Dump Big Tech
"Why worry about privacy? I've got nothing to hide."
That's how I used to think about privacy and the way big tech companies farm us for data. So why is it a problem if there's nothing to expose, right? I don't care if they see what I'm doing. I'm no weirder than anyone else online.
That attitude has changed for me over the past several years. Between the Cambridge Analytica incident and witnessing the gradual enshittification of just about every app and service imaginable.
While I still have nothing to hide, now I know how much these huge companies make off our data, which we let them have for free. At least advertisement companies pay focus groups for their opinions. Want my opinion so you can sell your product better? Pay me, grifters.
So yeah, screw them. I won't be their marketing research anymore and I'm taking back control. In addition, I'm taking back access to my wallet and no longer giving my hard-earned dollars to billionaire-owned companies that are destroying our planet and way of life.
Alternatives
Specifics
Amazon: Issues concerning labor conditions, antitrust concerns, data privacy, environmental impact, tax avoidance, and marketplace safety—issues that pit its efficiency‑driven model against expectations for fair treatment of workers, competition, consumer rights, and sustainability. (source)
Facebook/Meta: Privacy and data exploitation, the spread of misinformation and harmful content, monopolistic market practices, impacts on mental health—especially among youth—and allegations of workplace discrimination and inadequate accountability for its platforms’ societal effects. (source)
Google/Alphabet: Privacy and data‑mining practices, antitrust allegations over market dominance, the spread of misinformation and algorithmic bias, impacts on mental health and digital well‑being, and criticisms of workplace diversity, labor treatment, and insufficient accountability for its vast influence on information and commerce. (source)
Microsoft: Concerns over privacy and data handling across its cloud and software services, antitrust scrutiny for its market dominance and bundling practices, the societal impact of AI and facial‑recognition technologies, labor‑related issues such as contractor treatment and workplace diversity, and criticism over its role in facilitating misinformation and influencing public discourse. (source)
Pinterest: In 2020, multiple employees reported experiencing racial and gender discrimination, pay disparities, and retaliation for speaking up. (source) My main motivator for moving on is how the platform's quality has taken a nosedive, primarily suggesting AI slop to users in their main content feed.