So if you want to disengage from Google products, I can heartily recommend DuckDuckGo for a search engine. I’ve been using it a couple of years now and I really like it. I tend to use it as my browser on my phone, too. For email, I’m really digging Tutanota.

Tutanota is based on Germany, offers the option to send with end to end encryption, gives you a 500mb mailbox for free, doesn’t monetize your info and is overall secure. Proton mail might be an option for some of you, but I didn’t enjoy it much and managed to lock myself out.

I’m fairly tech savvy, so if I can lock myself out, I worry that a lot of other people could. Tutanota offers a secure calendar and contacts option as well in the app.

Browsers are harder. On mobile devices, I generally use the DuckDuckGo app. It offers all the basic functjons

plus the privacy and knowledge your data isn’t being farmed. On my laptop, I generally opt for some version of Mozilla.

Obviously, if you have a chromebook, it’s a bit harder to disengage. But it’s possible to install a Linux OS on them if you’re up for it.

In short, there are options for people who want to preserve the last shreds of privacy we have online. They aren’t perfect, but they are better.