TDR: What are some other areas where conservatives could create their own platforms or institutions?ĮF: People should create a competitor to Amazon. That was the plan with the Freedom Phone. And then they say that if you don’t like it, you should go create your own phone and app store. And then we go and create our own Twitter and then they ban that. They say that if you don’t like Twitter’s rules, you should go create your own Twitter. You can’t have true free speech if you don’t have control of your own stores. So when I saw Parler got banned from the app stores amongst other apps as well, I wanted to go and start something that fixed that problem. Billed as a “free speech and privacy first focused phone,” the project seeks to undercut the censorship and monopoly of Big Tech through its own operating system and App Store.ĮF: Absolutely. Learn more.The following is an interview between Digital Editor of The Review Lintaro Donovan (LD) and entrepreneur Erik Finman (EF), the self-described “Youngest Bitcoin Millionaire” who made headlines in 2021 with his Freedom Phone project. Sign up now!ĭaily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. “Oh shit, this is trending,” Finman said. Finman spoke to The Daily Beast from the Freedom Phone’s launch party, right as he realized the phone’s name had become a “trending topic” on Twitter. Each referred sale results in a $50 payment to the influencer who endorsed the phone, according to a website explaining Freedom Phone's "promoters" program.įreedom Phone’s promotional campaign generated attention across Twitter, as conservatives promoted it and critics pointed out its potential technical shortfalls. Many of the Freedom Phone’s prominent endorsers urged their followers to use a promo code to buy the phone, suggesting that the influencers will receive a cut when their fans buy the phone. Along with Owens, Stone, D’Souza, and Alexander, the Freedom Phone has also been backed by a number of other figures popular on the right, including Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, journalist John Solomon, and Students for Trump cofounder Ryan Fournier. While Freedom Phone’s founder has failed to include basic details about its device, he did line up a massive ad campaign among conservative influencers. But during a livestream video promoting the phone, right-wing activist Anna Khait was confused by her fans’ basic questions about the phone. For example, the Freedom Phone’s “Freedom OS” operating system is based on Google’s Android operating system, according to Finman. The vagaries of Freedom Phone’s actual specifications has produced some awkwardness among the Freedom Phone’s legions of conservative influencers. Even if the apps were ultimately banned from Google’s store in the future, users could still install them on non-Freedom Phone Android phones through a process called “sideloading.” It’s not clear why a handful of free apps, all of which are currently available in the Google Play app store for other Android devices, would justify the price increase over the Umidigi. Popular battle royale shooter Fortnite is also preinstalled on the Freedom Phone - a fact that confused more than one conservative influencer who promoted the product. The Freedom Phone also comes preloaded with an array of free apps for social media networks Parler and MeWe, would-be YouTube competitor Rumble, and media networks One America News and Newsmax. Umidigi didn’t respond to a request for comment. “Nothing’s manufactured itself in mainland China,” Finman said.Īccording to Umidigi’s website, the tech manufacturer’s headquarters is located in Shenzhen, a mainland Chinese city near Hong Kong. In an interview, Finman claimed that the Freedom Phone is manufactured in Hong Kong.ĭave Chappelle and Jon Stewart Take Down Candace Owens As of Thursday afternoon, however, no technical specifications had been provided to The Daily Beast or added to the Freedom Phone’s website. He committed Wednesday to publishing the phone’s technical specifications - basic details any company selling a phone should be able to provide. That phone is available on Chinese retail giant AliExpress for $120 - less than one quarter of the price of a Freedom Phone.Īsked to justify the Freedom Phone’s notable price increase over the Umidigi model, Finman claimed vaguely that the Freedom Phone features customized hardware and improved memory. The Freedom Phone’s $500 price tag would represent a substantial markup on the Umidigi A9 Pro.
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