As life has in many areas moved into the virtual realm even more than before, online tools of all kinds have become increasingly important. When you can’t or shouldn’t go places physically, but still need to find answers, and do so quickly, the first instinct is to “google it”.

Like so many other brand names, the big G has become synonymous with looking for something online and has even been turned into a verb.

While it is true that it has the greatest reach and therefore access to in some areas a whole lot more data than other services – which I use, too, when necessary -, the not-so-small matter of data protection and data privacy is something to bear in mind when surfing the web on the search for answers or communicating or cooperating with others.

The fact that all our steps are being tracked is both annoying (hello, unwanted ads!) and disconcerting, not to mention the uncertainty of where our data actually ends up.

But do not despair! There is a way around this. A multitude of alternatives to pretty much every product of the G-brand variety exists, and you can find them on this nifty website by Restore Privacy.

Yes, Google products do have their places and uses, but that does not mean they are the only game in town – or always the best fit for every situation.

So think about costs (and I’m not necessarily talking about money here) and benefits for your particular scenario before clicking just anywhere or taking the first option offered.

Photo by   Cristian Dina  on  Scopio