There are some straightforward steps to take now. What follows is a suggested playbook for moving from Big Tech to small and/or Europe-based tech. I plan to keep adding to it.
This requires effort and time. But it wouldn’t be resistance without friction.
First out is email.
1/
Create your email account with
Posteo, in Germany (€1/month)
OR Proton, in Switzerland – not EU (free or ~€4/month)
OR Tuta, in Germany (free or ~€3/month)
For business email I recommend Migadu, in Switzerland – with servers in France.
During transition, forward email from your old account.
2/
Stop using Google Forms for data collection. Recommended for surveys and forms are:
Tally – a freemium, intuitive and self-funded form builder based in Belgium, and
Formbricks – a freemium open-source survey and form builder from Germany that you can self-host.
3/
If you’re not on top of secure messaging, make sure you have…
Signal (it’s very secure, so may behave a bit differently with syncing than you’re used to) - now has usernames.
And you may also want a secure account with the Matrix protocol using the Element app (allows threaded discussions).
4/
There’s no need to use Microsoft Office for your documents. These two can open and save in Office formats:
Cryptpad – end-to-end encrypted and open-source collaboration suite.
LibreOffice – compatible with Microsoft Office/365 files and backed by a non-profit.
5/
If you’re serious about discussion groups, don’t force your members into Meta-owned services. These require grit to set up but can better reflect your values and not exploit members:
Discourse – open-source, paid hosting ($20/month), or self-host.
myBB – PHP software for self-hosting.
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