We’ll admit it. Software from the technology giants—Google, Microsoft, and Apple—simply works. Most modern humans have had at least some contact with products from these companies. The elegance of an iPhone, the user-friendliness of Google and the interoperability of Microsoft make them household names. That must be why they’re so popular, right?
Well, not exactly. These companies were able to secure near-monopolies in crucial areas such as operating systems, search functions and messaging, right at the beginning of the internet age. Their rapid growth allowed them to amass almost complete market control, with vast wealth following quickly. Their sleek software is backed by extensive market research from incomprehensible marketing budgets. In 2021, for example, Apple spent 97.3 million USD on marketing. And that only accounted for 2.7 percent of its roughly 365.8 billion USD revenue for that year.
However, any consumer who believes that these Big Tech monoliths have their best interests in mind is sorely mistaken.
The illusion of security
Despite providing critical infrastructure used by billions daily, these corporations operate with a frightening lack of democratic control. They fiercely protect their trade secrets and are ultimately accountable only to their shareholders, not the common good. Microsoft, Apple and others are repeatedly at the centre of serious, high-stakes scandals, most famously regarding their handling of customer data. Their immense size makes them ideal targets: large companies like Microsoft, possessing the most sensitive data in the world, are inevitably prime international hacking targets. And given the chilling revelations by Edward Snowden, it is safe to assume that intelligence agencies have hardly ceased their snooping.
These incidents often sound like plausible plots from a spy thriller—only they are entirely real.
Big Tech’s data failures
In 2013, former CIA agent and now famous whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked documents that proved systematic mass surveillance was being conducted using the mountains of customer data accumulated by major corporations. Snowden explicitly stated that large companies like Facebook, Google, Apple and Microsoft were secretly and voluntarily handing over data to government agencies—a claim the companies still deny.
In 2023, Chinese state-sponsored hackers stole a digital master key from Microsoft. This single key granted them weeks of unauthorised access to all data in services like Outlook, Office 365, OneDrive, and Teams, specifically targeting US government authorities. The incident stemmed from an embarrassing bug in Microsoft’s code, which the tech giant ultimately admitted to and fixed, but largely downplayed. This is one of many such incidents.
However, instead of addressing business practices that threaten democracy, it is far more attractive for these organisations to use their huge budgets for expensive public relations campaigns and political lobbying.
Why choose EU alternatives?
At the heart of the issue is power. Tech giants possess far too much of it. The convenience offered by Google, Microsoft, and Apple must be weighed against the risks of putting our unmitigated trust in them and their handling of our data
Switching to EU-based software and service providers means greater consumer rights and a direct path to enforcement. While companies operating outside Europe frequently ignore, or improperly implement, fundamental data protection laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), EU-based providers are directly subject to and built around these standards. The US government is now even explicitly warning American tech companies against complying with European rules. That’s why independent, EU-based alternatives are more necessary than ever.
But choosing “local” means more than just consumer protection. It also means strengthening the European economy and cultivating a healthier and more equitable business ecosystem. The taxes paid by local companies flow indirectly back to citizens. “All evidence points to workers and small businesses paying higher rates than Meta, Amazon and other digital giants”, said MEP Bruno Gonçalves (S&D, PRT). “So much profit and hardly any taxation, certainly not in Europe”, said MEP Rasmus Andresen (Greens, DEU), citing the “more than €90bn” profits made recently by Meta, Microsoft and their peers.
The choice is clear. The true cost of relying on Big Tech is simply too high. We can continue to prioritise fleeting convenience while sacrificing democratic control and data integrity. Or we can support EU alternatives that are legally accountable, privacy-focused and that benefit the European economy.
Although, there are brilliant alternatives to mainstream tech being built all over the world.
Read more here: How AI’s Failure on Linguistic Diversity is Deepening Global Inequality
Our alternative picks
The good news is that viable alternatives to Big Tech are already available.
OpenStreetMap
Tired of commercial interests determining your route? OpenStreetMap is a globally built and maintained map, created by a vast community of enthusiast mappers, GIS professionals and humanitarians mapping disaster zones. Contributors use everything from aerial imagery and GPS devices to low-tech field maps to ensure the data on roads, trails, cafés and stations is accurate and up-to-date.
Crucially, OSM is open source: you are free to use it for any purpose, provided you credit OpenStreetMap and its contributors.
Signal
Communication data is arguably the most vulnerable to surveillance and hacking. This messenger is famously used and recommended by Edward Snowden, so that gives you an idea of its data protection credentials.
Signal offers the full suite of modern messenger features: text, photos, audio messages, status updates and group audio/video calls, much like its popular counterparts. However, unlike them, all communication is end-to-end encrypted, and the “Sealed Sender” principle ensures even the identity of the sender can remain anonymous to the service itself.
We’ve done a lot of work on this topic in 2025.
Read more here: Open Source, Encrypted, Green(er): Secure Alternative Instant Messaging Apps to WhatsApp
LibreOffice
For anyone ready to break their reliance on Microsoft for daily office work—no more Word or Excel lock-in—LibreOffice provides a mature and complete alternative. Originating from the StarOffice suite developed in Germany, LibreOffice was eventually forked and is now overseen by the Berlin-based Document Foundation.
This comprehensive, free office suite offers direct alternatives to proprietary applications: Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet program), Impress (presentation program) and a formula editor. These applications function similarly to their Microsoft Office counterparts, specifically designed to facilitate an easy transition for new users. LibreOffice is primarily supported by donations and a vibrant, remote developer community dedicated to continuous, collaborative development.
Jitsi
Due to COVID 19, the need for secure, reliable video conferencing surged in recent years. Jitsi is a set of open-source projects that enable anyone to build and deploy secure video conferencing solutions easily. At its core are Jitsi Videobridge and Jitsi Meet, which facilitate web-based conferences, supported by other community projects that enable essential features like audio, dial-in, recording and simulcasting.
Mastodon
Thanks to the growing desire for community-driven, privacy-respecting social media, Mastodon has emerged as a key player. This open-source, decentralised social network, developed by the German non-profit Mastodon GmbH with its headquarters in Berlin, offers a new model for online connection.
At its core, Mastodon is a part of the “Fediverse” — a federation of independent servers, or “instances,” that communicate seamlessly using the ActivityPub protocol. This architecture decentralises control, meaning users join a specific community with its own rules and moderation, but can still follow and interact with anyone on any other connected Mastodon server. Core features include chronological timelines, rich media attachments, content warnings and robust moderation tools, all designed to put the user in control and foster a safer, ad-free experience.
Nextcloud
Driven by a growing demand for data sovereignty and environmental accountability, Nextcloud has established itself as a premier open-source alternative to mainstream cloud providers. Nextcloud is developed as a flexible “ecosystem” rather than a rigid platform, allowing users to host their own secure file storage while integrating collaborative tools like real-time document editing and encrypted messaging. Importantly, their platform allows them to move away from the “black box” of Big Tech so that organisations can ensure their data remains within European jurisdictions, protected by GDPR and shielded from non-consensual AI training. Paired with cooperative, green-energy hosts like infra.run, Nextcloud is really working on transforming digital infrastructure into a tool for the common good. Plus, it’s what we use at RESET!
If you’re looking for more EU-based digital service alternatives, the European Alternatives project by Constantin Graf is an excellent resource that collects and analyses options for email providers, search engines, navigation apps, machine translation services, password managers and even generative AI chatbots. It allows users to search for alternatives to specific mainstream platforms, too.
A call for political support
As you can see, functional and ethical alternatives are readily available for immediate adoption. However, most of them remain on the sidelines. For Europe’s digital potential to be fully realised, they need support, not just from individuals, but through decisive political and societal action.
Europe’s current digital communication infrastructure is dangerously reliant on non-European companies such as Meta and Alphabet (Google). This is a problem. Existing niche platforms are often unable to realise their full market potential due to a host of scaling challenges. Recent policy discussions advocate for strengthening their mainstream potential through “Scale-up” programs that focus on strengthening public discourse, developing new remuneration models for journalism and creating digital communities for libraries and other public institutions, for example.
On top of that, a path needs to be cleared for advising on often prohibitive legal issues that these companies face, such as illegal content, which Big Tech companies willfully sideline. Organisations like the European Digital Rights (EDRi) fight for exactly these causes. However, it’s up to those in the big seats of the EU to lay the foundations for a mass rollout of European digital alternatives to Big Tech, and it’s up to us as consumers to prioritise them.
This will be a huge step in democratising the digital world and ensuring that our data is not wielded to line the pockets of Silicon Valley giants, but rather to serve the public good.
