Due to financial problems, throughout my privacy journey I have only used free tools to enhance my privacy. I was recently thinking about the question: If I had the money to give back to the services I’ve used, which ones would I donate to? Here is my personal list, which is still a WIP:
I will definitely donate to:
- The Qubes OS Project
- Whonix
- Tails
- GrapheneOS
- Tor Project
- Mullvad
- SearXNG
- uBlock Origin
- KeePassXC
- SimpleX
- Electronic Frontier Foundation
I will most likely donate to:
I may donate to:
I may add more as I think of them. Please leave your ideas!
Why don’t you just by there products?
By donating I am wanting to support specific projects within the company that align with my privacy values, and a donation would directly target that. By donating, I can help more than simply buying a product, especially if there is a low profit margin for products. For example, if a company sold a product that cost them $45 to manufacture for $50, buying that product would only give the company $5 in profit, compared to if I had donated all $50. That maximizes the impact of my donation. Furthermore, I may support a certain initiative but not personally have the need to buy their products. For example, I support Nitrokey’s implementation of the Nitrokey, but I already have a Yubikey, and so I wouldn’t have a need to buy a Nitrokey. Not to mention, donations are taxed less heavily on the company than sales are in some places. Donations also help raise awareness for a company, and helps me push my personal beliefs about privacy.