On Wednesday, Erik Finman, who identifies himself as “the world’s youngest bitcoin millionaire,” launched the Freedom Phone, a competitor to Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android, centered on the principles of free speech and data privacy.
“I’m leaving Big Tech to fight for free speech because the Big Tech overlords are violating your privacy, censoring your speech, and I think that’s so wrong,” Finman explains in the launch video. “That’s why I created the Freedom Phone and it’s Uncensorable App Store.”
“Everyone is complaining about Big Tech censorship, but no one is doing anything about it. They say, ‘Build your own phone!’ So I did,” Finman explains.
“Freedom Phone truly is the best phone in the world. It does everything your current phone does, except censor you and spy on you,” the entrepreneur says. “With the freedom phone, your freedom of speech is our number one priority. That’s why we built our own app store that’s completely uncensored. If an app you love has been banned from the mainstream app stores, you can still download it on ours, because we don’t ban apps, period.”
“And we’ve developed the first operating system based on your free speech. There’s no app tracking, no keyboard tracking, and no location tracking, because I believe in your security,” Finman explains. “How do we ensure you’re being protected? Say hello to Trust. Trust is our privacy guard. It’s designed to warn you whenever an app or website is tracking you, and gives you the option to stop it. Your data, your rules, that’s our motto.”
The entrepreneur lays out his Freedom Phone’s features, saying it is “comparable to the best smartphones on the market. It has an edge-to-edge screen, a super fast processor, and multiple cameras. And your SIM card transfers into the freedom phone seamlessly.”
Yet sticking it to Big Tech seems to be the biggest selling point for the Freedom Phone.
“Big Tech companies hold a monopoly on public communication and the dissemination of information, and they are abusing that power,” Finman argues. “Nobody elected [Facebook CEO] Mark [Zuckerberg] or [Twitter CEO] Jack [Dorsey] to be the arbiters of truth in America, but they still thought it was okay to ban a sitting president from their platforms. If they censor a president, they will censor anyone. Imagine if Mark Zuckerberg censored MLK or Abaham Lincoln. The course of history would have been altered forever.”
While the Freedom Phone sounds like an excellent alternative, it remains unclear exactly how the phone will bring the same functionality, considering the fact that it does not allow location tracking. PJ Media reached out to Finman to clarify the functionality.
Finman assured PJ Media that location-tracking apps like Google Maps will work with the Freedom Phone. “Yes, you get the option but with significant warning if you want to use Google stuff,” he said.
The Freedom Phone sounds promising. It even comes with pro-free speech apps like Parler, Duck Duck Go, rumble, Minds, and Newsmax pre-loaded. According to the Freedom Phone website, the phone works with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and all other domestic and international carriers.
The phone costs $499.99 and begins shipping in August.
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It remains to be seen whether or not the Freedom Phone will appeal to liberals and libertarians as well as conservatives, but it seems likely there is a market for phones that guarantee privacy and take a stand against censorship. While I am skeptical of conservative alternatives to mainstream products that only offer ideological benefits, the privacy features and the promise not to ban any apps from the app store may give Freedom Phone an edge.
Today I'm announcing the Freedom Phone.
This is the first major pushback on the Big Tech companies that attacked us – for just thinking different.
Complete with it's own Uncensorable App Store & Privacy Features.
We're finally taking back control. https://t.co/tOSnuxncfd pic.twitter.com/Hykp08ITCQ
— ERIK FINMAN (@erikfinman) July 14, 2021
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