I’m new to this idea and a Google girl so I’m interested in learning more. I’m not good with tech, but if it’s necessary I’ll do it as much as I can.
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If Google randomly decides to terminate my account for some reason and won’t tell me why or allow me to reasonably appeal, I’m screwed.
GDrive, my YouTube, my play store purchases, my Gmail going back since forever, and even all these 3rd party sites where I used “login with Google” could be instantly toasted and irrecoverable.
I became aware that this is way way too much exposure to one company and every component is linked together so if, hypothetically, I left a comment on YouTube that triggered some angsty AI ban algorithm, which led to the whole account getting zapped, I would be one sad puppy.
Better to selfhost, encrypt all, and be in control of my own destiny.
Exactly this. As a European I don’t feel comfortable anymore relying on any US service for essential needs. Stuff like youtube is fine, it’s just entertainment. But I cannot rely on big tech on anything that, if suddenly gone one day, would cause me any sort of actual annoyance. When you think about it the list is quite long and sneaky.
Fucking hell that’s a good point. I’d not thought of that
- I’m trying to be more anti-large corporation, especially those that have bent the knee to Trump.
- I want to support the people who make replacement apps/services that have a DIY ethic about them.
- I kind of like the challenge of it, because it’s not all that easy…which in my mind shows that it’s necessary.
If you don’t want to DeGoogle, that’s fine. It’s a personal decision. If you have all the facts and determine you’d rather stay doing what you’re doing, that’s fine.
I’d add to that great list also the problem of the steady enshittification of Google products. Just today, I was driving with Google Maps and suddenly it asked if I wanted to stop at a McDonald’s. I haven’t been to McD’s in twelve years, so you know how terribly useful that suggestion was.
Cause fuck ‘em, that’s why.
The advertising has become the engine in every possible corner. It’s like searching billboards now, not websites. My email feeds the ads I get. My Gboard keyboard for my text messages feeds the ads I’m shown. Hell the websites I visit get advertised back to me. Google Lenovo for work reasons and a year later I’m still getting fed ads for Lenovo on other platforms that have no association with Google. It’s like the Adoring fan of Oblivion who really really wants to make me happy by offering me things he heard me mention once Every. Single. Day! Dude stop! Shut up and leave me the fuck alone.
I wish I could shove Google off a cliff.
I started degoogling because of Google’s more and more transparent business plan of data surveillance. I’m not comfortable with “paying with my information” because of the uncountable (and frankly unimaginable) ways that information can be applied by third parties without my knowledge.
“AI” is one example which wasn’t even on the chart when I started degoogling, but we can all be certain that Google and partners use any language sample available on Gmail and G drive to train theirs. This is the company that casually registered private WiFi networks in the course of mapping their Maps street view. They’ll harvest everything they can.
At heart, I don’t trust corporate mega-monopolies to take care of our best interests as online citizens, and as a European I’m super sceptical of becoming subject to less safe legislation (US, Chinese or whatever) that doesn’t offer me protections that I have or expect at home.
By not using Google (or Meta, or Amazon, or X) I can deliberately pick and choose individual services — or host them for myself — rather than hedge everything on the benevolence of one corporation that doesn’t give a shit about their users.
