5 ms·

For me the point of de-googling is not to literally stop using every single Google service but to disengage enough that your entire online identity isn't tied t

by extr 2y ago

For me the point of de-googling is not to literally stop using every single Google service but to disengage enough that your entire online identity isn't tied to Google such that losing your account would be catastrophic. For example, I still have a gmail account I use for lots of random things, but critical bank/financial accounts go directly to a separate fastmail address (where I am confident I could get a human to help me if there was a serious account problem). I still use Google Docs suite, but "important" documents are stored locally as Word/Excel files. I still use Google Drive/Google Photos, but I make periodic backups to a local SSD + other online backup services (iCloud/OneDrive). Etc. I don't understand why you would want to "ditch every Google product and service". Some of them are objectively pretty great, or inherently have low switching costs (like Google Maps).

assimpleaspossi 2y ago
What happens if fastmail goes belly up?
- mfiro 2y ago
  If you use it with domain you own, you can just point it to another email provider.
- varun_ch 2y ago
  If you own your domain and make regular data exports/backups, nothing.
- toomuchtodo 2y ago
  MX record change and you’re off to the races. Tangentially, I’d also be interested in putting an acquisition together to acquire FastMail if ever in financial peril, in order for it to persist as a going concern and arguably, a public good (like Let’s Encrypt).
- gessha 2y ago
  What happens when Google kills Gmail?
  - assimpleaspossi 2y ago
    That's my point.
noman-land 2y ago
Simple. Google is in the business of collecting and monetizing my data and removing my privacy. I want them to have as little access to my life as possible.
- extr 2y ago
  Day to day what does "monetizing my data and removing my privacy" actually mean to you? Are advertisers following you around town? Bothering you at work? Hounding you in the loo? Personally it seems like my data has been stolen from just about every company I've ever given it to EXCEPT for Google.
  - mhuffman 2y ago
    >Day to day what does "monetizing my data and removing my privacy" actually mean to you? Are advertisers following you around town? Bothering you at work? Hounding you in the loo? They are doing all of those things if you have your phone with you! Unless you manually go about disabling notifications, turning off gps access for all apps, etc.
    - godelski 2y ago
      They do all these things even if you don't. Even if you don't have a google account. The degree in which they do is higher if you do, but that doesn't remove it, it just lessens it. And it is worth noting that even turning off your GPS, you can still be followed. The very nature of how cell service works requires the ability to locate you, even if not to the same precision level (as aforementioned). There are of course trade-offs and this nature does not mean the tech is bad. But it does mean that we need to be aware of how it is used and how it can be abused. It is okay for mistakes to happen, but we need to fix them and resolve them, not ignore them or underplay them. My larger fear is that we live in a cluttered house and all these conversations end up being "well that piece of paper on the ground isn't that bad. That doesn't mean I'm messy." Because that is true. But there's a million instances of that and the accumulation is what creates the messy/cluttered house, not any singular piece of trash. If we can't see the forest from the trees, we're doomed. Because most of the problems that exist in our modern world are through these larger complex chains of coupled interactions. Where singular events are not that bad, but the system is.
pennybanks 2y ago
for me its not about losing anything important or practicing safety with backups. i just dont want bloat and activity everywhere. too many connections too many extra features suggested or mandatory etc etc. i guess im a minimalist in that sense. just want cleaner faster everything even if its a bit more inconvenient.
m463 2y ago
I think we should applaud the people who take these steps. These tech companies work with all the rest of the companies to use our own computers against us. Most folks have normalized the data collection, the dark patterns and the faustian bargains that are now happening on a daily basis. Treating them with ridicule is just not necessary. The folks who say no are really working for the rest of us. I can give you a couple website that are intimately intertwined with google services: - the california FTB website (califorina's IRS) - the california DMV website (not only drivers licenses, but real id) - kaiser permanente (health care) Most normal people, or your kids, or your parents are required to use these sites (or it is very difficult not to use them). Why should they be tracked by advertisers? why should nobody complain? https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/26/kaiser_patient_data/ https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/26/kaiser_patient_data/

by extr 2y ago

assimpleaspossi 2y ago

What happens if fastmail goes belly up?

mfiro 2y ago
If you use it with domain you own, you can just point it to another email provider.
varun_ch 2y ago
If you own your domain and make regular data exports/backups, nothing.
toomuchtodo 2y ago
MX record change and you’re off to the races. Tangentially, I’d also be interested in putting an acquisition together to acquire FastMail if ever in financial peril, in order for it to persist as a going concern and arguably, a public good (like Let’s Encrypt).
gessha 2y ago
What happens when Google kills Gmail?
- assimpleaspossi 2y ago
  That's my point.

noman-land 2y ago

Simple. Google is in the business of collecting and monetizing my data and removing my privacy. I want them to have as little access to my life as possible.

extr 2y ago
Day to day what does "monetizing my data and removing my privacy" actually mean to you? Are advertisers following you around town? Bothering you at work? Hounding you in the loo? Personally it seems like my data has been stolen from just about every company I've ever given it to EXCEPT for Google.
- mhuffman 2y ago
  >Day to day what does "monetizing my data and removing my privacy" actually mean to you? Are advertisers following you around town? Bothering you at work? Hounding you in the loo? They are doing all of those things if you have your phone with you! Unless you manually go about disabling notifications, turning off gps access for all apps, etc.
  - godelski 2y ago
    They do all these things even if you don't. Even if you don't have a google account. The degree in which they do is higher if you do, but that doesn't remove it, it just lessens it. And it is worth noting that even turning off your GPS, you can still be followed. The very nature of how cell service works requires the ability to locate you, even if not to the same precision level (as aforementioned). There are of course trade-offs and this nature does not mean the tech is bad. But it does mean that we need to be aware of how it is used and how it can be abused. It is okay for mistakes to happen, but we need to fix them and resolve them, not ignore them or underplay them. My larger fear is that we live in a cluttered house and all these conversations end up being "well that piece of paper on the ground isn't that bad. That doesn't mean I'm messy." Because that is true. But there's a million instances of that and the accumulation is what creates the messy/cluttered house, not any singular piece of trash. If we can't see the forest from the trees, we're doomed. Because most of the problems that exist in our modern world are through these larger complex chains of coupled interactions. Where singular events are not that bad, but the system is.

pennybanks 2y ago

for me its not about losing anything important or practicing safety with backups. i just dont want bloat and activity everywhere. too many connections too many extra features suggested or mandatory etc etc. i guess im a minimalist in that sense. just want cleaner faster everything even if its a bit more inconvenient.

m463 2y ago

I think we should applaud the people who take these steps. These tech companies work with all the rest of the companies to use our own computers against us. Most folks have normalized the data collection, the dark patterns and the faustian bargains that are now happening on a daily basis. Treating them with ridicule is just not necessary. The folks who say no are really working for the rest of us. I can give you a couple website that are intimately intertwined with google services: - the california FTB website (califorina's IRS) - the california DMV website (not only drivers licenses, but real id) - kaiser permanente (health care) Most normal people, or your kids, or your parents are required to use these sites (or it is very difficult not to use them). Why should they be tracked by advertisers? why should nobody complain? https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/26/kaiser_patient_data/ https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/26/kaiser_patient_data/