Tech gifts that take more than they give -- Brands that progressives should refuse

in #shopping8 years ago (edited)

Many mainstream technology brands engage in a variety of freedom-oppressing political activities. It's a rampant problem because not enough consumers are paying attention.

There is also a widespread sense of hopelessness following the recent election, but civil libertarians can still vote - that is, vote when shopping. Brands that are detrimental to progressive causes are listed below. Stop feeding these companies. If (for example) you buy a color HP printer as a gift for a left-leaning recipient, be aware that you are actually doing them a disservice that reduces their liberties and the liberties of others.

The data:

CompanyALEC statusCISPA or CISA supportDrug TestsTacker DotsNotes
Adobe
Amazonformer memberTax avoidance practices inspired an organized boycott.
Apple
AT&T
Brother
Compaq
Canon
Cisco
Dellformer memberAdvertises on Breitbart News (a neocon publication). Dell's website also blocks Tor (thus privacy-hostile)
Epson
Fujitsu
Googleformer memberAnti-whistleblower tactics
HPformer memberDRM scandal: automatic malicious firmware update surreptitiously pushed to users. Human rights oppression: supports gaza naval blockade.
IBMformer member
IntelALEC founderTPP supporter. Spy chips: x86 chips made in the past 8 yrs are backdoored.
IrisSubsidiary of Canon
Kodak
Konica Minolta
Kyocera
LanierSubsidiary of Ricoh
Lenovolenovo.com blocks Tor (thus privacy-hostile)
LexmarkSOPA supporter
Microsoftformer memberSneaky tricks
Minolta
Mitsubishi
MotorolaCaught putting spyware on their phones. Knowingly and willfully supplies human rights oppressor in gaza blockade.
NEC
NRGSubsidiary of Ricoh
NetflixOrganized DRM boycott
Panasonic
Philips/NorelcoEco harm: produces battery-powered devices with irreplacable batteries.
Ricoh
SamsungCopious federal influence (see the venn diagram
Savin
Sharp
Siemens
SonyThere is a boycott for intimidating users who mod their products. SOPA supporter
T-Mobileformer member
TektronixSubsidiary of Xerox
ToshibaSOPA supporter
Verizon
VisioneerPartnered with Xerox
XeroxSOPA supporter
Yahooformer member

To read the above table, note that an icon is a "yes" for that column. For sources and more detail about the various issues examined above, please see which printer and scanner brands are ethical. For detail on why workplace drug testing is harmful, see Employer-imposed Drug Testing.

Actions:

  • If you receive a gift of an above-mentioned brand, ask the giver to return it. They cannot expect you to facilitate something that goes against your beliefs.
  • Choose alternative brands wisely. See the giving guide wiki. Nevermind the 2012 date. If your constitution isn't strong enough to boycott all of the above brands, at least boycott the worst of them.
  • Pitfalls: some laptop makers are pre-installing (Gnu) linux (or no OS) to give the illusion of as freedom-respecting, but then they use Intel chips. E.g. Puri.sm, Clevo, and System 76.
  • Consider not buying any gifts for adults. Here is some inspiration.
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Wow, I didn't know it was that bad.