#ethical consumption

[itisiives]

Apps You're Probably Going to Need

Too Good to Go: app that connects you to grocery stores and restaurants that will sell you surplus food at cheaper prices.

Signal: Messaging app that erases messages after an amount of time, and allows images to be viewable once.

Taimi: an ĻGBṬ dating app that doesn't allow screenshots of messages and profiles to be taken.

Bandcamp: a great website for music artists, podcasters, and audiobook creators. They pay artists more of the profits than Spotify, and have Fridays dedicated to giving artists all of the profits from sales.

Proton: app that offers privacy and encryption for emails, VPNs, and a lot more.

Community Garden: an app that helps make community garden development easier.

Vero: an Instagram alternative that doesn't use algorithms, data mining, or advertisements. An alternative to go to when Instagram worsens in the upcoming years.

Hygiene Locator: a database for low-income people to find distribution sites giving away hygiene products.

Triller: a TikTok alternative to go to if TT outright bans certain topics.

Little Free Library: an app that locates little free libraries for you.

Evidation: it's a "health app" in which you collect points for activities like walking, but you can just complete their weekly and daily surveys. Basically, it's a beer-monęy app because you can only get $10 for 10,000 points, but if you have time to kill and need to earn extra cash in the upcoming eçonomic crash, evidation is an option.

Farmish: an app to help you locate your local farmer's market.

Boycat: an app that helps customers determine which brand is participating in unethical human rights violations and which isn't . It has recently partnered with the BDS movement!

Bluesky: You've already heard of it, right? It's an alternative to Twịtter, except it gives you the option to mass block MÅGÅ, genocide supporters, and the like. (My profile is itisiives, if you want to hang.)

Food Co-op Finder: As the name says, you can use this app to find your nearby food/grocery co-ops. Since co-ops mostly sell locally grown and made foods, this would be helpful in the looming deregulation of food safety.

[kaleidacosmic]

[prometheus-exe]

AI Is Not the First "Unethical" Technology

One argument that frequently appears in AI discourse is that people refuse to use AI because it is "unethical."

There is nothing wrong with choosing not to use a technology.

However, if we are going to discuss ethics, then we should apply the same standards consistently.

The Problem With the Argument

The claim is often presented as though AI is uniquely unethical.

It isn't.

Modern technology has long been associated with ethical concerns.

Smartphones rely on global supply chains that source raw materials from around the world.

Computers require minerals, manufacturing, transportation, and energy.

Social media platforms operate massive server infrastructures and collect enormous amounts of user data.

None of these issues began with AI.

The Device Paradox

A curious aspect of anti-AI rhetoric is that it is often delivered through technologies facing their own ethical criticisms.

The anti-AI post is written on a computer.

The computer connects through internet infrastructure.

The post is hosted by a social media platform.

The platform is supported by data centres.

The device itself was manufactured through a global supply chain.

If ethical concerns are sufficient grounds to reject a technology entirely, then the question becomes:

Where does that principle stop?

Ethical Consumption and Modern Technology

The reality is that most people already make compromises.

Few people can completely opt out of modern technology.

Computers are often required for work.

Smartphones are increasingly necessary for communication.

Internet access has become essential for many aspects of daily life.

Most people understand this.

They recognize that participating in society often involves using imperfect tools.

AI is not unique in that regard.

Criticism Is Not the Same Thing as Rejection

None of this means AI should be exempt from criticism.

Its environmental impact should be discussed.

Its use by corporations should be discussed.

Questions about labour, copyright, transparency, misinformation, and surveillance should all be discussed.

Criticism is healthy.

Selective criticism is less useful.

The Real Question

The question is not whether AI has ethical concerns.

The question is why AI is often treated as though it is the only technology with ethical concerns.

If we are serious about ethics, then we should examine the entire technological ecosystem rather than focusing exclusively on the newest target.

Otherwise, we are not applying a consistent ethical standard.

We are simply choosing which technology we dislike most.

— Prometheus.exe

Sources / Further Reading

Amnesty International on cobalt, child labour, and smartphone/electric car batteries.

Amnesty International explainer on phones, electric cars, and human-rights abuses.

Global E-waste Monitor 2024.

ITU summary of the Global E-waste Monitor 2024.

International Energy Agency on AI and data-centre energy demand.

IEA Energy and AI executive summary.

International Labour Organization on labour rights in electronics supply chains.

Electronics Watch on labour monitoring in electronics supply chains.

[moss-on-canvas]

You know these merch shops, right? The ones that print fandom-related pics in a soulless manner? Yeah, I've been bothered by them for a while. I encountered one today, selling this set of pins among others:

The first three pics are coming from TF2 itself, but the other three are someone's fanarts: 1 - a work by @ramida-r 2 - a work by @ciorane 3 - a work by @leonifa

I bet my last pants that no one has ever asked these artists for a permission to use them, let alone sell anything with their printed works. I hope I don't have to explain why it's unethical. I can't imagine how would it feel like to find my work being used for someone's profit. You, as a fan and/or a customer, should be aware of it too. If you wish to get some fandom merch - it would be best if you'd by it directly from artists (which, by the way, will probably have better colors and resolution on prints) or make/print it yourself. Not only it's more ethical, but it's also just more rewarding to know that you either made a thing or helped someone who made a thing. Art festivals and markets, where you may acquire prints from the various artists, are also just very fun to visit - making friends and experiences in the process.

No conclusion for the rant. Don't buy stuff like this

[victusinveritas]

[theforswornelite]

So yeah, i finished Project Hail Mary. Say what you will about the search for earth based food replication (at this point- a burger) at least the meat was homegrown and consensual.

[k-wame]

[rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world]

Spotify is running ads for ICE recruitment in the US and PRISON GUARD RECRUITMENT in Israel.

BOYCOTT SPOTIFY.

If you need help finding alternatives, the IG account @cutoffthespigot has videos on how to make the switch. I reposted one a while back.

Qobuz is the most highly recommended alternative because it compensates artists better than any other streaming service!