Some time ago I have decided to stop using services offered by Google. This is not because I'm disappointed with their quality or features!. It is because the latest Snowden/PRISM/NSA revelations and also due to the feeling that big companies (not only Google) are misusing my private data.

There are many, many services/applications that one should stop using when trying to avoid the Big Brother(s). You will find a comprehensive list at prism-break.org.

I try to be pragmatic about it and do not make my life much harder. :) This is what I have decided:

• google search - I have tested duck duck go and it works good enough for me. I have set it as my default search engine at home (for Opera and Firefox). At work I still use Google search, and I do not care that Big Brother knows I'm interested in "how to write JUnit tests, please help!" ;)
• google analytics - I have decided to give piwik.org a try. But I had no time yet to do it.
• gmail - uh-oh, this one is the toughest! I like GMail a lot, and it is hard to leave it. It is also a big change because email is, well, email is email. :) But I have decided to migrate from GMail, and I will do it. There are many similar services. I need some time to compare them.You will find many good articles about digital rights, privacy, NSA etc. on eff.org (or panoptykon.org for polish readers).
• google docs - I use it rarely and mainly for business collaboration (writing articles together), so I think I will not abandon it. On the other hand some email solutions (see above) offers also some Google Docs counterparts, so when changing email I may also change Google Docs to something new. But it is not crucial.
• google+ - I use it mainly for the business purposes, so I do not mind Google tracking me there (same thing with Facebook).
• chrome - haven't used it and obviously I do not plan to! :)

Ah, and BTW. when looking for new services, I do not mind paying if they offer some cool features (like privacy for example!).

So, the direction is set, and eventually I will stop using any services of Google that I think are dangerous. I rather use some other things. Maybe less powerful, but more protecting my privacy.