I’ve received many emails asking, “Should I stop using apps like @MuslimPro” because they collect and sell [our] data to the military, advertisers and other actors?”

My response:

There’s no easy answers to this because tech is central to our lives.

But here’s a short thread.

1. Most if not all open source tech actors collect & sell our data

2. Some, like Google, sell our behavioral patterns - more insidious than data (The Social Dilemma, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism)

3. Be vigilant about which platforms you can live with and without

4. Assume that data you provide these platforms will be passed on to a range of actors as exchange (payment) for using them

5. Research which platforms have a track record of passing on data to bad actors (military, police)

6. Divest from platforms that do (Muslim Pro)

7. The threat is certainly greater for dissident and minority groups, eg, Muslims surveilled during the War on Terror

8. Strong suggestion: limit and confine the open source tech platforms you use to a select few