Google has a 91.41% market share of Australian search results. That is one of the largest companies in the world, analyzing personal information every second to deliver targeted ads, sell data, and track all your online activity. When you think about it, the apps, laptops, phones, and more are all plugged into operating systems that you probably have no idea are tracking your every little click and recording audio while sitting on your kitchen counter.
Think of these Big Tech tools as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). You don’t really know the ingredients of that extra-crispy leg or breast, but you certainly do enjoy eating the “12 secret herbs and spices.” You might be consuming MSG or ingesting harmful food colorings.
Open source is the alternative. It doesn’t have built-in tracking tools. Unlike KFC, it is a recipe book with all the ingredients laid out in plain sight so you can read, copy, edit, and test whatever you want without worrying about “hidden” items. That is why many companies, including us at Freedom Technology and Services, rely on open-source foundations for Linux laptops, crypto laptops, deGoogled phones, and more.
The concept of open-source software dates back to the early days of computing technology. It was designed to allow anyone to view, use, modify, and share the source code. Instead of locked systems owned by big brands and protected by copyrights or trademarks, open-source software thrives on openness and collaboration.
Users are not tied to Big Tech with open source. They can mix and match anything to their desires and then share it with the world, making it stronger, more resilient, and more privacy-oriented. All of these are made possible through licensing models such as the GNU General Public License (GPL), the MIT License, and the Apache License. These legally protect people who want to use open-source computer software for free.
When Harvard Business School examined the history of open-source software compared to modern companies, it found that open-source software saved firms upwards of $8.8 trillion. These Big Tech firms rely on free open source to create the software they package and resell to you, but with the tracking and privacy losses you shouldn’t have to deal with.
In 2023, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) reported over 76,000 cybercrime incidents. That’s about one crime reported every seven minutes, and those are just the ones the ACSC learned about. Most of these attacks happen to closed, Big Tech systems. Open source changes that through:
You may not know it, but you’re already using open source. Android smartphones are built on the Linux kernel. Everyday applications like the Firefox Browser, VLC Media Player, and LibreOffice all exist within open-source computer software projects. Even the internet is built on open source, as 96.3% of the world’s top 1 million servers rely on Linux.
For these reasons, leading privacy advocates, including journalists, cybercrime experts, and government agencies, rely on open source to better protect private information, healthcare records, and proprietary business data.
Let’s take things a step further. Open-source technology also powers open-source intelligence (OSINT). This is the method of gathering information from publicly available sources to generate better insights. OSINT supports everything from countering drug trafficking to combating human trafficking because it is so accessible.
These open-source systems are used by “couch investigators” who troll the internet for information that the law enforcement environment doesn’t have the time or resources to complete. There are records of cold cases, such as “Grateful Doe,” being identified in 1995 through OSINT crowdsourcing.
The power of OSINT lies in accessibility. Because the information is open, anyone can cross-check, verify, and confirm the accuracy of the truth. In a world of misinformation and hidden data collection, OSINT strengthens transparency and accountability.
Using open source provides you with peace of mind that your apps aren’t spying on you. You gain advanced security through community collaboration to fix issues and detect vulnerabilities faster than Google, Amazon, Nvidia, or IBM would detect them. There is no being “locked in” to a specific brand, and, most importantly, open source is free or cost-effective. Who wouldn’t want to save a buck while also reinforcing their online privacy?
As for the myths of open source, they do exist. Big Tech doesn’t want you to use something that has complete online freedom, so these myths get repeated more often than not.
Fact: Not even a little true. Open-source software, such as Linux, powers the networking and PC systems of the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, and the European Space Agency because it’s harder to hide backdoors.
Fact: You’d be amazed at how many apps are out there running on open source. We’ve already mentioned a few, but there’s also Audacity, WordPress, Nextcloud, and GIMP.
Fact: Nope, the vast majority of supercomputers and more reliable internet servers all use open-source to operate.
Fact: Open source projects use stricter frameworks, cryptographic signing, and community vetting that you do not get from closed systems. Everything is downloaded from official repositories verified by experts, not random users.
At Freedom Technology and Services, we’ve taken the power of open source computer systems and infused it into the latest tools and devices Australians need. That includes:
More and more people are buying into leading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Our Crypto laptops utilize open source solutions like Linux and a two-browser silo process that ensures no one can track your crypto activity or gain access to your digital wallets. We even use KeePassXC, an open-source password manager, and an encrypted USB backup with LUKS open-source protection to keep your crypto data safe.
Apple and Google love to track your smartphone activity. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has even sought out more regulatory control over these devices to protect your information. We help by providing deGoogled phones, free from Big Tech, that run on GrapheneOS, an open-source operating system. Unlike iOS, this system is carefully examined by privacy researchers and security experts to ensure enhanced encryption and granular app permissions.
We have Faraday bags to stop signals from getting to your devices and specialized USBs full of open source encryption, but including open source at the device level means you don’t have to worry about someone looking over your shoulder whenever you shop online or purchase a new digital token.
Building your open source security stack isn’t as challenging as you may imagine. Freedom Technology and Services helps by providing Linux laptops, crypto laptops, deGoogled phones, Faraday bags, and encrypted USB drives that create a safer and privacy-oriented environment you can trust.
No matter what Big Tech might be “selling” to social media, open source is not a buzzword. It is the clarion call for online freedom. You need to break free from closed ecosystems that force you into data tracking and risk leaking your private information all over the internet. Let our team outfit you with the secure devices you need, all powered by the reliability and advanced security of open-source computer systems.
