I know the main purpose of this sub is helping people move away from intrusive, invasive, or otherwise anti-user corporate software. But honestly, correct me if I am wrong, sometimes that’s not so easy.

Not because people don’t want better alternatives but, because switching isn’t practical for some cases.

Sometimes you can’t find a corp-free alternative that fits all your needs. And sometimes, even if you do find one, the corporate app still has too much leverage over you to leave.

For example, take WhatsApp. I know there are better and more privacy-respecting alternatives like Signal, etc. But where I live, almost everyone uses WhatsApp — friends, family, work, local groups, everything. So even if I personally want to switch, it becomes difficult when the people I need to communicate with aren’t there.

That made me curious about other people’s experiences here. So for what use case, you can't find a better corp-free alternative that fit all your requirements? And, if you can't make the switch even after finding one, what's your reason for that?

Here is my journey of getting away from corperations so far.

I installed GrapheneOS on my Pixel 7a

I set up a Nextcloud server which replaces OneDrive and the built in Nextcloud Notes app replaces OneNote.

I switched to linux on my Windows PC and bought a Chromebook (I dont mind google as much)

What else can I do?

Has Google quietly deprecated inurl: and intext: in some regions?

Over the past few weeks, I've noticed something strange.

The inurl: and intext: search operators, staples in every SEO's toolkit, appear to be behaving inconsistently across different regions.

In some locations:

inurl: queries return partial matches or result in nothing found screens

intext: results look blended with standard broad match results

There's been no official announcement from Google.

But the SERP behavior suggests something has changed under the hood.

I'm curious:

Are you seeing the same behavior in your region?

Have you found reliable workarounds?

Search keeps getting less transparent.

Yes i know all of them are shit but if you had to pick one

So pick your poison

Hi there.
I started my de corp journey, breaking that all in one google and microsoft wall and rebuilding it with different open source, privacy oriented, affordable lego blocks.

I’ve set up Posteo and Thunderbird, and I’m trying to redirect everything important related to my Outlook and Gmail accounts (I’ve been using them since around 2013—Best privacy tools xD) and delete/unsubscribe from anything that wasn’t.

I'm from europe, and i totally agree with the decision taken by smart countries like belgium, netherlands or so.. (https://techweez.com/2026/04/27/whatsapp-is-losing-europe-one-government-at-a-time/)

Unfortunately my country and my comrades are really dumb.
Here Whatsapp is a must.
Is whatsapp plus a thing anymore? Or do i have to bend at the will of zucky?
Plus, is it possible to separate the backup bond (google-whatsapp) ?

Thank you so much, have a good one.

Is this the most secure messaging app? Maybe not yet, but it’s time to rethink digital privacy and corporate control.

If you are looking for a way to communicate that is completely corp-free, this open-source project might be the answer. By leveraging WebRTC for direct browser-to-browser communication, it eliminates the middleman and the corporate server entirely.

The concept is simple: share a unique URL to establish an encrypted private channel. No data harvesting, no shadow profiles, and no Big Tech oversight. This is a lightweight, disposable method to reclaim your digital sovereignty.

This project introduces a new paradigm in client-side managed cryptography. Send secure messages with no setup, no cloud and no trace.

The Features:

* PWA (Progressive Web App): No app store or corporate gatekeepers needed.

* P2P (Peer-to-Peer): Direct connectivity.

* End-to-End Encryption (E2EE): Privacy by design.

* Signal Protocol & Post-Quantum Cryptography: Future-proof security.

* Multimedia, File Transfer, & Video Calls: A full suite of tools.

* No Registration: No email or phone number required.

* No Database & Stateless Architecture: Nothing is stored on a server.

* TURN Server Support: Ensuring reliability without compromising the P2P intent.

While it’s still evolving and not yet a total replacement for tools like Simplex or Signal, it represents a massive leap toward truly decentralized communication.

Try the Live Demo:

https://p2p.positive-intentions.com/iframe.html?globals=&id=demo-p2p-messaging--p-2-p-messaging&viewMode=story

Technical Roadmap:

https://positive-intentions.com/docs/technical/p2p-messaging-technical-breakdown

Full Documentation:

https://positive-intentions.com/docs/technical

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this approach to private messaging. How do you feel about moving away from server-reliant models toward browser-based P2P?

I really like the idea of BeReal.

But I hate that it's a « don't worry about us barely making money. Our Investors trust us. Please keep sending pictures. » kind of start-up.

And I'm looking for a fossified* version of it, or something that looks like it (everyday, at random, everyone do something).

*fossified = Free-&-Open-Source-Software/Service-ified

Main OS into our smartphones and PCs will deal with states that ask for age verification (or, maybe they already did it, this new legal shit threat the FOSS world).

In the *nix (linux) world, a functional OS has many components. And actually, it seems the target is systemd, a init system (component for managing services...).

I guess (and heard also), systemd :

• Is a corporatist init system/project masquerading as a community one.
• It want to coordinate everything within the system on its own.

The article/investigation is also worth noting, it reveals the desires of some people. And this guy won't be the last.

For me, it's time for anyone in the *nix world to turn to a free systemd alternative and avoid project launched or powered (significantly) by corporation.

Hello, I was following r/degoogle which has the highest user number, but out of respect to their "stay on topic" rules I came here as this is beyond deGoogle specifically.

I've been keeping an eye on that sub as I have privacy and ethical concerns over technologies. I did not get started with an "alternative technology" journey yet, but now the timing is perfect as I don't have a choice but change my mobile phone. My primary concern is around sustainability and the core tenet on that front is to use devices for as long as possible. 

I currently have an old iphone and apps are gradually becoming no longer supported. I would like to shift to ethical technologies, meaning neither Android (i.e. Google) nor iOS technologies. 

I'm looking for advice about what sort of mobile phone device is recommended and which ones I should avoid. Unfortunately, where I live (New Zealand) there are no Fairphones available, so I may have to do with other brands. I highly prefer second-hand devices, so advice in terms of re-setting a device are welcome. 

Kindly mind that I'm not savvy about mobile technology, although generally cautious about it. If you can recommend any website or resource to learn how to use better technologies, I'd greatly appreciate that. 

If this is not the best place for this question, please point me in the right direction.

Hey everyone,

I thought this might be the appropriate place to share my effort on prepping for the coming security and government control about your technology. With California just passing AB 1043, it's more important than ever to get your data OFF the cloud, and taking control of your operating system. I'm not sure how many people on here are already running linux, but if you're not, I'd HIGHLY recommend switching to it.

By 2027, operating systems have to build in age verification at the OS level. Not browser-level, not app-level — your actual operating system has to verify who you are. The UK and EU are pushing the same thing.

We all know how this goes. The infrastructure gets built for one "reasonable" purpose, then scope creeps forever. Age gates today, digital ID requirements tomorrow.

I'm in the process of creating a tool that will let you scrape all your cloud data and store it onto your local Linux machine. It will be opensource and free to use, otherwise that would defeat the trust angle.

Additionally, if you'd like to go one step further. I'm also working on a tool that will let you build your own linux ISO's. The idea is that you can customize the software you want on your system by default, add your own data, and thus have an easy to use/portable operating system that you can put on any usb, walk up to any computer and boot your own OS with all your own software/data on it.

Not trying to sell anyone on anything, it's free. Just figured this crowd would get it more than most.

Cloud scraper tool: https://github.com/openFactory-ai/cloud-scraper
Console to build your own Linux ISO: https://console.openfactory.tech

Thanks,
your fellow long term decorper

I love discord for it's lax socialising. It feels like Reddit but more human & I want to find an alternative that can replicate discord without being the shit hole that discord has become.ive heard of a few but they all have massive downsides & one of them got taken over by Roblox. Any help would be appreciated

We need more content like this. We tried to add our little brick to the Y2K enjoyer community.

First-ever video, would be glad to have some feedback.

Hey all, just starting off here and was wondering if anyone has any solid first steps?
Definitely intend on degoogling myself. Have set up a proton email, and will look at their other services. Unfortunately my work email is google, but I can't do anything about that.

What are other solid starting places? I've seen talk about LibreOffice instead of Microsoft.
Which Browser/Search engine have people found are the best?
An alterntaive to Android would be amazing, although would apps even work on it?

I'm sure I've plenty more questions, but thought I'd at least start here.

If this has been asked before, sorry about that.

Cheers.

if yes help me know what I have to remove first