Probably I am not going to make any friends (again), but I have a problem with the current posturing of Epik as a warrior for free speech.
The way I see it it has never been about free speech. I see a two-fold objective:
- alt-right propaganda under the guise of free speech, and conspiracy theories in general
- to promote Epik products and services
I know Rob is going to strongly disagree, but 2) is hard to disprove.
To be clear, I welcome and support commercial entities that embrace values and try to make the world a better place. But I have a problem with debasement of values. There is a disconnect what Epik says and what Epik does.
If Epik had chosen to support people who are truly dedicated to free speech, upholding civil liberties and against censorship, etc then I would look at Epik differently today. Epik is the proverbial lost sheep.
Finally, when it comes to liberating technology Epik is not offering anything special or revolutionary. Take the VPN service: it's just Openvpn repackaged with a bit of marketing. Epik is a commercial provider and hoster among many others. Not some kind of maverick or disrupter.
People who want to circumvent censorship can for example use Tor, I2P or other platforms and go underground. There is plenty of free software solutions to protect your privacy like PGP that has been available for a very long time.
Freedom-minded individuals have not waited for a savior like Epik.
In fact, the numerous private corporations that have donated to any of those open-source projects have contributed more to freedom and free speech than Epik ever will. The company has made poor decisions due to poor judgment, and needs realignment.