23rd September 2026

This blog runs on a deliberately privacy-respecting stack, built mostly on open-source software. None of it depends on US Big Tech and I'd argue the internet is better for it.

Hardware: Home servers and laptops (mostly Lenovo Mini PCs & Thinkpads) running Debian GNU/Linux — rock-solid, boring in the best possible way.

Mobile: GrapheneOS, a security-hardened, de-Googled Android.

Blog: powered by Write.as and indexed by searchmysite.net, an independent, crawler-run search engine with no ads or tracking and no need for a cookie pop-up.

Apps: My Proton Visionary account gives me Swiss-based email, calendar, drive, VPN and more. All privacy-focused and end-to-end encrypted.

Volunteer work: I use collaborative documents on CryptPad, an encrypted open-source alternative to the office suites.

Connectivity: from Unchained, my ISP.

Social media: a self-hosted Akkoma instance which lets me talk to the rest of the fediverse, run on my own hardware.

Messaging: Signal for end-to-end encrypted communication.

Why it matters

None of the software above answers to an advertising business model. It's maintained by communities, non-profits, and small companies who believe computing should serve its users.

Wherever I can, I put my money where my mouth is: I hold paid subscriptions with Proton, Write.as, CryptPad, and searchmysite.net, and make regular donations to the Signal Foundation and others.

Independence isn't free; it's funded by users like us.

It is possible to dispense with US Big Tech. If any of this intrigues you, most of these projects are easy to try, and they'd love your support.