I value privacy, but today, very few tech companies honour it. Most make ludicrous profits out of our personal and private data, so much so that they don’t care about having to pay insane fines in geographical areas where privacy standards are enforced, which unfortunately seems to be only Europe. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) harmonizes data privacy law in the EU, protecting the private lives of its citizens. Over the years, the biggest GDPR fines have been the following:

• Meta: over €2.6 billion (parent company of Facebook and Instagram)
• Amazon: €780 million
• TikTok: €345 million
• LinkedIn: €310 million
• Uber: €290 million
• WhatsApp: €225 million
• Google: €90 million

…and those are only the ones that got caught. Photo by Tobias Tullius on Unsplash

While this should render us allergic to their products, most of us continue using their services because we are so tied up in their ecosystem, or there are no sufficiently good alternatives.

You may wonder how these companies make money by selling your private data. What is there to gain? There are a number of companies known as data brokers that buy and sell aggregated data from various sources. They buy from Amazon, Meta, TikTok, and others, while reselling mainly to ad services, which in turn can be the same companies that sourced the original data, although now they have a much more complete profile of their individual users, making advertising more targeted and hence efficient. For companies that provide a curated personal wall of information (think Facebook, X, or Instagram), fuller profiles allow higher customer retention.

Fortunately, there are several established tech companies that offer similar services while making a profit through other means than selling your private data. Granted, not all are perfect, but their feature set can only grow through the support of new customers who believe in their mission.

Privacy-Focused Alternatives to Popular Services

Here are some examples of privacy-focused alternatives to popular services:

Search Engines

• DuckDuckGo: A search engine that doesn’t track your searches or sell your data. It provides a clean, ad-free experience and is known for its strong privacy policies. DuckDuckGo is particularly popular among users who want to avoid the data-hungry practices of Google.

Email Services

• ProtonMail: Based in Switzerland, ProtonMail offers end-to-end encrypted email services. They prioritize user privacy and have a strong track record of protecting user data. ProtonMail is ideal for users who need secure communication for personal or professional use.

Messaging Apps

• Signal: An open-source messaging app that offers end-to-end encryption for all communications. It’s widely regarded as one of the most secure messaging platforms available. Signal is perfect for users who need to ensure their messages are private and secure.

Social Media Platforms

• Mastodon: A decentralized social media platform that allows users to create their own communities. It’s known for its strong privacy policies and lack of data tracking. Mastodon is a great alternative for users who want to engage in social media without sacrificing their privacy.

Cloud Storage

• Tresorit: A cloud storage service that offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only you can access your files. It’s based in Switzerland and is known for its strong privacy policies. Tresorit is a great alternative for users who need secure cloud storage.

Web Browsers

• Brave: A privacy-focused web browser that blocks ads and trackers by default. It also offers built-in Tor browsing for added privacy. Brave is ideal for users who want to browse the web without being tracked.

VPN Services

• ProtonVPN: A VPN service offered by the same company behind ProtonMail. It’s known for its strong privacy policies and robust security features. ProtonVPN is ideal for users who want to ensure their online activity is private and secure.

Password Managers

• Bitwarden: An open-source password manager that offers end-to-end encryption. It’s a great alternative to services like LastPass and 1Password. Bitwarden is ideal for users who need to manage their passwords securely and privately.

Supporting Privacy-Focused Companies

By choosing to use these privacy-focused alternatives, you’re not only protecting your own data but also supporting companies that prioritize user privacy. This sends a clear message to the tech giants that users value their privacy and are willing to support companies that respect it.

Bonfire: The Privacy-First Event Platform

I built Bonfire with the privacy mindset. We do not and never will sell our user data. Furthermore, we collect as little information as possible, just what’s needed to make the site work, which for now is just an email and a username. Eventually, we will also support phone numbers for text notifications, but our goal is very clearly to limit the amount of personal data we collect.

You might be wondering how we make a buck then? For now, we don’t. I (Toby Luxembourg) was planning to make events paid ($1/event), but I don’t think it’s a good way to reach my early market while launching. The hosting costs are currently not terribly high, and I can provide my time for free. In the long term, we will support ticketed events, for which we will take a cut on sales.

To conclude, privacy matters, and at Bonfire, it is one of the core tenets of our business. We build for it because we strongly believe everyone deserves their privacy, and no company should make billions selling us out.

By making the switch to these privacy-focused alternatives, you can take a significant step towards reclaiming your digital privacy. Not only will you be protecting your own data, but you’ll also be supporting a movement that values user privacy over profit. It’s a win-win situation that benefits both you and the broader digital community.

So, take the plunge and try out some of these privacy-focused services. You might find that they offer a better user experience than their data-hungry counterparts. And remember, every small step towards privacy matters. Together, we can create a digital world where our data is respected and protected.