Digital inde­pendence: 5 + 1 choices for everyday life

Digital independence means that Finland and Finns use technology on their own terms, rather than depending on the platforms of a single continent. It is not built through politics alone, but in every everyday choice, and it strengthens digital security of supply along the way. I have written before about why digital independence is a necessity and how it is built one procurement step at a time. This piece focuses on what you can do yourself.

What does digital independence mean in everyday life?

In everyday life, digital independence means that you choose who handles your messages, your searches and your files. When you use European or open-source services, your data is not left dependent on one continent’s legislation or a single company’s terms. At the same time, you make yourself less dependent on services whose availability can change with the political situation.

Why do your own choices matter?

A single choice can feel small, but every choice shapes demand. When you choose a European or open service, you grow the market for alternatives and strengthen digital security of supply, much as energy security of supply is built from many sources. That demand is not meaningless: in a survey by Sitra and Elinkeinoelämän valtuuskunta (EVA, the Finnish Business and Policy Forum), 77 percent of Finns felt that Europe should reduce its technological and economic dependence on the United States. Finns understand the difference between security cooperation and technological dependence.

What are the 5 + 1 ways to strengthen digital independence and security of supply?

These six choices will get you started. Some strengthen European independence, others open-source software and privacy. For each one, you will see what it replaces and which value it rests on.

1. Switch your search engine and browser

Your search engine sees what you look for. German Ecosia and French Qwant are European search engines that do not sell your searches to advertisers. Ecosia also uses its revenue to plant trees. For a browser, Firefox is a good fit: its open Gecko engine does not depend on Google’s technology. Firefox’s maker, Mozilla, is American, so this choice is about openness rather than European jurisdiction. Firefox is not tied to the ecosystems of the big tech companies, and it is maintained by a foundation. For example, the European Parliament switched its default search engine to Qwant in June 2026.

2. Use LibreOffice when you need a word processor or spreadsheet

LibreOffice is a free, open-source office suite that does what Microsoft Office does. It works in Finnish and saves files in the open ODF format, which does not lock you into one manufacturer’s file format. An open format is itself a way of strengthening digital independence. When your files are in an open format, you can always switch programs. Germany’s state of Schleswig-Holstein replaced Microsoft’s software with LibreOffice and Linux and estimates it will save more than €15 million per year in licence fees, even after investing around €9 million in the transition.

3. Message your friends and family on Signal

Signal is an open-source messaging app whose messages are end-to-end encrypted, so no outsider can read them. It is a direct replacement for Facebook-owned WhatsApp. Signal is run by an American foundation, so it is above all a privacy choice. If you want a European alternative, Element on the Matrix network or Swiss Threema are options, though their user numbers are smaller.

4. Choose your next phone with care

Your phone is your most personal device. Finnish Jolla makes phones whose Sailfish operating system runs without depending on Google’s or Apple’s ecosystems. The company’s founders come from Nokia’s former MeeGo team, and Jolla is the clearest step towards digital independence. If you do not want to switch operating systems, domestic Swappie sells refurbished phones. That is above all a sustainable choice and supports a Finnish company, though a refurbished iPhone stays within Apple’s ecosystem. Two different values to choose between.

5. Switch to a European email provider

Your email is the key to many other services. German Tuta Mail and Swiss Proton Mail are privacy-protecting email services whose messages are encrypted. Both also suit businesses, and Tuta is committed to using only renewable electricity. Note that Switzerland is not an EU member, though it has a strong data protection law (the nFADP).

+ 1. Try European AI

Many people now use AI in everyday life, and although the most popular services are American, Europe has alternatives too. French Mistral has grown into a significant European AI player, and Proton’s Swiss Lumo combines AI with strict privacy. Lumo relies on open models, so its European character rests on Proton’s jurisdiction and no-logs policy, not on a Swiss flagship model.

How can you tell a service is genuinely European?

European origin is a verifiable characteristic. Not everything that looks European is: for example, the password manager Passwork markets itself as European, even though it has Russian origins, and many people consider DuckDuckGo European when it is in fact American. So check the service’s home base and ownership, favour open-source software that anyone can inspect, and look at which country’s laws your data falls under.

Digital independence means acting on your own terms, not isolating yourself from the rest of the world. None of these choices demands everything at once. Start with one and see how it feels. When enough people make the same choice, it grows into a market, and a market grows into security of supply.