Really proud of Signal, of this piece, and so happy to help lead an organization willing to be honest about what others hide: the incredible cost of developing consumer tech, and why it’s so hard (but rewarding!) to build tech that doesn’t rely on monetizing surveillance.
@Mer__edith I don't quite have 50 million rattling around under the couch cushions but if you figured out a freemium fee for service I'd pay for it as I'm sure would many others. Donation only services are an odd psychology because suddenly I am weighing signal donations vs starving kids or toilets in Haiti.
I'm with @peter_haas on this issue, would love to have something like $1 monthly for "premium", just give us something like fancy gloving border around avatar for other people to see or some premium sticker only for premium users, I would gladly subscribe and keep it for the rest of my Signal usage
@AncientGood @peter_haas you two are good, no worries. I'm donating $10 monthly. So you're covered.
@Mer__edith