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Comment by friendly_chap | Hacker News Reader

Likely big companies do this because there are enough of people like you out there who vote with their wallets, so I think you succeeded, congrats and thanks!

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I'm more inclined to believe that it's the media causing negative PR for the companies. Brand image is everything to big companies so a slew of media attacks around a particular topic will often cause the company to change tactics.

True. Single most important factor that brings changes to any publicly traded company direction is revenue growth.

Unless you're a government-entitled monopoly (in the US: ISPs). Then it doesn't matter what anyone says about you (the company), and 'voting with your wallet' means you (the consumer/citizen) go without a crucial utility.

Or you can start your own utility and be the change you want to see in the world. A lifestyle business does not appear to be out of reach for those with some technical skills and a modest budget[0]. [0] https://startyourownisp.com/

I've considered doing this in the past. You need more than a modest budget to maintain such a system, especially if you plan to sell service (and, inherently, support). It seems like it would be a full time job.

In addition, you still rely on those monopolies to provide you with the utility: https://startyourownisp.com/posts/fiber-provider/

I know some people disapprove of it as a tactic, but I think it's been shown more than once that Greenpeace's shaming campaigns can be quite effective.

that's also just an attempt to generate negative publicity though.

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