interact with online content as you indicate with your use of Firefox.” I think there was another adjustment after that, but I didn't follow it up.
• I have replaced Google with Startpage. Things like maps and opening hours etc. are no longer displayed, which is unfamiliar and unattractive, but you get used to it.
• For a few weeks now, I've been using Mastodon instead of other microblogging services.
• My emails are securely stored on Mailbox.org, i.e. German servers for > 1 year now.
• I am currently moving my notes from several note apps (Evernote, for example) and txt files to Notesnook. Thanks to the Web Clipper, this has also become my read later service, which has the advantage that helpful articles can be found directly by searching within the notes.

As already mentioned, I will be moving my photos. One idea would be ente.io, but I still have to check this out in detail. Data in the cloud could possibly move to Tresorit, which I will also look into further. And a few other things...

Closing words

I repeat: I can't change everything at the drop of a hat. But I can take small steps, little by little, so as not to drive myself crazy. And every little step away from companies that are simply not okay is more than okay.