It’s hard to reach 100% but very doable to keep the most intrusive stuff out. These are my steps:
- replace search with DDG, gradually reduce usage of !g and either search directly on the site of interest or narrow down the search further if results aren’t satisfactory
- Firefox and safari both are excellent browsers (especially reading mode to escape the ads). I use Firefox with separate containers for all the big sites (Google, Amazon, etc) and safari for general browsing
- add a pi hole (mine is broken right now, would love to integrate into my router some time)
- access email through an email client or a different provider accessing the gmail inbox, I’ve started removing all logins from the gmail address, every time I log in and have the time I change the email
- generally avoid all google mobile apps, there’s good alternatives
What’s really difficult:
- completely moving out of an email address people have been using for years to contact me
- many clients I work with use google docs
- the stuff I don’t see, all the cookies and analytics
- YouTube, though I prefer reading
It would be very nice if my taxes could go towards protecting me as a consumer from companies that get too large - especially considering some of the acquisitions in the ad ecosystem (YouTube, doubleclick), but here we are.
What’s really difficult: - completely moving out of an email address people have been using for years to contact me - many clients I work with use google docs - the stuff I don’t see, all the cookies and analytics - YouTube, though I prefer reading
It would be very nice if my taxes could go towards protecting me as a consumer from companies that get too large - especially considering some of the acquisitions in the ad ecosystem (YouTube, doubleclick), but here we are.
The list in the headline is very helpful.