this post was submitted on 26 May 2025
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My journey towards more European, open source, privacy-oriented, and decentralized alternatives (lemm.ee)
submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by ceiron@lemm.ee to c/buyeuropean@feddit.uk
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Over the past few months, I embarked on a rewarding digital journey to move away from US big tech and towards more European [EU], open source [FOSS], privacy-oriented [P], and decentralized [D] alternatives.

I'm sharing my experience here in case it can be useful to others, as well as to gather any additional thoughts or suggestions:

  • Desktop OS: Microsoft Windows 11 --> OpenSUSE Tumbleweed + KDE [EU][FOSS]
  • Web browser: Google Chrome --> Brave --> Vivaldi --> Mozilla Firefox + Strict privacy settings, uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, Conset-O-Matic [FOSS][P]
  • Email: Gmail --> Infomaniak Mail [EU][FOSS]
  • Calendar: Google Calendar --> Infomaniak Calendar [EU][FOSS] + OneCalendar [EU]
  • Files: Dropbox --> Infomaniak kDrive [EU][FOSS]
  • Photos: Google Photos --> Infomaniak kDrive [EU][FOSS]
  • Notes: Google Keep --> Notesnook [FOSS][P]
  • Social Media:
    • Facebook --> Nothing
    • Twitter/X --> Mastodon (mas.to) [EU][FOSS][D]
    • Reddit --> Lemmy (lemm.ee) [EU][FOSS][D]
  • AI Chatbot: OpenAI ChatGPT --> Mistral AI Le Chat [EU]
  • Videos: Youtube --> Unwatched [EU][FOSS][P]
  • Podcasts: Apple Podcasts --> Spotify --> Pocket Casts [FOSS]
  • Translate: Google Translate --> DeepL [EU]
  • Maps: Google Maps --> Organic Maps [EU][FOSS][P]
  • Weather: Apple Weather --> YR [EU]
  • Online payments: PayPal --> Revolut [EU]
  • Password manager: LastPass --> Mozilla Firefox --> Bitwarden [FOSS][P]
  • Online shopping: Amazon --> Cdiscount [EU]
  • Travel booking: Booking.com --> Direct booking

And here's the list of things I couldn't let go of:

  • Mobile OS: iOS | I have a business iPhone which is also my personal phone
  • Messaging: WhatsApp | The network effect is too big here: family, friends, local businesses, etc
  • Streaming services: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ | These come basically for free with my ISP and are too convenient for the moment (esp. w/ kids)
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[–] vegantomato@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Email: Gmail --> Infomaniak Mail [EU][FOSS]

Requires a phone number. If you live in an EU country, that phone number will be connected to your real identity due to recent laws in the EU forcing telephone companies to identify their customers. An "Infomaniak" email will most likely be connected to the user's real identity.

From their website:

The free offer is available in the following countries: Suisse, France, Belgique, Luxembourg, Allemagne, Italie, Autriche, Espagne, Portugal, Monaco, Australie, Canada, Chili, Corée du Sud, Danemark, Estonie, États-Unis, Finlande, Grèce, Hongrie, Irlande, Islande, Israël, Japon, Lettonie, Lituanie, Mexique, Norvège, Nouvelle-Zélande, Pays-Bas, Pologne, République slovaque, République tchèque, Royaume-Uni, Slovénie, Suède, Turquie.

A telephone number corresponding to the country is required.

Not a good choice if you want anonymity.

[–] ceiron@lemm.ee 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Well spotted - I’ll look into it. What do you use? A self-hosted email server/domain?

[–] exchange12rocks@lemm.ee 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

mailbox.org - they even specifically state "there's no need for you to tell us your real name"

[–] klobuerschtler@lemm.ee 2 points 2 days ago

I also use mailbox. It's fully hosted in the EU as well.

[–] vegantomato@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

For an anonymous email, Tuta should be good.

Protonmail is also an alternative, but that one requires you to have another email address iirc.

Both of these are European.

Be aware that if you use an email for personal business, like buying stuff online, your email address will be connected to your identity indirectly regardless. So it depends on what you are going to use it for. It might be that it won't matter (in your case) that the address is linked to your identity through the phone number if you are already linking it to yourself in other ways.

[–] Riptide889Try@lemm.ee 2 points 3 days ago

I recommend using email aliases, such as SimpleLogin, addy