I am looking for an Email Provider that isn’t based in the US (so not Nadir or Riseup) and that is not owned by big tech companies. After some research (european-alternatives.eu/alternative-to/gmail), I have found two options:
* Posteo
* Proton
Has anyone used either of these? I would love to hear your thoughts on which is better and why. If you have any other recommendations, please feel free to share them!
#email #EmailProvider #TechIndependence #DataPrivacy #AlternativeTech
#Technology

Europe's growing ambition for digital sovereignty and independence from American suppliers raises questions about how tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon will react.

These companies may assume they can outlast this movement, underestimating Europe's capacity to rapidly develop its own infrastructure and potentially viewing it as a fleeting trend.

When it comes to self-hosting (and my own slice of "digital sovereignty"), I'm often drawn to try the #Nextcloud app for the specific need first.

However, quite often, these are not the best of breed for the given task - and it's not balanced by integration benefits between the apps either.

That's actually quite sad, and I think NC is losing a *lot* of potential by not curating and guiding the app ecosystem better.

Together, let's promote Mastodon as a solid #AlternativeEU to #USA platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and #Bluesky! Every new person who joins strengthens our movement and amplifies our impact! Mastodon is secure, open-source, and outside the reach of the Trump government and its attempts to silence us!

Together, let's make a difference! #ElbowsUp #Mastodon #DecentralizedSocialMedia #PrivacyMatters #DigitalFreedom #EUvsUSA #BoycottUSA #TechIndependence #OpenSource #JoinMastodon

Does everyone here in Europe want EU AI services now? I am currently hearing more and more that. I hope it's because they want to avoid American products and not because they want to replace labour.

Earlier, a friend of a client came by who wanted to chat. He introduced himself as someone deeply involved in open-source and self-hosting, and we hit it off right away. He’s been using Linux on his PC for years and is comfortable with Debian. He agrees that self-hosting is the only way to keep the web decentralized. He then shared how he transitioned his website from dynamic to static using an SSG, and he’s thrilled with the result.

He walked me through his workflow: he edits the site, uploads it to some cloud (not sure which one), and clears the Cloudflare cache - he uses it to "save on outgoing traffic costs" from his provider. Alternatively, he mentioned he could host it on GitHub.

I explained to him that, in my opinion, this isn’t real decentralization or self-hosting, and I outlined the reasons why. He’d never thought about it this way and hadn’t explored the option of getting a “normal” VPS. He’s now decided to go for a cheap VPS, install nginx (which he knows how to use), and cut out the middlemen. He’s a smart and eager person, so I’m really glad we had this conversation.

Unfortunately, too many people today are convinced that hosting is only possible with the big players.