’Denmark Switches.’ A national campaign to collectively move off Big Tech.
-
I've added a new 2026 Digital Resolution to my 'Denmark switches from Big Tech' goals.
I had already switched from Patreon to Steady. Thanks to @JohanEmpa for making that possible after he added Steady as a Mastodon.green payment option.
Now my Microsoft subscription is the only thing left on PayPal and I'm almost deMicrosofted. So I'll be cancelling, not renewing, that. So now I commit to deleting my PayPal account. Today. Inspired by @oldrup, who just did this.
@CiaraNi @JohanEmpa @oldrup My decades old digital kleptomania has left me with a lot of work to do.. i have been stashing files in multiple 1 TB onedrive accounts for ages. ugh.
-
From Google Play to F-Droid
I find that for some applications further options are needed.
https://uptodown-android.en.uptodown.com/android
Pls take a look at NetGuard git, it prevents apps on android phones from calling home to mommy and blocks ads.
I donated to the developer and got an unlocking key for extra features.
Getting setup can sometimes be difficult but well worth the bother when you see all the places your phone tries to connect to.
-
Before I could pick my 2026 goal for #DanmarkSkifter, I did a digital status. I was mildly surprised when I saw my 2025 digital changes together. I looked at the list and thought: ’Tell me you hang out in the Fediverse without telling me you hang out in the Fediverse.’
From Outlook to Tuta
From Office to Libre
From MS Authenticator to Ente Authenticator
From Google Play to F-Droid
From Spotify to AntennaPod
From Firefox to Vivaldi
From DuckDuckGo to NoAIDuckDuckGo
And I bought a back-up drive.@CiaraNi Honestly Google Play is just so incredibly bad. Even if I know what I'm looking for it feels like it is actively trying to block me from getting to it.
It is a far cry from the early days of smartphones where you could check app stores and find cool things. -
@CiaraNi @JohanEmpa @oldrup My decades old digital kleptomania has left me with a lot of work to do.. i have been stashing files in multiple 1 TB onedrive accounts for ages. ugh.
@johnlorimer Multiple 1TB OneDrives - oof, I sympathise. That'll take a while to untangle from. I have one, not even close to being anywhere near full, and still it's been taking me months to sort out my photos. On the plus side, I am deleting manically and enjoying that process a lot. A very therapeutic photo massacre! And also good for the environment, reducing storage waste. We'll get there, all of us, step by step
-
@CiaraNi Honestly Google Play is just so incredibly bad. Even if I know what I'm looking for it feels like it is actively trying to block me from getting to it.
It is a far cry from the early days of smartphones where you could check app stores and find cool things.@drgroftehauge Agreed. I was so busy trying to get away from Big Tech that I didn't think deeply about what I was moving to. So it's been a pleasant surprise to experience that every open-source thing I've switched to so far is better and calmer and simpler to use. Including F-Droid, instead of Google Play.
-
@Kerplunk @CiaraNi I just use the AdGuard DNS.
Net Guard git can do a lot more, a donation directly to the developer is cheap and unlocks all features.
The app can not only use blocklists against ads scams etc but more importantly control the applications and to some extent the operating system.
When you see all the places your phone has been silently contacting and how often you will, as I was, be shocked.
Setup takes a little effort but worth it.
-
@drgroftehauge Agreed. I was so busy trying to get away from Big Tech that I didn't think deeply about what I was moving to. So it's been a pleasant surprise to experience that every open-source thing I've switched to so far is better and calmer and simpler to use. Including F-Droid, instead of Google Play.
@CiaraNi @drgroftehauge I know I'm supposed to be the techie out of us, Ciara, but how do you actually switch to f-Droid?
-
@CiaraNi @drgroftehauge I know I'm supposed to be the techie out of us, Ciara, but how do you actually switch to f-Droid?
@CarstenBoll @CiaraNi @drgroftehauge first time you need to do it manually:
You can download the apk from the official webpage (click on the button: download f-droid): https://f-droid.org/en/
Then i suggest to open the apk from the file manager (to avoid giving install permissions to the browser), you will be asked for permissions with a scary page. After you install it you can remove the permits.
You will have to approve the install permission for f-droid the first time you install something
-
@CarstenBoll @CiaraNi @drgroftehauge first time you need to do it manually:
You can download the apk from the official webpage (click on the button: download f-droid): https://f-droid.org/en/
Then i suggest to open the apk from the file manager (to avoid giving install permissions to the browser), you will be asked for permissions with a scary page. After you install it you can remove the permits.
You will have to approve the install permission for f-droid the first time you install something
@CarstenBoll @CiaraNi @drgroftehauge it can be installed directly from the browser but then I think it is advisable to remove the install permissions from the browser.
If you consider this complex, i can try to record a video showing it
-
@CarstenBoll @CiaraNi @drgroftehauge it can be installed directly from the browser but then I think it is advisable to remove the install permissions from the browser.
If you consider this complex, i can try to record a video showing it
@antoniovr @CiaraNi @drgroftehauge nah, seems doable, didn't consider getting it from the browser. Doh.
-
N Marianne shared this topic
