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Avoiding The Google Dependence

If you have a Google account and an Android device, you're likely relying heavily on their services, right? Chrome seamlessly syncing passwords, bookmarks, and extensions across devices? Convenient! Google Photos with smart search, photo tagging, and location information in Maps, offering a generous 100GB basic plan for just $2/month? Sounds awesome!

But imagine losing access to your Google account. No email, no Drive documents, no saved locations in Maps, and none of your saved website passwords recoverable. Touché.

While some services are likely to remain due to their popularity and profitability, a data breach could still mean significant losses. Diversifying where you store your data is a wise move, even if it adds another password to your arsenal (enter your trusty password manager).

I considered ditching the Google overlord altogether since the release of the Microsoft Edge Chromium based version. Websites like killedbygoogle.com track services Google has shut down, highlighting the impermanence of their offerings. Remember, decentralization isn't just about data security; it's also about empowering myself and avoiding vendor lock-in.

Thankfully, we still haven't seen Google Wallet in Morocco, so that's one less concern for now. However, Google's reach extends far beyond payment services.

Did you know that getting banned by Google on one service applies to all of its services too? This means a seemingly minor misstep on YouTube could lock you out of your entire Google account, including Gmail, Drive, and Photos. And the same applies with your Google play developer account.

Taking control of my data started with understanding it. Using Google Takeout allowed me to download a copy of selected services' data, giving me a safety net and the freedom to explore alternative services, with a good pace too.

Decentralizing my calendar and planning can be tricky. While Google Calendar's seamless integration with Android is undeniably convenient, exploring alternatives was worthwhile. I've been experimenting with Notion Calendar, and although it doesn't show Google Tasks yet (a major drawback for me), it aggregates events from various sources, including my Google account and Notion pages. If Google Tasks' integration ever arrives, I'd readily switch on desktop and eagerly await the mobile app.

Ironically, Google Authenticator is currently the most reliable 2FA option offered by Google itself. However, relying on a single service for such a critical security measure isn't ideal. I've considered using a third-party app like Authy or Microsoft Authenticator, but the ease of use of Google's was so good, so I'm sticking with it for now.

Here's a breakdown of where I could decentralize my data:

  • Passwords: Been using LastPass for long time, and switched to Bitwarden due to many data breaches discovered in the former. Still not tried Google's Passkey and, won't.
  • Browsing: Currently and happily on Firefox, and if in any case I'm switching to another it wouldn't be a problem at all, to the contrary of chrome if using its built in password manager. Bookmarks on the other hand are easy to import/export due to the not-so-sensitive data.
  • Google Podcasts: in favor of Spotify since the former is the next on the killedbygoogle.com list, will be shut down in April 2024. And god, it was such a good (web)app.

What's remaining:

  • Google tasks to TickTick
  • Google Calendar to Notion Calendar
  • Google Photos to Nextcloud
  • Gmail to (still thinking about it)
  • Google Drive (still thinking about it - bis)
  • Google Maps (for saving locations)

Finally, decentralization is a journey, not a destination. Starting small, experimenting with different tools, and gradually moving my data away from Google's clutches, which one of them is, unfortunately, a Pixel phone.