What is Self-Hosting and Why You Should Care About Privacy

Right now, Google and Apple know more about your daily routine than even your closest friends do. Every photo you've taken, every email you've sent, and every video you've watched is being analyzed, cataloged, and sold to the highest bidder.

But what if there was a way to take all of that back?

The Hidden Cost of "Free" Services

Here's what most people don't realize: every free service you use has a hidden cost. When you upload photos to Google Photos, AI scans every face, every location, and every object. Gmail reads your emails to build advertising profiles, and even your smart TV reports back what you're watching and when. All of this data gets packaged up and sold to advertisers, insurance companies, and data brokers who know your political views, your health concerns, and even your relationship status, sometimes before you do.

There's an Alternative: Self-Hosting

You don't have to accept this as normal. There's an alternative that tech companies really don't want you to know about, and it's called self-hosting. Instead of trusting Google with your family photos, you run your own photo server that only you can access. Instead of letting Spotify track every song you play, you stream your own music library. Instead of hoping Netflix doesn't remove your favorite show, you host your own media collection on hardware you own and control right in your home.

Getting Started is Easier Than You Think

With tools like Nextcloud for file storage, Jellyfin for media streaming, and Bitwarden for password management, you can replace almost every big tech service with something that you control completely. And before you think "this sounds too technical for me," it's not. You don't need to be a programmer or spend thousands of dollars on server equipment. You can start with a $35 Raspberry Pi, an old laptop, or a simple mini PC.

The beauty of self-hosting is that you're creating your own private cloud. Your data never leaves your house unless you decide it should. Making the switch might feel overwhelming at first, but with the right guidance, anyone can build their path to digital independence. It's time to stop being the product and start being in control of your digital life.

In upcoming videos and posts here on this site, we'll delve into things like choosing the right hardware to get started, explaining some of the terms that we'll encounter along the way, and then we'll get into installing operating systems and the necessary add-ons as we lead up to installing our first apps.

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