Personal or institutional dependence on technological tools from corporations like Google and Microsoft constitutes a structural threat that goes beyond individual privacy. These companies operate through extractive models that commodify personal data, restrict interoperability, and create dependency through proprietary confinement or “vendor lock-in,” making it practically impossible to switch to another service provider.
When using proprietary software, control over sensitive information is surrendered. Imposed updates modify functionalities without consent, algorithms manipulate behavior, and security breaches expose data to third parties.
Technological sovereignty is understood as the right of individuals to control the tools and data they generate in the digital realm, without depending on corporations or governments. In the current context, where mass surveillance and the commercialization of personal data are systemic practices, it is claimed as a strategic pillar for anti-capitalist activism. Privacy is not a luxury but a requirement for free and secure political action. Technological sovereignty offers a framework of resistance based on four pillars: free software, decentralization, community control, and ethical data handling.
Why abandon Big Tech? Three examples:
- Data mining: Google processes 8.5 billion daily searches, building behavioral profiles sellable to advertisers or actors of dubious ethics.
- Technical monopolization: Microsoft imposes proprietary formats (.docx, .xlsx) that force the exclusive use of its tools.
- Institutionalized surveillance: Documents from the PRISM case revealed how Apple and Facebook facilitated massive access to private communications for Western intelligence agencies.
This model not only violates digital rights, but also fuels capitalist structures with a power that escapes regulations and democratic control.
Practical alternatives:
Many everyday digital tools can be replaced with free, privacy-respecting options: operating systems (GNU/Linux), office suites (LibreOffice), messaging applications (Signal), etc.
Collective involvement:
Migrating to free software is a political act that strengthens communities and reduces corporate dependencies. Initiatives like local hacklabs offer mutual technical support.
ECOAR))) organizes periodic training sessions on migrating to GNU/Linux distributions, basic security, and privacy for activists. Follow our social media for upcoming editions.
Every tool replaced is an act of resistance that redistributes technological power. Digital emancipation is built through daily choices and mutual support.