r/degoogle

I am so fed up with this AI bullshit. I didn't ask for any of this, i just want to make calls, take photos and scroll my socials. This is like hiring someone for money and asking them to do everything for you and whatever they do they go and tell others. I'm actually fed up that I'm thinking of switching. I don't want to switch to iPhone as they are basically the same. Please help me I feel helpless right now. I don't want to live in this dystopian world

The thing that annoys me the most about google is having to constantly phone verify when I'm just trying to check my stupid emails. Any secure alternative that specifically doesn't harass me when I log in and lets me use my password? Also helpful if it can alias.

This program is offered for Pixel 6a owners who suffer from the battery defect. Long story short, we have exchanged dozens of emails with Google support. They played all imaginable games. I have provided them the proof of ownership, requested technical information etc.

Finally they have made the official statement - Google discriminates Pixel 6a customers based on their choice of the OS, violating the T&C of their own program, which only requires the proof of device ownership and the battery workaround update to be installed - which is included in GrapheneOS for about 10 months already.

T&C actually says (https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/16340779?hl=en#terms):

- "All Pixel 6a devices will receive a mandatory automatic software update to Android 16, with roll out starting July 8 2025" - GOS includes that workaround

- "The options above are available exclusively for individual end-user consumers of Impacted Devices only"

No specific requirements related to the OS flavor can be seen anywhere in the T&C.

Google is clearly evil.

https://preview.redd.it/x610y4celc2h1.png?width=1742&format=png&auto=webp&s=5870d80b69f67812c0b1872550481b343ba7b7ab

Hello all!

I'm looking for engines under SearXNG that will get me results every time, without denying access or handing my container a captcha. General, Images and Videos are a priority.

It drives me nuts when my instance gets captcha'd from Startpage, Brave or DDG. I barely get results from my selfhosted SearXNG because of all the "access denied" and Captchas I can't seem to stop getting.

I just need search engines to aggregate from, which do not captcha me, so I may get results.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Added more specific context and worded question better.

i already use firefox as a browser and im happy enough with it that i dont really think about it. For email, ive been primarily looking at protonmail and more recently tutamail, my main worry with switching email clients is that the company randomly goes under in the future and i lose access to all my emails. For search, ive been looking at kagi, it looks very promising but i worry i would have the same problem i had with duckduckgo for a limited time, where the searches were noticeably slower. Im not in the US but i have a very good internet connection (half a gigabit)

Hi all, I have a galaxy S23+ and would like to degoogle the operating system. I have seen LineageOS doesn't support it officially and, if it does, VoLTE doesn't work, which is a shame as it's a feature i use often when i'm abroad. I don't know many other OSs that offer the same level of polish as lineage.

What would you suggest doing in my case? In alternative, i would like to degoogle the phone as much as possible (i mean at the core/os level, not replacing google drive with something else which i am planning on doing already).

I am already using morphe reddit and youtube, fairemail (with google accounts as of now unfortunately).

Thanks

So I just read that Canada’s proposed surveillance bill is getting massive backlash from VPN companies, and apparently Windscribe even said they might straight up leave Canada if they’re forced to log user activity. Ngl this is kinda insane to me. Like bro the main reason I even pay for a VPN is so my activity isn’t being tracked everywhere I work remotely and travel a lot, so I’m constantly connecting to hotel Wi-Fi, coffee shops, airports, all that sketchy public internet stuff. A VPN is basically my safety net. But if governments start forcing VPN companies to keep logs of what users are doing then wtf are we paying for at that point?. Anyone else think this whole thing is getting way outta pocket?

Hello all.

I'm looking for an ethical browser alternative to Google Chrome. I've tried a few in the past (many years ago) and they weren't so efficient, but now I am hoping modern browsers have caught up, and am wondering what's out there.

I know there are a lot of different opinions about what constitutes "ethical"... So this is personally what I'm looking for:

- browsing that protects users data / privacy / doesn't sell private data to companies

- browsers that don't use data to train AI models (this is a big one for me)

- (preferably) browsers that don't incorporate / use AI answers as a default (like Google's "AI Overview")

- (preferably) a browser that's not involved in the AI/cryptocurrency/arms and military intelligence race

I'm personally environmentally-minded and not too keen on Big Tech for lots of reasons (including crypto/AI/etc.), so am looking for an alternative.

I do like the convenience of Google (Gmail, etc.) providing access to a calendar and Internet storage, and that it can save your password logins and synch between devices, etc., is an added perk. But I realise that convenience often comes at a price, and am willing to let it go...

I've heard of a few, but am unclear on where their companies really stand. I know Microsoft has come under fire for a lot of its military deals. Brave sounds like it protects users' data, but is very pro-AI and crypto (is that true?). Ecosia says it plants trees, but runs on Chromium (right?), so how ethical can it really be... I'm happy for these assumptions of mine to be corrected, as I don't know much about this stuff.

Thanks in advance!

UPDATE: I see a recent post on this community about Mojeek--have never heard of it before this, so any thoughts from users?