Welcome to the Rebel Tech Alliance

We are a non-profit whose main objective is to stop Big Tech spying on us and monetising our personal data.

We do this by undermining the creepy targeted ads business model they use: Surveillance Capitalism (aka the Surveillance Economy, or the Attention Economy).

And we do that by helping you switch to using different tech that doesn't support that data-hungry business model.

Why switch? Because Big Tech have become too rich to have to change. Too big to jail. There is a dark side to their addictive recommendation algorithms and the surveillance economy that you many not have realised: at scale they lay the foundations for a surveillance state and threaten democracy itself. And now AI is making all that much worse...

💡 Looking for the Big Tech Walkout programme? - that's here

We can help you:

Key points (TL;DR) why you should ditch Big Tech:

1️⃣ Every time you connect to the internet you are being tracked. The data harvested feeds a massive industry called the 'surveillance economy'. The business model underpinning it is called Surveillance Capitalism.

2️⃣This data is traded constantly on an online bidding system called the RTB system. The personal nature of the data has enabled 'micro-targeting' of ads (personalised ads). Big Tech deliberately designs their products to be addictive to keep you glued to your screen and max out their advertising dollars. This has led them to become monopolies that rival state power.

3️⃣ The data is supposed to be just used for ads, but anyone can purchase it: fraudsters, government agencies (both your own and those of foreign governments), data brokers and surveillance companies. Big Tech happily enable this. On top of being bad for your mental health, the micro-targeting can be abused by stalkers, oppressive regimes, and use for price gouging.

4️⃣ Elections can be distorted because anyone can use this information to micro-target propaganda, fake news and misinformation. They do this with 'swing' voters (undecided voters), bombard them with messages to gradually change their vote. This is what the Cambridge Analytica scandal was all about. And Big Tech social media algorithms enable this.

5️⃣ Zoom out! Privacy is a collective problem, so it requires a collective solution. Privacy is a team sport; it's not just about you. The solution is to stop using Big Tech products and reduce the amount of your data that is harvested.

More detail on this page: Why Should I Hate Big Tech?

Or cut to the chase and start The Big Tech Walkout programme

How this site works

Read this site like a book. We have laid out the site in sequential order, so read through the Learn section in the order they are linked in the menu. The same goes for the Alternatives: the ones at the top, e.g. Ad & Tracker Blockers, are where you should start, and work your way down the menu subitems. There are links at the bottom of each page to lead you to the next section. You can also subscribe to our blog for news and deep dive articles.

About Us

Team

RTA was founded by a group of rebels who share the view of surveillance capitalism that "once you see it, you can't unsee it". We want to help others see it for what it is: a toxic business model with far reaching consequences. Since 2016 we've been sickened by the growing power and influence of Big Tech, and the effects of their business model Surveillance Capitalism. We can no longer stand by while lawmakers stand down.

Company Structure

We are a UK company 'limited by guarantee', which means we are a not-for-profit with no shareholders. No shareholders means no pressure to enshittify. Our company number is 16458371.

Politics

Don't be distracted by the presence of the word 'capitalism' in Surveillance Capitalism. It is a business model, not a political ideology. It's also known as the Surveillance Economy or the Attention Economy. Our focus is purely on undermining that business model.

Politically we welcome anyone - left or right leaning - as long as you are pro-democracy. We choose the good parts from both sides. All we can say for certain is that extremes are unhealthy, either on the left or the right.

Contact

📧 email us at info@rebeltechalliance.org if you would like to suggest a tech alternative for our lists, or provide a correction. Or just to say hi!

You can also stay in touch by signing up for our blog. You'll get the monthly news roundup and our occasional deep dive articles delivered to your inbox:

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Privacy policy

We do not collect any personal information from visitors to this website. We have no cookies or tracking pixels. Seriously, we have no idea that you're reading this, but we're glad that you are.

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