Four kick-ass non-profits that fight censorship, preserve privacy, and promote free speech
Tired of being snooped on by Big-Corps and Governments? Time to step up your game by endorsing these public-charities.
So you want to converse, browse and talk freely? You are tired of the government snooping on you and corporations selling your data to the highest advertiser? Read on.
From texting, video-conferencing, browsing to emailing, here are ways you can step up your privacy game today.
First, what is a non-profit? An organization that has a fiduciary responsibility to spend donations/revenues to further a specific mission rather than engage in the personal enrichment of its founders or employees. In the US, the IRS grants 501(c)(3) status to the best non-profits. Also, donations to 501(c)(3) organizations are tax deductible.
Non profits cannot be brought, sold, or influenced. And therein lies their power — the FAANGS cannot really shut them down.
#1 Signal
Text much? Switch to Signal today. Signal is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that pushes all data to the edge nodes, meaning there is no user data stored on any of their servers. Endorsed by Edward Snowed, Elon Musk and loads of government officials, Signal is hands down the safest way to chat.
Pros: True end-to-end encryption, and zero data at-rest. Supports one-to-one and group texting, as well as video calls with up to 8 users.
Cons: You will need a phone number to register. But it does not have to be your cell number, it could even be a VoIP number you use.
How to donate? Support the Signal project by donating here.
#2 SecureMeeting
Pandemic surveillance took on a whole new meaning as all online conversations shifted to live-streaming. Enter SecureMeeting, a US 501(c)(3) that is building the safest place to meet online.
SecureMeeting is a Web 3.0 compliant video-conferencing platform. Switching takes seconds: no downloads or installs necessary; you don’t even need an account to start using it.
Pros: Web 3.0 compliant, making it future forward. Extremely high privacy: does not require any personally identifying data about users. Easy to use: no downloads or installs needed.
Cons: Works best on Chromium based browsers (like Brave, Chrome, etc.,) but can be iffy on Edge, Safari, Opera etc., largely due to WebRTC. Low mobile support — but in all honesty, one can’t really talk with 6+ people on a mobile phone anyway.
How to donate? Donate to SecureMeeting here.
#3 Tor Browser
Its one thing to dodge a few online ads, it’s a whole other thing to be able to bypass entire governments and national censorship.
Tor is not for the faint at heart. It is not just a browser, it is an entire community of nodes that forward packets for one another in a way that completely obfuscates who is talking with who. Tor is made possible by the Tor Project, a US 501(c)(3) non profit.
Pros: Unparalleled security and privacy. It’s really hard to match this kind of browsing anonymity using any other product.
Cons: The experience will feel a tad bit slow. Your packets are getting bounced off of random other nodes all over the world, who tend to come and go. If you find Tor to be slow and just wanted to support a non-profit, you can always just use Firefox (by the Mozilla project, a 501(c)(3)). In fact, the Tor browser is built on top of Firefox code.
How to donate? Support the Tor project by donating here.
#4 ProtonMail
Email is the lifeblood of all written communications. Switch to ProtonMail for complete peace of mind. ProtonMail is a non-profit based out of Switzerland.
Unlike commercial email services like Gmail or Outlook, ProtonMail uses client side end-to-end encryption before any user data is sent to the Proton servers. It’s just comforting to know that your email is not read by bots or employees, unlike Gmail.
Pros: End to end encryption of all content. Proton can also be accessed via the Tor Network to truly obfuscate online trails.
Cons: Getting started with ProtonMail is free. But more advanced features come at a modest cost. However, since ProtonMail is non-profit, 100% of revenue is spent into furthering the mission.
How to donate? Donating to ProtonMail is easy. Or, you can upgrade for a small fee and revenue is donated to the mission.
Conclusions
As we increasingly rely on the Web for all of our communications, it makes sense to pause and reflect on the companies we support. Under the guise of “free” services, Big-corps essentially monitor everything you do and sell this data for a profit.
This accidental online dictatorship by Big-corps and governments needs to end. Whether you choose to donate to these non-profits, or simply switch to their services, you are playing your part in giving the Web back to its users.
It is up to us. Up to you.
