There was a time when consumer expectations did not demand software be free. Sure, there has always been freeware, but it wasn’t the norm. If someone in the 1980s wanted a word processor, they expected to pay for it!
Today, these expectations have flipped. Why would someone pay for software or web services? Social media platforms are free. Big Tech companies like Google offer free alternatives to traditionally-paid programs such as word processors, spreadsheets, and visual presentation software. What’s the harm? The services are high-quality and users aren’t out a dime. It’s a win-win, right? Well, much like your relationship status during college, it’s complicated.
A costly endeavor
The truth is, software development is expensive. It’s always been expensive. And, even with the proliferation of outsourcing, it remains so today. It is a highly specialized skill requiring considerable knowledge and continued education. The median pay for a developer in the United States was over $107,000 in 2019[1]. Prices for outsourced developers vary by country but expect to pay around $30,000 a year for quality work[2]. Many development teams employ a mixture of domestic and foreign help.
Unlike the 80s, where a small team could complete programs in a basement, now larger units are necessary to deal with the complexities of modern computing. Big Tech’s full-featured products certainly require these sizeable teams of high-cost developers. Their offerings also typically need massive investments in physical infrastructure to keep the services running for millions of potential users. Knowing all this, how do they provide the end products for free? Out of the goodness of the shareholders’ hearts?
The tradeoff
Unsurprisingly, no. Big Tech companies are some of the largest businesses in the world, with billions in yearly revenue. The “free” apps and services they provide do require a form of payment. Your personal data. As the saying goes,” If you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.”
Today, tech megacorporations collect an absurd amount of data on their users (and in Facebook’s case, even non-users[3].) The data they find most useful usually falls into the following categories:
- Email receipts. Who people email consistently can be a wealth of information for data miners.
- Web activity. Big Tech wants to know which sites everyone visits, how long they stay there, and a host of other browsing metrics. They track across websites, analyze likes and dislikes, and even assess mouse cursor movement.
- Geolocation. When tracking internet activity isn’t invasive enough, many companies evaluate where people go in the real world. Most don’t understand that their phones’ GPS sensors aren’t strictly used for directions to their Aunt’s new house.
- Credit card transactions. Purchase records outline a person’s spending habits. Since the entire point of collecting all of this data is to squeeze money out of the user in other ways, this info is extremely valuable.
Imagine the models companies can create of their users, given all of that information. They use these models to personalize advertisements across their platforms. Advertisements more likely to result in sales mean more revenue, so they have an incentive to collect as much data as possible. But that’s not the only way they monetize personal information. Many sell it to third-parties too. Are you creeped out yet?
Alternative data providers
Organizations called ‘alternative data providers’ buy up all of this information, repackage it, and sell it off to whoever wants it (usually financial institutions looking to gain broad insights about the direction of a given market.)
As of 2020, there are over 450 alternative data providers[4], and what happens to your information after they get their hands on it is about as opaque as it gets. This is especially the case in the United States, as there are no federal privacy laws that set clear expectations regarding personal data sales and stewardship. However, there is hope with the passing of California’s new privacy law that Congress will finally tackle the subject.
Privacy policies
One way consumers can stay informed about an organization’s data collection guidelines is to read through its privacy policy and terms of service agreement. There, they can find general information about their practices. Unfortunately, organizations seldom list the specifics (i.e., which companies do they share with or sell the data to, etc.) These documents also tend to be excessively long and filled with confusing legalese. It makes it difficult to extract even basic information and leads to a frustrating user experience.
It’s no wonder that according to a Pew Research survey, only 22% of Americans read privacy policies “always” or “often” before agreeing to them[5]. Most just hit accept without a second thought. We recommend always looking into a company’s privacy policy and terms of service before using their products. If you don’t want to slog through the jargon, try out ToS;dr, a website that breaks down these documents into readable summaries. They also give Big Tech companies “privacy grades” based on what they find. A few examples include: (note: “E” is the lowest grade)
- Facebook – E. Big surprise here. The company that stores data, whether the person has an account or not, did not score well.
- Amazon – E. Although online retail is their bread and butter, Amazon also dabbles in providing free apps and services such as the Kindle App. They track people across websites and sell consumer data to third parties, among other egregious tactics.
- Google – E. Google collects biometric data, shares info with third parties, retains data after erasure requests, and much more.
Search for your favorite social media platform or Big Tech service and see how it stacks up. Spoiler alert: probably not very well.
Another consideration
Open source projects have a poor reputation for cybersecurity since the developers are unpaid and less motivated to provide reliable support. Conversely, free Big Tech products typically get a pass on those risks. After all, their software is well-funded and receives developer support throughout its entire lifespan. This minimizes a few crucial points, though.
First, large tech corporations benefit immensely from a built-in following and the integrated marketing apparatuses at their disposal. This attracts a significantly higher baseline of users for any given service than a startup’s equivalent solution. These massive user bases attract cybercriminals.
This leads to the second point; while these companies support their products and offer cybersecurity patches regularly, there will always be vulnerabilities. The services almost always run on centralized server farms, making for an enormous attack surface. And the products with the most users will always be the primary targets for phishing scams. So, it’s kind of a paradox. More marketing, support, and users lead to more attacks.
File sharing app examples
There are countless examples of vulnerabilities found in Big Tech apps and services, but here are a few examples in the file-sharing sector:
Google Drive: In the Fall of 2020, threat actors exploited a flaw in Google Drive to send push notifications and emails to users[6]. The messages contained malicious links containing dangerous malware. The situation affected hundreds of thousands of users.
Microsoft OneDrive: Although not officially breached, in April 2020, Microsoft announced a critical vulnerability in their OneDrive cloud app[7]. They quickly released a security fix, but it is unknown if hackers knew about the vulnerability beforehand or if they breached unpatched systems after Microsoft disclosed it.
Dropbox. In 2012, a hacker stole login credentials to over 68 million Dropbox users and sold them on the Dark Web. As if this weren’t bad enough, it took Dropbox three years to disclose the breach! So, during that time, nearly 70 million users were in danger.
ShareIt. This platform may be lesser-known in the United States, but it has 1.8 billion users worldwide and is very popular throughout Asia and Russia. A recent security audit found crucial exploits that could result in hackers stealing sensitive data[8]. Its website doesn’t even default to HTTPS, meaning security doesn’t seem to be a priority for the development team.
In conclusion, free platforms from multibillion-dollar corporations can be dangerous from both data collection and cybersecurity standpoints. Consumers should do their research and consider paying a small fee for privacy and security-focused competitors.
AXEL Go
AXEL is dedicated to giving data custody back to the user. We never sell personal information to third parties or mine accounts. Our file-sharing application, AXEL Go, utilizes blockchain technology, the InterPlanetary File System, and AES 256-bit encryption to provide the most secure cloud-sharing experience in the industry.
Sign up for AXEL Go and receive a free 14-day trial of our Premium service. Premium accounts receive five times more online storage than the Basic account, along with more security options and no restrictions on file sizes. After the trial, users pay $9.99/month to continue the Premium service or downgrade to the Basic account. So, stop worrying and share your documents securely with AXEL Go.
[1] “Occupational Outlook Handbook: Software Developers”, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm
[2] Julia Kravchenko, “How Much Does It Cost to Hire Developers: Software Developer Salary Guide 2018”, Hackernoon.com, March 12, 2018, https://hackernoon.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-hire-developer-software-developer-salary-guide-2018-590fb9e1af2d
[3] Kurt Wagner, “This is how Facebook collects data on you even if you don’t have an account”, Vox, April 20, 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/4/20/17254312/facebook-shadow-profiles-data-collection-non-users-mark-zuckerberg
[4] Rani Molla, “Why your free software is never free”, Vox, Jan. 29, 2020, https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/1/29/21111848/free-software-privacy-alternative-data
[5] Brooke Auxier, Lee Rainie, Monica Anderson, Andrew Perrin, Madhu Kumar, Erica Turner, “Americans and Privacy: Concerned, Confused And Feeling Lack Of Control Over Their Personal Information”, Pew Research Center, Nov. 15, 2019, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/11/15/americans-attitudes-and-experiences-with-privacy-policies-and-laws/
[6] Lindsey O’Donnell, “Scammers Abuse Google Drive to Send Malicious Links”, threatpost, Nov. 2, 2020, https://threatpost.com/scammers-google-drive-malicious-links/160832/
[7] Davey Winder, “Windows OneDrive Security Vulnerability Confirmed: All You Need To Know”, Apr. 15, 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2020/04/15/windows-onedrive-security-vulnerability-confirmed-all-you-need-to-know/?sh=517e144b6fa3
[8] Ron Amadeo, “’ShareIt’ Android app with over a billion downloads is a security nightmare”, ars Technica, Feb. 16, 2021, https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/02/shareit-android-app-with-over-a-billion-downloads-is-a-security-nightmare/