"Innovating within the MAGA world": Javier Vergara, Co-founder FinKratt

It’s no secret that Big Tech—also known as MAGA (Meta, Apple, Google, Amazon, and let’s not forget Microsoft—not to be confused with Trump’s MAGA)—collects and scrutinises our online behaviour to produce data that can be used for commercial purposes. This is done through various surveillance mechanisms in a way that we often don’t even notice. And even when we do notice, they make it so complex that we can’t fully understand the extent of the surveillance taking place. Shoshana Zuboff calls this "Surveillance Capitalism," and she has written extensively about it.

It’s creepy, but the truth is that MAGA doesn’t stop at just showing you ads for things they think you might like. No, they go further. They can create interest in something you didn’t care about before and then show you the perfect ad at the moment you’re most likely to click and buy. As Edward Snowden first revealed and the Cambridge Analytica scandal later confirmed, this doesn’t stop at just selling products. They can use the same methods for political content, shifting public opinion in one direction or another without anyone realising. You might think of yourself as a centrist, but based on their agenda, they could nudge you toward the right or the left over time. And because their algorithms are closed source, there’s no easy way to audit or confirm what they’re really doing.

So, what can we do to stop this from affecting us? The truth is, it’s probably impossible to avoid entirely. If we keep relying on MAGA services—especially Google and Meta—social media bubbles will influence us whether we like it or not. For starters, apart from realising that this is happening and being aware of its effects, we can try to rely less on their products. I don’t mean quitting Instagram overnight, but when there’s an opportunity, why not choose a more privacy-focused option?

Nowadays, there are plenty of tools that don’t mine or sell your data as if it were gold. For instance, instead of Chrome, why not try Brave? Instead of Google Search, how about Brave Search? Have you heard of Proton Mail as an alternative to Gmail? And instead of WhatsApp, why not use Signal? Sure, MAGA products are amazing on the surface—just like fast food. We all know fast food is tasty, but we should eat it sparingly because it’s not good for our bodies. The same goes for MAGA products. They might seem great, but we should use them sparingly because they’re not very healthy for our minds.

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That said, even though we now have plenty of great alternatives, there’s still a lot missing. Many of these privacy-focused tools, while good, just aren’t as polished or seamless as their surveillance-capitalism counterparts. This means there’s plenty of room for improvement and innovation in this field. So, to all entrepreneurs out there—here’s a golden opportunity! If you can create tools that are both privacy-respecting and as user-friendly as MAGA’s offerings, you could truly shine.