this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2026
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Flipping the kill switch: I survived 72 hours without US tech (www.politico.eu)
submitted 2 weeks ago by Blaze@piefed.zip to c/buyeuropean@feddit.uk
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The EU wants to decrease reliance on American technology. Hereโ€™s what happened when a POLITICO reporter tried to live and work without it.

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[โ€“] erebion@news.erebion.eu 1 points 1 week ago

So much to unpack.

Trying to live without U.S. tech, I would find out, essentially amounts to trying to live without tech at all.

No. It's just different tech. I for one live with a lot of tech, but no US tech at all.

You know, it's possible to research products before choosing it. It's not necessary to live in a cave just to avoid US tech.

This sentence makes it sound like an impossible that should not even be started, which it isn't.

The so-called dumbphone is the type of device now enjoying a second life among people detoxing from screen time and is also a favorite of drug dealers seeking to avoid getting busted by any tracking and data collection.

This fails to mention that dump phones still lead to metadata collection nerwork-side, using it for drug dealing is just dumb. Drug dealers that are a bit more smart would use Signal and perhaps a Google-free Android ROM.

I did notice that I was pacing up and down my flat because my usually overstimulated brain apparently couldnโ€™t handle focusing on a voice-only call.

Doesn't mean it's hard to live without the US tech, it means US tech is making live harder.

Swearing off Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and YouTube was also part of the deal โ€” already eliminating a sizable chunk of my leisure time.

Perhaps the author should look for a hobby?

Also, I see two critical areas where things need to change:

  • communication: Just use XMPP. Find a provider in the EU. Fascists can do a lot of damage when they control your communication.
  • money: blocking flows of money can hurt us pretty bad and just the US knowing those flows is already bad