[This is an updated followup to my Substack post a while back, If It's a Digital Coup, It Needs to Be a Digital Rebellion]
“The defaults are becoming dangerous,” I said.
My friend, a pastor, looked at me for a long moment. “That’ll preach,” said the guy who writes a sermon every week.
We had just come from lunch, where I had given him my usual spiel about ‘resistance tech’, about how we urgently need a movement to reassess the apps we use: Google, Meta, X, Amazon. Apps and platforms that have been our popular, comfortable, and convenient defaults, the obvious mainstream choices, even as we ignored their data privacy perils for years.
Apps that have helped create - and continue to fund - the tech billionaires that now seem onboard with authoritarianism. We need to get out of their clutches.
Dangerous?? Strong word.
But consider: does this one help someone surveil you? Does that one track everything you do online, or in real life? Did that one help create a billionaire that is now controlling you as much as serving you, and whose wealth is radically distorting our society and politics?
My pastor friend and I had been tossing around ways to hone the slogan version, the elevator pitch. ‘Non-cooperation with our own oppression’ was another good one of his.
On a walk later I thought of ‘boycott oligarch tech’. I’ve usually used ‘resistance tech’ or ‘rebel tech’ as shorthand.
It’s been surprisingly hard to get the pitch lingo right. I've got my first Resistance Tech community workshop scheduled for next month, so I need to be able to be clear, persuasive - and short. Like ten minutes total (it’s a slot at an unrelated neighborhood event), and I want them to leave with some new apps actually downloaded.
The idea itself is straightforward enough: easy replacements for the everyday apps we've become so used to, but are now becoming outright harmful or even, yes, dangerous.
My goal is a basic roadmap to a better everyday 'tech stack' for average people who don't want to think too much about this stuff.
People who don't particularly like change, but understand there's a problem.
A set of apps with all the functionality you need, a non-surveillance business model, and ethical ownership. Including apps not based in the US and therefore not potentially as vulnerable to American government interference or overreach.
We do have those choices.
Our money is a potent weapon and we don't want it going to the bad guys. Like how we might choose to shop local and not patronize companies that don't reflect their values.
And it works. It's certainly working against Tesla.
Now it's time to apply that to the tech giants that dominate our lives. Imagine if enough people did it.
Time to free ourselves, to disentangle from dependency on toxic tech.
The good news is that it's easy to switch. Quality options are waiting for us. For a starter kit of daily apps, you could break it down into a few main categories, with solutions that you'll feel good about using.
Google, one of the worst culprits in collecting and monetizing our online activity, is of course many things: Chrome, search, gmail, maps are particularly egregious data harvesters. YouTube too, which is a Google product. And Google tracks you even when you’re not using Google. Countermeasures are needed. So Google is spread over multiple categories below.
The apps below are not the only good choices out there, just my suggestions. Your needs may vary of course.
Messaging
Text/WhatsApp > Signal
Signal is the gold standard for encrypted messaging and voice calls. They don't collect any personal data when you use it (other than your phone number to sign up, which some people do complain about, but they don’t do anything with your number). As we now know, our government is using Signal, so they clearly think it’s secure.
User error notwithstanding, like accidentally adding the wrong person to your group chat.
Texting is inherently insecure (ask Mark Meadows or others after Jan 6th whose text messages were trotted out in court). Even US law enforcement recommends encrypted messaging, for the moment at least, after a major recent Chinese hacking incident.
WhatsApp is also well-encrypted but it’s a Meta product. While they can't read your messages, WhatsApp does collect other data like who you messaged, how often, what time, etc. WhatsApp has been problematic in the past with their handling of that data, and now Meta is currying favor with the regime. You do the math.
That said, WhatsApp’s encryption is the same as Signal and it is very popular worldwide. In Kenya, where I just lived for a year and a half, everyone uses WhatsApp. Less so in the US and more and more people are bypassing it and going to Signal for privacy and security.
Browser
Chrome > DuckDuckGo, (also Vivaldi, Ecosia, Brave)
The Chrome browser, like all Google products, harvests your activity to build data profiles of you. Google has more on us than we care to imagine, which can have serious implications. See the link below for a great explainer.
A better option is a non-tracking, privacy-oriented browser with good-guy ownership like US-based DuckDuckGo - my recommendation - or others. Vivaldi (Norway) and Ecosia (Germany) are also very good and European-based if you're looking for that extra insulation from US policies.
Not only does DuckDuckGo not track you, it helps block Google trackers that follow you around the web even when you're not using Google apps themselves.
https://spreadprivacy.com/how-does-google-track-me-even-when-im-not-using-it/
Vivaldi (what I’m currently using) has some cool customization features and built-in free Proton VPN.
Email | Drive | Calendar | VPN
Google > Proton
Proton Mail is based in Switzerland, which is therefore governed by strong Swiss protocols on digital privacy rights. You can send emails normally or with encryption.
Proton has long been the go-to for journalists, activists, and others with privacy concerns, recently it's becoming more mainstream.
The paid tier (about $10/month) has Drive and Calendar apps that work very much like Google, along with a password manager and a strong VPN.
The free Proton tier offers their email and basic VPN (more on VPNs below), which is hard to beat.
Maps
Google > Organic Maps (also Maps.Me, HERE)
Do you want Google knowing everywhere you go? Because they do, Google Maps is tracking and compiling your movements and activities. It doesn’t have to be that way.
I can personally recommend Organic Maps, an open source, non-tracking phone app that doesn't collect your data. I've used Organic in Kenya and the US and I'm satisfied with it. The user interface is different than Google Maps, might take you a few minutes to learn, but it's simple and works great once you get the initial hang of it. I was especially impressed with its amazing level of detail for walking/hiking directions, even in the middle of a large park where it marked things like benches and shelter.
Organic Maps uses downloaded/offline maps by default, meaning you pre-download the map files for the country or region you're in. That way you don't need a data signal or wifi to use it, which could save your ass. Google Maps can do that too but it's harder to figure out how. With Organic it's easy.
Social Media
X / Threads > Bluesky
Instagram > Pixelfed
Facebook > ?
Tricky. You don't want to lose valuable communities, groups, and connections, that's the tradeoff if you're trying to get off Meta.
There really isn't a good Facebook replacement out there. I tried Tribel but... yeah, no. I’m still on FB.
Threads is quite active, more two-way engagement than Bluesky, though your toxicity experience may vary. I find Threads substantive and civil, but kind of random. And unfortunately it's Meta. Your call.
Pixelfed is a new-ish, decentralized, European Instagram alternative. For photo buffs there's also the Foto phone app, also quite new. They both seem fine though truth be told, personally I’m a bit over sharing single images in that format. Seems a little pointless.
There's really no excuse for still being on X, Bluesky is a solid choice with non-oligarch ownership. While it can take time to get traction, it's a good place to follow your favorite commentators, news sources, and such.
Search
Google > Ecosia, DuckDuckGo
Again, Google tracks and compiles everything relentlessly. That's how they make money.
DuckDuckGo and Ecosia are two search engines (as well as browsers) that don't. Both use Microsoft’s Bing. Ecosia plants trees with their profits. Both are lovely options.
VPN
What's a VPN? A Virtual Private Network hides your activity from your internet provider. It also hides where you are, even what country you're in. Some people use this to watch international programming (like, say, sports in another viewing market). You just toggle it on, and choose a country to pretend you're in. That's it.
Some people might not feel the need for a VPN, but a non-tracking browser and a VPN is a rock-solid privacy combo.
Shopping
Amazon > Shop local or direct from merchants
Yes, we are all addicted to the convenience of home delivery. Addicted enough to allow Bezos to be in the overlord suite? At least consider canceling Prime, and minimizing or eliminating Amazon shopping. You can always use it to find stuff, then go straight to the merchant.
For books there is bookshop.org if you don’t have a local bookstore.
What about Apple?
Broadly speaking they are not the worst privacy offenders. They make their money from selling devices and hardware. They don't need to make money from your data, unlike Google or Microsoft.
If you have Apple products and apps at least use those. Compared to other mainstream options, the Safari browser or your Apple email are not terrible choices.
A side note on encryption: since bad guys can hide with encryption too, there is a deep split playing out in Europe right now, between countries (like Spain and Sweden) who want to undermine encryption for the sake of fighting trafficking, drugs, child porn, etc, and others like Germany who defend the right to encryption for personal privacy.
There’s also a push within Europe to develop their own alternatives to US big tech. I came across this just yesterday on France 24:
Europe seeks tech independence amid strained ties with Trump's America
I don’t have all the answers. My Resistance Tech list doesn't address all the ins and outs of our tech dependencies but does offer a start towards digital liberation. A fresh start.
Feel free to write me with questions - or suggestions for my pitch!
Want a simple list with links to these apps? Download my cheatsheet here.