Hills and valleys: My Journey Away from Big Tech

I will take you on my adventure to switch from Big Tech software to more reliable, European or open-source alternatives. I honestly share my experience with you: successes, setbacks and challenges. Along the way, I encounter obstacles, such as hardware that doesn't work, services that cost money, and people who don't understand my choice. I share everything so that you can learn and enjoy this journey. Are you coming with me?

A missed tile is also a choice

At first glance, it seems like a small thing. A group of volunteers at the campsite who want to build a tile path, and I who are being bombed as coordinator. But while they consult via WhatsApp, I stay out of the picture. Why? As a matter of principle, I don't use WhatsApp. I offer alternatives: Signal, text, e-mail. But the tile group stays with their app, so I stay out of the picture. An uncomfortable choice, but a conscious one.

“Principles without inconvenience are only preferences.”

Why I prefer Signal over WhatsApp

Signal is open source, end-to-end encrypted and is not funded by advertising or data sales. WhatsApp, on the other hand, is owned by Meta (Facebook), a company that makes its billions trading user data and behavioral analysis. Even if WhatsApp claims that messages are encrypted, metadata – who with whom, when, how often – is data gold for a company like Meta.

“Privacy is no secret. It is a right.’

‘I don’t have anything to hide, do I?’

Signal offers almost the same functionality as WhatsApp: text messages, group calls, voice calls, video calls, media file sharing, read confirmations, stickers and much more. In this respect, the switch is hardly a functional decline. The fact that people still stick to WhatsApp raises an uncomfortable question: What exactly binds you to that platform? The answer is often simple and painful: Because others are still on it.. But that applies to everyone. And as long as everyone stays where they are because no one wants to be first, nothing changes. It reminds me of that old story of the frog in the pan of water: If the water slowly warms up, it won't jump out. Until it's too late.

This is the most common argument for continuing to use WhatsApp. But it's a misconception. Privacy isn't about guilt or secrets, it's about autonomy. You also don't share your post with the neighbors at home, simply because you have the right to have your own space. In addition, patterns, social networks and contact frequencies are already significant even without content. That information feeds algorithms that manipulate you, commercially or politically.

What many people don't realize: that information is resold to third parties. This allows scammers, for example, to build a compelling profile of you, including who your family is, when you're on vacation, or what concerns you have. This creates a breeding ground for targeted scams or extortion.

In addition, Meta – WhatsApp’s parent company – subtly manipulates your feed via Facebook. Think of favoring certain political messages, systematically displaying misleading ads, or creating a false sense of urgency around products or ideas. Your behavior is controlled without you even realizing it.

Even a seemingly innocent message in a group app can have unintended consequences. If you share something, the other members of the group may suddenly experience an increase in spam simply because their phone number has been exposed through metadata connections. This way, your social network becomes a sales target.

“To say that you have nothing to hide is like saying that you do not need a right to freedom of expression because you have nothing to say.”

The price of a choice

My screen club misses my registrations. The Toastmasters group shares updates without me. Even professionally, I notice: colleagues find ‘another app’ too much hassle. What about my daughter? It stays on WhatsApp. We communicate via SMS or via the Whatsapp of her mother, my dear wife. It feels painful. Not only because it is practically difficult, but because it says something about our borders. And yet: I'm not moving. Because if no one starts, nothing changes.

‘Change starts with the loner who refuses to participate.’

The moral question: Modifying or Limiting?

Should I force people to use another channel, or should I join the group? That is the question of conscience. My answer: I offer alternatives. Signal, SMS, email, phone. Anyone who wants, can reach me. WhatsApp is a boundary for me. No compromise. No exception. Because my communication should not depend on a platform that does not respect my rights.

“You do not set a limit because it is easy, but because it is necessary.”

Finally: Yeah, it's tricky. And no, I'm not going back.

I miss messages. Sometimes I feel left out. But I also feel like I'm picking a direction that's right. And as soon as there is a European, open-source, end-to-end encrypted option that can replace Signal? I'll make that switch, too. This trip is not hype. It's a course.

“Anyone who cares about freedom sometimes has to swim against the current.”