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What I use instead of Google services

gabrielweinberg.com

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Re: What I use instead of Google services

#31

Post by dan_bk »

> On top of the browser I use these add-ons to reduce tracking further; also, note that private browsing mode and the do not track setting will not stop you from being tracked.

(Almost) nobody can escape the tracking, as long as fingerprinting remains possible: https://panopticlick.eff.org/

Google's/Facebook's/Twitter's JS scripts are literally on every site. Fingerprinting allows them to increase their ROI since it builds more precise profiles on you. The advertising industry is happy and the government is happy. So forget about them not fingerprinting you.

Re: What I use instead of Google services

#32

Post by cik »

ape4 wrote: post #5

I was hoping this was suggestions for services you can host yourself. Switching from Google to Apple doesn't really change much.

Maybe I can oblige here then :)

owncloud, owncloud, owncloud!

It has CalDAV, CardDAV, and files support. There's even a rudimentary (though scary) online editor with support for openoffice. I use two-factor with owncloud, and happily share files, too. And... it supports an encrypted backend!.

Now, if you're happy to host your own mail, you can also look at adding RoundCube.

This can solve the Calendar/Contacts/Email/Filesharing main case. Works across Windws/Mac/Linux, even mobile... which in my case is Android. It's not amazing, but it's pretty fantastic.

Re: What I use instead of Google services

#34

Post by lobster_johnson »

thenomad wrote: post #11
napoleond wrote: post #7

Another Fastmail endorsement--they really are fantastic. I confess to still using Gmail for some things but it's mostly just because I've been too lazy to switch over all of my accounts. Fastmail is truly a better service. As for calendar, I've heard good things about https://fruux.com/ although I haven't tried that myself yet. (And apparently Fastmail does calendar too--again, haven't tried.)

Is their spam filtering good? That's the primary reason I'm sticking with Google Apps for now.

Not very. It's basically SpamAssassin [1].

I have trained it with tens of thousands of emails, but it keeps letting obvious stuff through. On the other hand, I have had zero problems with false positives, which used to be a huge problem back when I was using Gmail.

[1] https://www.fastmail.fm/help/technical/spamchecks.html

Re: What I use instead of Google services

#35

Post by jerf »

eropple wrote: post #20
larrys wrote: post #6

While it's not trivial it's not that hard to spin up a mail server on a VPS (which can run smtp, imap and/or webmail). For that matter you can run it off a static internet connection or even a dynamic IP from your home or office PC. (Running linux or Mac OSX never done it with windows although I'm sure you can).

You can then get shotgunned by spam filters, too. =( Running your own mail is not for the timid.

There's a difference between running a mail server for incoming mail, and one for outgoing mail. I use my local Comcast SMTP servers for outgoing on the (so far 100% correct) theory that nobody can afford to blanket blacklist those. Incoming you don't have to worry about getting blacklisted.

You have to worry about spam, but, well... that's sort of a constant nowadays. My current solution is to use Thunderbird to filter everything on my primary machine and it's Good Enough. If you want webmail YMMV, though.

Honestly, if you're just one or two mailboxes, it's not that big a deal to maintain. And I've been Joe-jobbed, so it's not like I haven't been exposed to some fury. Still not that big a deal.

Re: What I use instead of Google services

#36

Post by natch »

Morphling wrote: post #26

>Phone OS: iOS I guess there isn't much you can do with this, but is changing from Android to iOS really big enough difference?

As he said, degrees matter. By which I guess he means differences of degree.

The two companies involved (Google, Apple) have a fundamental difference in their business model. One involves you and your private data as the product; the other does not.

Re: What I use instead of Google services

#37

Post by lobster_johnson »

napoleond wrote: post #7

Another Fastmail endorsement--they really are fantastic. I confess to still using Gmail for some things but it's mostly just because I've been too lazy to switch over all of my accounts. Fastmail is truly a better service. As for calendar, I've heard good things about https://fruux.com/ although I haven't tried that myself yet. (And apparently Fastmail does calendar too--again, haven't tried.)

I'm using Fruux for calendars, contacts and reminders. Very happy with it. Zero downtime since I started using it (at least one year ago, probably more).

Edit: Fruux implements CalDAV, but there are disappointingly few apps that support it. I'm stuck with Apple's Reminders. The only decent CalDAV client, 2Do, does not implement CalDAV/WebDAV correctly (they don't support "207 Multistatus"), and will not work with Fruux. When I contacted them, they expressed no interest in fixing the problem.

Re: What I use instead of Google services

#38

Post by lallysingh »

oconnore wrote: post #28
spindritf wrote: post #10

OK, there's some value in diversifying instead of using one provider for everything but mostly he just swapped Apple, Fastmail, or Clicky in place of Google. They can still track him, read his email, know his calendar... The benefit here is marginal. And how do those companies stack up against Google when it comes to security? It's one thing to protect the data against snooping by the provider, it's anoter to protect…

The difference between data privacy now, and data privacy 10 or 20 years ago has little to do with how many people have access to it, or how secure it is. It mostly has to do with who can analyze it. An example: where you walk in public is public information, but for most of human history, no one has had the capability to keep a database of that information and query it retroactively. Your location information is the…

is Apple?

Re: What I use instead of Google services

#39

Post by k__ »

Oletros wrote: post #29

Browser: Safari / ... Maps: ... / Apple for directions on mobile Phone OS: iOS Calendar: iCloud And then talks about data not given to one company. Really, is it just a strange joke?

He's the CEO of DuckDuckGo and promotes to use it instead of Google, so what's to expect?

Re: What I use instead of Google services

#40

Post by elliottpayne »

I switched to fastmail and duckduckgo in lieu of google products a little over a year ago for some of the same reasons. I tried to switch to safari from chrome, and that experiment lasted about 3 months before I got annoyed by how safari handles multiple tabs.

But, as far as most of the criticisms posted here, they're really unfounded. If you want to be a purist about privacy, you really have to just quit using technology. It's not realistic. Yes, you can be an idealist and try to run your own email server, etc. but it's really about balancing tradeoffs. I also use Apple maps and iCloud and dropbox and Evernote and... many other services we should give just as much scrutiny to as Google.

I don't see my choices as being about riding a high-horse, it's about a diversified portfolio of services that helps me avoid total lock-in. The day that google heavily oversteps with the G+ product strategy or twitter completely goes to shit, I've got a series of alternative services that can pick up the slack.

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