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How I Fully Quit Google (And You Can, Too)

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Re: How I Fully Quit Google (And You Can, Too)

#11

Post by KozmoNau7 »

duiker101 wrote: post #5

I am trying to do this right now, I want to make android apps but I already have one strike on my account and the threat of losing everything associated with Google is too much. I already successfully moved my email but that took something like a year. Finding all the places where I used that address wasn't easy. I am now wrestling with photos, I haven't found a service that I like yet. I'll try nextcloud but I am no…

You should register your own domain name and using a hosting provider with email. Switching emails is a hassle, and it's so much easier to just be able to keep the same domain name forever.

Re: How I Fully Quit Google (And You Can, Too)

#12

Post by soziawa »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #10

Nice article by a non-techie. Although I am still a fan of Google (I worked there as a contractor and have fond memories of the experience), I have taken a middle of the road approach to Google. I still use: Google Play Movies and Music, Google Cloud Platform, Google Photos, and Google Drive. Notice the common thread: things I pay for and that don't impact (too much) my privacy. I am a very happy customer of these se…

> that don't impact my privacy

> Google Photos

doesn't make sense to me

Re: How I Fully Quit Google (And You Can, Too)

#13

Post by some_account »

soziawa wrote: post #12
mark_l_watson wrote: post #10

Nice article by a non-techie. Although I am still a fan of Google (I worked there as a contractor and have fond memories of the experience), I have taken a middle of the road approach to Google. I still use: Google Play Movies and Music, Google Cloud Platform, Google Photos, and Google Drive. Notice the common thread: things I pay for and that don't impact (too much) my privacy. I am a very happy customer of these se…

> that don't impact my privacy > Google Photos doesn't make sense to me

What about Google Drive, containing every document ever created on his computers.

Google has for many reasons succeeded in getting techies on their side, to the point that techies are standing by them, giving up privacy and integrity completely to a giant ad company with close ties to military and government. You could not make a worse choice for your privacy if you tried.

Re: How I Fully Quit Google (And You Can, Too)

#14

Post by arsenico »

itchynosedev wrote: post #2

I don't find it difficult to not use Google the search engine (instead opting for DuckDuckGo, only resorting to Google but for the most challenging queries). I found switching from Gmail to ProtonMail was a lot more hassle than I thought it would be (yet I still maintain my Google inboxes because I haven't updated my email on every online service yet) I use Apple Maps when I need directions, but not when I need to lo…

Why not use Safari instead of Firefox?

Re: How I Fully Quit Google (And You Can, Too)

#15

Post by samsa »

I recently did the same thing. FastMail for email, Apple Maps for Google Maps (not as good as Google, but better than when it launched), DuckDuckGo for search, Firefox or Brave as my browser. I was not prepared for how long and sometimes convoluted it was to change my email address on every site/service. Some bafflingly did not allow me to change my email address. I use Microsoft OneDrive for photo storage but am looking for an alternative. It did feel momentous to delete my Google account, which was firstname.lastname@gmail.com. But it also felt liberating.

Re: How I Fully Quit Google (And You Can, Too)

#17

Post by your-nanny »

itchynosedev wrote: post #2

I don't find it difficult to not use Google the search engine (instead opting for DuckDuckGo, only resorting to Google but for the most challenging queries). I found switching from Gmail to ProtonMail was a lot more hassle than I thought it would be (yet I still maintain my Google inboxes because I haven't updated my email on every online service yet) I use Apple Maps when I need directions, but not when I need to lo…

I use FF on my 2012 mbp and it's great. using is 10.11

Re: How I Fully Quit Google (And You Can, Too)

#20

Post by peatmoss »

samsa wrote: post #15

I recently did the same thing. FastMail for email, Apple Maps for Google Maps (not as good as Google, but better than when it launched), DuckDuckGo for search, Firefox or Brave as my browser. I was not prepared for how long and sometimes convoluted it was to change my email address on every site/service. Some bafflingly did not allow me to change my email address. I use Microsoft OneDrive for photo storage but am loo…

> I was not prepared for how long and sometimes convoluted it was to change my email address on every site/service.

I’ve made this recommendation before, but buy your own domain. It’s cheap, and will allow you to change your email hosting provider should Fastmail pivot their business from email to surveillance.

It’s pretty easy to set up. Others have offered, and I’ll repeat it: if you need a hand getting started, I’ll help.

EDIT: Fastmail’s instructions https://www.fastmail.com/help/receive/domains.html

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