Breaking up with Google

Google and I are breaking up. It's something I wanted to do for some time but I kept putting it off, because migrating everything was going to take some effort.

My reasons for moving away from Google is not because I dislike Google as Company. I think Google provide an amazing service and that's why it's so difficult to leave. The real reason I'm moving away from google is because I want to own my online identity. By using Google as my primary email address I don't own my identity, and Google could block access to my account without warning. A less practical reason for why I'm moving is because it's fun to host and manage my own things. It reminds me of how computers and the Internet used to be before capitalism took over the Internet and infiltrated our digital lives.

The most difficult thing about moving away from Google has been updating all of my online accounts with my new email address. The process was a bit messy and all in took about a day to complete. Some sites made it easy to update my email address and username, some not so much. I also took the opportunity to request deletion of my account and data for sites I no longer use, which was nice.

So what am I now using for my email? I'm using Fastmail. It seems to have a good reputation in the communities I follow and that's really the only reason I chose them. I also really like user interface.

Whilst breaking up with Google I also took the opportunity to clear out my Google Drive and organise all of my files locally. I now backup everything up using Restic

I still need to decide on what I'll do with Google Photos. I've downloaded everything with Google Takeout and I may move everything Immich, which seems to be gaining traction.

Just because I've untangled myself from Google it doesn't mean I'll stop using the service. I still think Google is great and will continue to use Google Drive when I need to scan documents, but I'll treat the storage as ephemeral and files on Drive will be moved to offline storage. I also think Google has the best call screening on their Pixel phone lineup, and I'm not ready to give that up just yet.

A word of warning if you choose to follow this path. Managing and renewing a domain is your responsibility, and you will need to ensure you do not lose access. Ask yourself who will do this if you are unable to do so, and if that person has the necessary knowledge to do it on your behalf. Domain protection is a service that can also help prevent hostile takeovers, so you might want to consider that.