py_megapixel
Established Member
...by which I mean Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. These are some of the world's largest and most profitable companies - but some of their business practices are very questionable.
Microsoft spent a decent chunk of the 1990s engaged in anti-trust lawsuits in the US regarding their attempts to establish a monopoly in PC operating systems. They ultimately lost, but clearly the damage was already done - chances are that the computer you are typing on now is running Microsoft Windows (assuming it's not a Mac, and assuming you haven't gone out of your way to install something such as Linux). This gives Microsoft an awful lot of control, which in recent years they have used to build in more and more telemetry and tracking into Windows, which can only be disabled with an insanely expensive enterprise license.
But Microsoft aren't the worst when it comes to questionable business practices, not by a long stretch. Google and Facebook collect huge amounts of data from users on a daily basis, and Amazon aggressively forces down prices and presumably also forces up profit margins, seemingly often at the expense of its workers' conditions and pay. Apple, being more of a hardware company, have less similar privacy concerns, but they do spend huge amounts of money in the US lobbying against the right for a consumer to have their devices repaired by third parties or to attempt repairs themselves.
I'm also interested to hear if any members on this forum are taking actions to try to rid their lives of these companies? Personally, I have a complete boycott of Amazon and Facebook, with the exception of WhatsApp which I have to use because I need to keep in touch with some friends who are very reluctant to switch platforms. I only use Microsoft products when I'm forced to - e.g. to join a Teams meeting - and I don't use a personal "account" with them (if I have to log in, it's with an organisation license). I have replaced Windows on my personal machine with Linux. As for Google, I do still use some of their services, but I have turned off all of the tracking and personalised advertisment options, and I try to avoid giving them more of my sensitive information than I have to.
Microsoft spent a decent chunk of the 1990s engaged in anti-trust lawsuits in the US regarding their attempts to establish a monopoly in PC operating systems. They ultimately lost, but clearly the damage was already done - chances are that the computer you are typing on now is running Microsoft Windows (assuming it's not a Mac, and assuming you haven't gone out of your way to install something such as Linux). This gives Microsoft an awful lot of control, which in recent years they have used to build in more and more telemetry and tracking into Windows, which can only be disabled with an insanely expensive enterprise license.
But Microsoft aren't the worst when it comes to questionable business practices, not by a long stretch. Google and Facebook collect huge amounts of data from users on a daily basis, and Amazon aggressively forces down prices and presumably also forces up profit margins, seemingly often at the expense of its workers' conditions and pay. Apple, being more of a hardware company, have less similar privacy concerns, but they do spend huge amounts of money in the US lobbying against the right for a consumer to have their devices repaired by third parties or to attempt repairs themselves.
I'm also interested to hear if any members on this forum are taking actions to try to rid their lives of these companies? Personally, I have a complete boycott of Amazon and Facebook, with the exception of WhatsApp which I have to use because I need to keep in touch with some friends who are very reluctant to switch platforms. I only use Microsoft products when I'm forced to - e.g. to join a Teams meeting - and I don't use a personal "account" with them (if I have to log in, it's with an organisation license). I have replaced Windows on my personal machine with Linux. As for Google, I do still use some of their services, but I have turned off all of the tracking and personalised advertisment options, and I try to avoid giving them more of my sensitive information than I have to.