We are now living in an era where technology pervades our lives. Some of the people that have power over us are decision makers in companies that produce and disperse such technologies. Corporate surveillance has become a tolerated evil as it affords us conveniences and on the surface, appears free to use.
Unlike democratic governments, these decision makers are not held accountable through periodic elections. The only way to hold such individuals and entities accountable is through free-market competition. However, such competition has to come from honorable companies that put the privacy, freedom and liberty of the consumers first.
Companies offering healthier alternatives are often at a disadvantage as they do not have the resources to compete against surveillance and dark pattern driven marketing machinery. As responsible citizens, when you pay for software that’s free from surveillance and free to use, you are casting your vote in favor of more responsible companies and individuals.
On free to use software
Software licensing and other forms of gate-keeping are incompatible with a policy of non-surveillance. It also involves a shift in mindset - from creating technology that disables to technology that only enables. By making software free to use, a whole slew of problems including the ethical slippery-slope of software piracy disappear. Makers can focus on building great things that move the world forward.