From Gemini:
“De-Googling is the practice of intentionally reducing or eliminating the use of Google products and services in your life. This movement is driven by concerns about privacy, data collection, and the dominance of a single company in the tech industry.”
De-Googling is more than a hobby for a lot of people worried about privacy, security, surveillance, freedom from advertising and even how dependent they are upon one or two vendors – especially for search and browsers. On the other hand, de-Googling can at times be painful, such as maintaining multiple accounts to access some services which may be difficult to replace, since Google is such a dominant technology platform. It’s the same for those who want to de-Apple their devices: freedom after some pain.
The most important reason why de-Googling (and de-Appling) is more than a hobby is because of what Shoshana Zuboff calls “surveillance capitalism.” Everyone should know that Google collects lots of information from its “users” and then monetizes the information through advertising. What kind of information? Your purchases, location, search history, usage data, contact information – you name it. This information is then algorithmically leveraged to generate revenue for Google. But how bad is it really? Gemini tells is that in 2022, there were approximately 5.4 billion malware attacks, that ransomware attacks increased by 68% year-over-year in 2023, that phishing attacks are one of the most common cyber threats with millions of people falling victim each year, and data breaches are increasing with millions of records being compromised every year. De-Googling reduces the number and severity of these problems.
Those who want to free themselves from Google and reduce cybersecurity problems can take several steps. The most obvious is to switch search engines. Another is to switch browsers. Yet another is to remove data from Google Drive with increasingly sophisticated encryption tools and services. You might stop using Google Calendar. Or you might just de-Google with a new OS.
BlackDuck’s Mobile Operating Ecosystem
Ironically, Google’s Gemini tells us why we should replace Google’s OS with open-source mobile operating systems:
“There are several compelling reasons to consider replacing your Google OS with an open-source mobile operating system: enhanced privacy, reduced data collection, transparent code, greater security, community-driven security, regular updates, customization and control, flexibility, root access, ethical considerations, fairness and transparency, support for ethical values, future-proofing longevity and adaptability.”
But with who? One of the contenders is BlackDuck which is a mobile operating system with a high level of cryptography to protect user security and anonymity. Like other de-Google rebels, BlackDuck’s mobile operating system and devices are designed to optimize security.
BlackDuck is relatively unique in a growing – which means validated – space: “The BlackDuck innovative business model … combines different synergic business segments including an Open-Source Operating System, an App Store, a VPN Server Market, Anonymous eSIM market, Secure Crypto Wallet, Referral Program, and all leveraged by its tokenomics model.”
In fact, BlackDuck’s go-to-market process blends some common features of the de-Googlers along with some unique ones like the company’s referral system where users are incentivized to work together to develop the platform “to protect the DNA of the users.” By referring the platform, “users earn on purchased digital goods.” The company also offers an anonymous secure crypto wallet which can be used to participate on the virtual products market where clients can send and receive cryptocurrency. Users can even “buy a permanent mobile phone number for daily use and registration on any services, minimizing the leakage of personal data!” The company also enables the anonymous acquisition of a VPN key that integrates into the operating system.
So what have we got? An open-source OS, a decentralized app store, a VPN server market, an anonymous eSIM market, a secure crypto wallet and a referral program – all leveraged by a tokenomics model “aimed at speeding up the business and creating a never-ending motivating circular economy that rewards active users and stackers.”Let’s also not forget that BlackDuck can also set Apple iOS users free who want to prioritize privacy and security and are willing to go the extra technical mile to protect themselves from big tech’s chokehold on the OS market.
To De-Google or Not to De-Google
Individuals and companies must decide if they really want to de-Google. But if they do, there are steps that can be taken to accomplish that goal, including installing BlackDuck or some other open-source mobile operating systems designed to set you free. Make no mistake, however, this is a commitment, a process and an outcome – there’s no Play Store, no Pixel-specific capabilities and no Play Services. De-Googling is also a kind of “political” statement against big tech. Obviously, the primary motivation is privacy and security. But de-Googling sends a message to Google, Apple and their big tech colleagues that there are limits to control. It also sends a complaint to the security and privacy industries about how porous mobile architectures have become. De-Googling is also a market test. How often does it happen, or is it like all of the Americans who threaten to leave the country but never do? All of that said, if you make the decision to de-Google, you should look at BlackDuck.
