There are many reasons to switch from Big Tech companies. You can read more about how they are a threat to you and democracy in our article about Big Tech. But to sum up – they spy on you, sell your personal data and try to manipulate you by letting you only see content and viewpoints they want you to see. And if you say or do something they do not like, they will just pull the plug on you – like they did on many people already, including the president of the United States. If it can happen to one of the most powerful people in the world, what are your chances? Imagine losing access to your Gmail tomorrow (like this guy).
To make a switch, first you need to delete accounts from the companies that violate your rights, especially your right to express yourself freely. We show you how to do it easily below. Then we present you the alternatives that have vowed to support your civil liberties and allow you to be exposed to the whole spectrum of opinions, so you can form your own. Do not put it off until tomorrow – start right now.
Delete Big Tech
The list below includes companies that are known to violate your civil liberties, especially free speech, and ban people based on politics. It is not exhaustive and is constantly being reviewed and updated. Click on each link to delete your account from each website.
- Delete Facebook/Messenger – you will have an option to download a copy of your data before deleting.
- Delete Instagram – you might want to download a copy of your data before deleting [see here].
Delete Twitter– things on Twitter (now X) improved since its acquisition by Elon Musk, so you might want to keep it. You should still prefer the alternatives though (see suggestions below).- Delete Google – this article describes how to remove Google from your life.
- Delete WhatsApp
- Delete Reddit
- Delete PayPal
- Delete Twitch
- Delete LinkedIn
- Delete Pinterest – On the Account Settings, click “Delete Account”, state reason and click “Next”, then “Send email”. You need to check the e-mail and confirm the deletion.
- Delete Amazon
- Delete eBay
- Delete Patreon
- Delete Mastodon
- Delete Etsy – Click on “Request deletion of your data” and then “Yes, I’m sure”. You’ll receive an e-mail with a link to finish the process.
If any of the links above do not work or you would like to delete other account, go to JustDeleteMe and enter the website you want to delete your account from for instructions.
Use the alternatives
The platforms below are considered by us the most suitable social media alternatives to Big Tech giants. Unsurprisingly, every single one of them is smeared by the mainstream media and the Big Tech (so, their competitors) as full of “far-right”, “extremists” and “white supremacists”. For some reason, they do not seem to mind far-left extremist on Twitter. The truth is, you will get a small minority of extreme views on all platforms. The difference is, our recommended platforms will allow you to be exposed to the whole spectrum of opinions, so you can form your own. Not only the ones considered acceptable by the establishment, so they can tell you what to think. Please see the alternatives below.
Social media
You can read a short overview of available social media alternatives here and make your choice.
Check out scored.co and, if you live in the USA, patriots.win.
Patreon
You can read a short overview of available Patreon alternatives here and make your choice.
Coming soon.
YouTube
You can read a short overview of available YouTube alternatives here and make your choice.
Twitch
Currently, the only viable substitute is DLive.
Messengers
Our pick is Signal. It is end-to-end encrypted, which means no-one can see your messages, and it is open-source, which means you can be sure they don’t lie about it. They will never snoop on you or sell your data, simply because they do not have it. It is also probably the most successful WhatsApp/Messenger alternative – many people already made the switch, including Elon Musk and Edward Snowden [source]. And if it is recommended by Edward Snowden, it is probably worth using.
Note: we discourage the use of Telegram, because its design is not privacy-focused and allows for censorship. In fact, Telegram already started to censor and ban people in Germany [source] and Brazil [source].
Marketplaces
Use a search engine to find products you like directly, on smaller websites, other than Amazon and eBay. Support small and local businesses – not only those online, but also the ones with only physical presence. Talk to the owners and they will give you advice you will not find in biased Amazon reviews. It takes a bit more effort than just going to Amazon, but is your conscience not worth more than that?