Time to End Your Relationship with Big Tech

If the events of the past week have taught us anything, it’s our relationship with big tech companies are not healthy. The more we have come to rely on tech giants like Google, Facebook, Twitter, and others to use in our daily life for communicating, the harder it becomes to end the relationship.

Tech giants have great appeal: they require little knowledge of technology to use; they are constantly there for us to turn to when we are bored, lonely, or feeling voyeuristic; and they know what we like, and give us what we want. However, it’s the last point that is most troublesome. It’s almost magic how they often know what we are thinking before we think it. How do they know us so well?

As most users know, their data (information they post, things they “like”, comments and replies, age, location, sex, etc) are used by big tech companies to help build the “user profile”. Once the profile is built, it is then marketed to the highest bidder. This is the cost one pays for using the platform. A saying I often hear passed around the internet is: “if you are not paying for the product, then you are the product”. After all, it costs money to run the servers, pay the employees, and build such amazing buildings.

While some may be fine exchanging their personal data for use of the platform, the events of this past week went beyond selling your data, and entered the dangerous arena of censorship. Private companies can, and should have, the right to refuse service to any customer. In response, users have the opportunity to develop relationships with other companies who respect their privacy, or do not muzzle or outright ban their users.

Here’s a list of some alternative tech companies you should consider using:

FaceBook → MeWe.com

Twitter → Gab.com

Gmail → ProtonMail.com

Youtube → Odysee.com

WhatsApp → Signal.org

I hope to provide a more detailed comparison, and reasons for using the alternative platforms suggested above in a future post. In the meantime, I’d like to hear your comments and thoughts on the alternative platforms in the comments below.

Stay safe!