Moving away from using big tech is a struggle! If you’re a regular user, chances are you don’t think much about how much insight big tech companies have into your day-to-day life. But you’ve probably heard of profiling and how this can be used. Considering AI, it is likely to increase instead of lessen.

So what do you do if you’ve had it with being monitored, surveilled, and tracked everywhere? Are there any alternatives to move away from big tech?

What do you do when you’ve had enough of being monitored, surveilled, and tracked everywhere?”

Why GDPR Matters More Than Ever in the Age of AI

As mentioned before, many users don’t think too much about it. In reality, larger big tech companies have more insight into what you do, where, and when than they might have a right to. If you browse the web, a cookie banner has become standard. This is a reaction to stay compliant with the ePrivacy Directive from 2002, as well as GDPR. GDPR replaced the Data Protection Directive. As of May 25, 2018, all organizations were required to be compliant according to the information provided on their site.

If you live in Europe, you’ve probably heard of GDPR – the General Data Protection Regulation. For some, this seems like a lot of trouble for nothing, but it is important for all users. The principles for GDPR compliance are the following, it should be:

• clearly stated what type of data is collected
• clear for what reason data is collected
• easy to see how long the data collected will be saved

This is also important since you, as a user, can ask to have your data removed. If you do, the company needs to destroy the data they have on you. Today, this is more relevant than ever, with AI scraping information online. It is difficult to be sure what digital fingerprints you leave without meaning to.

GDPR isn’t just bureaucracy—it’s your right to know, control, and delete your data.

Have you tried asking Facebook or Google to give you a copy of all the data they currently have on you? In an article published in Slate in 2019, a user asked Facebook to print all the data it had. The amount received was wast! Since this article is seven years old, the number of pages it would generate today would probably be significantly higher. This is just one example of when a user visualized the data collected; most of the time, we’re not even aware that we share this data. Or at least we don’t give a second thought to how this data can potentially be used.

When you visualize the sheer volume of data Big Tech collects, the passive tracking becomes impossible to ignore.

Tracking pixels, different apps sending data to each other, and companies can profile you to a T. This helps companies create targeted ads or search results that just happen to appear on your feed or inside your inbox.

In this case, I think of this the same way as I do with AI, and I’ve written about this several times. I want to decide when and where my data is used. As part of breaking up with big tech, the first step was to switch my operating system for my desktop computer at home, which I wrote about here. The time has come to look at mobile devices, as well as the different services I use.

Like many others, I use email and some social media platforms. While I think I have some idea of the type of accounts I have, since I use a password manager, have them logged in a password vault, there are still some things worth looking into.

Proton vs. Google: A Privacy Showdown

First off: finding an alternative to Google. I use an Android phone and tablet nowadays, but I’m not an experienced enough user to want to throw out everything just yet. Even though the thought of using Graphene OS is looking more and more tempting. I’m not sure I will be able to switch away from everything, but it’s worth a try.

The first things I know I need alternatives for are:

• mail
• search
• calendar
• tasks
• cloud storage
• AI

Apps can and will be replaced eventually, but for now, these points are the main focus. As an alternative to several Google services, Proton looks quite promising, but we’ll see if it holds up.

Google

Google was founded on September 4th, 1998, and has been around for a long time by now. Their services include Search, YouTube, Android, Gmail, and more. Their parent company, Alphabet Inc., has been described as a Big Tech company.

While search got Google started, they also have a strong footing in advertising, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. Even with AI on the rise, Google still processes around 8.5 billion searches every day, around 99,000 searches per second, according to BusinessStats.

Proton

Proton is a much younger company. While Google is an American company that has been around since before the 2000s even started, Proton AG is a Swiss company founded on May 16th, 2014. The majority of the company is owned by the non-profit Proton Foundation.

Proton’s approach has been to deliver privacy-focused online services and software. If you visit Proton’s site, you are greeted with “A better internet starts with privacy and freedom. Take control of your data with end-to-end encryption.”

Proton’s ecosystem includes Proton Mail, VPN, Calendar, Drive, and more. Even if the company is much younger than Google, its mail service has over 100 million users as of 2026. If you take the rest of the ecosystem into account, they serve tens of millions of active users worldwide. Still, only a fraction compared to Google’s user base.

Unlike Google, Proton’s priced plans allow you to cherry-pick the services that matter most to you. Their Unlimited plan seems to be the end goal when it comes to roping in users to their system.

Proton vs. Google: Key Differences

Feature	Proton	Google
Encryption	End-to-end (emails, files)	No (scans for ads)
Ads	None	Yes
Pricing	Modular (pay for what you need)	Free (with data trade-off)
Collaboration	Limited	Advanced

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Mail, Search, and Cloud: What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)

When moving away from Gmail, Proton Mail can be one option. Proton Mail offers encrypted emails with end-to-end encryption as well as zero-access encryption. Zero-access encryption means that your data is stored in the cloud. The service provider or other third parties can’t access the content. Note that while Proton can’t access the contents of your email, it has been shown that the subject line of the email is still visible. They are encrypted at rest, but not end-to-end. Partly, since the built-in search tool would not be able to find the messages when you perform a search.

Email trackers are also removed if you have your email forwarded from Gmail to your new Proton Mail account. And, of course, the mail experience is ad-free – even on the free plan!

There are some things to consider, though. The size of your inbox is one, but also keep in mind the way you structure your current inbox.

On the free plan, you get 1GB of storage – Google gives you 15 GB on their free plan. You can increase your storage up to 5 GB by doing some small tasks. These are included in a tutorial style, but you need to complete them within the first month after your account is created.

If you don’t have a huge inbox and don’t use a complex setup for sorting your mail or use a ton of inbox rules, the switch is easy to make.

Use Proton’s Easy Switch tool to migrate from Gmail in minutes—no manual exports required!

Using their Easy Switch tool is as easy as activating the tool, signing in, granting permissions to your Gmail, and waiting. The tool does the heavy lifting.

If you want to read more about the impressions I have of switching to Proton Mail, you can read the full review of Proton Mail in my coming post.

The navigation bar is similar to that of Gmail or Outlook, but there are some features specific to Proton shown as well.

Search

Google has been in the search engine game for a long time, and it shows. Though their latest move, which I’ll break down in another post, has upset users, the regular search lets you find just about anything if you use the right keywords. Well, nowadays, you may not even need the right keywords since AI is involved as well.

So what alternatives can you use instead of Google Search? Plenty actually, but it all comes down to preference! The two largest alternatives if you want to move away from ads and tracking are DuckDuckGo and Startpage. Both are good alternatives, but one or the other may suit you better depending on your use.
An article published by Infineural Technologies summarizes it well:

DuckDuckGo is better if you want a complete privacy ecosystem with a dedicated browser and tracker blocking. Startpage is better if you want Google-quality search results without Google-level spying.

This is my experience from using DuckDuckGo as a search engine as well. It’s interesting since it can give you different results, but it may be further from what you were looking for than if you use Startpage.

DuckDuckGo pulls search results from Bing, Startpage pays Google for their search results, but strips away your IP address and tracking cookies. The question is then sent to Google, but the result is sent back to you. Google sees the request sent from Startpage, not you as a user, which gives you the desired privacy we’re looking for.

DuckDuckGo can be used with or without AI, and this could also be added as a separate search extension. Startpage uses an anonymized Google-powered AI.

Here is an example of search results side by side using Startpage and DuckDuckGo:

Other Alternatives

If you want to support a charity while browsing and using search, one of the following alternatives may be for you:

For charity 1.Org may be good for you. I can also recommend the Search for a Cause extension for Firefox or Chrome, where you can turn your searches into planting trees, removing plastic from the ocean, and more!

In this article on HowStuffWorks and this article on Human Rights Careers, you can get some more alternatives on turning your search engine into something helpful to people and the planet.

Calendar

Depending on your calendar setup, moving away from your current one and switching to something new may be more or less difficult. I have three different Google calendars of my own, as well as one shared where the kids’ appointments are added.

I’ll give a more detailed review in a later post, but there are some things to know if you move from Google to Proton. If you’re on the free version, you can have a total of three personal calendars, as mentioned on Proton’s Pricing Plans page. On the free plan, you can send and receive calendar invitations; it has end-to-end encryption. But you can’t share your calendar, and there is no appointment scheduling, such as having a booking page.

While I don’t need a booking page, I really wanted to import my other calendars. I ended up merging two of them, and since it was easier, I just kept my shared calendar with Google.

Tasks

Unlike Google Calendar, Proton’s version has no way for you to create tasks inside the calendar. It has been a requested feature, and might be something they add later on. But if you rely heavily on tasks, you need to find a different solution for this.

If you own a Samsung device, it might be time to look at the built-in Reminders app. Other popular task apps are Todoist, TickTick, and Asana, to mention a few.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is a big and important part when trying to move away from the large tech dragons, Google or Microsoft. I have used OneDrive for a long time. But I also have a Google Drive I pay for since switching over to Android and having backups for the devices placed there. Similar to when you use Google Drive, you also create your Proton documents and spreadsheets from inside Proton Drive if you don’t wish to open the application in a separate tab first.

Depending on your current setup, keep in mind that doing your research as to which provider will be best for you is a good start. You don’t want to switch from one privacy invasion to the next. Now might also be a good time for you to do some pruning before you move things.

I chose to subscribe to Proton Drive‘s 200 GB plan. This gives me plenty of space to move things, and I could potentially merge all my cloud data into one cloud if I wish. If you’ve used Google Drive or OneDrive, the web interface should feel familiar. I found this video helpful since it explains and compares features between Google Drive and Proton in a way that is easy to understand. If you decide to move your data, this is an excellent time to audit before you move!

True data integrity requires proactive pruning—don’t just move your digital clutter, audit it.

If you collaborate much with others, it is worth noting that Proton Drive is not there yet. At least not compared to Microsoft and Google’s systems.

Warning: Proton Drive’s collaboration features lag behind Google/Microsoft. If teamwork is critical, test it first!”Warning: Proton Drive’s collaboration features lag behind Google and Microsoft. If real-time teamwork is critical to your workflow, test it with a free account before migrating fully!

AI

If you use AI in your day-to-day, most AI alternatives are also from larger tech companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft, or Google. As for European alternatives, there is Mistral (Le Chat), based in France. I have a separate review of my first experience with this AI coming soon.

Keep in mind that you still need to consider what you are willing to share with an AI and not. You may get more or less control over said data depending on whether you are on a paid or free plan. Free plans in general let you get a taste of what the AI can do, but with fewer tokens to use.

The Convenience vs. Integrity Dilemma

This is where big tech succeeded: everything is just…convenient. Not really a surprise, to be honest. The bigger companies have more resources to put to use when creating their ecosystems and services. For a consumer, this has both pros and cons. Sure, things are convenient and just work, but what is the real price? If the price is not only the money you pay for your physical item or subscription, but your personal data as well, is it still worth it? For me, it boils down to a case of integrity vs convenience. Ultimately, I leave this for you to decide.

Big Tech’s convenience comes at a cost: your privacy. Is it worth it?

Is it worth knowing that you may be sharing more than you’d like with the bigger tech companies? Or is it time to sit down, take a digital inventory, and think of your own exit strategy? Where are you willing to compromise? Let me know in the comments!