[phkahler]

>> When I want to stop using something, but I can't, that's power someone holds over me.

To take that power back means you have to do things yourself, and that means manage your own data. Unfortunately that is too much to ask of the general public, at least with the free tools available today.

People are trading power for convenience, in part because most people don't have the power (know-how and/or time) in the first place.

[thebaer]

I don't think it's too much to ask of the general public.

Think of WordPress -- free software you can either run yourself or pay a company to run for you. If you don't like a particular hosting company, you can click a button to export your data, and upload it with a new host -- or with other software that understands the WordPress export format. All of this data handling is manageable by most non-technical people. The process is hardly any different than downloading an email attachment and sending it to someone else, or uploading it somewhere.

It seems to me the biggest problem is either data not being exportable from these services, or the exported data not being machine-readable. If the format is machine-readable, developers can create alternative software that works with it; managed services can then develop around that software; everyday consumers can eventually end up with more choice, freedom, and power.

[dwaltrip]

> at least with the free tools available today.

This problem is potentially solvable by creating better tools that allow people to have control over their data and still gain the benefits and convenience of the closed functionality on offer today.

Or perhaps the solution, at least in some cases, is at the protocol / standards level -- email is my favorite example of this.

The question is, in the general case, whether development of the tools that are designed to give users all of the power can keep up with that of closed tools managed by for-profit companies? It seems difficult to compete with products that are produced by the likes of FAANG.

Important clarification: this is not about profit vs not-for-profit. It's about control, flexibility, and lock-in.