Ethical Tech

Be part of the Ethical-Tech Revolution

Is your favorite app or platform tracking you? Likely so.

The ones we've gotten used to - like Google, Meta, and Amazon - have created dependency on a surveillance/data-harvesting model largely owned by our billionaire class (increasingly in cahoots with the government). Amazon, for example, wants your data more than it wants to sell you stuff.

Is that just a necessary evil for the conveniences of modern life? No! There are now great ethical-tech options that you will love and that align with your values.

Re-evaluate every app and platform you use

My criteria for ethical tech centers on:

1. Data privacy and security - Good protection from surveillance, hacking, and corporate harvesting for ad profiles (especially as the line increasingly blurs between corporate and government profiling).

2. Environmental impact - Is the company demonstrating commitment to sustainability? Does it use renewable energy and/or offsets? This is especially important for AI.

3. Integrity of ownership - Is it a billionaire oligarch or a freedom fighter? Is it a massive company profiting from our data and showing disregard for our privacy and rights? Is it a nonprofit? A startup? What do their public statements suggest about their ethics and their vision for the company?

4. Geography of ownership - Is it based in the US or elsewhere, and what jurisdiction is it subject to? The US and Europe have different regulatory landscapes. Swiss law on data protection is different from the EU’s. The question is not just are you protected, but *who* is protecting you and where.

We now have a range of quality choices and can opt out of the deeply embedded surveillance/data-harvesting model. Instead of empowering our tech-bro overlords, we can take back some agency and push the market in the right direction.

Many people realize there’s a problem and would like to change, but don't know where to start. Reclaim control over your data by moving away from invasive platforms to more ethical, privacy-respecting alternatives. It's now easy to switch to greater 'digital sovereignty'.

My Ethical Tech starter kit of app recommendations mainly focuses on user-friendly replacements for:

• Messaging

• Email

• Browser/Search

• Maps

• AI

Being more intentional in our apps is a crucial stance of resistance in this moment. Few of us will be perfect but we have the power to create a paradigm shift.

Who are you, Bill, and why are you talking about this?

I am not an IT expert, nor am I a Luddite. I am an artist (photographer and musician) and a long-time arts educator and community organizer. My interest in tech is, in a way, similar to my art stance: what role can it play in empowering us, creating community, helping imagine the future, and defending ourselves from dark trends?

I used to call it ‘resistance tech’. It’s clear that tech is being weaponized against us - but we can weaponize it back.

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