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Parker Higgins @xor@mastodon.xyz

With news of Unroll.me selling user inbox info to Uber, lots of people are repeating "if you're not paying for it, you're the product."

I've said before, and will continue to say, that that is the wrong formulation. Sometimes you pay for it and you're still the product – look at US ISPs. Sometimes you don't pay for it and you're not the product – free software.

The real question is whether a software or service empowers users, which can't be boiled down to whether you paid.

rysiek ✅ @rysiek

@xor I agree with all of this, but just to stir up hornets' nest a bit:

1. how about: "if you're not paying for it, there's a good chance you're the product"

2. we really have to start making users understand they *need* to support the software they're using financially even if there is no upfront price tag.

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Parker Higgins @xor@mastodon.xyz

@rysiek I'm with you 100%. "if you can't figure out the business model, that's a pretty good indicator that you're what they're selling" might work, but it needs some workshopping.

MMN-o ✅⃠ @mmn@social.umeahackerspace.se
@rysiek @xor How about "Proprietary software is evil, use libre software. And trust your admin!"
MMN-o ✅⃠ @mmn@social.umeahackerspace.se
*likes my own post because noone else will* cc: @rysiek @xor
pettter ✅ @pettter@social.umeahackerspace.se
@xor @rysiek "If you can't tell what they're selling, but they look like they do, it's you"?
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