# Free your Data

> Free your Data is a free, interactive Digital Dependency Risk Calculator that helps individuals and organizations understand how dependent they are on US-based technology platforms — and what that means for their privacy, security, and economic sovereignty.

## What this site does

Free your Data provides a 2-minute assessment tool that calculates a personalized Digital Dependency Risk Score based on which digital services a user relies on daily. The score is broken down across three risk dimensions:

- **Geopolitical Risk**: Exposure to the US CLOUD Act, which allows US authorities to demand access to data stored by US-headquartered companies regardless of where that data physically resides. This affects users of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and similar platforms.
- **Economic Risk**: Financial dependency on US tech giants, diverting money away from European innovation, job creation, and the local digital economy.
- **Security Risk**: Concentration of data in a small number of large platforms increases exposure to surveillance, data breaches, and loss of control over personal or business information.

## Why it matters

75% of Europeans unknowingly rely on US cloud infrastructure for their email, file storage, communication, and business tools. This creates systemic risk that most users are unaware of. Free your Data makes this risk visible and actionable.

## European Alternatives Directory

In addition to the risk calculator, the site links to a curated directory of privacy-first, European-operated alternatives to common US tech services: [https://alternatives.freeyourdata.eu/](https://alternatives.freeyourdata.eu/)

This directory covers alternatives for:
- Email providers (e.g., ProtonMail, Tutanota, Posteo)
- Cloud storage (e.g., Nextcloud, Tresorit)
- Video conferencing (e.g., Jitsi, Whereby)
- Productivity suites (e.g., Collabora, OnlyOffice)
- Search engines (e.g., Startpage, Ecosia, Qwant)
- And many more categories

## Who should use this

- European individuals concerned about their digital privacy
- Businesses subject to GDPR who want to reduce compliance risk
- Organizations seeking to reduce exposure to US surveillance law
- Anyone interested in supporting European digital sovereignty

## Key concepts explained

**Digital Sovereignty**: The ability of individuals, organizations, or nations to maintain control over their data, digital infrastructure, and technology choices without being subject to foreign jurisdiction.

**CLOUD Act (Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act)**: A 2018 US law that allows US law enforcement to compel US-based companies to provide data stored on servers outside the United States, including in Europe, without notifying the affected individual or company.

**GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)**: European Union law governing how personal data of EU residents may be collected, stored, and processed. Transferring data to US companies may create conflicts between GDPR and the CLOUD Act.

## Site structure

- `/` — Landing page with hero section and quick-start email provider assessment
- `/` (calculator view) — Multi-step Digital Dependency Risk Calculator
- Results include a numerical score (0-100), risk level classification (Low / Medium / High / Critical), and a breakdown by risk category
- Each result links to recommended European alternatives

## Contact and origin

- Website: [https://freeyourdata.eu/](https://freeyourdata.eu/)
- Alternatives directory: [https://alternatives.freeyourdata.eu/](https://alternatives.freeyourdata.eu/)