As a user, Consider Offshoring Your Data and Services
Privacy is a human right. Privacy requires data protection. I want America to do better. I want American tech companies to do better. I think that will take a long time, and while we work on it, we are where we are because we allowed it all to happen.
At this point, there’s a good argument for considering all Big Tech, prominent US-hosted services, some US-made software and, since long, the entire US network essentially compromised, at minimum as far as privacy goes. The tech oligarchs are seemingly submitting to the current regime, and some are directly involved with what’s likely the most significant personal data breach in history. The eventual result of all this could make Snowden-era PRISM, Boundless Informant, MUSCULAR and XKeyscore surveillance mechanisms look like baby monitors.
Fortunately, like a billionaire protects his money offshore, so can you protect your data. These companies and the regime feed on your data. So, while the current regime’s commitment to democratic processes remains to be discovered, you can at least vote with your feet for now.
The EU is building out Gaia-X, a sovereign cloud initiative designed to reduce dependency on US tech. European governments are actively migrating data to local cloud services to comply with strict privacy laws and protect against US CLOUD Act overreach.
In looking for countries that respect privacy (and other human rights) and have the proven resiliency and stability to provide business continuity, a few emerge: Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands.
It’s tempting to add Finland and Estonia to the list but their proximity to Russia, and the latter’s historical actions against the two nations, perhaps say not to. Current Germany could arguably also be included but their recent election causes concern about the future. Some other countries are either adjacent to something Really Bad or they’re starting to take an authoritarian turn themselves.
Below is a non-exhaustive guide to privacy-focused digital services that can replace many of the default, less safe US-based options we tend to use in daily life. While it contains some personal recommendations, it’s intended as a starting point for you to do your own research into alternatives that fit your technical, privacy, security, economic and political goals. Some decentralized and/or open-source US-based services are included. It’s wise to consider which services and technologies are more likely to be compromised by authoritarian regimes now and in the future.
My views on digital sovereignty and the privacy and safety concerns of certain products are my own, based on widely available information. Google Startpage it. I have no affiliation with any of the suggested replacement services except for being a paying customer and/or user in some instances.
Starting in Easy Mode, we can switch from browsers like Chrome and Safari to Vivaldi (Norway) or arguably Firefox (Mozilla is US-based but Firefox is open-source and development is distributed). Consider installing the Privacy Badger extension.
Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive can easily be abandoned for Proton (Switzerland). The latter also offers a VPN plus Proton Pass, which replaces LastPass and other password managers. We can trade Google Authenticator (and similar 2FA apps) for Aegis (open-source).
Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, etc.) can be swapped out for CryptPad (France).
We leave Google Search, Bing, etc. behind and jump over to Startpage (Netherlands), Qwant (France) or swisscows (Switzerland).
On the messaging front, we can move away from SMS, Google/Apple Messages, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, etc. to Briar (decentralized, open-source, works without internet), Matrix (UK, decentralized, open-source) or arguably Signal (US-based but mostly open-source). Slack, Discord, etc. can be uninstalled and replaced with Element (associated with Matrix).
We can replace X (Twitter), Facebook and Threads with Mastodon (Germany, decentralized) or arguably Bluesky (US-based but open-source). In the same move, we get rid of Instagram and go to Pixelfed (Canada, decentralized) or arguably Flashes (associated with Bluesky, iOS only at the moment). Substack can be ghosted with Ghost Pro (hosted in Netherlands, development is distributed).
Instead of ChatGPT, we can enjoy robot time with Le Chat (France). Anthropic’s Claude (US-based but with a strong ethical foundation) is also an option.
We steer away from Google/Apple Maps toward Magic Earth (Netherlands).
If we dial it up to Normal Mode, we can use the Tor or Mullvad browsers instead, which offer advanced anonymity and protection against determining your physical location. Going further, we can abandon Windows and macOS in favor of Linux Mint (Ireland, open-source) or a number of other safe and friendly Linux flavors.
Going all the way to Hard Mode, we move beyond software and start reconsidering hardware. Smartphones are some of the most heavily surveilled devices we use daily. We can look at replacing our iPhones, Pixel Phones, etc. with hardened smartphones like the Librem 5 from Purism (US-based but potentially the most realistic current option). This certainly means compromise, but security isn’t free of inconvenience.
Finally, Nightmare Mode entails finding complete computers whose hardware is fully open-source and vetted by independent parties. This is nearly impossible today but something to keep our eyes open for down the road.
The tech and political landscapes are shifting rapidly, so don’t skip doing your own research into the options above, and their competitors.
In the realms of personal safety, data ownership and information integrity, layers of resiliency and resistance are now absolutely crucial. It’s probably not a stretch to say that malicious actors within the regime and Big Tech will continue, and ramp up, their aggression and disinformation efforts.
Make sure they can’t alter or silence voices of integrity, reason and kindness. If you are such a voice, protect yourself. Use end-to-end encryption. Decentralize your data and voice. Migrate to platforms in safer jurisdictions that uphold digital freedom, and always check who their investors are—and who they support financially—before you sign up. Reduce the amount of data you’re generating on platforms hosted in authoritarian jurisdictions. Many of us are unknowingly financing the very systems that undermine us. It’s time to stop.