By Peter Witten, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
AI-illustration: Le Chat

Many of us use Google, ChatGPT, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Microsoft Office daily. We rely heavily on software and digital services from American tech giants.

According to Associate Professor Daniel Russo from the Department of Computer Science at Aalborg University (AAU), it cannot be ruled out that the crisis may affect us digitally, and it is therefore wise to be prepared. He points to several alternatives for everyday PC users.

Need for secure alternatives

"The current geopolitical tensions underscore the need to find secure and reliable alternatives to non‑European software and social media platforms," Daniel Russo says.

"Even though service interruptions from American platforms seem unlikely in the short term, the consequence - suddenly losing access to personal communication, documents, and data - could be severe," he points out.

Leaving Office

In EU countries such as Germany, France, and Denmark, some authorities have begun phasing out Microsoft Office and testing alternative solutions. For example, the Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs is currently testing the open‑source office suite LibreOffice.

Daniel Russo believes that both public and private organizations should implement timely contingency planning regarding software. But private users may also consider alternatives, he notes, together with his colleague Florian Echtler, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science. 

Here are their suggestions for some alternatives:

• Office suite instead of Microsoft Office: LibreOffice og OnlyOffice. The former is used by some Danish authorities; OnlyOffice is used by, among others, some French authorities.
• Messaging services instead of Messenger, WhatsApp, etc.: Threema (Switzerland) and Wire (Switzerland/Germany).
• Email-client instead of Gmail and Yahoo: ProtonMail (Switzerland) and Tutanota (Germany).
• AI-alternative to ChatGPT: Le Chat from Mistral AI (France)
• Social media instead of Facebook, Instagram, etc.: Mastodon (Germany) and Pixelfed.
• Webbrowser instead of Chrome and Microsoft Edge: Vivaldi (Norway/Iceland)
• Operating system instead of Microsoft Windows: Linux.

Daniel Russo suggest Linux Mint  if you want a relatively simple installation from a USB stick. It can be done in about half an hour and has a Windows‑like graphical interface. Florian Echtler highlights Ubuntu Linux as a good choice for Linux beginners. You can get help and guidance from Linux communities.