Photobox and Discount Codes: How to Wean Yourself Off Google Services.

Easing Google Services Withdrawal Pains

Google became the giant that it is by providing amazing free services and generous online storage allowances. Many a Google addict is out there, and recent concerns about security and privacy are bothering some of them.

You don’t have to get rid of all of them

In this article, you’ll get suggestions to replace Gmail, Google+, and Google Search. Google is taking actions that many believe will do away with Google+ anyway, but it is still kicking. Gmail and Search are perhaps the most difficult service habits to kick, but if your concerns are security, privacy, and avoiding unwanted marketing, then you’ll get some suggestions here.

Replacing Google Drive with Photobox.

Many people have digital photos stored with Google Drive. Luckily, migrating these to a new service isn’t that difficult. You can even use a Photobox uk discount code for a new customer. Other amazing photo storage companies include Dropbox and Tresorit.

Replacing Gmail with a secure and encrypted email service

You may not want to totally get rid of Gmail, as you can use that account for some contacts and go to encrypted email service for others. Keeping the Gmail account also keeps you tied into services you may want to continue with, including Google Drive and photo storage.

There are Top 5 or 10 articles around the Web with suggestions for encrypted email services, and one that is at the top of several comparisons is Proton Mail. The basic level is free, with enhancements for upgraded service and capability. Proton Mail, based in Switzerland, is prized because your emails are encrypted end-to-end, coming and going. Your contacts do not need to use the service, and you can send encrypted emails to them on their services.

Proton Mail can’t even decrypt your mail, so if you lose your password, you’re in big trouble. Nobody can read your email except you and the person to whom you choose to send encrypted messages. You can also upgrade to have a custom domain if you want. You’ll never again have your activity tracked to provide ads in your email stream.

Replacing Google Search

DuckDuckGo is touted as the best replacement for Google Search for some of its customization features and the fact that it’s not tracking your searches to use in serving you ads. You can customize the display, background, and other features. You do not get as many results as Google provides, but if you consistently use those on the first page, you’ll probably find DuckDuckGo an acceptable alternative. You also can’t filter results in the ways Google allows, such as date range. The trade-off here is privacy, and you may find that for many searches you’ll do fine. You can switch to Google if you need more power.

Leaving Google+

There is a lot of news around the Web suggesting that Google is working toward getting rid of Google+ anyway, but if you use it, there is a replacement that doesn’t censor content. Google+ aggressively censors content, from gun-related to political and social topics. If you want the Old West style of discussion without limits, then check out Minds.com.

Be warned that Minds’ claim to fame is not censoring content in any way. You can censor what you see based on your subscriptions and other settings, but it’s up to you, not the service provider. It’s a relatively new service when it comes to people knowing about it, and it’s going to take a while to gain the number of users Google+ has, but it’s a free-wheeling exchange of information that you can control for your display.

If your level of concern over privacy, security, and censorship has been rising, check out these three replacements for Google’s services. Take a chill pill, and you’ll find that Google withdrawal isn’t as bad as you may fear.