Defending our ‘Digital Selves’: A Guide for Canadians to Reclaim Digital Autonomy from Foreign Tech Giants

Canada has fallen behind on digital sovereignty, with much of our digital life controlled by foreign tech giants, but Canadians don’t have to stay powerless.

Canada’s weak spot in digital sovereignty

Digital sovereignty: a trending topic these days. It may sound like just another political buzzword, but it’s hot for a reason. Think about your digital life for a second. The social media apps we scroll through: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook. The cloud services our businesses and even our governments rely on: Microsoft, Amazon, Google. The AI systems shaping what news we see and what content gets promoted. Not one of these is Canadian!

Every single one is controlled by foreign powers and corporations that profit off our data, “manipulate” our choices (yes, we all get manipulated a bit more than we think), and increasingly undermine our democracy. At its core, the whole digital sovereignty talk brewing across our country is really about Canada’s ability to keep functioning as an independent, autonomous democracy at a time when many other democracies are in decline.

Our peers are moving fast in reclaiming their digital autonomy from Big Tech. The EU, the Netherlands, and other democracies are building domestic clouds, sovereign infrastructure, and data laws that are more aligned with their values. Meanwhile, Canada is late to the game. We trail every other G7 country in publicly available computing infrastructure and performance. That leaves us weak at the bargaining table, fragile in our networks, locked into foreign clouds, exposed in our data, and captive to algorithms and decisions made in Silicon Valley, Brussels, Beijing or the White House.

Breaking free from Big Tech’s grip

Maybe you're tempted to tune out and think: experts have called on PM Carney to act, I’ve contributed to OpenMedia’s survey with policy recommendations, and I’ve written countless emails to my MP. Until Canadian leaders actually start listening and making real change. What else can I possibly do?

Good news, this article has some answers. We’ll walk you through how tech giants box us into their services, and share practical fixes (some small, informed alternatives you can actually use) to wrest back control of your “digital self” and put digital autonomy where it belongs: in Canadian hands, powered by our collective action.

We’ll explore five key pillars of our digital lives by section in this article:

1. Social Media and Content Platforms
2. Messaging and Communications
3. Cloud and Productivity Services
4. AI and Algorithmic Recommendation Systems
5. Home Internet and Mobile Connections

To keep it simple, each section will follow the same two-step formula:

• The Pain Points: how Big Tech gets in the ways of your digital life and the problems that come with it.
• The Fixes: actions where people power can drive policy change, and some real alternatives you can start using now.

Social Media and Content Platforms

Remember when social media was about seeing friends’ updates? That’s mostly gone. Now we’re doom-scrolling content pushed by algorithms designed to maximize engagement. Rage-bait posts, endless comment wars, and bots stirring the pot keep us hooked. Our feeds aren’t accidental; they’re engineered to keep us scrolling, reacting, and arguing. Our digital behaviours have long been reduced to a product that foreign-owned platforms profit from. The latest crazy is cutting people out of the whole loop, feeding us content made exclusively by AI. 

Our worldview isn’t entirely ours either. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have all the power to shape what content trends, what news you see (or in Meta’s case, ban all news altogether), and even which health or rights information gets "censored". Meanwhile, your personal data sits with companies that don’t really care about your privacy, and our digital culture, our data, and our online conversations are increasingly dictated by foreign powers.

The fixes? On top of calling policymakers to “diversify Canadian media” and Big Tech to “fix the feed”. Switch to some privacy-respecting alternatives like Bluesky, a Twitter-like platform that’s built with a federation architecture based on the open-source AT protocol; or Mastodon, a decentralized social network where no one owns the networks and users are spread across different servers, called “instances,” but can still interact with each other (kind of like how email works across different providers), and it lets communities moderate content and gives users more control over what they see.

We’re on Bluesky and Mastodon too! Follow us when you’ve signed up and say hi. If you’re a bit of a nerd and want to explore the concept behind how a federated social network like Mastodon or Bluesky works, you can also learn more about “Fediverse.”

Messaging and Communications

Communication looks different for everyone. My boomer parent loves calling (or leaving a long voice note on WhatsApp or asking for a video call). My millennial partner? Never picks up, but somehow texts back instantly. Gen Z peers treat every channel like instant messaging, even email. Gen Alpha? If they want to reach me at all, it’s probably on some app I barely know.

But the common thread: whether it’s calls, texts, DMs, or group chats, we’re usually running through Big Tech-owned apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, or iMessage. That means a handful of foreign corporations control the pipes of our daily conversations. This dependence on only a handful of Big-Tech controlled applications creates a “single point of failure,” whenever there’s disruption in services, it’s usually global scale nowadays. That single point of failure creates other risks: privacy leaks, security flaws, data stored abroad, and corporate control over who gets to connect with whom. Just this year, a former WhatsApp cybersecurity chief warned that Meta’s engineers have unaudited access to our user data, endangering billions of users. When even insiders are raising alarms, you know there’s a problem.

The fixes? Beyond fighting for cybersecurity laws that don’t break encryption and pushing back on online safety legislation that undermines our rights, one of the simplest ways is to switch to privacy-first apps that use end-to-end encryption and collect minimal metadata. Signal is a well-known, free, open-source option run by an independent non-profit. Other decentralized, censorship-resistant alternatives include: SimpleX Chat, which requires no unique identifiers like user IDs or phone numbers and uses double ratchet encryption with quantum resistance; Briar, which leverages the Tor network for encrypted peer-to-peer messaging and stores messages locally stored on your device; and Element, an end-to-end encrypted messenger built on the open-source Matrix protocol (think emails, but safer). 

Another layer of protection is using a VPN to protect your network traffic from your local ISPs or public Wi-Fi snooping. While it doesn’t make your messages themselves more private within a given app (the apps you use still control your data and metadata), it can obscure your IP address (where you’re accessing services from) and improve network privacy. I often use our home-grown Canadian VPN, TunnelBear (though it was acquired by McAfee in 2018, today the only fully Canadian-owned and -operated VPN is Windscribe). Other good options include Proton VPN, run by a Swiss non-profit or the privacy-cautious Sweden’s Mullard VPN, which champion no surveillance, no selling your habits, just privacy done right. If you know of any other reliable VPNs, we’d love to hear about them!

Cloud and Productivity Services

If social media and messaging services feel inseparable in our daily life, cloud and productivity services are the sneaky backbone that makes it all work. They’ve quietly redefined how we “compute” over the past decade without most of us even noticing. Cloud computing is now concentrated in the hands of a few U.S.-based giants like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, making our everyday lives more vulnerable than ever.

That concentration has a cost. These days, when the services we depend on fail, everything seems to fail with them; our digital ecosystem has become more fragile than ever. A faulty CrowdStrike update in July 2024 caused global Windows crashes that grounded flights and disrupted hospitals; Zoom outages in April 2025 dropped thousands of users mid-call; Google Cloud failures in June 2025 interrupted Spotify and Discord; and Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 outage in July 2025 blocked web access for millions worldwide. And when Canadian government departments rely on foreign clouds, the stakes include not just convenience but sensitive data, regulatory compliance, and public trust.

The fixes? Beyond pushing to #KeepOurDataHome, the first step toward real digital autonomy is choosing service providers that respect your privacy. Cloud computing has reshaped life for both individuals and small businesses, but better options than Big Tech do exist: Toronto-based Sync.com offers private, law-compliant storage; Nextcloud, an open-source Dropbox alternative offers self-hosted productivity on Canadian servers; and proudly Canadian owned companies like ThinkOn or Micrologic Cirrus keep your data fully in Canada with sovereign cloud setups. 

True autonomy means real choice and control rather than marketing hype. But for real choices to exist, Canada needs strong domestic companies that can also compete globally. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pledge to build a Canadian sovereign cloud is a step in that direction.

Beyond opting for alternatives, it’s also worth rethinking whether we actually need the cloud for everything. Big Tech has marketed many “must-have” services as essential, and over time we’ve traded local (or even personal) autonomy for the so-called convenience and efficiency. In reality, not every task needs to live online. What we truly need are computation, storage, and connectivity; and the real question is whether our reliance on cloud technologies is a technical necessity or a manufactured dependency designed to lock us in.

Certainly, nobody wants to go back to naming files “version_3_final_FINAL,” but reclaiming autonomy from Big Tech also means rethinking our own habits. My colleague backs up photos on an external drive, which made me realize I don’t need to keep paying for ever-growing iCloud storage. Maybe you store work files locally, cut down on unnecessary syncing, or experiment with open-source tools. There’s no single solution – the key is finding small shifts that suit your lifestyle. Each little change adds up, giving you more control and gradually tipping the balance back into your hands.

AI and Algorithmic Recommendation Systems

If we’ve gotten used to thinking we can’t live without cloud services, it’s worth asking whether we’re now heading toward a world where we won’t be able to do anything without generative AI. Microsoft Office now ships with CoPilot, Google is stuffing AI into nearly every product, and most services seem to feel obligated to chase the AI hype by building on top of major foundation models like GPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), or LLaMA (Meta). Remember when you didn’t know something and you just “Googled” it? Now more and more people are just “ChatGPTing it!” That shift shows how quickly AI and recommendation systems are taking over how we access knowledge, news, and even daily decision-making.

Yet the unresolved problems with generative AI keep piling up: privacy (for example, LinkedIn trains their AI model on your data by default), copyright infringement, and user safety failures (including tragic cases of reported cases of teens harmed after interacting with chatbots). News outlets are already losing traffic to AI-powered search engines that summarize their reporting without compensation, while AI-generated junk content floods the web, accelerating the “enshittification” of our online environment. 

Can we regulate AI to reap real benefits while minimizing these harms?  Perhaps, but with a handful of global giants dominating the AI industry, and our own government prioritizing AI adoption over protecting people, we’re off to a rough start.

The fixes? You can make choices in your daily life that defend your  choices and privacy. Start with algorithmic search: alternatives like DuckDuckGo give you more transparency and privacy, and don’t surveil your searches for profit. On the AI front, the Canadian-born AI company, Cohere, is a made-in-Canada AI that will be subject to future Canadian regulations in ways the international models are not. 

Every small choice counts: the search engine you pick, the AI tool you use, and even being mindful of what drives the recommendations and summaries you see. Little by little, we can reclaim some control over our digital lives. It isn’t individual action OR collective action: it needs to be both.

At OpenMedia, we’re turning what our community tells us into action. Insights from our recent AI survey shaped our submission to the Canada-EU Digital Trade Agreement consultation, and we’re not stopping; we’ll keep holding the government accountable to make sure AI in Canada puts your privacy, choice, and transparency at its heart.

Home Internet and Mobile Connections

Surprise: your home internet and mobile service – likely runs through the Big Three: Rogers, Bell, or Telus – are also on the Canadian digital sovereignty watchlist. Even though the Big Three are Canadian, much of our domestic Internet traffic takes a “boomerang” route through the U.S. This is a result of decades of infrastructure having been built favouring north-south connections, instead of Canada to Canada ones.

Some cross-border routing is normal in a globally connected Internet, but the problem arises when domestic communications are forced through another country simply because our domestic network lacks the infrastructure to keep Canadian traffic mostly within Canada. This unnecessary routing exposes Canadians, including our sensitive or highly private data, to hidden surveillance and security risks.

Given the political tension with our southern neighbours, Canada’s network resilience comes into question. How would our Internet hold up if the U.S. began throttling or severing our dependence on their networks? The short answer: poorly. The Big Three dominate the Canadian market and can comfortably rely on the cost-effective status quo. With so little incentive to invest in network upgrades or resilience, everyday Canadians are left exposed to slow, unreliable, or fragile connections whenever disruptions strike.

The fixes? Physical network infrastructure is very difficult to improve on an individual basis. For now, you can take small steps to regain some control and improve the system by switching ISPs to smaller operators like TekSavvy and Beanfield. While it’s not a perfect sovereignty solution (your communications will often still run on Big Three infrastructure), smaller providers typically feature better customer support, more specialized services, lower prices, and are part of a small and local system that can eventually give Canadians a bit more choice and leverage. 

But make no mistake: long-term, real network autonomy requires more than individual switching. It requires significant government and industry investment in resilient domestic infrastructure, far beyond what Canada’s triopoly has delivered to date. Our government must act, invest, and legislate carefully to ensure that resources support broader Canadian network-building, without reinforcing the same monopolies that have overcharged Canadians for decades. Making publicly funded network infrastructure open-access for any ISP on equal terms is crucial, as is supporting a vibrant wholesale home Internet and MVNO mobile market. That’s why atOpenMedia, our joint action campaigns are pushing for a sovereign, resilient network, while continuing our fight for stronger competition in Canada’s telecom sector.

Epilogue: Turning Individual Choices into Collective Power

We’ve seen how easily we get boxed in by Big Tech – social feeds, messaging apps, cloud storage, AI tools, and even how we connect at home. But there are Canadian alternatives and smaller services quietly building different paths. These are signs that the digital ecosystem doesn’t have to look like it does now.

Even though this article has offered individual solutions, the bigger picture still needs policy action. We need government investment in resilient infrastructure, stronger competition rules to break up or regulate the triopoly, enforceable safeguards for how AI and algorithms are used, and laws that protect data residency and privacy.

All the individual pain points we’ve explored in the five key pillars of our digital lives: social media feeds, messaging apps, cloud services, AI tools, and home internet, are linked to four types of collective digital sovereignty: network, data, information & algorithmic, and policy & governance. Recognizing these individual and collective layers helps us see where our digital lives are most at risk, and where we as Canadians can act.

• Network sovereignty: Our data often passes through foreign networks. While cross-border routing is normal, geopolitical tensions or outages can compromise privacy, security, and continuity of service.
• Data sovereignty: Personal and sensitive information is frequently stored abroad, leaving it subject to foreign laws and regulations. Messaging apps, social platforms, and cloud providers often hold Canadians’ data outside domestic legal protections, exposing it to misuse or breaches.
• Information & algorithmic sovereignty: Algorithms shape what we see, what gets prioritized, and even how decisions are influenced. AI-powered recommendations, spam filters, and cloud analytics often serve corporate interests rather than Canadians’, quietly shaping workflows, content, and daily choices.
• Policy & governance sovereignty: Many decisions about privacy, encryption, and data use are made by foreign companies or governments. Heavy reliance on these systems limits Canada’s ability to enforce independent rules or protect citizens’ rights online.

This is a marathon, not a race. It is going to take years of careful effort to get our digital lives where we want them to be, as ordinary people and for all of Canadian society. At OpenMedia, we’re pushing on all fronts to transforming your community input into advocacy; from your AI survey input feeding into the Canada-EU Digital Trade Agreement consultation, to the open letter we helped write to the Prime Minister to call for digital sovereignty; to our many open campaigns for stronger competition, resilient networks, and domestic safeguards.

Stick with us for more individual and collective solutions to our digital problems, and if you come across ideas you want to share with us, feel free to write to us at [email protected].