Supporting EU Innovation: My Shift Away from US Tech Giants
Supporting EU Innovation: My Shift Away from US Tech Giants
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/26584999
I've decided to make some significant changes in my digital life. I've taken the plunge and am rooting out most US-based services from my usage list. This includes canceling all my streaming subscriptions, putting my Reddit account in cold storage, and deleting my Twitter accounts. Additionally, I'm in the process of removing my presence from Meta platforms. This shift is part of my effort to simplify and re-evaluate my online habits and dependencies.
One of the primary reasons for this change is the importance of bolstering the EU economy. By supporting European companies and services, I believe we can foster innovation and growth within our own region. This not only strengthens our economic independence but also encourages the development of solutions tailored to our specific needs and values.
In my exploration of EU-based alternatives, I've found that while they may be slightly more expensive, they often offer superior technology and usability. The focus on quality, privacy, and user experience in many European products aligns with my personal values and expectations. By investing in these solutions, I'm not only supporting local businesses but also benefiting from advanced and reliable services.
This transition is about more than just personal preference; it's about contributing to a stronger, more self-sufficient European digital landscape. I'm excited to continue discovering and integrating more EU-based services into my daily life.
Despite the costs and effort needed to make this change, I would like to encourage and motivate everyone else considering doing the same. It will undoubtedly be tough for a while, but if we push forward together, it will be better for all of us in the end. Let's support each other in this journey towards a more independent and innovative digital future.
I like how they've gone straight to piracy for streaming.
BlueSky is US-based and not really decentralised. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluesky
Prefer Mastodon and other fediverse services.
Bluesky = fedivapour?
"We're going to be federated one of these days, honest."
I've made similar changes....but I've stopped recommending these to people. Almost everything here takes plenty of knowhow and setup effort. Good to have a reference like this....but this is not for normies.
Also, Lemmy tends to shoot on sight at the mention of Brave. Lemmy hivemind is close to doing the same with Firefox.
We only shoot Brave on sight because there are a myriad of reasons why Brave (which is just another crappy chromium browser) is a very bad browser. I’ve given a few links just a week ago that goes into great detail on why it is a shitty browser run by a shady corpo. Let me know if you’d like to read them, and I’ll gladly share them here in an EDIT. :)
I feel like there are quite a few normie-friendly alternatives out there... But generally speaking, I've gotta agree.
However, I do think we could take it upon ourselves to help! It might be hard to set up, but it's worth it. I say: keep recommending it, but make yourself more available to guide and aid people less knowledgeable than yourself.
If you're willing, of course.
Again with this Brave bullshit.
It's a chromium browser made by company whose whole business is to sell ad spaces and crypto scam.
It's like the worst of all the worlds, it's like quitting smoking because you started injecting heroin.Brave and Firefox shouldn't really be there when there are European alternatives like Vivaldi.
Should avoid Chromium based browsers though.
Never used Vivaldi before, how is it? I mainly use Brave on mobile and Firefox on desktop because it automatically blocks YouTube ads and I can watch videos PIP. That's the only reason I haven't made the switch yet.
Former die hard Brave user (both mobile and desktop), switched to Vivaldi, took some 10min. to set everything up (look/feel, ad blocking etc.), never felt anything is missing ever since. Vivaldi is built on Chromium, so it's very similar.
Get rid of Brave
I think the Brave marketing people are creating those images.
As alternative to WhatsApp, there is also ArcaneChat that is more user-friendly for normies: https://arcanechat.me/
Too bad it doesn't have an iphone download available.
Its just a deltachat client, so can use a different one and still talk with arcanechat users: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/delta-chat/id1459523234
for iOS and desktop you can use Delta Chat which is fully compatible with ArcaneChat
I'm a slower burn, deciding to move one account at a time to limit the fatigue.
Today was reddit as I noticed it was still my default to open that before Lemmy
It's been such a process for me. And then the double and triple checking that I won't lock myself out of something that I've connected to through Google or Apple.
I went through my google authenticator a few times just to make sure all the 2FA had been switched over to Proton.
In the last few weeks, I've deleted Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Amazon, PayPal, Switch, Reddit, Prime, and iCloud.
Replaced my iPhone with Samsung and de-googled as much as possible. Using Aurora store and 3rd party apps for all the basics. Proton for email, password manager, VPN, etc. Qwant/Vivaldi browsers and search, Here We Go maps.
I replaced pretty much all streaming services with a Plex/Overseer server. Today is the day I delete my Apple account. Goodbye Tim Apple!
I still have my Google account for YouTube access. I'm not sure yet how I can replace it. I noticed that a lot of channels are available in video format on Spotify now, but maybe only like 30% of the stuff I watch.
Wow, you're smashing it.
My plan is to do the easy stuff to warm up and then try to attack the stuff I'm spending actual money on. The biggies for me will be android and anything my wife has shared interest in such as Sky (aka Comcast). I'm in a long contract with them so time to work on her.
I moved my pension by coincidence from a US money manager to a UK platform, and am totally out of US stocks where it was all in US tech half a year back.
There's nothing wrong with pacing yourself, moving accounts/sites is a process.
My man, i still have the baconreader app on my phone. Sometime i open it, hoping it might work. Take your time, welcome home 👋
It's a real challenge when I use Boost for both. But I quickly catch on when I notice the post quality going to shit.
Congrats!
How can I move from WhatsApp to any other messaging app, if people I chat with don’t use any other app than WhatsApp? Serious question. I would love to ditch WhatsApp, but it seems like impossible task.
We need some laws that make companies expose messaging apps APIs so that a third party open source app that talks to all the different messaging services can finally emerge.
Tired of apps. I want more protocols. Fuck 'facebook messenger' it's just a protocol with a GUI, gimme your protocol.
Yes, that would be awesome.
Welcome to Lemmy @Gigameister@lemmy.world
Thank you!!
I'm a huge advocate for switching to FOSS, but you're being disingenuous by portraying it as supporting the EU. You're boycotting US companies. I do the same for the benefit of privacy, frugality, and, honestly, fun. FOSS isn't for most people, though.
I have heard that Nextcloud is pretty buggy. Libre Office is a Microsoft Office replacement, which is mainly the function of Nextcloud.
Home Assistant has a pretty steep learning curve, but totally worth it in the end. The voice assistant software is still in its early stages, same with cellphone software.
I love that you're spreading awareness, but I wanted to warn others. There are many lists of FOSS alternatives out there!
Isn't Stremio just a torrent client with integrated videoplayer and search? Kind of odd suggesting it as an alternative to legit services. Might get some less knowledgable people bonked with fines.
Fuck Brave
That's how I ended up here today on lemmy, hello guys!
Why not suggest Aptoide as an app store?
I would suggest MX as a European alternative Linux distro for winblows users looking for a more beginner friendly distro, but I checked on Distrowatch and it says the origin is Greece and USA.
There are plenty of European Linux distros, and this sort of thing always inevitably boils down to which distro is the OP's personal favourite. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but it can blow the discussion somewhat off course!
Ubuntu itself is European/British, and SUSE/openSUSE is a notable major player of the Linux world. Then there's Manjaro, Zorin, Tuxedo, Solus, Feren, Mageia, and I'm sure dozens besides.
If there is no Firefox based browsers alternative, I rather use vanilla Chrome with telemetry enabled than using brave
Don’t mind me, just a fed up US citizen looking for ways to stop supporting large corporations where possible.