From your location data to browsing preferences and screentime habits, many popular apps are constantly collecting and storing your information. Tired of Big Tech’s overreach? Here are some alternatives that can help you reclaim your digital privacy.
Alternative Browsing
Your browser is the base for all your internet operations. If your browser isn’t secure, neither is your information. Most popular browsers, like Chrome and Safari, use your browsing data for targeted advertising – and even share it with third parties. Fortunately, multiple alternative browsers exist that provide a more secure browsing experience.
Brave, a Chromium-based browser, is one of the most popular alternatives. It was developed by a former Mozilla employee with privacy in mind. Brave has a built-in ad and tracking blocker, and you can still operate many of the same add-ons and extensions that you can with Chrome and Safari.
Firefox Focus is another alternative browsing option. Unfortunately, there is not yet a desktop version, but the app is available for Android and iOS. Much like Brave, Firefox Focus allows you to automatically block ads and tracking without an extension. The free service was created by Mozilla for mobile users who value privacy.
Is Your Search Engine Secure?
Google is perhaps the most notorious company when it comes to storing, tracking, and utilizing user data, yet it still accounts for 91.54% of the global search engine market. Find yourself getting bombarded with targeted ads? Perhaps you should consider switching to a different search engine.
DuckDuckGo was developed specifically with privacy in mind, and it never tracks you or stores your search history. This alternative search engine has over 100 million users a month and can easily be set as default in your browser settings or downloaded as an app on your smartphone.
Alternative Messaging
When choosing an alternative communication app, one of the most important factors to consider is encryption. While email and messaging may seem instantaneous, they aren’t. When you send a message or email, it must travel through multiple networks and online services before reaching its recipient. While traveling through these systems, messages become vulnerable to attack by hackers, unless they are encrypted. End-to-end encryption, in essence, scrambles messages while they are in transit and then “unscrambles” them once they reach the intended recipient. Most default messaging apps and email platforms are not end-to-end encrypted.
In addition to lack of encryption, the term and conditions of many messaging apps raise privacy concerns. Facebook Messenger has been flagged for its excessive permissions and collection of data, including use of your camera and microphone at any time, and permission to read and use contact information. Even Apple stores information about the way you use iMessage, though that data is considered “anonymous” and allegedly not used for marketing purposes.
So, what alternatives are out there?
Titanium Secure is a quantum-resistant, integrated messaging service that prioritizes security and privacy. Their platform includes individual and group messaging, voice and video calls, and video conferencing. Their high security standards include a “burn” option, which allows users to set messages to automatically self-delete after a certain amount of time, to protect privacy. Messages and calls on Titanium Secure are encrypted according to the highest standards set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
Alternative Email Service
In our post about email security, we highlighted how both Outlook and Gmail have been known to scan and record email data, though they claim not to use that data for targeted advertising. They also collect user information, which can include your location data, search history, platform interactions, and device information. Using an email service provider you trust is crucial to keeping your data secure.
ALTERNmail, ALTERNcloud’s soon-to-be publicly released email platform, is founded on security and privacy. Our encryption and authentication features, as well as our commitment to your personal privacy, ensure a safe platform for you to store and transmit your information. ALTERNmail is built on ALTERNcloud infrastructure which won’t cancel you, slow you down, or spy on your data and activities, allowing you or your company to send large volumes of email in minutes.