How to start de-Google-ing your life with privacy-first service providers
But why should you consider to de-Google your life?
The first sentence that Google shows (very big, bold, to make sure no one says “I didn’t read it at all”) when browsing their Privacy Policy is:
“When you use our services, you’re trusting us with your information.”
Google’s Privacy Policy @ https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US
When the largest advertising company in the world states in the first line of their Privacy Policy that you trust them with your data (and any PII - Personal Identifiable Information), it should be the first sign to make ring any bells. It should be an alarm for you, your family and friends.
But don’t believe my word and keep reading because the evidence is here:
Then we have one of the most recent Google Chrome updates being used as part of the brand-washing attempts, where, in essence, you can read “We are launching new […] ads […] based on your browsing history […]”. And the fact is that this is the truth, no matter how well Google tries to sell this new pro-ad feature. You can read more about this case here.
Furthermore, Google agreed to Pay $392 million in a Privacy Settlement with 40 States so they could avoid moving forward to trial, which is a clear sign and evidence of the practices this company has been running illegally.
Finally, the new anti-ad-blocker implemented as part of the YouTube service is forcing users to turn off Ad-Blocker extensions, which:
- It is believed to break the EU GDPR (Privacy Law) and…
- It has already raised questions to the EU Commission about allegedly violating the EU Law with its anti-ad-blocker detector, not to mention…
- The FBI recommended using Ad-Blockers to all citizens (and the FBI is a US-based security organisation), and…
- Google’s Manifest v3 is the new standard that breaks Ad-Blocker extensions (as they are based on Manifest v2, which has been deprecated and will be removed soon).
A deep review of Proton | Privacy by Default’s Swiss company’s products and services
Transparency Note: Unpaid Review | This article on Proton’s products is entirely unbiased. I haven’t received any payment for featuring them. Your trust matters, and I aim to provide a straightforward and honest assessment based on my own and personal experience, as I have decided to de-Google, de-Meta and de-Twitter (de-X) my life after considering it for long time and testing different competitors.
We live surrounded by Big Tech companies and their products (call them Google, Google Mail, Google Maps, Google Photos, Meta, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X (Twitter) and many more). And the most attractive point to use all of them is that these companies offer all their precious products for free (all of them).
However, we all should know that “All that glitters is not gold”, and if they are so big, so powerful, and so profitable to offer everything they do for free, then it means these Big Tech companies are making money from somewhere else, but… how is that even possible, if everything is free?
If you read this post, you must know that Big Tech companies offer their product for free because YOU are the product they sell. In other words, all these Big Tech companies are intentionally breaking privacy laws — like the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), among others — because the fines they must pay are lower than the profit they get from breaking the laws.
I want to discuss Proton AG (“Proton | Privacy by Default”) in this post. Proton is one of the top-notch competitors for Google Inc. and their “free” (at your own cost) services. Proton keeps your privacy and data encrypted and safe from those bad actors that track and sell you and your data as defined and established by Switzerland’s Privacy Laws.
Proton Products to compete with Google
Proton is a relatively new company in the Tech ecosystem (established in 2014). Still, Proton’s core values have been paramount for millions of users worldwide (including activists, journalists and ordinary people) because they have established the correct definition and concept of “privacy” in today’s interconnected online world.
Each one of the Proton products is part of an ecosystem of interconnected services that aim to provide a solid, secure and private environment. However, it would be unfair to mention only the pros of Proton and hide the cons of each one of their products and services.
Side note: This post was published and reviewed on Sunday, 26th November, 2023. Proton might have updated its products since then, and I might not have updated this post.
“But Proton is a paid service, and Gmail is free!”
Proton offers free services (with some limitations), so you can evaluate and assess them without paying. But if your concern is that Proton is a paid service provider while other companies offer their service for free, then I can share with you the two most essential points:
- As I already mentioned, you are the product if you don’t pay for the product. You have become that thing being sold, and you are not a human anymore but only a good that someone sells (because they can).
- You pay for your necessities (rent or mortgage + utility bills + food) as they are essential for living. But you also pay for luxuries (an alarm system for your home, faster broadband, mobile data, anti-virus for your devices, Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Spotify, Apple Music, new iOS/Android-based smartphones, tablets and watches, etcetera).
Suppose you can spend (note the word “spend”) such an amount of money every month on other products, services and subscriptions. Then, you can invest (note the word “invest”) less than your monthly subscription on a streaming platform to secure your privacy online with better service providers.
Proton Mail - An encrypted, secure and private email service
Proton Mail is an independently audited private email service that uses end-to-end encryption and implements zero-access encryption to secure your communications, preventing anyone (including Proton staff) from getting any access to your messages.
Pros:
- Security experts declare Proton Mail (and Contacts) secure after passing their security audit.
- Fully End-to-End Encrypted (E2EE) emails using GPG keys between Proton accounts by default.
- Option to send password-protected messages to users outside the Proton ecosystem (to ensure the aim for privacy is there), so the recipients get a notification and need to browse a web page.
- Both folders and labels are available for improved organisation and tagging (many providers only offer one of these two options).
- Proton Mail gets regular updates, adding new features to compete with the most relevant providers worldwide (including Gmail). Forwarding email messages has been the most recent addition to the product.
- Yearly reward of extra storage space for paying customers as a sign of appreciation for their commitment to what Proton represents (the amount of bonus space changes depending on your subscription).
- Proton has a Referral Program where the company rewards users for bringing new customers, earning credits that will be deducted from the next invoice. You can try the Proton service by following this link:
Cons:
- Given the nature of the Proton Mail’s privacy, using it on your devices is impossible unless you browse their website or use their Mobile App or Bridge plugin because regular Email clients are incompatible with the implemented security and privacy protocols.
- In contrast to some competitors (especially Google One or Apple iCloud), buying additional space for your account is impossible, so you need to upgrade your plan or stick to the limits set for your account.
- Email services (usually) rely on contacts, so Proton Contacts is not an independent App but a built-in and integrated module. Thus, you can’t sync your Proton contacts with your iOS or Android devices like any other service provider (but you need to import them into the Proton ecosystem if you want to get their emails when writing new messages). So, you might end up duplicating your contact details.
Proton Calendar - Your daily schedule is yours and only yours
Proton Calendar automatically secures all your events with end-to-end encryption. Events received from people who use other calendars are secured with zero-knowledge encryption.
Pros:
- Security experts declare Proton Calendar secure after passing their security audit.
- There is an easy process to import calendar events (from *.ics files) and export your entire calendar (in case you need to move it).
- Multiple time zone support, allowing you to work better with people and teams with different geolocations and time zones.
Cons:
- Given the nature of the Proton Calendar’s privacy, using it on your devices is impossible unless you browse their website or use their Mobile App because regular Calendar clients are incompatible with the implemented security and privacy protocols.
- Proton Calendar does not show any banner or event belonging to your Proton Contacts that have set either birthday or anniversary dates, so you need to create your reminders manually in one of your calendars.
Proton Drive - The easiest way to backup and share your files
Proton Drive’s strong encryption goes beyond other secure cloud solutions, including its end-to-end encryption, ensuring no one can access your files. Files, file names, folder names and more are all fully encrypted at rest and in transit to your secure cloud using secure protocols.
Pros:
- Security experts declare Proton Drive Cloud Storage secure after passing their security audit.
- Native computer and mobile Apps are available for Windows, Mac (just launched), iOS and Android devices.
- Easy backup of crucial folders and files on your computer, keeping the computer name and folder structure on your Windows, which is set aside from the non-computer-related files.
- Like other cloud storage, you can easily share a single file or an entire folder with other users through a Proton account or a direct access link.
Cons:
- Proton Drive is “only” a secure online storage but does not include advanced features (such as text or spreadsheet documents). The transition might be more difficult for Google Drive users dependent on the Google Docs product. Still, you can upload existing documents from your devices with ease.
- Backup of your computer-specific folders is only available for Windows (for now), so Mac users still need to backup key folders and files “manually” (and they will be synchronised with other computers connected to the same Proton Drive account as any other backed up file).
- Although Proton Drive is a workaround solution, Proton still needs a dedicated Proton Photos app to compete with Google Photos. However, based on some feedback, the company is already working on it.
Proton VPN - Peer-to-Peer and Onion-based secure VPN servers
Privacy is a Human Right (as stated in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 12):
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Proton offers free VPN services from three countries to ensure users worldwide can browse without censorship or being affected by any interferences or attacks mentioned in the UN Declaration.
By subscribing to paid plans, users can choose from what country to connect, enable advanced security features, and configure two-server connections to add entropy and more private connectivity.
Pros:
- Security experts declare Proton VPN secure after passing their security audit.
- Native VPN clients for all platforms and operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS and Android) and VPN support via Browser Extensions (Chrome/Brave, Firefox, Android TV and Chromebook).
- Proton VPN service for free (no payment needed).
- TOR and *.onion websites are available via Proton VPN, giving you access to sites behind the Tor Project | Anonymity Online network.
- The Secure Core feature ensures a double VPN connection for even higher privacy when browsing online services.
- The NetShield feature allows online browsing with included security, anti-tracking and anti-advertising features, which means higher security and protection for the user.
- The Kill Switch feature prevents your device from establishing online connections unless the VPN service is up and running, so it won’t expose any data or location through non-protected connections.
- The VPN service is included in all Proton subscription plans, so you won’t need to invest additional money in other VPN providers.
Cons:
- Free servers tend to be slower than paid servers (as expected because it is a service offered worldwide and for free).
- There’s no Proton VPN support for Fire TV devices to protect users while streaming and reduce the trackers used by other apps.
- Based on some online reviews, NordVPN also provides most of the features of Proton VPN but with faster servers. Still, Proton VPN includes the VPN Accelerator feature, which boosts the VPN performance.
Side note: Please consider what your goal is when using a VPN service. If you only need to check and send some emails or even stream some online content at 720p or 1080p, any serious VPN provider should give you enough bandwidth, and you might not need to pay for two different providers. If you plan to stream 4K content, then just stop using a VPN service.
Proton Pass - A password manager with one of the best add-ons
Proton Pass is more than a tool to save passwords and automate logging in securely. It’s also an identity manager that generates unique email aliases, preventing your email address from being used to track you, exposed to data breaches, or targeted for spam.
Pros:
- Security experts declare Proton Pass (Password Manager) secure after passing their security audit.
- SimpleLogin service is embedded into the product, so any Proton Pass user can get Email Alias to avoid exposing the email address (which fits exceptionally well with Proton Mail service).
- Easy process to import your exported credentials from other password management providers and tools.
Cons:
- The leading blocker for me is that there isn’t a desktop app for your computer, but you rely entirely on a web browser extension. Fortunately, there are native apps for smartphones.
- It is a new product and lacks several data types that other competitors already offer. Unfortunately, we do not live only with Login or Credit Card details but also Bank Accounts (each country with its peculiarities), Serial Numbers for purchased products or services, and more.
- Lack of grouping for stored fields that kept all your data organised. This becomes a problem when you import your data from another password manager provider (in my case, migrating from 1Password).
- Misses a feature to upload an attached file next to your secured password. This might be a blocker when using 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) as many sites give you several codes to use as an emergency way to recover access (and with Proton Pass, you can’t include those files in your manager, but you need to upload them into your Drive space).
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