Welcome to the first follow-up post in my new blog series Breaking Up with Big Tech. I have been thoroughly enjoying this process, which gives me a potent sense of empowerment. It can be painful at times, but a deep and abiding motivation keeps me going.
This particular step, breaking up with Gmail and Outlook, has been on my mind for years. I was an early adopter of both suites, back when Google and Microsoft were producing cutting-edge tech. But as we know, these companies have abandoned their core principles to trap users in a privacy nightmare. They profit off dependency to enrich their shareholders.
And that dependency is the sticking point.
Many of us have accumulated huge digital archives that require careful consideration. Our daily lives depend on these technologies, so jumping ship is not an easy task. I thought it was going to be a laborious chore, one that required a detailed plan and lots of patience. But much to my surprise, Proton made it all but effortless.
Proton is a suite of apps (like Google) that focuses on security and privacy (unlike Google). The company is based in Switzerland, which means they are bound to some of the strictest online privacy laws in the world. Everything you do within its walls is end-to-end encrypted, meaning that even Proton can’t track your activity. It’s perfect for users who don’t want Big Tech reading their emails, selling their data, or using it to train AI models.
Proton offers free accounts (with limitations) for those who wish to kick the tires. Basic users can get away with free accounts, but for those of us with decades of archived emails, 1GB of storage just won’t cut it. This is by-design, so don’t let it turn you off. Always remember that if the product is free, then you are the product.
In this case, the limitations are there for testing, not as a final product. I was satisfied with my own testing, which prompted me to purchase a full account. I went with the Family Duo plan, which covers two users (my wife and I) and provides 2TB of storage. They have a range of plans depending on need, with monthly and yearly billing options.
Now that I had the full account, it was time to start the great migration. Proton makes it super easy with an automated tool (Settings > Import via Easy Switch). Simply connect your account (Google, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) and Proton will automatically import all of your email, calendars, and contacts. It’s a seamless process that significantly lessens the pain of migration.
As a bonus, Easy Switch can also set up auto-forwarding for Google accounts. You have to manually set this up for non-Google accounts, but it’s a simple task.
What I had assumed would take weeks was accomplished in a single day (or a few days if you have a mountain of data). I migrated two Google accounts and one Outlook account. Here are some tips and insights based on the experience:
Labels and Folders
Labels and folders are not the same across Big Tech platforms. Your label structure in Google will be retained, but not nested. Your label structure in Outlook will be converted into folders. Quite frankly, I was amazed that Proton managed to make sense of the mess, but it requires some post-migration effort to reorganize everything.
Take some time to devise a cleanup plan before moving everything around. I found that the easiest thing to do was rework my labels instead of adding folders. Feel free to devise your own system. If you mess up, you can always delete everything and re-import.
A note on distinction: folders are “buckets” and labels are “stamps.” If you delete a bucket, it deletes every email inside the bucket. If you delete a label, it just removes the stamp. Thus, I decided to “archive” all of my Outlook emails by converting folders to labels. Given a folder, I would create a new label, apply it to the emails inside, then archive the emails and delete the folder. This will make sense once you do it a few times. Proton simplifies the task by adding an archive option to the labeling function.
The goal is to construct a labeled archive of your imported emails, then use folders to filter your inbox. For example: I created an email alias for bills (Settings > Users and addresses). From there, I created a “Bills” folder, then added a filter that redirects all incoming emails (to that alias) into that folder. Do this for anything important, like banking or business, which keeps your inbox tidy. You can then archive anything at your leisure.
The biggest pain will be updating all of your online accounts with your new email address(es). Take your time because every situation is different. You will learn in a hurry which companies have the crappiest online security (spoiler: it’s most of them). This would also be a great time to add 2FA (two-factor authentication) to your accounts, if you haven’t already. Proton provides an app, which is accessible via mobile, desktop, and offline.
Proton Docs and Proton Drive
The other big piece was migrating from Google Drive to Proton Drive (as well as setting up an auto-backup for my computer). This was also easy, but with some caveats:
Unfortunately, Proton does not have a migration tool for Google Drive. This is understandable because Google is locked behind proprietary software (more on that in a bit). This is a manual process, which you can accomplish via Google Takeout. This allows you to package everything from Google Drive in a zip file. Once it’s done, you can simply download the file, unzip it, then upload everything to Proton Drive.
The one big catch is if you work in Google Docs. All exported files are converted to Microsoft products (docx, xlsx, pptx). Google and Microsoft can reasonably talk to each other, but Proton is a more simplified suite (for now). It’s good for basic word processing and spreadsheets, but if you have highly formatted docs, then they will likely lose a lot in translation.
Thus, the best thing to do is download all Google Docs as Microsoft files, store them locally, edit via Microsoft Office or LibreOffice, then use Proton Drive as your backup system. At the very least, this will get you out of Google’s highly restrictive ecosystem.
And now we get to the good stuff: Proton Drive backups.
This replaces Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive as your data repository. Like the others, it has an online interface that you can access via your Proton account, as well as a local app that you can install on your computer. But unlike the others, everything you put into Proton Drive is private, secure, and encrypted. It’s also easy to use and non-invasive. Simply install the app, tell it what drives/folders you want to back up, and it gets to work.
I distinctly remember saying “Wow, that’s it?” when I first used it. It’s a welcome departure from OneDrive, which I often cursed as the bane of my digital existence. The only downside is that Proton has yet to release a native app for Linux. You can still backup manually, but I hope the app drops before I pull the plug on Windows.
Final Thoughts
Other notable things you get with Proton include a VPN, password manager, private video conferencing, and Standard Notes (replaces Google Keep). As a cherry on top, every service is available as a phone app. No more Google on my phone. It’s all Proton now.
Side note: Proton isn’t in the device game yet, so you’ll have to deal with lingering apps like Messages and Maps. Android won’t let you uninstall them, but you can disable and replace them. I replaced Messages with Signal, Gboard with Heliboard, and Maps with OsmAnd. I also recommend installing F-Droid (replaces Google Play) to take advantage of FOSS apps.
Then, once you’re fully migrated, you get to enjoy the tech-equivalent of rage-quitting: wipe your Big Tech accounts with extreme prejudice. Delete every email, calendar, contact, note, payment profile, the entire lot (and make sure you empty the trash folders). Go through every setting and disable every feature. Clear all of your history, tracking, and data. You’ll be shocked at how much personal info these companies collect.
You basically want to brick the account and reduce it to a shell for email forwarding. Keep it active until you are positive that all of your linked accounts have been updated. Then, once you’re satisfied, you can delete the account and salt the ashes.
And there you have it. I have officially broken up with Google and Outlook. Next up is Windows and Microsoft Office. If all goes to plan, I will soon be running a Linux machine with LibreOffice. Wish me luck, kind reader. The great migration continues.
