Unstable USA = Unstable Technology

Europe is highly dependent on the American economy and beyond. The European military is not at all comparable to that of our overseas neighbor. The dollar remains the main reserve currency, although gold is gaining popularity. After cutting off from Russian resources, Europe is becoming the largest recipient of American gas.

One can debate whether this is good or bad, but when an unpredictable person who says whatever comes to mind takes the helm of an important neighbor, the dependency becomes a huge burden. This, of course, also applies to technology, which is what we're dealing with here.

What social media do you use?

• Facebook?
• Twitter?
• Instagram?
• Tik Tok?
• Youtube?

Four of them are owned by the neighbor who has been acting somewhat erratically lately.

What cloud storage do you use to store your data?

• Google Drive?
• Apple iCloud?
• Microsoft OneDrive?

Each of them belongs to the neighbor who has been acting somewhat erratically lately.

Where do you write your doctoral thesis or client documents?

• Microsoft Word?
• Google Docs?
• LibreOffice?

Two of them belong to the neighbor who has been acting somewhat erratically lately.

The Threat

So when almost every application for your daily work belongs to this neighbor, and they decide they want to take over a piece of your garden, you can start to worry. I encourage you to explore alternatives. Gain independence and see that there are equally good tools (even better!) that are cheaper (even free!) and will provide you with stability instead of spontaneous impulses toward others' property.

Alternatives

1. Documents: LibreOffice

Instead of paying a subscription for Microsoft Word and risking account lockout, choose complete freedom. It's a free, open-source suite (developed in Germany among other places) that handles all your files without spying on their contents.

2. Cloud Storage and Email: Proton (Drive & Mail)

Swiss security standard. End-to-end encryption means even the provider doesn't know what you're sending. Your emails and files are subject to strict Swiss law, not the American Cloud Act.

3. Analytics: Matomo

If you're worried that Google Analytics violates GDPR and sends your clients' data to the USA, try Matomo.

4. Surveys: LimeSurvey

A German tool for professional research and surveys. Unlike Google Forms, here you decide where your clients' results are physically located.

5. AI: Mistral AI

The European answer to ChatGPT straight from France. Mistral models are efficient, transparent, and increasingly winning in tests against American giants, giving you access to the technology of the future without dependence on Silicon Valley.

6. Ecosystem: Nextcloud Office

It's your private Microsoft 365. It allows document editing in the browser, calendar, and chat – all on your own server. This is the highest level of digital sovereignty.

And these are just a few of many fascinating options. For more, I encourage you to browse this great site: https://european-alternatives.eu/. It groups many European alternatives to Big Tech.

I help implement such tools. Many of them are open source and can be deployed for free for internal company needs. If you're interested – contact me.

I've been using Nextcloud instead of the Google ecosystem, OnlyOffice instead of Word, and OVH instead of AWS for a long time. Are you still taking the risk?

All the best,

Sławek