EverMail.nl is my self-hosted email and calendar setup, built to prioritize privacy, reliability, and data sovereignty for e-mail and calendaring without being too anxious. It marks the beginning of my deliberate journey to break away from Big Tech and reclaim my digital independence gradually.
Because my hosting provider—the EU-based mijn.host—includes web space alongside mail and contact services, I am using this site to document my approach and progress. Perhaps others find this useful.
My Goals:
Replacement: Swap mainstream platforms for open, more privacy-respecting alternatives.
Transparency: Share my choices and updates regarding not just email, but all the technology I use daily.
Sovereignty: Move data back into my own hands and onto European soil.
This page serves as an evolving resource for anyone interested in making a similar shift toward a more private digital life.
The start
Contacts, calendar en email access from anywhere, anyhow:
EverMail supports IMAP, CalDAV, and CardDAV for full interoperability.
Contacts: Fossify Contacts. Requires DAVx. DAVx⁵ isn't complex, but too complex for my setup. Works, but looking for an alternative.
Calendaring KashCal via F-droid. Works very well so far.
iOS: I do not use Apple products.
Project info
Total visits to this site since Feb 6, 2026: 1223.
Counting is anonymous and just out of interest — no tracking, no cookies (and no cookie banner!).
Last update of the website: September 9, 2026.
Why
Privacy (why it matters), security, independence, and digital control matter. Big Tech’s “free” tools use personal data to sell ads (and more) and train AI systems without explicit consent.
Users give up their privacy in exchange for their products.
Products that are more and more designed like games to lure you into using these products, e.g. by offering AI and using your data (including prompts).
Not my piece of cake, and perhaps it should not be yours either.
Google's security is said to be good, but their privacy not so.
This means Google are very good at keeping your data to themselves.
I rely on open‑source tools, open standards, and repairable hardware — avoiding closed source “free” products that harvest data.
I do not dispose of hardware before the end of technical/ conomic lifetime, or I give the hardware a second life giving/ selling it to somebody else.
I do apply these principals wherever possible and practical. I try to be pragmatic and keep things simple.
I financially support FOSS projects I depend on. Not all of them, not all the time, not a lot of money (for me) involved, but as a matter of principal.
I do not have the technical skills to contribute otherwise.
I take the journey step by step. I made and will make mistakes, but I always recover (so far) and learn a lot along the way.
I have been running a small server (Synology) at home for storage (photo's, backups and my business documents) since around 2015.
Recently (2025) I've started using docker to self-host services I used to rely on in the “public” cloud.
Works wonderfully well, although some projects tend to stretch my technical understanding to the limit, and beyond (learning every day). Good support sources (like Marius Hosting) are available online (and donated to 😇).
However, not everything is worth hosting yourselves.
Either my server is not powerful enough (but efficient) and/or it is too complex and ISP restrictions apply (email hosting).
However, self hosting has changed my IT landscape in a positive way. The added complexity is limited; most is 'set and forget'.
Overview of hard- & software and services replacements
Linux (NixOS) with home-manager; encrypted drive niri + Noctalia. Recently started using git (self hosted forgejo) and flakes
never complete 😁
Social
LinkedIn
None
complete
Document processing & presentations
MS Office (long ago) → LibreOffice (still overly complex)
MarkDown for simple documents (80%) and presentations: what a relief! Presenting using presenterm(Lua)LaTeX for more complex documents; produces highly efficient and functional pdfs.
complete
Spreadsheet
MS Office (>10 years ince); LibreOfice
LibreOffice (duh; more than good enough for 99% of Excel users). If only Gnumeric was capable of pivot tables...
In the Netherlands, almost everyone seems addicted to big tech—Google, Microsoft, AWS, Meta and the like. From the government and schools to private companies and individuals, these platforms are deeply embedded in our daily lifes.
Most people grow up within these ecosystems, largely unaware of how it compromises their privacy, hampers their productivity, and stunts their digital literacy. However, with the shifting geopolitical landscape —accelerated by recent political changes in the U.S.— the need for better privacy, digital independence and self-reliance slowly entering the public consciousness.
Change is beginning to take root; France (ditching Windows), certain German states and cities, and Austria have all started making strides toward digital sovereignty.
While most governments struggle to adapt, it are the more tech-savvy individuals that have started on their own with available tech and tools.
Real change starts small. By taking action, I am learning, progressing. My goal is simple: to protect my privacy, sharpen my digital skills, and reclaim my independence.
When will you take the first step toward reclaiming your own digital sovereignty?
