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   Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:07:21 JST Jay Baker

   Libre Office: This is probably not a shocker, but there’s really absolutely no reason to be coughing up money to give to Microsoft for their Office suite when there’s already the free and open source Libre Office that does almost exactly the same things. Don’t look back. https://www.libreoffice.org/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:07:29 JST Jay Baker

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     OnlyOffice: This is similar to Libre Office, but geared towards cloud-based office use, ideal for collaborations as well. https://www.onlyoffice.com/en/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:08:11 JST Jay Baker

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     Scribus: This is a free and powerful program that lets you create professional-looking documents like books, newsletters, and brochures. It supports various file formats, colour separations, PDF creation, and has a user-friendly interface. https://www.scribus.net

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:09:02 JST Jay Baker

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     Linux: It’s not just Microsoft Office you can forget about, but all of Microsoft’s offerings, including Microsoft Windows itself. You can probably get rid of Mac OS too. Why? Because Linux is free and open source software that is not just “libre” but also often costs you as little as nothing. There are literally hundreds of different Linux distributions (or “distros”) to choose from, and you can find the one for you via LibreHunt: https://librehunt.org/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:12:41 JST Jay Baker

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     As a recovering Linux "distro-hopper," I have used many (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Manjaro, Mint, Elementary, to name a few), but am currently running Pop!_OS (and secondarily Ubuntu Budgie) at time of writing. The best option for you depends entirely on your personal preferences and circumstances; for example, Mint and Elementary (who have made strides on accessibility features) retain aesthetics similar to Windows and Mac, respectively, whereas Fedora may possibly provide better security but are under the auspices of the ethically dubious Red Hat: https://www.thejournal.ie/red-hat-israel-6393191-May2024/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:17:24 JST Jay Baker

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     eOS: If you’ve already rejected the closed-source world of Apple, are used to Android, but are sick of all the apps that come “baked-in” to it, and want a “de-Googled” version, this – from the non-profit e Foundation – is a smooth, easy-to-use mobile operating system you can put onto many models of phone with their “easy installer” or perhaps purchase a refurbished device with it already installed, and save waste. You can even buy a sustainability-focused Fairphone (and other handsets) with it pre-installed. https://e.foundation/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:17:25 JST Jay Baker

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     TAILS: A special mention in particular for this ultra-private Linux distro: The Amnesic Incognito Live System (TAILS) is a private operating system you can carry around with you in your pocket — no, really! If you’re hopping onto different computers but they’re not working smoothly or you just don’t trust their security, you can launch your very own TAILS from your USB stick and use it on that computer, with all its wonderful privacy-focused programmes and features. There’s even an option to have it retain your information unlocked by your own security keys via something called Persistent Storage, meaning it truly does become your own secure personal computer on a stick! Bizarrely, I’ve been informed that some activists have been arrested just for possessing TAILS, so proceed at your own risk. https://tails.net/index.en.html

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:20:35 JST Jay Baker

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     CalyxOS (currently up in the air): Nicholas Merrill ran a New York-based web-hosting company called Calyx when he received documents from the FBI demanding information on his service users. He not only refused to comply, but also sued the FBI – and won. He then set up the Calyx Institute, a non-profit organisation. CalyxOS is a mobile operating system with privacy and security in mind that runs on specific devices such as Fairphone and Pixel, if you can grab a used one to avoid financing Google. Sadly, for reasons unclear, Nick’s just recently parted ways with the Calyx Institute since I originally compiled this list, and security updates are paused, so personally I switched to the comparable iodéOS: https://iode.tech

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:23:15 JST Jay Baker

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     A note: If ethics are less of a concern but you are in circumstances where you must run arguably the most secure mobile system possible, you might opt for GrapheneOS, which only runs on a Pixel phone (which are now under other threats from Google's AOSP shenanigans) – but anyone supporting or even mentioning mobile alternatives that aren’t GrapheneOS are susceptible to being targeted and harassed online by the GrapheneOS developer(s); I heard about it then experienced it personally, and even Louis Rossmann wasn’t immune from this either: https://inv.nadeko.net/4To-F6W1NT0?t=35

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:29:38 JST Jay Baker

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     Another note: On the subject of “de-Googling,” if you haven’t taken these leaps yet, regardless of the Android device you currently use, you can still avoid over-reliance on Google Play by using F-Droid or Aurora to get your apps, completely bypassing Google Play (at your own risk and all that). And keep in mind there are many alternatives to Google’s seemingly essential services with things like Cryptpad or Riseup Pad (instead of Google Docs), Mega Sync (instead of Google Drive), DeepL (instead of Google Translate), OpenStreetMap (instead of Google Maps), and Tuta Calendar (instead of Google Calendar), and with even more cool alternatives below, there’s really no reason to still utilise the glorified advertising company that is the data-gathering, evil Google. Proton – who built an ecosystem to rival Google's – stopped being a viable alternative for me after the CEO essentially adopted a “both sides” position on fascism and anti-fascism (and it's a bad idea to buy into one singular ecosystem of online products anyway, and surprisingly not even necessarily cost-efficient when I tried it): https://theintercept.com/2025/01/28/proton-mail-andy-yen-trump-republicans/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:31:28 JST Jay Baker

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     Tuta: The aforementioned Tuta Calendar is brought to you by the same folks who provided us with Tuta Mail. "Private, green, and ad-free," Tuta offer encrypted email to protect our communication and keep it quantum-safe. https://tuta.com

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:33:42 JST Jay Baker

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     The balance between a robust, sustainable service provider and those who cannot be easily coerced is difficult to identify – and quite subjective, based on your own circumstances and needs. But Runbox are worth a mention for their principles alone. There is also Riseup which – while also not necessarily offering an app or encryption "out-of-the-box" – are run by what remain exclusively an activist collective less likely to adhere to warrants issued by oppressive regimes; Disroot, meanwhile, can no longer be recommended since it was brought to my attention that they are run by Covid conspiracy types: https://todon.nl/@joenepraat/107780085180396545

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:40:25 JST Jay Baker

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     Jitsi Meet: With a massive amount of marketing money behind it, Zoom became the “big bad” of video conferencing as the pandemic hit (then without irony ordering their own workforce back to the office in the ongoing pandemic), nonetheless leaving many unaware of Jitsi Meet: open source and with end-to-end encryption, it offers an incredible unlimited free meeting access for up to a hundred people at a time. (Personally, I just use Signal for my video meetings when I have the option – more on that later!) https://meet.jit.si

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:41:58 JST Jay Baker

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     A note: Zoom has greater resources so, like many larger companies, are quicker at implementing accessibility features such as closed captions, so always consider how to strike the balance between ethics and inclusion.

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:42:45 JST Jay Baker

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     Vivaldi: – Google’s Chrome browser is, of course, a vile and sinister menace (see contrachrome.com). If you’d like to attempt to wean yourself away from such software but are used to certain Chrome features, Vivaldi is a worker-owned company from Scandinavia that is built on Chrome but retains an ethos of privacy and decentralisation. Vivaldi is indeed, as it claims, “powerful, personal, and private,” and is highly suitable for the web browser “power-user.” https://vivaldi.com

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     Regendans (regendans@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:45:33 JST Regendans

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     @MediaActivist Good to read this. 2011 : RedHat was pretty proud to be part of US military operations. “When we rolled into Baghdad, we did it using open source.” https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/red-Hats-decade-of-collaboration-with-government-and-the-open-source-community #RedHatLinux #USA #military

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:46:29 JST Jay Baker

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     Firefox: There is a common argument that browsers are being built in a way that is reliant on the Chromium base, and therefore it’s therefore better to look towards alternatives such as Firefox (and I'll tackle that in a moment). From the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, Firefox offers containers (that enable you to open a site in a contained tab that separates it from the rest of your browsing, for example, for various logins to the same site) and has numerous privacy and security add-ons available, as well as synchronisation between devices via its Firefox account that also links to useful services like Firefox Monitor and Firefox Relay. https://www.mozilla.org

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:49:30 JST Jay Baker

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     Note: Don’t let Firefox (or any other browser) fool you into using Google as your default search engine, though — use something like DuckDuckGo, MetaGer, Mojeek, Swisscows, or Startpage instead, though the latter two can be annoying as they seem to rely on ads, and while Startpage is powerful and not based in the US, they are constantly blocking VPN users, while at least for me DuckDuckGo do not seem to be doing that. I cannot recommend Kagi: https://d-shoot.net/kagi.html

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:50:35 JST Jay Baker

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     Another note: If any of those examples aren’t good enough for you, there’s the privacy-focused Searx, which has different search engines available depending on your own needs. And there's the rub: Firefox have not only become incredibly dependent upon Google sponsorship, but also pivoted towards advertising and A.I. in recent months (as have many search engines, sadly): https://www.osnews.com/story/141757/mozilla-once-again-confirms-its-all-about-ads-and-ai-now/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:52:02 JST Jay Baker

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     I used Firefox for over twenty years, and after I fell in love with the workspaces feature and aesthetic of Vivaldi, I retained those, with Firefox’s containers, by using the Floorp forked version of Firefox from Japan and, more recently, the beautiful Zen browser, as well as Waterfox and LibreWolf, before finally realising I can cope just fine without containers and stick with Vivaldi, who are a larger project, while retaining a good ethos. The point is, there are many forks of Firefox to choose from if you don't want to use a Chromium-based browser.

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:55:31 JST Jay Baker

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     Tor browser: This is Firefox on steroids: enabling anonymity while browsing, routing traffic through the Tor network (though some websites don’t play nicely when you’re using it – so this is really just what you use when you want to fully protect yourself). It’s also a conduit to *ominous music* the Dark Web (ooh, scary!) https://www.torproject.org

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Tuesday, 09-Sep-2025 23:58:45 JST Jay Baker

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     Mullvad Browser: We’ve talked about Firefox from the Mozilla Foundation, and of course Edge comes from Microsoft, and Chrome from Google, and while Brave browser hails itself as a privacy-focused option, their current CEO was kicked out by the Mozilla Foundation for his bigotry, so no thank you. Built in collaboration with the folks at Tor, Mullvad Browser offers largely the same as Brave but without the prejudice or cryptobro culture. Bonus! https://mullvad.net/en/browser

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:03:27 JST Jay Baker

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     However, if you’re wanting privacy from your ISP regardless of whether you’re using a browser or another programme connected to the internet, you may be interested in Mullvad VPN: Yes, it’s Mullvad again, but with what they were most known for before their browser came along: the virtual private network (VPN). The VPN has been the bane of the increasingly anti-protest, authoritarian British police state since the introduction of Prime Minister (or “Pry Minister”) Theresa May’s “Snoopers’ Charter,” requiring ISPs to keep tabs on internet activity for the purposes of blanket surveillance. A VPN is ideal in combating government, corporate, or other malicious attacks on privacy, and an absolute must when using public/shared wifi. VPNs are also useful if you’re in one country and wanting to access local content in another country, as you can choose which servers to connect to. While NordVPN and Surfshark may deserve a mention, their “dark patterns” approach to locking in customers and their accounts make me reluctant to recommend them any more. One of the few VPN providers to offer cheap and flexible pricing combined with ease-of-use, Mullvad hit headlines for refusing to hand over customer details to cops because they don’t log such information. https://mullvad.net/en

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:09:29 JST Jay Baker

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     AnonAddy: This is an ideal option to sign up for offers and accounts that you don’t want to share your actual everyday email account with! Think of it like a digital P.O. Box. It not only helps you protect your privacy online, but it's also open source. https://addy.io/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:09:30 JST Jay Baker

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     LibRedirect: When someone sends you a link to often walled-off sites like YouTube, Instagram, or Reddit, you can use the albeit hit-and-miss LibRedirect web extension that valiantly attempts to redirect such websites to alternative privacy-friendly frontends. https://libredirect.github.io

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:10:35 JST Jay Baker

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     Signal: WhatsApp is owned by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, so their encrypted messenger app comes at an ethical cost, when there are perfectly good alternatives. Still in my opinion the original and best, Signal is encrypted, fast, free, open source, and can be used on mobile or desktop, whether you use Windows, Mac, or Linux. In addition, Signal’s video chat option is surprisingly smooth enough to rival Jitsi Meet, and even offers screen-sharing (though not closed captioning). Those wanting something more fun and functional, reminiscent of WhatsApp's look and feel, with less emphasis on open source and encryption, have often opted for Telegram, which sadly became a haven for far-right groups whose members rear their ugly heads in other chatrooms (reflective of the sketchiness of Telegram itself), but we should always stick to the safe spaces, which brings me to the next subject. https://signal.org/en

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:22:17 JST Jay Baker

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     I feel like I've written at length on my own site about the social media alternatives that have risen up in recent years, from the federated to the decentralised, and seeing as I avoid the rest, the fact you're reading this means you've found some of the better places! One thing I will say is that too many good people are still falling for Meta's marketing ploy pitching "Insta" as the younger, hipper, more progressive version of Facebook -- but they are the same thing. Delete your Instagram. https://deleteinstagram.neocities.org

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:24:44 JST Jay Baker

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     Bangle.js: Rather than the various unethical and expensive smartwatches from the surveillance capitalists, you may wish to instead opt for the slightly more affordable, effective, and hackable Bangle.js 2 that has an incredible amount of interfaces and features readily available — developed by the community — so even if you don't want to hack it yourself, you can use it with ease. https://banglejs.com/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:25:23 JST Jay Baker

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     PineTime: Even cheaper than the Bangle.js, the more basic PineTime comes from the people who brought us the Pinebook Pro laptop and PinePhone, amongst other things that remind us of the hardware options out there — from the Fairphone and Framework devices with a focus on DIY repairability, to simply refurbished laptops with Linux on and cheap Raspberry Pi microcomputers. There is actually a lot of choice out there, that really depends on personal preference. https://www.pine64.org/pinetime/

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:31:17 JST Jay Baker

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     • FreeTech Project

     I'll finish by mentioning that we're about to wrap up the @freetechproject that came out of the Libre Digital non-profit I founded fifteen years ago, therefore for one last time I'm facilitating its tech-focused workshops for the 2025/26 season, so feel free to find out more about these topics there! https://www.libredigital.org/the-freetech-project-returns-with-tea-tech-online-workshops/

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     lashman (lashman@mastodon.social)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:38:45 JST lashman

     in reply to

     @MediaActivist they do have a desktop app as well

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:38:45 JST Jay Baker

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     • lashman

     @lashman True! And it's great!

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 00:39:45 JST Jay Baker

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     • Regendans

     @regendans Bloody hell!

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 01:11:43 JST Jay Baker

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     • The Sleight Doctor 🃏

     @ApostateEnglishman Thanks - boosted!

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     The Sleight Doctor 🃏 (apostateenglishman@mastodon.world)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 01:11:44 JST The Sleight Doctor 🃏

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     @MediaActivist Tor is excellent, but it's worth keeping in mind that it has a severe limitation: the traffic between the exit node and the open internet is always unencrypted. It's essentially an "I'm Spartacus!" machine. No-one can link your online activity to your LAN, *provided* you don't inadvertently share personally identifying info without using an additional layer of encryption.

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     Expel Hotovely 🇵🇸 ☮️ (linuxgnome@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 09:59:18 JST Expel Hotovely 🇵🇸 ☮️

     in reply to

     • The Sleight Doctor 🃏

     @MediaActivist @ApostateEnglishman

     TAILS with bridges?

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 16:40:25 JST Jay Baker

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     • craignicol

     @craignicol Yes, thank goodness! It's what I've been using most recently.

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     craignicol (craignicol@glasgow.social)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 16:40:27 JST craignicol

     in reply to

     @MediaActivist DuckDuckGo also has an AI remove list if you don't want slop in your image search results.

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     Jay Baker (mediaactivist@todon.eu)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 20:35:54 JST Jay Baker

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     • sunflowerinrain

     @sunflowerinrain I relate. And well said!

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     sunflowerinrain (sunflowerinrain@mastodon.online)'s status on Wednesday, 10-Sep-2025 20:35:55 JST sunflowerinrain

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     @MediaActivist
     I tried to get colleagues, friends, and family to use Jitsi instead of Zoom. Only my father did, and he preferred phone calls anyway.
     Now it's the same with Signal versus Whatsapp, though that's looking more hopeful.

     One day humanity will learn to resist the brainwashing I mean marketing tactics, and we shall have the best things instead of the mediocre things that make more money for the few. One day.