So, as a chronically online person, it has come to my attention that Substack might.. not be good, actually?
Besides apparently not understanding that social tools and networks require active moderation, Substack have plenty of form for giving money to the likes of Glenn Greenwald and others (Singal? Lineham?!) and I don’t want, in any way, to explicitly or implicitly support that bunch.
As much as it has been lovely and validating to receive a few paid subscriptions from people (I see you and I appreciate the spirit of offering material support), I have the luxury that this isn’t my job. I’m not a boring professional soapbox ranter; I’m an Amateur. I can move platforms without risking losing vital income. Yay me!
Nonetheless, I feel a kind of reluctance about moving, and it comes down to consent. Yous signed up to a newsletter here. Some of you have accounts on the platform, some don’t, but you implicitly said “yes, I trust Daniel and Substack to store my email address and use it for this purpose”.
If I move to another service (Buttondown is the one I’m considering) it’s simply a matter of downloading all of your details and uploading it to the new provider. But you didn’t actually agree to me doing that. Will the new place have better or worse security and privacy controls? Does “email you more newsletters but from a different address” count as the same purpose?
I suspect I could just suddenly switch and most recipients would shrug and accept that as part of the terms of your and my relationship, but maybe not all. And if we want to model informed consent, it feels like an iffy move.
All this to say, this is your notice to unsubscribe if you do not want to be brought along in the migration. I don’t have an exact date in mind, but let’s say no more than a week from now. I apologise in advance for if this doesn’t go smoothly. I’d love to know your thoughts about a service like Substack and the ethics of staying, or the ethics of going.
I support your decision to move to a different platform. I've been on the fence about Substack for months now, but that really cringe interview with their CEO sealed it for me. If they're unwilling to draw the line at hate speech, we'll just do it for them.