Stop Paying Billionaires to Steal Your Identity
How to de-shitify your online experience
Although I’ve been disgusted with the state of my internet experience for some time, it was probably Cory Doctorow’s book “Enshitification” that inspired my quest to change how I use it. My goal is to stop doing business with the tech companies who have transformed internet based applications from useful tools into subscription based sewers of identify theft, advertising and mis-information.1
So I decided to stop sending them money and switch to open source2 based applications from ethical and privacy focused companies who are still working to build good products for their customer’s benefit. Here are the steps that I followed.
1. Switch to an open source, privacy focused browser.
This one is easy. Chrome and Safari are constantly mining your activity to sell to data brokers and AI companies. Most privacy focused browsers won’t monitor your activities, will strip trackers and third party ads and will deliver search results without any personal profiling.
There are a lot of good options including Brave, Duck Duck Go, and Firefox. I’m currently using Brave. It is free, open source, and available on most platforms including Windows, iOS, Linux and Android.
Start by trying one (or more) of the options and use it in parallel with your current solution. If you decide to switch, most of the alternatives make it easy. For instance, Brave can import settings from your current browser including saved passwords and menus with a single click. The result will be search results without ads and the knowledge that you’re browser isn’t constantly watching.
2. Get a new email provider
My main motivation for switching from Gmail was less about privacy. It’s just another step on my journey to escape the Google ecosystem, (no more yachts for Sundar). Completely abandoning your Apple or Google account will take time, but you can start by setting up an alternative email account and only switch completely if and / or when you’re ready.
Good alternatives include Fast Mail, Proton Mail, and Tuta. These are roughly in order of ease of use and focus on privacy, which are inversely related. Fast Mail is the most polished and easy to use but slightly less secure, while Tuta is utilitarian with the highest level of security. Keep in mind that increased security tends to decrease responsiveness and reduce functionality due to the costs of encryption. (Click here for an in-depth comparison of these options.)
Fast Mail is a great choice for most beginners but it wasn’t available on Linux when I began my migration, so I chose Proton Mail from a privacy focused company based in Switzerland3. Their mail system is open source and includes lots of privacy related features including end to end encryption4, additional email address and aliases. As a bonus, it’s part of a suite of apps including a VPN, password manager, cloud storage, and office apps. (I also use ProtonPass which is a big improvement over my previous solution LastPass.)
You can experiment with Proton Mail by signing up for a free account that includes one email address and 1GB of storage. Matching the 15GB of free storage that you get from Google costs $5/month. (Or use my personal referral link and get a two week free trial of any Proton Plan.)
If you decide that an alternative email provider is a good solution you can migrate your existing logins to your new solution over time, or continue to use them in parallel.
3. Ditch GoogleDrive, iCloud, and OneDrive
Until recently I have been paying $10 / month for a GoogleOne account and $99 / year for a Microsoft 365 family account. Privacy oriented alternatives like Sync.com, Proton Drive, or pCloud can provide the same level of service from companies who aren’t in the business of collecting and then selling your personal information. I’m currently using a 2TB pCloud plan that costs $100/year.
pCloud is available on iOS, Windows, Andriod, and Linux and can easily import your Google Drive, Google Photos, OneDrive, or iCloud files. It also includes a photo viewer that provides some basic photo viewing and sharing functionality.
It’s easy to experiment with one of these alternatives, but completely switching cloud providers is a bit complicated and can take a while. Issues include getting used to a new user experience and the time it takes to move large amounts of data from one cloud to another. I recommend that you start slowly and keep your existing solution until you’re comfortable with your new one and can can confirm that all your data was transferred safely.
4. Switch to a Linux Desktop
If you still use a desktop you can trade macOS or Windows for a Linux based alternative. If you hear the work Linux and immediately think of a terminal with hundreds of lines of cryptic text I can tell you that the current consumer oriented Linux distributions are very similar to your existing desktop. Modern Linux based desktop environments are very polished and easy to use and come with a suite of typical office applications like mail, document editor, spreadsheet, etc. Popular options (called distributions) for casual users are Linux Mint and Zorin OS.
Switching your desktop is a big job, but you can get a feel for Linux by booting your existing desktop from a usb drive. This is a safe and easy way for you to get a feel for Linux without making any permanent changes to your system. If you decide to build a Linux desktop either Mint or Zorin will provide easy to follow, step by step instructions for a fully functional installation.
I started by installing Zorin OS on my Windows PC in a dual boot configuration. This means that, when my computer starts up, I can choose to run either Windows or Zorin OS. Over time I’ve used my Windows environment less and less, as most of the functionality that I need is available on Zorin.
If you spend most of your desktop time in a browser you won’t notice much of a change. But there are desktop programs that won’t run in my Linux environment. For instance, the desktop versions of Quicken and Turbo Tax. For these I can use their web based options or boot into Windows as needed. Other complex programs like Adobe Photoshop and video editing software will not be compatible, but there are free alternatives in the Linux world.
More Opportunities for de-Shitification
For years now, large corporations have been focused on profits over customer satisfaction. Monthly subscriptions rather than products for sale. And consolidation enabled by the lack of anti-trust enforcement.
But we don’t have to be willing participants. Consumer spending makes up close to 70% of the US economy. We are in charge. We don’t have to accept the products offered by the billionaire monopolies.
Take a look at your spending and spend a few minutes to decide if you’re doing business with people that share your values. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone to look for alternatives. You may find that there are lots of companies whose business model is to offer really great products and services at a fair price. Check out Matthew Cooks “Better Living Through Boycotts” list for ideas.
Here’s an example of a change that I recently made. I switched my music streaming service from Spotify to Tidal. Spotify has one of the lowest payouts for artists and, until the funding ran out, was running recruitment ads for ICE. Tidal is a great alternative which is has a reputation for artist empowerment and no connection to the Trumpublican administration. Here are some other music streaming alternatives to consider.
We Have the Power to Build a Better On-Line Experience
Bottom line, consumers have to power to shape the products we buy. All it takes is a willingness to trade captivity in a gilded cage of en-shitified convenience for deliberate and thoughtful choices. Join the revolution. De-fund the billionaires.
Due to potential changes in Swiss privacy laws they are starting to move their servers to Germany.
Only for Proton to Proton traffic by default.