A new US phone network for Christians aims to block porn and gender-related content
www.technologyreview.com
Launching next week on T-Mobile's network, the cell plan takes a nuclear approach to online safety.

The steady march towards living ‘The Handmaids Tale’.

  • Wispy2891@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    1 day ago

    https://www.theverge.com/tech/894762/trump-mobile-conservative-mvno-radiant-patriot-puretalk-charity-liberty

    there’s a rich history of smaller networks trying to make their money from patriots, Christians, and Republican voters.

    Patriot mobile

    Texas-based Patriot Mobile bills itself as “America’s ONLY Christian conservative wireless provider,” which I’m afraid to say is blatantly untrue.

    Patriot Mobile sells Charlie Kirk hoodies and phone cases with the thin blue line or Israeli flag graphics, and runs an affiliate marketing scheme specifically for churches.

    The company says it “contributes millions of dollars every year to those on the front lines,” by which it means organizations including Turning Point USA, CPAC, and the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, while funding conservative candidates in elections across Texas.

    Radiant

    Radiant hasn’t actually launched yet, but it promises a grand debut on Easter Sunday. It claims to be the “first Christian wireless service in the world,” our second outright lie of the day.

    Nothing about Radiant’s marketing is explicitly political — instead it calls itself “a groundbreaking fusion of faith, technology, and entertainment.” It’s partnered with Israeli security company Allot to provide “network-level content filtering” that blocks out pornography, gambling, and “harmful digital influences.”

    As for the entertainment part, it offers AI-generated retellings of biblical stories, some for adults, some for kids, some inexplicably narrated by AI Snow White. These appear to be part of a gamified app that promises — as if it’s a good thing — “more screen time.” AI Snow White Bible bedtime stories, what could be more Christian?

    Charity Mobile

    Charity… that sounds good, right? Unless… there was such a thing as a bad charity? That can’t be right. And Charity Mobile lets you decide which charity it donates to, so you’re in control anyway. Oh wait, let me look again. It donates 5 percent of your payment to “the Pro-Life, Pro-Family charity of your choice.” Ah.

    In fairness, this isn’t exactly hidden in the small print. Charity Mobile proudly declares itself to be “the Pro-Life phone company,” and it wants to make sure you know it: Land on the homepage and you’ll be met by a screen-filling fetus and told to “choose life.” You can probably guess what the company’s Instagram looks like.