#unplugtrump

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Since Trump took office on Jan. 20 this year, he and his henchman have done many things that bewildered me. I assume that most of you are following the news, so you know what I’m talking about, but here are some things I found especially cruel and disgusting.

That is just an excerpt from a long list of actions that the New York Times keeps track of.

Every day, I think, “What’s next, and can it get any worse?”. We all know it can. When Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Oval Office on Feb. 28 and got bullied by Trump, Vance, and other Trump-adoring fascists, I was speechless. I’m not deeply involved with politics, but I understood that wasn’t normal. Besides the inhuman and vile behavior Zelenskyy had to endure, what Trump did there was a punch in the gut for the Ukranian people. He showed on which side he is and may have sealed the fate of millions.

For me, that was the last straw.

It’s been a few days, but I can’t stop thinking about what happened. I was filled with rage and desperation when I saw the video because I knew I couldn’t do anything. Talking with friends about the meeting, I got madder and madder, and at some point, I thought, “Okay, if Trump wants to make America great again, then I’ll try to do the opposite: send as little money as possible to the U.S. and only buy European products and services.” I’ve calmed down and realized that’s neither possible nor productive. We must not allow this thug to separate us. Still, something changed in me.

Many of you have been very considerate about digital rights, access to software, data privacy, and, generally, the political, social, and personal implications of using software and sharing data for a long time. To be honest, I was aware, but I didn’t really care enough until now. This meeting/roast at the Oval Office didn’t just make me think about Europe’s position in the world and its dependency on the United States of America but also my own relationship with the U.S. I asked myself, “How much do I depend on the U.S. and especially on software from the U.S.?“. I probably wouldn’t have had this thought if Pichai (Google), Zuckerberg (Meta), Bezos (Amazon), Chew (TikTok), and Cook (Apple) hadn’t attended Trump’s inauguration.

Trying to abstain entriely from American software is neither realistic nor productive, but if there’s one thing I took from this event, it’s that I need to be more considerate when picking software. For me, that means going for Free and open-source software (FOSS) and European software first. (First, not only! I have American indy developer friends that I still want to support.) Also, I don’t want to use software and services from companies that support or endorse Trump (Meta, Amazon, Apple, Google, Uber, AirBnb, Paypal, X, Vercel,…), which, given my profession, will be impossible, but I want to keep it to a minimum. I know that many think that is a useless effort, and some talk of double standards when you don't go all-in, and that's fine. You do you. I won't tell you what to do. This is a personal decision I've made.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one with that epiphany. People have started sharing tips and strategies for moving from software that benefits Trump to alternatives using the hashtag #unplugtrump. There are websites and articles like european-alternatives.eu, switching.software, big trek from big tech, The Opt Out Project or How I’m Building a Trump-Proof Tech Stack Without Big Tech that share tips, how-tos, and lists of alternative software.

The purpose of this blog post is not just to reflect on my feelings and thoughts but to keep track of my progress. In the following weeks, I will update this post and document my measures. Yesterday, I took the first step by slowly getting rid of WhatsApp with the goal of deleting it entirely this week.

Switching software isn't much, but it's better than nothing. It's important that we're attentive, critical, and, if necessary and possible, willing to resist.

Update 04.03.25

I've deleted my Instagram account permanently. Before I did that, I downloaded all my data. I tried to import it into Pixelfed, but the import failed, unfortunately.

Update 06.03.25

I've switched to LibreWolf as my main browser.