These days, there are three main tech companies that dominate the industry.
Apple, Google, and Microsoft are a part of our everyday lives.
Many people put all their data and trust into one company such as Google.
This is exactly what Dylan M. did.
He used multiple Google services, from YouTube to Gmail, and was happy with the services.
That is… until all his accounts were disabled.
Dylan received an automated message from Google that a “perceived violation” occurred.
Since that message, he hasn’t been able to access anything linked to his Google account.
Dylan says he didn’t do anything wrong and wasn’t aware of violating any terms or policies of Google.
And he said that Google didn’t provide any evidence to support the claim.
The frustrating thing is that Dylan had spent months consolidating his online presence to Google services.
He had more than 4,000 photos, Google voice messages, and more than 500 written essays for college.
He lost his internet bookmarks as well as everything saved in Google Docs.
Worse, he lost access to his calendar and maps.
He no longer had his medical records and important doctor’s notes that he saved to Google.
Imagine losing everything you had saved in the digital world.
This is how Dylan felt.
He reached out to Google multiple times but has had no luck getting his data back.
This is one reason why more people are considering taking their digital life overseas.
And it’s not just ordinary citizens thinking about this.
You see, some countries in Europe are moving away from U.S. tech companies in favor of smaller tech companies that keep data local.
For example, France and Germany have created their own “Docs” to replace Google Docs.
With new and robust solutions popping up overseas, moving your files to foreign providers might be worth considering.
Here are a few reasons why:
Some foreign tech companies can actually provide better data protection laws.
For instance, Switzerland has very strict privacy laws compared to laws in the U.S.
Another benefit of foreign tech is that you can find similar services at a much lower cost.
For example, tech companies in Europe offer cloud services at a lower subscription cost than those in the U.S.
Lastly, moving your digital life abroad can make it less likely that any government can access your data.
Countries like the U.S. and China have relatively intrusive data collection, whereas other countries are less likely to care about your online data.
Why you might NOT want to use foreign tech companies:
One of the biggest issues with moving your digital life abroad is that every country is going to have different privacy laws and data regulations.
This can complicate how your data is viewed.
Also, if you are dealing with foreign tech providers there could be language barriers.
It could be hard to use the software or platform if you don’t understand the language.
Plus, calling a foreign tech company’s customer service could open up plenty of issues.
Their customer service could be on an opposite work schedule from you.
Finally, depending on the country, there could be internet censorship or other restrictions.
The decision to move your digital life abroad is a personal one that has benefits and drawbacks.
But if you want to start with a foreign web browser, check out Mullvad or Startpage.
Mullvad is based in Sweden and is available only on desktop.
It doesn’t collect user data and is focused on privacy and the company does not store any activity logs.
Startpage is based in the Netherlands, and it removes your IP address and personal data.
It uses Google and Bing for search results, but it submits the data anonymously on your behalf.
Startpage serves as a middleman to protect your data.
As for email providers, I would look at ProtonMail.
The company is based in Switzerland and offers email, cloud storage, and VPN services.
It’s worth considering moving your digital services abroad to protect your data, but whatever you decide, you’re still responsible for protecting yourself.
