Vivaldi is urging users to “move away” from big tech services and reclaim the open web. The company calls this a Digital Dugnad, and the core idea is to use services from smaller companies instead of giant conglomerates.

The word Dugnad is from the Norwegian language, and it means multiple people supporting the same cause coming together to solve a challenge that is impossible to tackle alone. Teaming up to tackle a large problem is the messaging throughout the browser’s recent campaigns.

Vivaldi posted about Dugnad on the official website and also on X. The messaging reinforces that the internet was supposed to be free and open, but large conglomerates are taking that away from people. While the open web still exists, it’s apparently buried under “something ugly,” referring to the major tech companies at the moment.

 

Vivaldi continued to emphasize that tech oligarchs are feeding on people’s attention and data, saying that the open web space has become a mere profit-making machine. To tackle this, the campaign urges users to switch away from major tech brands, starting with their browsers.

Vivaldi campaign.

The “first step” in this campaign is to switch your browser to something privacy-focused and more open. While Vivaldi obviously recommends… Vivaldi, you can pick a privacy-focused browser of your choice. After this, the company has advised switching search engines to something less tracking-heavy, like DuckDuckGo.

Campaign steps.

Vivaldi has also encouraged changing the email service and cloud storage as well, to alternatives such as Proton Mail. Just these steps, and Vivaldi claims that you’ve “taken back control” over your privacy online.

After you’ve performed these suggested changes, the company encourages users to bring along someone else to hop on the Dugnad train.

The company has also taken some of these campaigns offline, explaining the alternatives to big tech. One of such campaigns was in Norway.

Norway Dugnad.

In other Vivaldi news, the browser recently got security and feature improvements. We covered that here.

PS: To make it clear, the purpose of this article is solely to inform interested potential participants about the Dugnad campaign. It’s not an endorsement of these views from our side.

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Sudhanshu K
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I have been a consumer technology enthusiast for over 5 years. Thanks to my experience in software beta testing and product reviews, I've understood and learnt a lot about what bugs and issues bother people, and I spend time trying to simplify their solutions. I cover smartphones, software, social media, apps, AI, and most consumer tech gadgets. Actively pursuing a Computer Science bachelor’s degree. I'm mostly active on Twitter/X (@TechWhirlUlt), drop a DM or tag me if you want to share info or connect!