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  "path": "/2026/05/moving-away-from-us-tech.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-13T01:07:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://blog.mikeriversdale.co.nz",
  "tags": [
    "Getting off US tech: a guide",
    "Vivaldi",
    "protected by all the app tracking",
    "Archive",
    "Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more",
    "I replaced Google's core apps with open source alternatives, and I'm never going back",
    "Fossify suite of apps",
    "Immich",
    "2FAS Auth",
    "(subscribe/RSS)"
  ],
  "textContent": "It's a slow process for me held back by how great Google Photos is and why Proton can't give us a dedicated Contacts app. I'll get there, in the meantime here's a few other people's views and techniques of moving yourself from the US tech giants.\n\n# Getting off US tech: a guide\n\n_By Paris Marx, July 18, 2025_\n\nAn excellent read that covers not only Paris' chosen app but alternatives that may suit you better. Oh, great use of flags to let you know what country each service/app is from.\n\n> To do anything online, you’re going to need a browser. Most people are using Chrome, with Firefox and Safari grabbing big chunks of the market too. But there are some great alternatives.\n>\n> I’ve taken to using Vivaldi 🇳🇴 on my computer and my phone, and it’s great. I find the cloud tab syncing works better and more reliably than Safari did across Apple devices.\n\nI've used the Vivaldi web browser on all my devices for months and it just works whilst not tracking me.\n\nWith DuckDuckGo installed on my mobile devices I am protected by all the app tracking that goes on in the background, such a great feature, as you can see from today:\n\n\n\n\nI popped DuckDuckGo on my partner's mobile and she was blown away by the hidden tracking that her apps were doing - all blocked now.\n\n\n\n\nI also showed her how to Archive apps she doesn't need daily. This leaves all her data on her device and a hook icon that reinstalls the app when she taps it. Archiving not only stops the tracking but everything else the apps are silently doing which noticeably speeds up the device.\n\n# Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more\n\n_By Steve Rose, 26 Feb 2026_\n\n> [..] the good news is we can go elsewhere. The rest of the world is weighing up its reliance on US technologies, and in Europe especially we’re realising there are better alternatives to just about everything big tech is shilling, if by “better” we mean greener, more ethical, more independent, more respectful of your privacy or simply less disturbingly, monolithically powerful. Making the switch is easier than you might imagine.\n\nA basic list but even if you swap.to just one alternative you'll have made a massive difference to your online privacy and safety.\n\n\n\n\n# I replaced Google's core apps with open source alternatives, and I'm never going back\n\n_By Jon Gilbert, Jan 31, 2026_\n\n> I regularly try out alternative apps, but none have held up to Google's suite. That was the case for years, until I tried out the Fossify suite of apps.\n>\n> While they're not all winners, I've finally found a suite of core apps for my phone that give me the Google experience without the bloat.\n\nI've replaced some of the simpler Google apps with Fossify versions – calculator, files – all work fine and dandy.\n\nI'm still waiting for a better Calendar from Proton (especially a better widget) alongside the aforementioned dedicated Contacts app, and then I shall move off the Google Suite completely.\n\nApart from Google Photos, I am definitely stuck for the time being, and no I am not going to self host Immich, yet.\n\n_Oh, oh, one more I'm currently playing around with, a password manager. I use 2FAS Auth as my authenticator app which is great and I no longer need Google's or Microsoft's. I'd like to move my passwords away from the US as well but hey I'll do a whole post about where I land, for now though, BE WARY OF WHERE YOU PUT YOUR PASSKEYS as they cannot be moved\"._\n\n(subscribe/RSS)",
  "title": "Moving Away From US Tech",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-13T01:12:00.610Z"
}