Privacy friendly alternatives to Google
Out of curiosity Ken, are you worried about Google (etc.) tracking you? My kids each got 'Alexa' devices for Christmas. These listen all the time, even when seemingly offline. We turn them off, but they are very useful.
There is anecdotal evidence that Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and others cover their laptop cameras. We have friends who use 'dumb' phones because they see a kidnap risk in the use of smart phones. Said friends are billionaires with a home in Spain and use the dumb phones in Spain (and have security teams): here, they use smart phones.
But for me? I'm not a billionaire. I know no secrets. I'm not wanted. I am not at risk of kidnap. Google gives me lots of amazing interlinked tools that really help my life: contacts, navigation etc. I'm not concerned about them, and it might be a little over-paranoid if people become concerned about the development of tools to help their daily lives. Thanks to Alexa we can listen to Chris Evans in the morning, rather than the dreadful Zoe Ball. Next trick is to the same in my new car, which it much cleverer than me.