Why be cautious with Israeli tech companies?
Israel has a sophisticated intelligence infrastructure with deep ties to its technology sector. Several Israeli companies have been linked to surveillance tools used against journalists, activists and foreign governments.
Unit 8200 ecosystem
Many Israeli tech founders are alumni of Unit 8200, the IDF's signals intelligence unit, creating structural links between the tech sector and military intelligence.
Surveillance tech exports
Israeli companies including NSO Group have developed and exported surveillance tools, including Pegasus spyware, used to target journalists, lawyers and politicians globally.
Limited GDPR alignment
While Israel holds EU adequacy status for data transfers, its domestic intelligence laws provide fewer protections than GDPR for non-Israeli data subjects.
Israel's risk profile is more nuanced than China or Russia: the concern is sector-specific rather than a blanket legal obligation like CLOUD Act or SORM.
Popular products to replace
What to switch, category by category
OsmAnd
Netherlands EU
A powerful offline maps and navigation app built on OpenStreetMap, developed by a company in the Netherlands. Detailed offline maps, hiking and cycling routes, and deep customisation, all without tracking where you go.
Alternative to: Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze
Maps & navigation
Magic Earth
Netherlands EU
A privacy-first navigation app from Amsterdam-based General Magic, built on OpenStreetMap data. Turn-by-turn navigation, live traffic, and offline maps, with no account required and no tracking of where you go.
Alternative to: Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze
Maps & navigation
Sygic
Slovakia EU
A Slovak GPS navigation app with detailed offline maps covering more than 200 countries. Turn-by-turn voice guidance, speed-limit warnings, and traffic, all usable without a data connection - one of Europe's most popular navigation apps.
Alternative to: Google Maps, Waze
Maps & navigation
CryptPad
France EU
End-to-end encrypted collaboration suite. Docs, spreadsheets, and kanban boards. The server never sees your content.
Alternative to: Google Docs, Notion, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint, Google Slides
Project management
OpenProject
Germany EU
Berlin-based open-source project management platform with Gantt charts, Scrum and Kanban boards, time tracking, and wiki. Self-hostable with full data sovereignty. Used by governments and enterprises across Europe. No US parent, no CLOUD Act exposure.
Alternative to: Clickup, Basecamp, Notion, Monday Com, Asana, Jira
Project management
Collabora Online
United Kingdom Europe
LibreOffice in the browser, built by Collabora. Integrates with Nextcloud for a fully European document editing suite.
Alternative to: Google Docs, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint, Google Slides
Project management
IONOS
Germany EU
Website builder, hosting, domains, and cloud from Germany's largest web host. Data hosted in the EU under German data-protection law.
Website builders & CMS
Hostinger
Lithuania EU
Lithuanian web hosting giant serving 29 million users in 178 countries. Affordable shared, VPS and cloud hosting with a custom control panel and strong European infrastructure.
Alternative to: Vercel, Netlify, Aws, Godaddy, Bluehost, Alibaba Cloud
Hosting & cloud infrastructure
Jimdo
Germany EU
Easy website and online-store builder from Hamburg, aimed at small businesses. GDPR-friendly by default with data hosted in the EU.
Alternative to: Wix, Squarespace
Website builders & CMSStart somewhere.
Switching everything overnight is not realistic. Start where it matters most: your email, your cloud storage, your business tools. Replace one thing at a time.
The European Alternative already exists.
Pick Europe.