Bram on PixelUnion - Free your photos from American tech platforms

Away from Big Tech: reclaim your privacy and data

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Let’s be honest: Big Tech often feels like magic. Everything is fast, slick and tightly integrated. But behind that shine is a business model where you aren’t the customer - you are the product. Your behaviour is endlessly measured, profiled and fed into advertising ecosystems and partners. The more accurate the picture of you, the more valuable you become in the attention economy. That’s not a side effect - that’s the model.

WhatsApp’s Mandatory AI: Why It’s Time to Consider Signal

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

WhatsApp’s Mandatory AI: Why It’s Time to Consider Signal

Recently, WhatsApp-owned by Meta-has begun a major rollout of its AI chatbot and bot menu. But what’s especially important for European users is the timeline: the mandatory AI integration started appearing in 2024 in some regions, but its official launch and requirement for Europe is happening in 2025 [source]. This isn’t just another feature update; it’s a fundamental shift in how big tech interacts with users, raising crucial questions about privacy, control, and digital autonomy.

Switzerland’s New Surveillance Law: A Privacy Crisis for Encrypted Services

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Switzerland, long admired for its tradition of privacy, is on the brink of passing surveillance legislation more intrusive than the United States. A proposed revision of the country’s VÜPF (Ordinance on the Surveillance of Postal and Telecommunications Traffic) could dramatically reshape the landscape for anyone relying on VPNs, encrypted chat, or email providers based in Switzerland.

Why This Law Is a Game Changer

The proposed VÜPF update would require Swiss VPN and email providers with as few as 5,000 users to log IP addresses and keep that data for six months. For comparison: in Germany, such data retention is outright illegal for email providers. The law would also mandate ID verification-think driver’s license or phone number-making anonymous access to digital services nearly impossible.

PixelUnion on heise

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

PixelUnion on heise

Last week, Heise published an article about PixelUnion. We really appreciate the support - thank you, Heise!
If you’d like to read the article, you can visit their website (it’s in German) or check out the translated version below.
Only the publicly available part of the article is visible unless you’re a subscriber.

Link to the article:
ARTICLE

Translated excerpt

PixelUnion in Review: EU-Based Photo Cloud as an Alternative to Google and Apple

Getting out of the US cloud: PixelUnion offers an alternative to Apple iCloud and Google Photos, with 16 GB of free cloud storage hosted in the EU.

Escaping the Cloud Trap: Time for a European Alternative

Sun, 25 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Arjen Lubach asked a pressing question last Thursday in his TV show LUBACH: could Trump digitally shut down the Netherlands? Spoiler alert: yes, he could.

In the episode, Arjen Lubach clearly explains how our reliance on American cloud services (Microsoft, Google, Amazon) makes us vulnerable. Turmp has the option to block all your acces to the American cloud. Did you know that Microsoft recently cut off email services for the International Criminal Court in The Hague? That real-world example shows just how high the stakes are.

We've reach BETA stage

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

PixelUnion went into BETA a week ago for anyone who wants to try it out. So far, we’re very happy with how everything is going. We’re already managing over 1 terabyte of storage for our BETA users. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from our BETA users, which we really enjoy hearing and reading.

Our website (pixelunion.eu) is also now live, where we provide information about our platform and where it’s also possible to join the BETA. If you participate in the BETA, you can use up to 1 terabyte of storage for free. After the BETA, our users will receive a special offer to thank them for supporting the platform.