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degoogling [2025/10/10 20:08] – [Google Drive] qlyoungdegoogling [2026/05/19 03:49] (current) – [Google Drive] qlyoung
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 Sometime around 2021 I began to feel that use of Google services constituted a grave threat to my digital sovereignty, and began slowly moving off of them. Sometime around 2021 I began to feel that use of Google services constituted a grave threat to my digital sovereignty, and began slowly moving off of them.
  
-Here in 2025 I still have a Google account and probably will for the foreseeable future, because Google Fi and Google Fiber remain the best cell service and internet service providers, and you need a Google account to pay for them.+Here in 2026 I still have a Google account and probably will for the foreseeable future, because Google Fi and Google Fiber remain the best cell service and internet service providers, and you need a Google account to pay for them.
  
 Today I use my Google account for five things: Today I use my Google account for five things:
  
   * As an OAuth identity for services that require one - literally just Tailscale, I have replaced everything else with email-based accounts   * As an OAuth identity for services that require one - literally just Tailscale, I have replaced everything else with email-based accounts
-  * Filling out Google Forms - please stop using these folks, they often require a Google account+  * Filling out Google Forms 
 +    * If you use these, please set them so they don'require a Google account
   * Access to shared Google Photos albums   * Access to shared Google Photos albums
   * Google Fi (cell service)   * Google Fi (cell service)
   * Google Fiber (internet)   * Google Fiber (internet)
  
-Despite these limited use cases, which are all provided for free with a personal-tier Google account, I still have to pay for Google Suite ($8/month). Why? Because years ago when I wanted to use a custom domain on my Gmail account, I started paying for Google Suite to enable this functionality. When you do this, your Google account is converted from a "Personal" to a "Business" account. This is a one way transition. Once this happens, if you stop paying for it, your level of services drops *below* that offered to a free personal Google account. So unless want to completely disable my Google account (spoilers: I dobut not yet) I have to continue to pay Googlebecause they don't offer a downgrade path.+Despite these limited use cases, which are all provided for free with a personal-tier Google account, I still have to pay for Google Suite ($8/month). Why? Because years ago when I wanted to use a custom domain on my Gmail account, I started paying for Google Suite to enable this functionality. When you do this, your Google account is converted from a "Personal" to a "Business" account. This is a one way transition. Once this happens, if you stop paying for it, your level of services drops *below* that offered to a free personal Google account. So until am ready to completely disable my Google account, I have to pay Google because they don't offer a downgrade path.
  
 Below I share what I have replaced various Google services with. Below I share what I have replaced various Google services with.
  
----- +---- 
 + 
 +===== Replacements =====
  
 ==== Gmail ==== ==== Gmail ====
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 ==== Search ==== ==== Search ====
  
-now pay for [[https://kagi.com/|Kagi]].+I pay for [[https://kagi.com/|Kagi]].
 ==== Google Drive ==== ==== Google Drive ====
  
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 Tried and rejected: Tried and rejected:
-  * Filestash - kept running out of space on cloud VMs, S3 integration setup is a little scary, software buggy +  * [[https://www.filestash.app/|Filestash]] - kept running out of space on cloud VMs, S3 integration setup is a little scary, software buggy 
-  * Nextcloud - too heavy to host a public instance just for filesharing+  * [[https://nextcloud.com/|Nextcloud]] I use this on my intranet, but it'too heavy to host a separate public instance just for filesharing
   * [[https://github.com/magic-wormhole/magic-wormhole|magic wormhole]] - works, but people don't want to install programs to receive files and the mobile story is bad. shout out [[https://rymdport.github.io/|rymdport]] for favorite client.   * [[https://github.com/magic-wormhole/magic-wormhole|magic wormhole]] - works, but people don't want to install programs to receive files and the mobile story is bad. shout out [[https://rymdport.github.io/|rymdport]] for favorite client.
-  * [[https://syncthing.net/|Syncthing]] - It's a sync program, it isn't intended for unidirectional file transfer and thus doesn't work well for that purpose+  * [[https://syncthing.net/|Syncthing]] - Sync programs are not designed for unidirectional file transfer and don't work well for that purpose
  
 I now pay for Dropbox. Upload to folder, share link. Sometimes you just gotta pay and move on. I now pay for Dropbox. Upload to folder, share link. Sometimes you just gotta pay and move on.
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