Ken Veerman

The most ironic part of #degoogling is that moving away from Google products is actually very easy.

European technological independence requires a lot of challenging work, but kicking out Google products? Easy. So many great alternatives ready and available.

‘Controls must be simple. AI should always be a choice,’

It is indicative of something when the main question about a new technology revolves around how to get rid of it.

AI can read 500+ pages of PDF in a second, but can it read the room?

the Belgian model, quoi 😀

Degoogling in de praktijk (deel 2): hoe ik mijn privémail bevrijdde - Ken Veerman Je e-mail weg bij Google? In dit stappenplan deel ik mijn ervaringen met Europese alternatieven en hoe je belangrijke mails veilig verhuist.

A good way to help people #degoogle quickly is for your company to have a simple way your customers can change their email address in your database.

It's crazy how often this has to be done through customer service. I wrote about my strategy (in Dutch)on my blog.

www.kenveerman.com/degoogling-i...

Also a combined humblebrag about being degoogled AND in the gym on a Fri morning 🙈

This was me standing up for my beliefs and being annoying in equal measures. I know.

a lady went round the gym this morning asking customers to give a Google Review for the new place. I politely declined saying I no longer have non-EU services like Google.

she said that was a good point and she’d pass it on.

I've started degoogling at the start of 2025 and it's actually a lot easier than I thought. Most services have a decent and affordable European alternative that I just didn't know about.

So for me it is about supporting EU tech AND spreading the word.

Foreign access to private citizens’ data has always been a concern. The new and emerging awareness of this issue with European governments however, is very recent.

If you don’t trust China with your data, why would you trust the US? What a time.

Ah, to be 23 and interviewed. There's a certain sense of hubris and self-importance that comes with being young and being told by an industry that you are very special.

I bet (and deeply hope) that he sleeps in at least twice a week, telling himself he deserves it because he works so hard. 😀

A purple and blue background. In the centre, yellow stars and icons, including a padlock, shield, and magnifying glass, form a circle. Large white text at the bottom reads: "DIGITAL SERVICES ACT: WhatsApp designated as Very Large Online Platform." The European Commission logo is in the bottom right corner.

We have designated WhatsApp as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act.

As Channels reaches 45 million EU users, it must now meet higher safety and transparency standards.

These rules focus on keeping public broadcasts safe for all and ensuring private messages stay private.

Gradually, then suddenly

Adieu Teams : avec Visio, l’administration va avoir sa propre application souveraine de visioconférence Pour sortir de la dépendance aux outils américains, cette application « 100 % française » sera généralisée au sein de l’administration « d’ici 2027 », a annoncé le ministre de la fonction publique Dav...

The French government announced a major "digital sovereignty initiative" to reduce dependency on American technology platforms by rolling out a domestic videoconferencing solution called "Visio" across its entire administration by 2027.

Te overwegen!
Wanneer ik deze zomer eens tijd heb moet ik me zo eens een dingetje opzetten

Boeiend. Ik ben zelf wel absoluut geen techie dus ik vind het wel prettig om een cloud service te kopen zoals Le Chat. Maar m'n buikgevoel zegt inderdaad dat het interessanter is om je AI-collega ook fysiek op je kantoor te houden ipv in the cloud.

Kende ik niet! Maar niet Europees, toch? Of lees ik het fout?

There really is no reason why you should be using this LLM. Look into European privacy first AI chat bots like Le Chat by Mistral, GreenPT, Lumio or Euria.

We're getting ready to launch - making sure we've got testing, observability and backups all in good order. It's taking a smidgen longer than we hoped but first invites will arrive on the first week of February and roll out throughout the month.

Thank you for your patience 🙏

Great overview of both European and Canadian alternatives to US tech.
#BuyEuropean #BuyCanadian 🇪🇺 🇨🇦💪

- That collaborative Google Docs thing? Why not move it to @infomaniak.bsky.social 's kSuite?

- That Zoom or Teams call? Why not @infomaniak.bsky.social 's kMeet?

More often than not people respond positively. Untangling your work from Big Tech requires some effort but it's hardly impossible.

- That project someone is setting up in ChatGPT? If you suggest moving it to a European LLM like Le Chat/Mistral of GreenPT they often will

- Running interviews through American AI services? Why not try Bulgarian Banafo?

One thing I've learned in my journey to #degoogle my business is that it never hurts to speak up.

- That new #Whatsapp group that is about to pop up? If you ask people to do it in #Signal they will.
👇🏼

A looming spat. Oddly euphemistic word choice here.
Maybe the press should follow @mark-carney.bsky.social 's advice and "take the sign out of the shop window"?

Get us off Microsoft! Lawmakers press EU Parliament to change in-house IT. “We cannot afford this level of dependence on foreign tech,” lawmakers say in letter obtained by POLITICO.

A cross-party group of lawmakers will urge the European Parliament to ditch internal use of Microsoft’s ubiquitous software in favor of a European alternative, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO.

Open Source statt Microsoft: Deutsches Bundesland spart 15 Millionen Euro Lizenzkosten jährlich Schleswig-Holstein sieht die Abkehr von Windows, Office und Co sowohl strategisch als auch finanziell als richtig an. Die Umstellungskosten würden sich bereits in einem halben Jahr amortisieren

The German state of Schleswig-Holstein changed from Microsoft to open source solutions at a cost of 9 million.
It will save 15 million in fees per year. www.derstandard.at/story/300000...

While it is always good to leave a platform you no longer support, this feels like the perfect moment to tell people to subscribe to your own newsletter for future information.

The best bet is to minimise your dependence on middle men between you and your audience.

Don’t build on borrowed land.

We spent an interesting hour at #esns26 talking about how to move away from Big Tech. And now we have the pics to prove it. So happy I got to meet the amazing @hilk.eu , Yosha Wijngaarden and David Vogel to talk all things metafucking.

Thanks ESNS for the invite! Let's do this again, like soon.

Wow, very helpful. Thank you!

5. Big Tech social media are dreadful. But the resistance feels kinda fun. So why not join?