How we use the internet is largely shaped by a handful of US-based tech giants — Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta in particular. While they may make life more convenient, that convenience comes at a cost: your privacy. Their apps collect vast amounts of personal data, using it to refine algorithms, target ads, and — when required — even share that data with governments and law enforcement.

Laws like Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allow the US government to demand access to your private data without your knowledge and without a warrant — whether or not you live in the US. Every message, search, and stored file on a US-based platform exists in a system designed to watch, categorize, and sometimes hand over your information with ease to authorities. And because mass surveillance isn’t up for debate, the question is no longer whether your data is being collected, but who controls it.

There are tools, however, that let you take back that control. If you want to use the internet without giving up your most sensitive, valuable data, many European services offer a privacy-forward alternative.

Let’s start with some of our own. We founded Proton in Switzerland in 2014 specifically to resist mass surveillance and abuse of personal data by US tech companies. Our solution was to place end-to-end encryption at the core of everything we do — by encrypting your data using keys you control, nobody but you and the people you communicate with ever have access to your private information.

However, the reach of Big Tech extends into every aspect of life online. If you want to fully escape the US surveillance web, here are some privacy-friendly European alternatives across various categories.

Privacy-focused European alternatives

Search engines

Google tracks your searches and builds an extensive profile on you. Try these European services instead:

Web browsers

Chrome is notorious for tracking browsing behavior(新しいウィンドウ). Switch to these alternatives:

Messaging apps

WhatsApp (owned by Meta) collects metadata on every message you send. Consider:

Navigation and maps

Google Maps collects massive amounts of location data. You can try instead:

Web hosting

Move your website or server to a privacy-friendly host:

More European alternatives to US tech giants

For those looking to completely cut reliance on American tech, here are additional European alternatives across different categories:

Streaming and media

Note-taking

Social media

Translation services

Video calling and conferencing

Operating systems

Developer tools

Design tools

Take back control

As governments expand their reach, often with the help of Big Tech, control over our lives online is at risk of slipping away. But you are not powerless. You can still choose services that put privacy first — where your messages, files, and personal details aren’t collected, stored, or shared.

Proton is based in Switzerland, where strong privacy laws keep your information beyond the reach of mass surveillance. You remain in control, always. And because our services use end-to-end encryption, not even we can access your emails, files, passwords, or calendar — only you can.

But protecting your privacy goes beyond email and storage. From search engines to messaging apps, browsers to cloud storage, other European alternatives can give you the tools to take back control.

Reclaiming your privacy doesn’t mean disconnecting or going into hiding. It means using technology on your terms, and yours alone. It means choosing services that respect you. And it starts with stepping outside the system that profits from watching you and into one that’s built with you as the top priority.