Google has chosen the side of the fascists. It hosted “Mobile Identify”, a facial recognition app intended for use by local police to identify immigrants. It has also removed at least one application from its app store used to record sightings of ICE officials for community security, and to better record and map ICE abuses. According to 404 Media, Google has described ICE officials as a vulnerable group in need of protection.
Google also has a long history of cooperation with various law enforcement agencies on top of a slew of cases of privacy violations and data breaches. In 2020, Google complied with a search warrant for a list of all IP addresses that searched the address of a fatal arson. The use of these “keyword warrants” was upheld in court in 2023.
Google collects more data about you than just what you search, though. If you use the “Sign in with Google” button on any website, Google may have information about what you do with that account.
The bottom line: None of us can trust Google to keep our data private.
Start here
The brand “Google” has left a bad taste in our mouths for a while, but when something is so pervasive that it becomes a widely-used verb, it can be hard to imagine extricating one’s self from its primary-colored clutches. Not to worry, we’ll walk you through this one step at a time.
https://www.howtogeek.com/ways-ive-removed-google-from-my-life/
A quick and easy guide to using DuckDuckGo instead of Google Search, Firefox instead of Chrome, etc. If you haven’t put much thought into how to de-google yourself, this is a good way to get the ball rolling.
Level up!
https://tuta.com/blog/degoogle-list and https://proton.me/blog/how-to-de-google
While both of the above posts are ultimately trying to sell you their privacy products, they provide more info on why Google sucks so hard, as well as more brand-specific guides on how to stop using Google products and start using theirs. The tuta.com blog provides longer lists of alternatives for browsers and search engines, and also gives alternatives for Google Translate, Google Maps, Google Drive, Google’s password manager, and more.
Note: We have found that Meta is a “Strategic Member” of Open Street Maps, so as privacy advocates, we can’t recommend that as an alternative to Google Maps.
Hard mode
If you’ve followed the recommendations linked above and you still want to limit Google’s knowledge of your actions, a good step is to de-Google your phone. That’s a lot harder for an Android user than an iPhone user. This blog can give you a couple ideas, but more research may be needed.
Don’t panic
We don’t want you to feel bad about continuing to use Google products because again, Google is everywhere. They’ve been there since the earlier stages of the internet – that’s why “googling” has made its way into everyday English. They helped popularize email.
We know that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. We suggest using a harm reduction lens.
If you don’t have the energy go all-in at this point in time, that’s okay. Start with changing your preferred browser. Add a privacy extension like PrivacyBadger, which blocks ads with trackers. Avoid using “Sign in with Google” where possible, especially when creating new accounts. Pay attention to the prevalence of Google Analytics. Take it one step at a time.