Hi privacy community. I genuinely want to hear from both people who are very private and those who didn’t go to such an extent.

I started my journy since high school and replaced a lot of stuff since then.

Ditched most of Google’s app . Only 2~3 apps on my phone require google play store(Banking/School’s app/ Train ticket).

Switched to Protonmail + Email alias, and manage my passwords with Bitwarden.

Got off social media and made sure I removed all data that can be found about me in quick Google searches.

Switched to Linux for desktop.

But

I can’t get rid of gmail because I still need those apps, and some professors heavily relies on google services.

Windows ain’t getting off my laptop because I need to make sure document format and software compatibility don’t become reasons I fail a class.

I feel like the obstacle I hit isn’t just convenience anymore, it’s my life and the situations I’m in.

I wish to hear what kind of dicisions / realizations / mindsets you guys had in your journy.

Thanks in advance.

  • @[email protected]
    23•6 months ago

    Could dual boot your laptop or run windows in a VM as someone suggested. Onlyoffice was what finally solved the office compatibility problem for me during school. O365 is online anyways and works on Linux…

    Replaced gboard with a FOSS keyboard without internet access on your phone? I use and like AnySoftKeyboard.

    Are you on stock android or a privacy friendly ROM? That’d be #1 on my list. I use grapheneos on a pixel 8 and would recommend. Whether you have google apps on your phone or not they have access to everything you do on stock android 🤷‍♂️

    Either way I think its important to recognize how much you’ve already done, and not stress about what you can’t change yet. You’re already more private than 99% of the general population and you aren’t in school forever. I was in the same boat with a windows partition on my laptop for a couple windows only programs for school (online test invigilation can be a bitch for compatibility, windows in a VM generally doesn’t work I found), but school ends and that partition is gone now.

    TL;DR You’re doing good, don’t stress if you have to keep some stuff around for school, give onlyoffice a shot, look into privacy friendly ROMs for your phone.

    • @Echo5
      2•6 months ago

      I know some folks who have problems running onlyoffice- apparently LibreOffice is the fork/spiritual successor to it. Haven’t used it a lot but so far it’s run decently.

      • @[email protected]
        2•6 months ago

        Hmm you’re thinking Open Office which was the predecessor of libreoffice.

        OnlyOffice is a different product

    • @[email protected]OPEnglish
      1•6 months ago

      Thanks for the suggestions!

      I will give more office alternatives a shot, and see Windows more as a “tool” that I don’t prefer, rather than something to banish.

      And yeah, Google sees all on stock android. I definitely will make Pixel+ custom ROMs my top choice when I next switch phones.