/Blog:

  • 2026 might be the year we stop trusting Big Tech by default

    Over the past few days, and honestly weeks, I’ve been saving articles like crazy. And it’s only January 27. We’re 26 days into 2026 and it already feels like a full year happened.

    A lot of it has nothing to do with apps, at least not directly. Trump and Greenland put Europe on edge again, and it even became a topic in Davos.[1] At the same time, Europe opened an investigation into Grok on X because of how easily it can generate sexual deepfakes and non-consensual nude images.[2] TikTok “solved” its US problem by creating a new US entity, but the whole thing shows how fragile these platforms are once politics turns.[3]

    And then we get to the part that hits daily life for a lot of people: WhatsApp.

    The European Commission has now officially designated WhatsApp as a Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act, because Channels crossed the threshold in the EU.[4]

    All these stories feel connected. The red wire for me is dependency. Europe is finally asking harder questions about what happens when the digital infrastructure we rely on is owned somewhere else, governed somewhere else, and can change overnight because of decisions we don’t control.

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  • The Social Web is Finally Moving Again

    Lately I have this quiet feeling that the social web is waking up.

    Not in a loud “new app of the week” way, but in small, thoughtful moves that point in a different direction. Less growth at all costs. More user rights, interoperability, and sovereignty.

    Over the past weeks I have been bookmarking articles, posts and ideas that all seem connected. A Social Media Bill of Rights and the same person who helped define early social web culture now pushing for something better again. A European initiative around open social infrastructure. WhatsApp being forced open by regulation.

    Taken separately, they look like curiosities. Together, they feel like the start of something better.

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  • Building My Own Server: From Mac Mini to Homelab

    I was already running Ubuntu desktop and a few containers on my old 2012 Mac Mini. But when I bought an 8TB drive, it felt like the right moment to take it a step further. Instead of using it as just a desktop machine, I converted it into a proper Proxmox server.

    This way I could start experimenting more seriously with self-hosting my files, media, and apps. And I also wanted to move away from depending on big tech companies that keep adding AI into every service. They decide the rules, they change how apps work, and users have to adapt. Running my own server gives me back some control.

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  • Chat Control: The EU’s Dangerous Step Towards Mass Surveillance

    The European Union is once again reconsidering a law that could change the way we communicate forever. And not for the better. It’s called the Chat Control legislation (formally, the CSAM Regulation). On the surface it is presented as a child protection measure. But if you dig just a little deeper, it becomes clear that this law is a direct attack on our right to private communication.

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  • I’m Not Against AI; But We Need to Stay Awake

    Like many people lately, I’ve been experimenting more with AI tools. Some of them are genuinely useful: they help speed up writing, summarise long articles, or offer creative inspiration. I don’t believe AI is the problem.

    But the way it’s being built and deployed by some of the biggest companies? That’s where I think we need to be a lot more careful.

    I’m not here to reject AI. I’m here to say: let’s do this with awareness, ethics, and control.

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  • The False Sense of ‘Free’: What We Pay for With Convenience

    We’ve all done it. Downloaded an app, signed up for a service, tapped “accept all” just to get started. It’s free. It’s easy. What’s the harm?

    But since stepping away from Meta platforms, I’ve started to see how misleading that word free really is. Most of these platforms aren’t free at all. We’re just paying in a different way.

    And often, it’s with something far more personal.

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  • Messaging Apps Are Changing: And Not for the Better

    In recent months, messaging apps have quietly shifted direction. What were once tools for private, secure communication are now turning into platforms experimenting with AI and monetization and it’s happening faster than most users realize.

    Here’s a breakdown of what’s changed, what’s coming next, and why I believe it’s time to seriously rethink how we communicate online.

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  • Three Months Without Meta: What I’ve Learned

    It’s been three months since I decided to step away from Meta’s ecosystem; no Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. It started as an experiment, but quickly turned into something much deeper: a reset of how I interact with digital life, and a reevaluation of what I value in online communication and social platforms.

    Here’s what I’ve learned. The good, the frustrating, and where I see things going.

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  • Leaving Instagram: How I Rebuilt My Photo Timeline Somewhere Better

    For some months now, I’ve moved away from Instagram. The app isn’t what it used to be, and I’ve started to care more about controlling my own content, privacy, and what kind of platforms I support.

    The idea seemed simple: take my old Instagram photos and post them somewhere new — somewhere I feel good about. The reality? Much trickier.

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  • Rethinking Messaging Apps: A Guide to Secure and Inclusive Communication

    Messaging has come a long way since the days of SMS, evolving into a vital part of our digital lives. In this post, I’ll take a brief look at the history of messaging apps, the current state of popular platforms, and why I’ve chosen to move to more secure and user-respecting alternatives.

    If you’ve read my previous posts about leaving Meta platforms, you’ll know privacy and trust are at the heart of my digital decisions. The same applies to messaging.

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