Digital Sovereignity as a Grassroots Movement

There’s a growing movement toward reclaiming control over our digital lives. The smartphones in our pockets are the primary interfaces through which we experience the modern world. Yet paradoxically, as these devices become more central to our lives, our control over them diminishes. This post explores the current landscape of user-respecting software and services, examining what’s available now, what’s on the horizon, and what crucial pieces are still missing from the puzzle of digital autonomy.

The digital landscape of 2024 presents a troubling power dynamic: while tech companies view each user as marginal revenue, for individuals, platform dependency has become existential. Getting deplatformed or losing access to critical services can be devastating to one’s personal and professional life. Businesses now operate entirely through services like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, making a sudden account suspension potentially catastrophic. Our social connections, too, have become inextricably linked to a handful of Meta-owned social and messaging platforms. Even our very identities – email addresses, cloud storage, and digital memories – rest in the hands of these corporations.

Every click, message, and photo becomes a data point in an ever-growing profile of our behaviors and preferences. The consolidation of power among a few platforms creates an environment where innovation struggles and security remains a concern as centralized services become irresistible targets for hackers and governments.

Google lost against Facebook repeatedly, in the competition for the hegemony over the social business, by shutting down first Orkut, then Google Buzz, and finally Google Plus [...] The logic of winner takes all, the so-called Matthew effect, dominates contemporary capitalism, especially in the digital industry and network economies. Once cumulative advantages create a monopolistic regime, then there is no real competition, so no real consumer’s choice, and therefore no real accountability of the companies that dominate specific markets.

However, signs of change are emerging. Open-source alternatives are maturing, supported by vibrant communities committed to digital freedom. This transformation won’t come from the top down – it can’t, given the vested interests at play. It requires a grassroots movement of users making conscious choices about their digital tools and services.

By supporting and using privacy-respecting alternatives, we can shift the balance of power. This isn’t just about individual privacy; it’s about fostering a healthier digital ecosystem that respects user agency and promotes innovation.

[...] Open markets are predicated on the idea that if a company harms people, consumers, workers, and business partners will choose another option. We are here today because that choice is no longer possible. […] Because concentrated economic power also leads to concentrated political power, this investigation also goes to the heart of whether we, as a people, govern ourselves, or whether we let ourselves be governed by private monopolies. American democracy has always been at war against monopoly power. Throughout our history, we have recognized that concentrated markets and concentrated political control are incompatible with democratic ideals. When the American people confronted monopolists in the past—be it the railroads and oil tycoons or AT&T and Microsoft—we took action to ensure no private corporation controls our economy or our democracy. We face similar challenges today. […] Their ability to dictate terms, call the shots, upend entire sectors, and inspire fear represent the powers of a private government. Our founders would not bow before a king. Nor should we bow before the emperors of the online economy

What Can We Use Today?

Reliable, sovereign, and privacy-respecting tools exist today. Here’s a selection of software that has matured enough for daily use:

Core System Tools

  • GrapheneOS is a security-hardened Android OS that eliminates Google’s surveillance infrastructure while maintaining app compatibility. How to install it and use it is detailed in their GrapheneOS Usage Guide.
  • Firefox + Arkenfox: An independent browser championing web diversity and privacy. With the Arkenfox user.js, users can further enhance Firefox’s privacy. Combine it with uBlock Origin for making web browsing a delightful experience.

Security Essentials

Communication & Search

  • Kagi: A paid, privacy-respecting search engine that delivers high-quality results without tracking. Its innovative features go beyond traditional search engines.
  • Signal or SimpleX Chat are much better communication tools than WhatsApp or SMS-based walled gardens. Read Signal’s “Why Use Signal” post or SimpleX’s Platform and Motivation documentation to learn more about them.

Email Services

  • ProtonMail: Secure email with end-to-end encryption and Swiss privacy laws.
  • Tutanota: A minimalist email service with built-in encryption.
  • Fastmail: Reliable, standards-compliant email that is not provided by Google.

What Shows Promise?

Exciting new projects are emerging that could reshape our digital independence:

Media & Content

  • VLC Media Player: A feature-rich, open-source media player supporting cutting-edge formats like AV1.
  • AntennaPod: A podcast client offering offline-first functionality and no tracking.

Knowledge Management

  • Logseq: A privacy-first note-taking app with local-first storage and powerful linking features.

Navigation & Maps

  • Organic Maps: An offline mapping solution that prioritizes privacy. Its rapid development cycle promises quick feature improvements.

File Management

  • Syncthing: Decentralized file synchronization for users who want full control over their data.

Daily Utilities

  • Fossify Apps: Mobile tools like a gallery, calendar, and notes app built with privacy in mind. While not yet polished, they demonstrate that basic utilities don’t require tracking or cloud integration.

What’s Still Missing?

Despite the progress in privacy-respecting software, critical gaps remain:

  • App Distribution & Updates: Existing solutions like F-Droid struggle with usability and update speed. Tools like Obtainium show promise but lack mainstream polish.

  • Local AI Processing: Running powerful models like Llama locally remains impractical for most. Tiny Corp is selling an amazing product, though quite expensive.

  • Mobile Payments: Google and Apple’s monopoly on NFC payment infrastructure locks users into proprietary ecosystems. Open standards are needed to break this stranglehold.

  • Computational Photography: Open-source cameras struggle to match proprietary systems in areas like low-light performance and portrait modes. More resources and open hardware access are necessary.

  • Network Privacy Infrastructure: Comprehensive, user-friendly network security solutions are lacking. Privacy-conscious VPNs, smart firewalls, and secure DNS remain disjointed and overly technical for most users.

Looking Forward

Beyond Individual Tools

A Personal Digital Habitat is a federated multi-device information environment within which a person routinely dwells.

Today, we often cobble together various privacy-respecting applications, each solving a specific need. The Personal Habitat of tomorrow needs to transcend this patchwork approach. It should offer seamless integration where your calendar naturally talks to your maps, your notes flow into your communications, and your media organizes itself – all while keeping you in control of your data and identity.

Picture editing a document on your phone, then seamlessly continuing on your laptop without cloud syncing. Imagine sharing photos with family without surrendering them to a corporate server, or collaborating on projects without exposing your team’s data to third parties. This isn’t science fiction – the building blocks exist. What’s needed is the connective tissue that brings them together.

Key to this vision is the principle of local-first computing. Your data lives on your devices by default, syncing and sharing only when you explicitly choose to do so. Cloud services become tools you use rather than territories you inhabit.

Your Role in This Future

The journey to digital sovereignty is a marathon, not a sprint.

Every choice to use privacy-respecting software strengthens the ecosystem. Each user who embraces alternative platforms helps prove their viability. Every developer who contributes to open-source projects pushes the boundaries of what’s possible. The future of personal computing stands at a crossroads. One path leads to ever-greater centralization and control by massive platforms. The other leads to a world where technology serves humans first, corporations second.

The tools and approaches discussed here represent the first steps toward a brighter future. The question isn’t whether this future will arrive – it’s who will help build it, starting with simple app choices that can make a huge difference.

Will you join us?

Further Reading