Why I choose European companies for your email and photos

Almost everyone I help keeps their email, photos and calendar with Google, Microsoft or Apple. That is not surprising. It is easy, and it was often already set up when you bought your phone. Even so, I recommend switching to European companies more and more often. In this article I explain why.

1. American laws also apply to your data

Google, Microsoft and Apple are American companies. Since 2018 the United States has had a law called the CLOUD Act. It means the American government can use an order to force American companies to hand over data, even if that data is stored in Europe. So it also applies if your data sits in a data centre in Europe.

European companies fall under strict European privacy rules, such as the GDPR (in Dutch: AVG). It is one of the strictest in the world. Your data cannot simply be shared or sold.

2. You are not the customer, you are the product

Free services make their money from advertising. The more such a company knows about you, the better it can sell adverts. The European services I use charge a small amount each month. In return you get a service without adverts, and your data is not used to sell you things.

3. Not dependent on one big company

If all your photos, email and passwords are with one company, you depend on that company’s choices. What if prices go up, the app changes, or your account is blocked by mistake? There is little you can do.

That is why I deliberately choose services you can easily leave again. Your email address is yours, your photos are yours, and you can always move.

4. Europe takes this seriously too

You are not the only one who thinks this way. Governments in Europe are also looking at how to become less dependent on big American companies.

Is switching difficult?

For most people it is, if they have to do it themselves. There is a lot involved: bringing your old emails across, your address book, years of photos, and the settings on your phone and tablet. That is why I do it for you. I come round, move everything over, and calmly explain what is different. It is usually less than you think.

What I don’t do

I am not going to tell you to get rid of everything from Google or Apple. An iPhone is fine. What matters is that the most important things, your email, your photos and your passwords, are somewhere you trust and where you are in charge.