>Finally, we are effectively coerced to using these products
Google may still be the best search engine, but I use Facebook solely for the chat functionality. If some competitor comes along that offers the same features with the same quality but better privacy I would have no problem with switching.
(In case somebody smells a startup idea or already know a solution, I am looking for a service with good, easy to use Android, Apple and Windows Phone Apps, website for desktop use (desktop client for Windows and Linux is fine too), decent direct-message as well as group chats with consistent message ordering. I should be able to view all my messages, including history, in Apps on all my phones as well as on my desktop.)
Google may still be the best search engine, but I use Facebook solely for the chat functionality. If some competitor comes along that offers the same features with the same quality but better privacy I would have no problem with switching.
(In case somebody smells a startup idea or already know a solution, I am looking for a service with good, easy to use Android, Apple and Windows Phone Apps, website for desktop use (desktop client for Windows and Linux is fine too), decent direct-message as well as group chats with consistent message ordering. I should be able to view all my messages, including history, in Apps on all my phones as well as on my desktop.)