@parismarx Thanks for putting together this list! I recommend removing Opera browser. They're known to have done a lot of shady stuff (and probably do even more since it's closed source): https://www.spacebar.news/stop-using-opera-browser/

@parismarx And in that whole article, you totally avoided the elephant in the room: the OS itself. Nice...

There are several really good choices for Linux distribution for folk migrating from macOS or Windows (which, y'know, that's two major U.S. products right there).

Linux Mint
Ubuntu
openSUSE
Pop!_OS
Elementary OS

There... Five options. You're welcome.

@parismarx I'm looking for AI chat even tough I use mainly local models. The non US services I know are: Mistral, Deepseek, Qwen, PublicAI (swiss), Ecosia Chat.

@parismarx It'll be interesting to follow the BBC v trump closely re iplayer servers. If trump gets arsey will the BBC have to host somewhere else? I think they're AWS & Google ATM.

@parismarx I can also recommend @penpot. It's a very successful open source alternative to Figma, primarily developed by a Spanish company.

@parismarx I realize this piece is focus on migration. Your moving a lot of services to another single provider - Proton. That’s all fine. Have you considered privacy ramifications with the new Swiss laws? https://tuta.com/blog/switzerland-surveillance-plan. I like the article and many of your choices. Given your measeaging choices revolving around privacy, it would be good to see that factored into the other products. Keep up the good work.

@parismarx
Great list!
After using #Affinity Studio for a while now I can confidently say it can replace #Adobe for 90% of tasks.
#DaVinciResolve is a great Video Editing alternative.
The #WordPress #ActivityPub pluging that allows me to integrate my blog into #Fediverse is getting better and better.
We still need to get more friends to start using #Mastodon #Pixelfed etc

@parismarx Also check out Jolla and #SailfishOS.

Cc'ing @alt_in_uk

@parismarx Excellent article! I love writeups like this. I also love that this one takes a different angle than just de-googling.

@parismarx great article, thanks. I like that you've included Australian content.

@parismarx I'm all for getting of US tech or at least spreading around my uses of it. Firefox as main browser in my Windows based machine. Stuck with Chrome on Chromebook. Prefer Startpage as first option. Increasingly going to AI search but there too we're tied to US tech. I pay for Evernote for cloud storage as it reads almost everything and copy/pastes clean. Deserves what it costs me.

@parismarx

If the bank uses SMS or Phone Calls
This is the "phone as 2 step" method most banks still use. Unfortunately, Proton Authenticator cannot receive SMS codes. * The Conflict: These codes are sent over the cellular network, whereas Proton Authenticator generates codes locally on your device using a mathematical algorithm.

@parismarx Graphic Design: Affinity has been bought - that's Canva now.

I am dearly missing in your list DNS filtering for home networks, e. g. Pi-hole, as an effective tool to fight tracking and targeted advertising on the network level, which also protects home appliances w/o a user interface to install AdBlockers (Smart TV, media boxes).

Messengers: Howe about Signal? Bigger user base than Element/Matrix

Browsers: Take a look at Ungoogled Chromium, a very useful fork of Chromium, which combines speed and good functionality for Video Conferencing, and complete deactivation of the Chromium built-in Google services.

@parismarx can I suggest HMD as a Finnish mobile phone manufacturer? https://www.hmd.com/

@parismarx cool guide!
Since it's missing photo&video cloud storage and sharing services, may we recommend ourselves :D

https://zeitkapsl.eu

@parismarx Same idea and happens to be in time for the #DIDay: Today is the first #DigitalIndependenceDay! .... at least as it was announced on #39c3 by the #ccc in Hamburg.

@parismarx Interesting list. I already use Vivaldi and am happy with it. Have just about replaced Google Docs and Gmail in part with Infomaniak - a Swiss service with a generous free tier. Moved from Spotify to Tidal even if it is a Norwegian American operation - might change to Deezer. Hardware is an issue. Fully de-USing isn’t easy depending on your needs.

@parismarx Awesome. Thank you. I’m in the US but try. I resist some that you named (resist = don’t use what can avoid such as my own gmail but have difficulty avoiding all). I could improve some more. But still, I’m connecting from here.

What do you know about GMX.com for email (and anything else they may offer)? What about DuckDuckGo for browser (available as browser on some devices, not sure about all)?

I use proton, btw. Love it.

@parismarx thanks for this! Collabora looks nice as a Google Docs alternative, although we don't have the capacity to run the infrastructure ourselves (even if we have the know-how).

https://www.collaboraonline.com/collabora-online/

Looks like they partner with some infrastructure providers...

@parismarx For weather I have been using Foreca, a Finnish weather app/company for many years. I did use it specifically for being European at first, but because it provided much more accurate forecasting than other apps. I still think it works really well, like if it says it starts raining at 15:35 it pretty much always does 😃

@parismarx
I feel your choices lean too much on simply shifting to another service provider, which is often another dependency on a different company. They get bought, discontinue services, enshitify, etc. The aim should be on gaining autonomy. That happens through using your own hardware and software and otoh choosing services that make it easy to move, such as those based on free and open source software. FOSS is also more secure and private and stays around longer.

@parismarx https://codeberg.org/Linux-Is-Best

@parismarx https://codeberg.org/Linux-Is-Best/The_Fediverse_Outside_United_States/src/branch/main/Mastodon.md

@parismarx https://privacyguides.org/en

@parismarx Adding visibility to your post via #Didit

Thanks Paris for this great article. I wouldn't recommend Dailymotion which is owned by Vincent Bolloré who is a strong supporter to far right outlets and ideas. That being said, Peertube is fantastic.

@parismarx thanks Paris! I’m not a tech guy but not a neophyte either. Just sick of feeling powerless

#Vivaldi, #Proton #anytimeplayer #qwant are tools that work just fine for my needs and there really hasn’t been anything difficult to understand in the transition. Having issues with Vivaldi RSS but it’s just me, have never used one before but would love to get off #apple news.

@parismarx incredible guide! Thanks for putting it together.
We are a Danish e-sign alternative to Docusign, Adobesign and others - makes us so happy whenever i read articles like this.

@parismarx @dangillmor Why bother switching from Apple Notes to Bear when Bear syncs exclusively via iCloud?

@parismarx Great stuff. But for those of us in the US, I wonder when it will become increasingly difficult to access some of these services (such as email servers) if we get to the point when the ‘government’ here decides to start restricting access to certain IP addresses, use of VPNs etc. or just when parts of our internet infrastructure become limited access for the general public. Don’t say it will never happen…

@parismarx check out the @wechange platform https://wechange.de/cms/en/ 🇩🇪 for community building and co-working as well as @fairkom Apps 🇦🇹, both including options for (video) chat #bbb
And there is i.e. @OpenTalkMeeting 🇩🇪 for video conferences...
All #OSS

@parismarx I find it hard to recommend Vivaldi. I have some appreciation for what they are doing, but ultimately they believe ad-support is fundamental to the internet. Ads aren't inherently bad, but until they don't overwhelm the browsing experience with an ad-blocker and constantly track you, I will go out of my way to block and avoid them.

Additionally, Opera collects a ton of data, by default.

Getting off US platforms and services is great, but this is where we need a better balance.

@parismarx Doesn't wise use Mastercard it visa payment service? Also picking a non US phone is fairly easy, the problem starts with the OS.