On the Internet Free Ain’t Free. Many people got used to free during the last two decades. Internet’s business model from search, browsing, social media, messaging, to emailing is that you get a free service for yielding your information. Information is Internet’s main currency or indirect currency – its bitcoin (i.e., virtual money).

This exploitation is tacitly allowed by some people and misunderstood by most. Basically, information about a user’s behavior, feelings, interest, and relationships, or anything from one’s consciousness is worth something to someone on the internet. Mobile applications also have become free since people are addicted to free and stopped paying for it – this drove everyone, including small shops, to models with paid ads. Only 0.01% of mobile applications are making any money. Living on information, through ads, or failing.

Security and privacy have been lately on the radar of journalists, and are affected by socio-technological factors. Topic de jour is to bash Facebook, its founder, and others on using people’s information and violating one’s privacy; people forget that these services are not paid for – like, at all. And, these companies are worth billions of dollars with that model. Genius.

We recently got a note from someone who complained that his/her favorite platform is not yet available on Eprivo; then I asked ”would you pay a bit more”? Silence followed. People want things but for free. 21st century culture or addiction? Hmm…

Free Private Email?

So, how can vendors of security or privacy products (software and services) do it for free? They can’t. Or, free is rather an illusion. Basically, at some point they need to do something to cleverly monetize you as a product. They too have engineers and other staff who have mortgages, families, dogs, and financial responsibilities. Big companies can subsidize one product for another, for some time. But sooner or later you pay for it (i.e., free ain’t free on the internet).

Lesson of the day? Run, run, run from free. Really. Choose what you like and need, and never ever use free security or privacy software or service.  If a company is advertising a free security product, how can they support it? (Ignore of course if your privacy is something you want to monetize – give your digital life in exchange for few free services, mindset. Hmm…)

What about EPRIVO Private Email?

It has a limited free trial but we also put a lot of thought into a model that is a combination of technology and business innovations that can be sustained on the long term with reasonable user fees. It costs something, it is really affordable, and you can keep your privacy. Good tradeoff? Hopefully good enough for many people and Eprivo, as well. US Veterans and users who sign up for beta testing can continue to maintain free private email account and keep their digital communication secure with encrypted email and sender-controlled privacy features.

Thanks for your support.

Download EPRIVO Encrypted Private Email App for free. EPRIVO works with your existing email address, and allows you to privatize old emails from any email account.