Marleen Stikker sees our telephone as the epicentre of the current geopolitical battle, but also as the most important tool for resistance. In times of war, an autonomous phone that doesn’t have to cater to the interests of powerful tech companies is an essential part of everyone’s emergency kit.
The international tension between big tech and political power is growing: Elon Musk is doing a victory dance as shadow president of the US, who in turn is putting pressure on Europe not to legislate against their comrade’s digital domain. Meanwhile, the tech giants are also influencing European national elections with their support for far-right parties that rebel against common agreements on the World Wide Web.
Founder and director of research institute Waag Futurelab, Marleen Stikker, is concerned about the future of our online autonomy if developments continue at this rate. The average Dutch person may think that they have nothing to hide from these large companies, but the potential consequences of all the data that your phone collects about you are incalculable.
What if, for example, information about women’s last menstrual period becomes important to see whether they have had an abortion, and the latter suddenly becomes punishable? To combat the monopoly on our digital existence, Stikker is working with Waag Futurelab on Mobifree: a completely open source, green software that does not steal your data.
Mobifree can not only provide the missing alternative but also be the start of a new market for ethical technology based on public values ​​instead of the profit model of dominant internet companies.
Luckily you don’t have to wait for Mobifree, because all the functionality to protect your data is already in a Sage Phone. 😎
