How to Remove Google from Your Life to Take Charge Of Your Privacy

Google has become so popular in our world that nosotros take literally replaced the word search with Google in near of our natural conversations. The use of Google search has become so pervasive that most of us consider Google as a search engine visitor, which is just one slice of the pie. In reality, Google is an ever-expanding company which makes about of its money by collecting and using user data to show you relevant ads, links and content.

While some of usa may believe that Google is offering us complimentary services out of the goodness of its center, the reality is that our data is the product that Google is selling – to brands and businesses who want to target you with ads.

If you value your online privacy, it will practise you good to stay equally far away from Google every bit possible; and while it'south easy easier said than washed, there are certain steps that y'all can accept to minimize the data collection. For some of u.s., it might be more difficult than others, however, if you follow the steps that I prove you, you can pb a more private life online, and then to speak.

Take Charge Of Your Privacy by Removing Google from Your Life

Practise note that Google is but i company that collects data, while in that location are other forms of surveillance that tracks your online activity, which is much harder to evade. But if yous are ready to take the first stride towards taking accuse of your online data, here is how yous tin can remove Google from your life:

Why We Need to Rely Less on Google?

Before nosotros begin our article, I know some of y'all might have doubts as to why you should rely less on Google to get more private. The reason behind this reasoning is pretty simple. Most of us are relying on Google for virtually all our online needs. We search for stuff on Google, sentinel videos on YouTube, use Gmail as our main email provider, use Google Maps to navigate, use Chrome for browsing the spider web, and so on.

While Google similar whatever other company doesn't acquaintance information directly with you, with and so many services in identify, it doesn't accept to put much effort into recreating your entire virtual life. Only recall most it, Google knows where you live and travel to, what you search, what you do on the web, what videos are y'all interested in, who is on your contact list, and then much more. If you lot are using an Android phone then Google as well has access to all your photos, call data, and a list of every app that yous use on your phone.

With that much information, enquire yourself, do y'all really want i company to have all that data well-nigh you? I mean, the answer to this question might have been yes, if Google was known for its high privacy standards. However that's non the case, on the contrary, Google has been known to collect even more data without user permission that it should. Just recently, Google was found to collect location data from Android phones even when location history was turned off, and it faced a big lawsuit over information technology.

Frankly, if you are okay with this, kudos to you and you lot don't need to practise anything. Yet, if yous find all these things a lilliputian creepy, follow along as we show you some steps to lower your dependence on Google and safeguard your data.

How to Replace Google

If you are ready to replace Google, congratulations. Yous have already taken the first step towards improving your privacy. Withal, every bit I said, the journey will be harder than you look. To remove Google from our lives, we will need to supervene upon its services with other services that explicitly hope non to track us. Sometimes, those services are not as feature-rich as Google, and then, you will have to decide if y'all desire more convenience or more privacy.

Most of united states of america volition cull dissimilar things depending on our needs and that'south completely fine. You don't have to switch everything and remove Google in its entirety from your life. You simply need to make it tougher for Google to read your patterns so that it tin can't rails your every 2nd of your life. If that means using third-party services which might too runway you lot, you can do that too.

1. Replace Google Search with DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo markets itself as a search engine that doesn't rails you lot. The service offers complete anonymous search allowing you lot to continue your searches private. You can use DuckDuckGo on your browser or download its mobile apps (Android/iOS) if you want to use the service on the become. DuckDuckGo provides users with anonymity by not tracking your IP address, non request you to create an account, and not saving cookies and search history. One good thing about DuckDuckGo is that information technology automatically forces all your spider web browsing to use the secure "HTTPS" route so that you protected while browsing the web.

There are a lot of benefits of using DuckDuckGo over Google which we have covered in the past.

• Visit DuckDuckGo

ii. Replace Google Chrome with Other Secure Browsers

Google Chrome is a behemoth in the browser industry every bit it has captured the bulk share in the browser market. As of June 2018, Google Chrome has captured over 67% of browser market place share in the globe. If you are one of those users who is using Google Chrome, information technology's time that you lot switch to something more than private. If you are an Apple user, the simple answer is to employ Safari every bit not just it's fast but it's also very secure as Apple tree is calculation more and more than privacy features every twelvemonth.

If you lot apply Windows and Android, your all-time bet is to utilize Mozilla Firefox as information technology's both secure and blazing fast, and can go caput to head with Google Chrome when information technology comes to speed. The Firefox team has worked difficult to release their latest Firefox Quantum 59 update which has inverse the way this browser works. If you haven't tried it till now, I highly suggest that you exercise information technology right at present. Also, remember to make DuckDuckGo your default search engine whichever browser you are using.

• Download Firefox

iii. Discard Google Password Manager

If you have been using Google Chrome all this while, chances are that you are using Google's password director to autofill your password. Since you lot are switching the browser at present, it's better to permit become of a browser-based password managing director and apply a product which is congenital for information technology.

I always recommend LastPass equally its free tier gives enough features and so that almost of usa can use it without paying. Withal, if you want to see options, you should cheque out our best password managers article for more in-depth analysis of each password direction tool.

• Visit LastPass

4. Move Your Electronic mail from Gmail

This probably will be the hardest thing to do equally well-nigh of u.s.a. have had our emails for quite a long time and information technology's what we use to create other accounts and talk to our contacts. That's why, if you can't switch your electronic mail, you don't have to.

That being said, if you are using a business concern email with Google as your provider, you can use other services which provide more secure business concern email options. They might cost a little more, all the same, they are also more secure.

I recommend FastMail as its the best business email provider I could find, nevertheless, you tin can choose whatever service that meets your needs.

• Visit FastMail

five. Don't Utilise Google DNS

Using an open and free DNS service is good for people who want to protect their browsing data from the prying eyes of their internet service providers or ISPs. Ane of the well-nigh popular gratis DNS services is Google DNS. While Google DNS is skilful for protecting your information from your Internet service provider, it won't protect your information from Google itself. If you want to make certain that your browsing history is non being track past either your Internet service provider or Google, you better move to a more private DNS server like Cloudflare. There are other free and secure DNS providers in the market and if you like to see a list of them, visit our article which lists the best open and gratis DNS services that you tin use.

• Visit Cloudflare

half dozen. Motion Your Files Away from Google Drive

Google Drive is yet another major data harvesting tool in the hands of Google. If you are using Google Bulldoze, it's time that y'all switch to a more secure and private cloud storage provider.

While Dropbox might be the first cloud storage provider that comes to your listen because of its features and ease of use, there are many other cloud storage providers which bring extreme protection by encrypting your data. Y'all should definitely meet our picks for the best Google Drive alternatives, before making your choice.

• Visit Dropbox

7. Stop Using Google Maps

This is yet another major Google service which is pretty hard to replace because of sheer convenience and authentic data that it offers. Before Waze got acquired by Google, information technology used to be a good alternative to Google Maps, still, after the acquisition went through, nosotros are not sure whether it's sharing data with Google or not.

Keeping that in mind, iOS users will find it more prudent to use Apple Maps, which has received some major improvements in the past. Non iOS users will detect the Nokia Here Maps (Android/iOS) to be the best Google Maps alternative. The point hither is to rely on Google Maps as less as possible. If you exercise need to use it in some circumstances, you should definitely go alee, however, endeavour to apply information technology as less every bit possible.

• Visit Nokia Hither

eight. Replace Google Weather with DarkSky

Another manner Google can rails your location data is using its atmospheric condition app. Since, a weather app needs your location access to tell you what information technology'southward like exterior, using Google Weather is not recommended. It'due south also pretty easy to replace Google Weather condition services as there are a number of more than accurate and good looking conditions apps out there. My favorite weather app of choice is DarkSky (Android/iOS) equally information technology's accurate and looks great.

• Visit DarkSky

ix. Move Your Chats Abroad from Google Hangouts

While it's hard to reset your email, moving your chat service abroad from Hangouts is pretty easy, especially when at that place are a ton of exceptional chatting services out in that location. iOS users accept the benefit of using iMessage which is 1 the most secure and feature-rich messaging service in the marketplace right now.

Android users tin cull between WhatsApp (Android/iOS) or Telegram (Android/iOS) or any other messaging service that they find to see their needs. One thing that I would similar to mention hither is that WhatsApp might not be secure in the future as Facebook has appear its program to share data from WhatsApp to its own servers which is a large privacy risk. And so, you should avoid using WhatsApp if you don't desire to deal with the hassle of changing your messaging service again.

• Visit Telegram

10. Check Out Google Docs Alternatives

In recent years, Google Docs has emerged as a great productivity suite. Non merely you become this service for costless, but y'all besides get i of the best live collaboration features I have seen in the market. If you lot are using Google Docs a lot, it might exist a lilliputian tough to switch from the service but at that place are options out there which volition make the transition easier.

My favorite document app is Quip (Android/iOS) and if you lot take never heard of it before, you should definitely give information technology a try. Information technology is a paid service only information technology'south besides highly functional and brings a ton of features that Google Docs lacks. You tin can also utilise information technology to manage a team and your daily workflow.

• Visit Quip

See ALSO: 10 Best Google Chrome Alternatives

Safeguard Your Privacy By Cutting Out Google

That ends our article on how y'all tin can safeguard your online privacy by relying less and less on Google. If you follow all the in a higher place 10 steps, your online life will be less reliant on Google, and more secure for virtually employ-cases.

That said, I know it volition be hard to execute all the ten steps at once, that'southward why yous should kickoff with the few things that y'all are comfortable with and then move onto other steps. Do let us know if you liked the article or not by dropping your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source: https://beebom.com/remove-google-from-your-life/

Posted by: reddanstivoung.blogspot.com

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