Purism Differentiator Series, Part 5: Privacy
Todd Weaver
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Latest posts by Todd Weaver (see all)
- Hardware Encrypted COMSEC Bundle by Purism - April 29, 2024
- Purism Differentiator Series, Part 14: Surveillance Capitalism - April 23, 2024
- Purism Differentiator Series, Part 13: Modularity & Right to Repair - April 23, 2024
Welcome to Purism, a different type of technology company.
We believe you should have technology that does not spy on you.
We believe you should have complete control over your digital life.
We advocate for personal privacy, cyber security, and individual freedoms.
We sell hardware, develop software, and provide services according to these beliefs.
To do all that, we think differently across all areas of business and technology.
Purism Differentiator Series, Part 5: Privacy
To offer proper privacy protection it means to default to complete privacy protection and put all the power into the hands of the product owner, this also means to be able to verify that the code does not infringe upon the privacy rights of the user by releasing all the source code. Creating products that can verifiably offer no spying, no tracking, no data mining, and no data leakage, and go so far as to allow applications to be installed without linking financial details, was a giant challenge, but also quite rewarding as we have done just this in all our products.
Hardware Kill Switches for Privacy
Going back to 2016, we stated “There is an increasing threat of cameras and microphones being used to spy on you.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10” Having hardware kill switches built into most of Purism products offers peace of mind that you are in control of your privacy, and it is as easy as a light-switch to control.
Control and Consent
Privacy is about control and consent. An individual must first have control over their data, before they can consent to share it with others. When Big Tech companies promise to protect your privacy, they mean from others, not themselves. They inherently trust themselves with your data and are convinced you should trust them too, regardless of their track record of privacy abuses. More on this topic can be read from our Privacy in Depth post.
Privacy First Cellular Plans
Our customers and supporters are concerned about the privacy of their phone data. With other big telecom providers, phone data does not stay private; it’s collected, linked with a person’s identity, and sold to advertisers. Purism treats user data like uranium. Unlike Big Telecom, Purism does not spy, and does not share any Personal Identifiable Information (PII) with any cellular carriers, fully protecting the privacy of its users. Learn about our privacy-first cellular plans and get your today.
Big Tech Markets Privacy vs Purism whom Protects Privacy
People care about their privacy. Some have doubted this in the past, pointing to the amount of personal information people willingly shared, often in exchange for free services. Yet all of this marketing about privacy protection amounts to privacy washing. Just like with security, when these companies say something is for privacy, it’s really about control. Privacy and security were the reasons Apple gave for removing parental control apps from their app store, coincidentally around the same time they launched their own parental control software, Screen Time, in iOS 12, resulting in anti-trust scrutiny.
Fund the Future You Want to See
Creating a future that protects privacy by default requires customers to vote with their wallets to back (social purpose) companies like Purism. This can help consumers avoid the privacy paradox. It all boils down to the same simple word, convenience. People want convenient products that respect them by default, that they can trust will not exploit them, that allow them to participate in digital society with peace of mind, knowing they are in complete control.
Purism as Privacy Advocates
Purism Founder and CEO testifying before California Congress “I am here calling for much stronger consumer privacy protections – starting with giving consumers the power to opt IN rather than opt OUT of sharing their personal data…” Purism looks to change the landscape from hardware, software, services, and even regulation to help consumers protect their privacy.
“I Agree” to Toxic Terms of Service is Not Required (with Purism)
PureOS is built of freedom-respecting software and protects the end user’s rights to use, modify, and reuse any component for any reason. Moreover, apps do what they are meant to: no creepy data collection nor reselling of personal data. You do not have to click “I Agree” to give up all your rights to use Purism devices running PureOS.
Purism defaults to full privacy protection for the user, where you are in control, this is the exact opposite of the creepy Big Tech firms.
Purism Products and Availability Chart
| Model | Status | Lead Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Librem Key (Made in USA) | In Stock ($59+) | 10 business days | |
 | Librem 5 | In Stock ($699+) 3GB/32GB | 10 business days | |
| Librem 5 COMSEC Bundle | In Stock ($1299+) Qty 2; 3GB/32GB | 10 business days | |
| Liberty Phone (Made in USA Electronics) | Backorder ($1,999+) 4GB/128GB | Estimated fulfillment early November | |
| Librem 5 + SIMple (3 GB Data) | In Stock ($99/mo) | 10 business days | |
| Librem 5 + SIMple Plus (5 GB Data) | In Stock ($129/mo) | 10 business days | |
| Librem 5 + AweSIM (Unlimited Data) | In Stock ($169/mo) | 10 business days | |
 | Librem 11 | In Stock ($999+) 8GB/1TB | 10 business days | |
 | Librem 14 | Backorder ($1,370+) | Estimated fulfillment date pending | |
 | Librem Mini | Backorder ($799+) | Estimated fulfillment November | |
 | Librem Server | In Stock ($2,999+) | 45 business days |
Recent Posts
- PureOS Crimson Development Report: October 2024
- Freedom of Choice vs. Oppression of Big Tech
- The Case for Free/Libre and Open-Source Software: Enhancing Security and Privacy in the Digital Age
- RIP RSA AES: The Immediate Need of Quantum-Resistant Cryptography
- PureOS Crimson Development Report: September 2024
Related Content
- Purism Differentiator Series, Part 14: Surveillance Capitalism
- Purism Differentiator Series, Part 13: Modularity & Right to Repair
- Purism Differentiator Series, Part 12: Secure Supply Chain and Made in USA Electronics
- Purism Differentiator Series, Part 11: Convergence
- Purism Differentiator Series, Part 10: Convenience
