Google runs the world.  Am I right? Well, it certainly ran my life for a long while and it’s not easy getting away from it.  From the conveniences it gives us to finding out what it takes is quite a journey!  You can learn more about that in our What Google Knows About You article if you want.  Here I will tell you what you can use in place of all the things Google gives you.

If you would like to start getting away from the tracking, there are a few programs and addons that you might consider.

Alternative to: Gmail

Go from a free email service to a paid email service that doesn’t serve ads.  Well, this one is a no brainer.  We recommend ILJ Mail!  We don’t serve ads and we don’t use trackers to follow you around the web.  We provide a secure, private email account for your eyes only.

Alternative to: Chrome

There are many browser alternatives out there.  The one I see most recommended (and the one I use) is Mozilla Firefox.  They have been around a very long time and have been through many growth stages.  They are privacy advocates and the browser automatically blocks ads and tracking.  You can adjust the settings but it’s pretty good right after installation.  Other top recommendations for browsers are Opera and Brave.

Alternative to: Google Search

We recommend using DuckDuckGo.com.  They show ads but the ads don’t track you.  You see ads based on the term you search.  This helps them stay funded.

Alternative to: Google Maps

Eh, this one is tricky.  So many things rely on Google Maps but that’s a subject for another post one day.  If you have an iPhone you can use Apple Maps or you can also use Open Street Map