The Courage to Disconnect: Why I Chose 'Privacy First' in a Data-Hungry World

Source: Dev.to

We’ve been sold a lie. A very convenient, very profitable lie.

The lie is that for an app to be “smart,” it needs to know everything about you. It needs to upload your habits to the cloud, analyze your sleep patterns with AI, and sync your deepest thoughts across five different devices in real‑time.

I almost fell for it. When I started designing my latest productivity tool, my Product Manager brain (the ISTJ part of me) immediately started listing features: Cloud Sync! Team Collaboration! AI Insights! User Analytics!

But then, late one night, I sat in my dimly lit room, staring at the glowing screen of a server log from a previous project. I saw rows and rows of user data scrolling by—names, timestamps, actions. And I felt a sudden, visceral wave of nausea.

I realized I wasn’t building a tool to help people. I was building a surveillance device.

The Trap of “Convenience”

We trade our privacy for convenience so cheaply that it’s almost tragic. We give away our location data to save two minutes on a commute. We give away our health data to get a digital badge.

But here is the counter‑intuitive truth: Data is not the new oil. It is the new toxic waste.

For a developer, holding user data is a liability, not an asset. It requires security teams, compliance lawyers, and constant vigilance against hackers. For the user, it’s a ticking time bomb. Every database will eventually leak. It’s not a matter of if, but when.

I remembered a scene from The Truman Show, where Truman finally hits the wall of the sky and realizes his entire world is a set designed for others’ observation. In the digital world, we are all Truman. But we can choose to find the exit door.

The “Local‑First” Rebellion

I decided to do something radical: build an app that was “dumb.”

• No servers.
• No accounts.
• No analytics.
• No “Cloud Sync.”

This is called Local‑First Architecture. The software lives on your device, and the data never leaves it. It’s like a digital Moleskine notebook. If you lose your phone, you lose your data. And that is a feature, not a bug.

Why? Because it restores ownership.

The Local‑First Manifesto

• Speed – No loading spinners. Local code is instant.
• Reliability – Works on a plane, in a tunnel, or in a cabin in the woods.
• Trust – You don’t have to trust me with your data; you only have to trust yourself.

It takes courage to say “No” to the cloud. It feels like stepping back into the Stone Age, but the Stone Age was actually quite peaceful.

3ThingsPal: A Privacy‑First Experiment

To prove the concept, I built 3ThingsPal—a to‑do list that refuses to be smart.

• It doesn’t use AI to prioritize your tasks.
• It doesn’t sync with your calendar.
• It doesn’t suggest “what you might like to do next.”

It simply asks: “What are the 3 most important things you need to do today?”

Because it’s Local‑First, I don’t know what you write. I don’t know if you’re planning a surprise party, writing a novel, or just trying to get out of bed. That is none of my business, and I prefer it that way.

By removing the cloud, I removed the noise. By removing analytics, I removed the incentive to make the app addictive. What’s left is a quiet, private space for your own thoughts.

Summary: The Luxury of Being Offline

In a world that screams for your attention and data, privacy is the ultimate luxury—the digital equivalent of a quiet cabin in the mountains.

We don’t need more “smart” assistants. We need more “dumb” tools that respect our boundaries.

So, I invite you to try disconnecting. Find tools that work for you, not on you. Be brave enough to be the one person in the room whose data isn’t being sold.