Respectful Technology

Everyone is dependent on technology today. But how many of us know what and who is behind our technology?

Should I buy this device for my home? Can I trust it? Should I give this gadget to my child or grandchild? These are important questions and  it is *very* hard to get honest answers. The information to help make good decisions is drowned out by advertising, algorithms, and public relations firms.

I want to help change that. I'm an engineer (electrical, in case you're wondering) and have been a technology professional my entire career which spans over 20 years. But more than that I'm an advocate for technology that respects those who rely on it. Humans first. Machines second. No predation allowed.

I have spent the past year researching and developing a framework (a comprehensive collection of things to check) to help ensure that our technology choices are beneficial and not harmful before we agree to accept them into our lives.

The funds that are collected through this campaign will be used to build informational resources. I expect this will include: a website, brochures, and a crowd-built ranking system for technology products.

A placeholder for the site is already up at:  http://respectfultechnology.org

I'm building "Respectful Technology" on my own time, in my spare time. But, in order to make this a reality sooner, I realized that I need to dedicate myself to the task full-time for at least two months. I also need to build out some support tools on the website which will require detailed programming and configuration. For this, I set up a GoFundMe campaign to gather a small amount of "seed" money to scale back my daily work obligations. I've thought about seeking sponsorship through other avenues, but none of them can offer the promise of non-interference. I need a source of seed funding that will not make demands like "Make sure our products are given good treatment."

Your support will be of immediate benefit to the project and will help jump-start a life-long dream of mine: to give people everywhere the means (and tools) to protect themselves from unruly, unethical, or even dangerous technology.

The link to the campaign is here: Respectful Technology gofundme. I and the people worldwide who will ultimately benefit from this thank you in advance for your support.