De-googling, so far

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

YouTube and video platforms

  • Many see YouTube as the only truly irreplaceable Google product because of its unmatched content library and network effects.
  • People mitigate Google’s control with tools: NewPipe, FreeTube, SmartTube, yt‑dl/yt‑dlp, ReVanced, SponsorBlock, uBlock, custom frontends, and local downloads.
  • Nebula, Odysee, PeerTube, Netflix-as-YouTube-host, and self‑hosting are discussed as partial alternatives. They’re liked for better incentives and fewer ads, but lack breadth of content and/or polish (e.g., Nebula TV app issues).
  • Debate over ethics: some argue adblocking/sponsor-skipping is justified given surveillance and aggressive ads; others say it “leeches” from creators and prefer paying Premium.

Search engines and Kagi debate

  • DuckDuckGo is criticized for IP-based localization, irrelevant localized results, and strange/noisy results; some still use it with URL parameters.
  • Kagi is praised as the only truly superior de‑Googling option for search, with better filtering and incentives aligned via subscription.
  • Skeptics say it’s hard to justify another paid subscription and question the privacy benefit of an identity‑tied login.
  • Brave Search and searx are mentioned as non‑Google/Bing options; DDG is noted as essentially a Bing frontend.

Email, domains, and account lock‑in

  • Many move from Gmail to providers like Fastmail, Proton, Migadu, Tutanota, Dreamhost, pair.com, and self‑hosted stacks (e.g., Zimbra, mailinabox).
  • Owning your own domain is seen as critical to avoid lock‑in; Google Domains’ sale to Squarespace is noted.
  • Goal for some is not zero‑Google but ensuring that losing a Google account isn’t catastrophic.
  • Concerns raised about any provider’s failure; answer is domain ownership plus backups and easy MX switching.
  • Proton Mail’s privacy is debated; “NSA honeypot” rumors are raised, and Proton’s own responses emphasize client‑side encryption and open-source crypto.

Maps and location services

  • Organic Maps / OSM are praised for navigation and walking, but Google Maps remains superior for business search, opening hours, transit planning, and Street View.
  • Apple Maps and Bing’s street‑view‑like features are mentioned; some accept Apple as “less ad‑driven” but still closed.

Android de-Googling and apps

  • Users report success with GrapheneOS/LineageOS, F-Droid, Fossify, NewPipe/FreeTube, Organic Maps, Aegis, Syncthing, etc.
  • Pain points: Android Auto, Google Pay, VoLTE support, bank tap‑to‑pay, and poor search in OSM apps for some regions.
  • GrapheneOS devs note Android Auto works via sandboxed Play; Google Pay is technically possible but blocked by attestation policy.

Privacy, data collection, and risk views

  • One camp sees Google as uniquely dangerous: pervasive tracking, real‑time ad auctions, government access, and “stalking” via phones. Examples cited include law‑enforcement geofence warrants and health‑site tracking.
  • Another camp argues Google may be safer than small vendors due to stronger internal controls and public scrutiny; worries focus more on random SMEs leaking/selling data.
  • Some argue privacy is already largely lost; they focus instead on data ownership, local copies, and being able to move providers.

Attitudes toward de-Googling effort and scope

  • Some consider full de‑Googling “a lot of work for little benefit” and keep using best‑in‑class Google services with adblockers or paid tiers.
  • Others prioritize “not feeding the beast,” even at cost of convenience, and applaud those who push back on the ad / tracking ecosystem.
  • A recurring theme: partial de‑Googling (email, storage, search) while accepting that YouTube and Maps may remain, at least for now.

Self-hosting and intermediaries

  • Several participants self‑host email, contacts (Radicale/DAViS), files (Nextcloud, Seafile, WebDAV), notes, RSS (Tiny Tiny RSS), and media (Immich, Jellyfin, paperless‑ngx).
  • One viewpoint criticizes the reflex to replace every Google intermediary with another intermediary; suggests sometimes the right move is to avoid intermediaries or server‑side workflows entirely where possible.