Your Choice

Preamble

Internet technologies play crucial roles in many of our daily lives. Most services you use are provided by some of the largest companies in the world, making total bank by selling our personal data. This is a reminder that it is YOUR CHOICE, don't let Big Tech™ make it for you! Switching providers can and probably will inconvenience you, for a time, but you can adapt. The goal of this guide is to show that there are other options, ones that can typically do the same, if not more, without needing to know your brother's wife's cousin's sister's daughter's dog's date of birth. I won't sit here and tell you you're a horrible person for using Google Drive, Apple iCloud, Microsoft Office, et cetera. I just ask that you give at least some of these providers a try, even if you crawl back to the tech giants by next week. A great question to think about as you read this is "Do I need it?", as in, do you require the service you are looking to replace, or could you live without it? Sometimes, gutting it entirely will work out better than substituting.

Index:

Suites ↑

These are services that could reasonably replace most, or all, of the "Google Suite" (a.k.a. "GSuite") that you use (E-mail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Meet, etc). They should, similarly, be able to replace the Microsoft Office suite.

  • Disroot.org - E-mail, Cloud Storage, Document Editing, Translate, Real-time Voice & Video, Calendar. Many of its services exist both as standalone products and as parts of its Nextcloud instance.
  • Proton.me - E-mail, Cloud Storage, Document Editing, Real-time Voice & Video, Calendar, Password Management.
  • Nextcloud - A self-hosted all-in-one that has Cloud Storage, Document Editing, Notes, Contacts, Real-time Voice & Video, Calendar, Forms, etc.
  • FreedomBox - A Debian-based distribution that allows you to easily deploy all sorts of self-hosted services, including Nextcloud.
  • LibreOffice - A document editing suite that has partial support for Microsoft Office file formats. THIS IS NORMAL DESKTOP SOFTWARE!

E-mail ↑

E-mail might not be that important to you, but instead of signing up for Google Mail, Apple iCloud, Microsoft Outlook, AOL, or Yahoo, try these providers instead.

  • RiseUp.net - RiseUp is INVITE-ONLY! You can ask me for access, if we are friends. ♥
  • Tuta.com (formerly known as Tutanota)
  • Disroot.org
  • Proton.me
  • Thunderbird - An e-mail client that allows you to access multiple e-mail accounts in one place. THIS IS NORMAL SOFTWARE!

Operating Systems (a.k.a. "OS") ↑

I don't use Arch, by the way.

Due to the ever-growing list of software that only works on Microsoft Windows (cough cough Adobe cough cough), I don't blame you for not even wanting to try any of these. Also, I do not currently know of any reasonable replacements for those using Apple hardware (i.e. iPhone, iPad, Macbook), sorry!

Desktop -

  • Tails - A secure Debian-based distribution by the Tor Project, built to be easily portable and leave no trace.
  • Qubes OS - A secure Linux-based distribution. It is not a convenient choice for the average person, but it serves its purpose well.
  • Debian - An incredibly stable Linux-based distribution, but it can be slow to receive minor updates.
  • Fedora Linux - A RHEL-based (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) distribution, Linus Torvalds (the creator of the Linux kernel) himself is documented to have been a regular user of Fedora.
  • Arch Linux - The most meme'd Linux-based distribution in the world, but arguably one of the best for people who know what they are doing.
  • Slackware Linux - One of the oldest independent Linux-based distributions, but probably not great for beginners.
  • Alpine Linux - A highly performant Linux-based distribution that might take some time to get used to.
  • Ubuntu Desktop - A Debian-based distribution that has seen widespread adoption over the years, and is generally a good pick for Linux novices.
  • Gentoo - A Linux-distribution that is incredibly hands-on, and not recommended for novices.
  • Whonix - A hardened Debian-based distribution for privacy freaks.
  • Void Linux - A Linux-based distribution.
  • antiX Linux - A Debian-based distribution that uses an alternative Init system.
  • Artix Linux - An Arch-based distribution that uses an alternative Init system.

Mobile (Android) -

  • Graphene OS - A hardened fork of Android for Google Pixel devices. It is known for being disliked by law enforcement agencies.
  • Lineage OS - A hardened fork of Android compatible with a wide spectrum of Android devices.

Mobile (Linux) -

  • Mobian - A Debian-based distribution for mobile devices.
  • postmarketOS - An Alpine-based distribution for mobile devices.

Web Browsers ↑

Still using Google Chrome? C'mon, it's [INSERT CURRENT YEAR HERE].

About [Firefox] forks... many of them do not ship with certain proprietary dependencies required to support popular media codecs and DRM-related features. Sites such as Spotify, Netflix, and Apple Music probably won't work if you choose a fork. Upstream projects, such as Mozilla Firefox, will not suffer from these issues.

Desktop -

  • Tor Browser - A well-hardened, battle-tested fork of Mozilla Firefox, and the de-facto browser for privacy and anonymity.
  • Mullvad Browser - A hardened fork of Mozilla Firefox. Mullvad is intended to act similarly to Tor, but without connecting to the Tor Network.
  • LibreWolf - A popular hardened fork of Mozilla Firefox.
  • Waterfox - A hardened fork of Mozilla Firefox.
  • Mozilla Firefox - A great choice for 99.99% of internet users.
  • Helium Browser - A Chromium-based browser built for privacy, speed, and simplicity.
  • Ungoogled Chromium - This is a privacy-respecting fork of Chromium, which is the project that Google Chrome is built on.

Mobile -

  • Tor Browser - The Android version of the Tor Browser.
  • Fennec - A fork of Mozilla Firefox for Android. This build removes proprietary bits and telemetry.
  • Firefox - Our fan favorite. This time for both iOS and Android.
  • Cromite - A hardened fork of Chromium for Android, based on the now-defunct Bromite project.
  • Onion Browser - An iOS web browser for connecting to the Tor Network.

Domain Name System (a.k.a. "DNS") ↑

Computers identify and communicate via IP addresses (X.Y.W.Z [IPv4, numerical] or A:B:C:D:E:F:G:H [IPv6, alpha-numerical]). DNS is (in short-) how your device knows what IP address "winnpixie.neocities.org" points to. Your Internet Service Provider (a.k.a. "ISP") should always provide you with a pre-configured set of servers, don't use them.

When it comes to DNS, look for providers that support DNS-over-HTTPS (a.k.a. "DoH") or DNS-over-TLS (a.k.a. "DoT"), but preferably both. These protocols encrypt your DNS requests, making it near-impossible for unwanted eyes to know which services you're trying to access.

  • Quad9 DNS - DoH + DoT
  • LibreDNS - DoH + DoT
  • NextDNS - DoH + DoT. A freemium service with customizable filtering.
  • Mullvad DNS - DoH + DoT
  • OpenNIC - DoH + DoT. A community project with user-ran DNS servers. I only recommend this if you seriously understand what you are doing.
  • radicalDNS - This service lacks DoH and DoT support, it is only recommended for systems that are too old to support modern and secure standards.

When you are configuring DNS, use DNSLeakTest.com to make sure your requests originate from the servers you expect!

WARNING - Many network-related issues typically stem from improper DNS configuration, be careful!

Virtual Private Networks (a.k.a. "VPNs") ↑

I am NOT sponsored by NordVPN, and I don't want to be! VPNs can mask your internet traffic, like most will advertise, but all you are doing is shifting the burden of trust from your ISP to the VPN provider. I, personally, would argue that unless you (random netizen, NOT the Network Administrator that might be reading this) require circumventing a restriction or censorship, you don't need a VPN. Using a VPN when you don't need to may negatively impact your browsing experience.

  • Tor VPN - An Android application that provides a system-wide OR per-app VPN connection to the Tor Network.
  • Orbot - An Android application that provides a system-wide VPN connection to the Tor Network, along with some extras. This app is basically Tor VPN's older sibling.
  • Mullvad VPN - A paid VPN provider. Mullvad generates an access token for you, and you can add credits to your token anonymously via cash or crypto, or you can pay not-so-anonymously via your bank or credit or debit card.
  • RiseUp VPN - A completely free VPN, there is no sign-up nor payment required. However, it has an incredibly limited set of servers to use.
  • FreeSocks - A freemium VPN, for every user that does choose to pay, non-paying users gain extra bandwidth allowance every month. It operates similarly to Mullvad, where users are given their own generated access token.
  • Proton VPN - A freemium VPN, non-paying users have access to a limited set of available servers, and are restricted to one (1) actively connected device per account.

Translation Engines ↑

Google Translate is good, I get it. I just hate Big Tech™

  • LibreTranslate - A (optionally) self-hosted translation engine capable of processing text and documents.
  • Disroot Translate - A LibreTranslate-based translation engine provided by the Disroot team.
  • DeepL - A freemium translation engine capable of processing text, documents, and speech.

Communication ↑

Plain old text messaging and telephone calls are powered by rather insecure protocols. You should use these instead!

  • SimpleX Chat - A decentralized and secure rich messaging platform with no concept of a "user".
  • Signal - A secure rich messaging platform that also supports real-time voice & video.
  • Session - A decentralized and secure rich messaging platform that also supports real-time voice & video.
  • Delta Chat - A decentralized and secure rich messaging platform that also supports real-time voice & video.
  • Mumble - A self-hosted real-time text and voice communication platform.

Social Networking ↑

This category is rough and pretty loosely defined, sorry.

  • Mastodon - A decentralized social platform that is most akin to X (formerly known as Twitter).
  • Matrix - A decentralized social platform that, if you squint, is most akin to Discord.
  • PeerTube - A decentralized video sharing platform that is most akin to YouTube.
  • BlueSky - A decentralized social platform that is most akin to X (formerly known as Twitter), built on the AT Protocol.
  • Nostr - A protocol specification that can do just about anything.

Music ↑

Some of these are arguably Big Tech-adjacent. The real alternative is by purchasing physical media, such as CD or DVDs, cassettes, and vinyl records. Your local library might even have them for free.

  • Bandcamp.com - Hi-Fi streaming and downloading from your favorite artists.
  • Qobuz.com - Hi-Fi streaming and downloading from your favorite artists.
  • Tidal.com - Hi-Fi streaming from your favorite artists.
  • Deezer.com - Hi-Fi streaming from your favorite artists.

Miscellaneous ↑

Extra tips and advice I believe is worthwhile.

  • Always use HTTPS with websites you visit, your browser should already be doing this, but it doesn't hurt to check.
  • If you are an Android user, find apps on F-droid before you search the Google Play Store!
  • Be a Snowflake! This is a simple way to help others circumvent internet censorship via the Tor Network.
  • Use Tor for your boring browsing! The more random noise you add, the harder it becomes to track targets.
  • Host your own services! Write a blog, make an image board, run a forum! Do literally anything, just for fun. This website, like many others, is hosted for free at Neocities.org.
  • Try LibreSpeed the next time you need to measure your internet speed, instead of Speedtest.net (Ookla) or Fast.com (Netflix).
  • Get involved! Community is only effective when its people contribute.

Honorable Mentions -

  • GnuPG - A suite of tools to help encrypt or decrypt data you want or need to keep safe.
  • DeFlock - An OSM-based community effort to document the locations and viewing angles of all Flock security cameras.
  • FreeDNS - A DNS registrar where you can acquire your own sub-domains, free of charge.
  • IPInfo.io - A tool for querying information about an IP address, such as its geographical location, and what kind of host it is associated with (i.e. residential, business, proxying, etc).
  • JustDeleteMe - A community-curated directory of quick-links to delete your account(s) from a multitude of services.
  • JustGetMyData - A community-curated directory of quick-links to retrieve information services may have stored about you.
  • NewPipe - An Android-only alternative front-end for browsing and consuming content from YouTube, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, and PeerTube.
  • Invidious - An alternative web front-end for browsing and watching YouTube.
  • FreeTube - An alternative desktop front-end for browsing and watching YouTube.
  • LibreTube - An Android-only alterative front-end for browsing and watching YouTube.
  • PrivateBin - A (optionally) self-hosted secure text sharing service.
  • CryptPad - A (optionally) self-hosted secure document collaboration platform.

Learn More ↑

These are links to resources that I find to be insightful.

  • EFF.org - The Electronic Frontier Foundation is constantly leading the charge for protecting digital freedom and privacy.
  • TorProject.org - Widely known for the Tor Browser, the Tor Project is an organization dedicated to protecting digital freedom.
  • Freedom.press - The Freedom of the Press Foundation is dedicated to protecting journalists.
  • GuardianProject.info - The Guardian Project is an organization dedicated to protecting digital privacy.