The Scoop: In 2014, a social purpose company called Purism started building high-tech and high-integrity products to advance moral goodness in society. This digital leader prioritizes principles over profit and has designed laptops, smartphones, and apps that respect the consumer’s online privacy. In 2019, Purism launched Librem One, a bundle of encrypted services that can help online daters and other digital consumers socialize without putting their personal data at risk.
Growing up in the digital world has taught me to be somewhat skeptical of free services. I see a dating site offering free, unlimited communication, and I’ll often look for the hidden costs in the fine print of its privacy policy. Am I trading my personal data for access to the site? And how will the dating site use that data for its own gain?
Online privacy has become a hot-button issue in the dating industry. Some major companies have experienced data breaches or been caught in security scandals, and savvy consumers now seek to gain more control over their digital lives by protecting their personal data.
Purism is a staunch consumer ally in the struggle for online privacy and data protection. This ethical tech company produces hardware and software solutions that uphold the consumer’s right to privacy.
As a social purpose corporation, Purism is more concerned about what’s good for society than what’s good for its bottom line, so the team focuses on creating laptops, phones, apps, and bundled services that deliver a secure online experience.
Purism is the brainchild of Todd Weaver, who cares about the future of the digital world.
The company’s products and services are designed to protect users and give them the tools they need to browse on their own terms.
Purism CEO and Founder Todd Weaver said the team’s diversity and intellectual curiosity has been vital to the company’s success. “We see diversity as an asset,” he told us. “Our culture is a work-from-anywhere, set-your-schedule, set-your-compensation, profit-sharing model. And we strive to make sure everybody has the tools necessary to work together.”
The core Purism team includes passionate technologists from around the world, and these professionals have united on a mission to create a safer, kinder, and more respectful digital society.
“I regularly hear from our team that working at Purism is their dream job,” Todd said. “They’re doing good while rapidly growing the business and expanding the reach of our products to help society.”
An Ethical Bundle of Apps Supports Private Communications
In May 2019, Purism launched a suite of secure, no-track, no-ads services called Librem One. This package of services has empowered users to email, chat, use social media, and connect to a secure VPN in total privacy.
Librem One gives users the opportunity to socialize online without having to worry about their data being siphoned and resold to others. It offers a liberating and streamlined experience that can replace big-data, no-privacy services such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Gmail.
Librem One offers socially responsible online tools designed by Purism.
Librem One is a private alternative to such mainstream services. Users can create a free account, subscribe for as little as $1.99 a month, and access a bundle of apps that support private chat (Librem Chat), social (Librem Social), email (Librem Mail), or VPN (Librem Tunnel).
The Get Everything package, which costs $7.99 a month, includes Librem Chat, Librem Mail, Librem Social, and Librem Tunnel. In the future, it also will include Librem Files, Librem Backup, Librem Pay, and other services. Todd said he plans to add encrypted file storage, a virtual phone number, encrypted key safe, and other private communication tools to Librem One’s menu of services.
“People want control over their digital lives,” he told us. “Society is feeling this pain point with online services, and they want a convenient alternative.”
Users can download Librem One’s apps on Google Play or iTunes and enter their unique login to use the services across multiple mobile devices. This bundle of decentralized and encrypted tools can help everyday people chat with friends, date prospects, and family members on a private, non-exploitative platform. They can post social content, follow others, and browse securely knowing that Librem One has their backs.
“Librem One is the perfect gateway to private communication you want to keep private,” Todd said. “It allows you to try services on your current mobile phone and see just how easy it is to use tools that are convenient and offer you freedom, privacy, and security.”
Enjoy the Freedom to Browse & Chat Without Being Tracked
Purism’s first customers were tech-savvy individuals — developers, security experts, and privacy advocates — but the company now serves people from all walks of life. Its products can help parents protect children online, and its services can help daters socialize in privacy.
“I’ve been a Librem supporter from the very beginning,” said Vile Oehman, Co-Founder and CEO of DAVOS Custody. “These products are essential for anyone who is taking personal privacy or business confidentiality seriously.”
Whether it’s offering secure laptops or end-to-end encrypted chatting, Purism looks out for the needs of the consumer. The company installs a hardware kill switch for cameras and microphones on its Librem 13 and Librem 15 laptops, so users have greater peace of mind when going online.
Librem One is a comprehensive solution for online daters who don’t want their private chats becoming public knowledge.
“Librem One is a bundle of apps that run on Android and iOS that put people in control of their digital life,” Todd said. “What that means is a person can purchase a convenient product that comes bundled with everything they need to participate in digital society while also being respected.”
Online dating involves sharing a lot of personal information. Singles talk about their lives, their jobs, their families, and their relationship histories in private chats, and they need a platform that will respect their privacy and not spy, sell, or share that data.
Librem One offers greater online security with its simple opt-in privacy protection features. You choose where and how you share information, and you can keep your private life private as long as you wish.
Thanks to Librem One, online daters can be confident that the intimate details of their one-on-one conversations will stay out of the public eye and big-tech hands.
According to Todd, “Purism is about protecting the data that is being exploited by the tech giants, and giving powerful tools to the people to participate in digital society under their control.”
Positive Feedback From Thousands of Users
The consumer demand for privacy is reaching an all-time high right now, and Purism is riding that wave and offering solutions for everyday users around the world. In the first two weeks of its launch, Librem One saw more than 5,000 users subscribe to its services. Privacy-conscious people clamored over the opportunity to have private chats and an ad-free social experience.
According to Todd, most of the feedback Purism receives is along the lines of “Finally! This is what we need.”
A loyal Purism customer named James Jackson recently bought Librem One for himself, his wife, and children, and he wrote to the team, “Librem One is just what I was looking for: a simple-to-use, all-in-one bundle that gave me everything I needed to finally leave Big Tech. We are all as happy as can be with the experience.”
“There is something you get from Purism that you can’t get from Apple: a device that is owned by you.” — Christian Kaindl
“Purism has really done their homework on hardware,” Sean Tilley said in a testimonial. “Everything works out of the box. The entire system can boot to desktop in under 10 seconds.”
Some Librem users say they’ve gotten rid of their MacBooks, Chromebooks, or iPhones and have no intention of going back. Reviewers say they enjoy the privacy and convenience offered by Purism products, and they trust the high-integrity company to support their digital lives without taking advantage of them.
“I bought a 15, and now I want a 13, too,” said Noël Jackson in a Tweet. “Gorgeous product, packaging, and unbelievably awesome keyboard! I’m in love. It’s not hype. It’s real love.”
“Well-constructed, quiet, fast, and a joy to use,” said Niklas Moran. “I recommend it if you want a well-constructed laptop with privacy and freedom in mind.”
Purism has developed hardware, software, and online services that bolster online privacy.
Every new purchase and positive review is a vote of confidence for Purism, which depends on revenue to fund its altruistic projects.
“Thanks to the people purchasing Purism products, we get to spread the news farther and wider to other people in need of ethical technology products that protect them rather than exploit them,” Todd told us. “Purism is a social purpose corporation, which means we are rooted in a foundation to help advance goodness in society.”
Purism Respects Your Digital Life
Purism is becoming more relevant and popular with every passing day as a growing number of people become aware of the challenges of the digital world, particularly with regards to privacy. Librem One has promised a safer, more private alternative for people who may not trust big-tech dating sites or social networks to prioritize user privacy.
“Data privacy has always been important, but now the realization of how this data is being used to manipulate society is widespread,” Todd said. “We are seeing a backlash against big data, and people are moving to services that respect them, such as Librem One.”
Looking to the future, Purism has many lofty goals, including adding security and verification protocols to voting machines and integrating cryptopayments with traditional merchants. Basically, the team is willing to explore anything and everything they can do to spread goodness through technology.
“In the end, what we are after is that a person is in complete control of his or her digital life and never censored or under the power and control of a corporation,” Todd said. “This is possible, and it just takes a team who cares about it to do it. And we are that expert team to get it done.”
