Part 2/8:
Wearing a metaphorical "tinfoil hat," I began my de-Google journey driven by two primary motivations: privacy and control. The overwhelming sensation of being constantly monitored led me to detoxify my digital space. After steering clear of Google's services for weeks—except for the unavoidable YouTube—I realized how liberating it felt to regain ownership of my online presence.
Step 1: Switch Your Search Engine
The first step in my journey was changing my search engine to DuckDuckGo, a platform that champions user privacy. Most browsers allow you to make this switch in mere seconds, and I encourage everyone to take that simple action.