You don't own your files; you just rent them. ☁️🔒 We investigate the "Local-First" software movement, a rebellion against the Cloud Empire (Google, Microsoft, Amazon). We break down how the promise of "convenience" became a prison where you can be locked out of your life for a terms-of-service violation.

1. The Google Docs Lockout: We expose the vulnerability. In 2017, a glitch caused Google to flag innocuous Google Docs as "abusive," locking users out of their own work, research, and novels. We explain the fundamental flaw of "Cloud Primacy": your data lives on their server, meaning they have the keys, and you are just a guest in your own digital house .

2. The "Local-First" Manifesto: We analyze the solution. Published by Ink & Switch, this manifesto proposes a radical shift: software where the primary copy of your data lives on your device, not the cloud. We discuss how this enables "perpetual access"—you can still read your notes in 20 years even if the company goes bankrupt or shuts down the servers.

3. The Magic of CRDTs: How do you collaborate without the cloud? We explain the breakthrough technology: Conflict-free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs). This math allows multiple people to edit a document offline, on different devices, and merge the changes perfectly without a central server. It’s the "secret sauce" that could make Google Docs obsolete by giving you real-time collaboration and total ownership .The full list of sources used to create this episode can be found on our Patreon under ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/Morgrain