Sovereign Computing with Start9
The "cloud" is just someone else's computer. Your cell phone and laptop are just remote controls. You are not in control and there is no true privacy.
Everything you do online is intermediated. You blindly agree to terms and conditions you never read. You entrust your private data to companies whose interests are not aligned with your own. Invasion of privacy and censorship are rampant, and data honey pots are impossible to secure forever. Combining your data with millions of others practically guarantees you will be hacked, even though you were not the original target.
At Start9, we believe that Cloud Computing, a computing paradigm defined by third-party servers acting as central service providers and data custodians for the whole world, is a mistake and whose dire vulnerabilities foretell its demise.
Instead, we believe that Sovereign Computing, a computing paradigm defined by personal servers acting as private clouds, provides a more secure, economically efficient, and dignified basis for humanity's information age.
When you run a personal server, you are in control. There are no terms and conditions; no one can invade your privacy or censor you; and because your data alone are worthless, there is no incentive for hackers to risk life and liberty to attack your server. In this model, privacy and security are not features patched onto an inherently public and insecure foundation, they are inherent in the design itself.
It has always been possible to own a personal server, but practical limitations such as technical acumen and time, prevented all but the elite few from doing it. Server administration involves compiling software, permissioning file systems, editing configuration files, managing dependencies, configuring network interfaces, generating certificates, monitoring health, creating backups, and more. It is a serious undertaking that requires significant time and expertise that almost no one possesses.
The missing piece of the puzzle is a server operating system that makes administering a personal server easy and time-efficient. Just as Windows and macOS made it possible for anyone to own a personal computer, StartOS makes it possible for anyone to own a personal server. It facilitates the entire process of discovering, downloading, installing, configuring, monitoring, backing up, and generally managing any variety of server applications.
Running a personal server is about opting out of broken, centralized systems that are based on trust, in favor of new, decentralized systems that don't rely on trust. From running a Bitcoin node and becoming a first class citizen in the new financial system, to running a NextCloud instance and replacing Google for all your basic computing needs, StartOS makes digital sovereignty possible for everyone.
