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17
input_data/financial_institutions.sql
View File

@ -80,12 +80,13 @@ insert into fiTbl (name,url,notes) values ('Greenvest','https://greenvest.com','
insert into fiTbl (name,url,antitor,notes) values ('IEX','https://iextrading.com/trading',1,'an alternative to conventional stock markets; **Google-Cloud hosted**');
insert into fiTbl (name,url,notes) values ('InteractiveBrokers','https://interactivebrokers.com',
insert into fiTbl (name,url,antitor,notes) values ('InteractiveBrokers','https://interactivebrokers.com',1,
'min. investment to avoid fees: $100k per account; has an "impact" feature to analyze the portfolio''s ESG factors w.r.t. the user''s ethical views;'||
' covers Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,'||
' United Kingdom, and United States; website is **partially Tor-hostile** but the site can be avoided for most operations after sign-up');
' United Kingdom, and United States; website is **partially Tor-hostile** but the website can be avoided for most post-registration activities like trading and'||
' fetching statements');
insert into fiTbl (name,url,aws,notes) values ('Janus Henderson','https://www.janushenderson.com',1,
insert into fiTbl (name,url,antitor,aws,notes) values ('Janus Henderson','https://www.janushenderson.com',1,1,
'transactional web host (www.secureaccountview.com) is not AWS, but it is Tor-hostile; working offline and receiving gratis paper statements is possible.');
insert into fiTbl (name,url,cflogin) values ('Lightspeed','https://www.lightspeed.com',1);
@ -94,7 +95,7 @@ insert into fiTbl (name,url,cflogin,notes) values ('M1 Finance','https://www.m1f
'They censor posts in their Reddit sub that expose the risks of passing sensitive financial data through CloudFlare.');
insert into fiTbl (name,url,parent,dt,notes) values ('Merrill Edge','https://www.merrilledge.com/','Bank of America',1,
'Owned by one of the [most evil](usa_banks.md) banks in the world (Bank of America)');
'Owned by one of the [most evil][banklist] banks in the world (Bank of America)');
insert into fiTbl (name,url,aws,notes) values ('nvstr','https://www.nvstr.com',1,
'maintenance fee: $4/month; promos: $15-150 for funding, random bonus awards, referral bonuses');
@ -128,7 +129,7 @@ insert into fiTbl (name,url,aws,notes) values ('tastyworks','https://tastyworks.
/* Schwab does not wholly own TDA, but we say schwab is a parent of TDA in the db to ensure inheritance of the black list status */
insert into fiTbl (name,url,parent,notes) values ('TD Ameritrade (TDA)','https://www.tdameritrade.com','Charles Schwab',
'Majority owned by Charles Schwab; Schwab outsources banking operations to PNC bank, which is [quite evil](usa_banks.md);'||
'Majority owned by Charles Schwab; Schwab outsources banking operations to PNC bank, which is [quite evil][banklist];'||
' [uses MS Github](https://github.com/TDAmeritrade/stumpy) to host s/w; TDA has had several '||
'[data breaches](https://www.zdnet.com/article/report-td-ameritrade-data-leak-started-in-2005), one occurance of which leaked email addresses'||
' [impacting 6.2 million customers](https://web.archive.org/web/20130501215431/www.computerworld.com/s/article/9037083/TD_Ameritrade_was_warned_of_possible_data_breach_months_ago); '||
@ -153,7 +154,7 @@ insert into fiTbl (name,url,hrecaptcha,notes) values ('Wealthfront','https://www
insert into fiTbl (name,url,cflogin) values ('Wealthsimple','https://wealthsimple.com',1);
insert into fiTbl (name,url,aws,notes) values ('Webull','https://www.webull.com',1,'TIRA; RIRA; crypto; no forex');
insert into fiTbl (name,url,parent,cispa,dt,notes) values ('Wellstrade','https://wellstrade','Wells Fargo',1,1,'Owned by Wells Fargo, an [evil](usa_banks.md) bank.');
insert into fiTbl (name,url,parent,cispa,dt,notes) values ('Wellstrade','https://wellstrade','Wells Fargo',1,1,'Owned by Wells Fargo, an [evil][banklist] bank.');
insert into fiTbl (name,url,cflogin) values ('Zackstrade','https://zackstrade.com',1);
/* END BROKERAGES */
@ -192,7 +193,7 @@ insert into fiTbl (fi_kind,name,url,dt) values
insert into fiTbl (fi_kind,name,url,parent) values ('insurer','Harleysville Group','https://www.harleysvillegroup.com','Nationwide');
insert into fiTbl (fi_kind,name,url,antitor,cispa,dt,notes) values ('insurer','Hartford','https://www.thehartford.com',1,1,1,'akamai hosted');
insert into fiTbl (fi_kind,name,url,notes) values ('insurer','Homesite Insurance Group (aka Midvale Home & Auto)','https://go.midvaleinsurance.com',
'affiliated with American Family Insurance; landing page is Fastly-hosted; quoting page is AWS-hosted & Tor-hostile; login page has no issues');
'affiliated with American Family Insurance; landing page is Fastly-hosted; quoting page is AWS-hosted & Tor-hostile but it''s non-essential; login page has no issues');
insert into fiTbl (fi_kind,name,dt,notes) values ('insurer','Horace Mann',1,'no website, only an access-restricted Facebook page');
insert into fiTbl (fi_kind,name,url,antitor,dt) values ('insurer','Infinity','https://infinityauto.com',1,1);
insert into fiTbl (fi_kind,name,url,antitor,alec,notes) values ('insurer','Lexington','https://www.lexingtoninsurance.com',1,1,
@ -229,7 +230,7 @@ insert into fiTbl (fi_kind,name,url,hrecaptcha,cflogin) values
/* END INSURERS */
update fiTbl set lst_kind = 'gray'
where lst_kind = 'white' and (aws or cispa or dt or (notes is not null and (notes like '%tor_hostile%' or notes like '%equifax%' or notes like '%google_cloud_hosted%')));
where lst_kind = 'white' and (aws or cispa or dt or (notes is not null and (notes like '%equifax%' or notes like '%google_cloud_hosted%')));
update fiTbl set lst_kind = 'black'
where cflogin or alec or antitor or forced_nfsw or hrecaptcha = 'unavoidable' or parent in ('Bank of America','Wells Fargo') or notes like '%underwritten_by%LMG%';
update fiTbl set lst_kind = 'black'

71
input_data/table_legend.md
View File

@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
[banklist](usa_banks.md)
[RAP-amazon](rap_sheets/amazon.md)
[RAP-cf](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md)
[RAP-pp](rap_sheets/paypal.md)
# Why ALEC members are blacklisted
American Legislative Exchange Council ("ALEC") is a right-wing super PAC and bill mill that puts corporate interests above the interest of human beings. ALEC:
@ -42,13 +47,14 @@ supplier-client relationship whereby we expect the supplier to serve
the customer's interest. It's not just anti-privacy, it's
anti-consumer.
Non-Tor users generally reveal their physical location to their bank or insurance company
every time they login. If all banks and insurance companies didn't care where you reside,
this wouldn't be a problem. But some financial institutions care more than others and
beyond reason. Banks typically
[collect your IP address](https://web.archive.org/web/20201024203113/www.decorahbank.com/legal-information/privacy-policy)
and one bank even outright admits in their
[privacy policy](https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141004/https://beneficialstatebank.com/uploads/files/BSB-Consumer-Privacy-Act-CCPA-Privacy-Notice-Current-6.4.2020.pdf#page=2)
Non-Tor users generally reveal their physical location to their bank
or insurance company every time they login. If all banks and
insurance companies didn't care where you reside, this wouldn't be a
problem. But some financial institutions care more than others and
beyond reason. Banks typically [collect your IP address](
https://web.archive.org/web/20201024203113/www.decorahbank.com/legal-information/privacy-policy)
and one bank even outright admits in their [privacy policy](
https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141004/beneficialstatebank.com/uploads/files/BSB-Consumer-Privacy-Act-CCPA-Privacy-Notice-Current-6.4.2020.pdf#page=2)
that they collect geolocation data from customers' IP addresses. For
nomads/world travelers banks can make their lives hell if their
profile doesn't seem to match up with their lifestyle. Some banks
@ -95,30 +101,42 @@ observation. In the context of banking and finance, this in turn
reduces your freedom of movement.
</details>
<details><summary>Special case: Homesite Insurance Group</summary>
An exception to blacklisting is given to Homesite Insurance Group (aka
Midvale Home & Auto) because only the quoting page blocks Tor users
and it's separate from all other resources. Since you can get quotes
over the phone we relaxed the blacklisting in their case. Consumers
are of course free to make their own choice anyway.
</details>
<details><summary>Special case: InteractiveBrokers</summary>
InteractiveBrokers's (IB) trading platform supports proxies over Tor
which makes it possible to use Tor for trading. It's also possible to
receive electronic statements and paper tax documents without using
the website. So the Tor-blocking website is not an obstical to most
routine operations. Nonetheless, it's a considerable problem that
initial registration and configuration can't be done over Tor. And
you may need to login to the website after registration to modify data
subscriptions, initiate a funds transfer, or read messages. We don't
have a dark gray list, so we ultimately blacklisted IB. Consumers are
of course free to make their own choice anyway.
</details>
The eye (👁) indicates that account access is restricted and exclusive to non-Tor users,
who must expose their IP address to the FI and who must expose their FI to their ISP.
### Why IB is only graylisted despite Tor-hostility
InteractiveBrokers's trading platform supports proxies over Tor which makes it
possible to use Tor for trading. It's also possible to receive
statements and tax documents without using the website. So the
Tor-blocking website is not an obstical to routine operations.
Nonetheless, it's a considerable problem that initial registration and
configuration can't be done over Tor.
## Why FIs in CloudFlare's walled-garden are blacklisted
Financial institutions that proxy their services through CloudFlare are
blacklisted automatically for taking a profoundly stupid risk with
Financial institutions that proxy their services through CloudFlare
are blacklisted automatically for taking a profoundly stupid risk with
consumer's sensitive financial data. CloudFlare holds the SSL keys
for every connection and sees all the traffic including username and
unhashed password. CloudFlare has proven to be untrustworthy with
sensitive information (demonstrated by CloudFlare's doxxing of the
identities of child porn whistle blowers). Apart from the
unacceptably high security risk of having a CloudFlare MitM, there are
countless [ethical problems](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md) with being an
enabler of CloudFlare.
countless [ethical problems][RAP-cf] with being an enabler of
CloudFlare.
The storm cloud (🌩) indicates that account access is restricted and
exclusive per CloudFlare's will and customers who do get access are
@ -130,8 +148,7 @@ privacy abuser).
Banks and brokerages that force customers to solve an hCAPTCHA or a
Google reCAPTCHA are blacklisted automatically. Use of these two forms
of CAPTCHA have an excessive detrimental impact on privacy and human
rights, which is outlined in the
[CloudFlare rap sheet](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md).
rights, which is outlined in the [CloudFlare rap sheet][RAP-cf].
Other forms of CAPTCHA aren't so invasive and aren't cause for
blacklisting.
@ -151,12 +168,14 @@ phone service, trust Google with their phone number, then also trust
Google not to tell data brokers where you bank and invest. FUTU has a
desktop app but only for Mac or Windows, so linux users and those who
avoid non-free software are stuffed. (Caveat: the FUTU Windows app has
[not been tested on WINE](https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141122/https://www.winehq.org/search?q=futu)
[not been tested on WINE](
https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141122/https://www.winehq.org/search?q=futu)
or ReactOS)
## Why CISPA supporters are graylisted
The [Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Intelligence_Sharing_and_Protection_Act)
The [Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)](
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Intelligence_Sharing_and_Protection_Act)
was a bill to bypass the 4th amendment to promote a system of
unwarranted mass surveillance through information sharing between the
government and private sector. Congress blocked the bill, but it was
@ -186,7 +205,7 @@ their staff through forced drug testing.
## Why Amazon and Google-hosted FIs are graylisted
Amazon is behind [countless evils](rap_sheets/amazon.md). It's
Amazon is behind [countless evils][RAP-amazon]. It's
paramount to boycott Amazon for anyone who cares about human rights,
privacy, or the environment. Amazon also has had several data
breaches-- Capital One, Juspay, Swiggy, etc., so it's a bad idea to
@ -228,7 +247,7 @@ credit bureaus.
Financial institutions like Merrill Edge, TD Ameritrade, and
Wellstrade have ethically controversial ownership. Merrill Edge and
Wellstrade are simply owned by extremely [evil banks](usa_banks.md).
Wellstrade are simply owned by extremely [evil banks][banklist].
A large majority of TD Ameritrade is owned by Charles Schwab. Schwab
is not directly involved in the highly controversial financing that
other large banks are, but Schwab outsources banking to PNC bank,

4
rap_sheets/cloudflare.md
View File

@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
[RAP-pp](rap_sheets/paypal.md)
# CloudFlare
CloudFlare is a vigilante extremist organization that takes the decentralized web and centralizes it under one corporate power who dictates terms in the world's largest walled-garden. A very large portion of the web (10%+) were once freely open to all but are now controlled and monitored by a single central authority who decides for everyone who may access what web content. This does serious damage to net neutrality, privacy, and has immediate serious consequences:
@ -13,7 +15,7 @@ CloudFlare is a vigilante extremist organization that takes the decentralized we
1. The gratis service also raises the question about how CF is monetizing all that data that's exposed to them (which every CF user carelessly increases). They do not disclose to the public how they monetize that data, but what CF cannot hide is that they [seek to hire](https://web.archive.org/web/20200704235401/www.datayoshi.com/offer/595856/data-scientist-cloudflare) a machine learning data scientist with *big data* expertise for their marketing department.
1. A CF customer who became increasingly concerned with CF's unchecked power deleted their account. Two months after CF confirmed that the account was deleted, the customer [received an email](https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/11/can-you-trust-cloudflare-with-your-personal-data) from CF, proving the account had not been deleted.
1. CF imposes execution of javascript, and javascript cannot be generally trusted. E.g., eBay has [been caught](http://web.archive.org/web/20200526092506/blog.nem.ec/2020/05/24/ebay-port-scanning) sending javascript that snoops on their own customers by port scanning the LAN and reporting back to eBay. Streetwise users disable j/s. Yet it's impossible to solve CF's CAPTCHA with j/s disabled. So people are forced into vulnerability by CloudFlare (who has proven to be untrustworthy).
1. When a user solves a CAPTCHA, CF is [paid](https://docs.hcaptcha.com/faq) a cash reward via Paypal, a privacy abuser who shares customer data with [600 companies](https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2018/03/the_600_compani.html).
1. When a user solves a CAPTCHA, CF is [paid](https://docs.hcaptcha.com/faq) a cash reward via Paypal, a [privacy abuser][RAP-pp] who shares customer data with [600 companies](https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2018/03/the_600_compani.html).
1. CloudFlare takes away **software freedom**
1. CF imposes CAPTCHAs that require the user to execute non-free javascript.
* CF restricts how users may use their software by rendering the web dysfunctional for some browsers.

5
usa_banks.md
View File

@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
[RAP-cf](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md)
## Blacklist part 1: notorious unethical banks
| ***financial institution*** | ***political party*** | ***ALEC*** | ***CISPA*** | ***drug testing*** | ***finances private prisons*** | ***Tor-hostile*** | ***environmental abuses*** | ***other ethical problems*** |
@ -32,8 +34,7 @@ More metrics: to see where these banks stand on gun issues, see https://isyourba
These banks have managed to obtain endorsement from ethics-focused
organizations, but they either block Tor users or they subject all
their customers to the privacy and netneutrality
[abuses of CloudFlare](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md) or they push an
hCAPTCHA:
[abuses of CloudFlare][RAP-cf] or they push an hCAPTCHA:
| ***Financial institution*** | ***Values-based network*** | ***Blocks Tor*** | ***CloudFlared login page*** | ***hCAPTCHA*** | ***Locations*** | ***Notes*** |
|--|--|--|--|--|--|--|

81
usa_brokerages.md
View File

@ -18,8 +18,6 @@ These brokerages would normally be blacklisted, but due to the short whitelist t
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|[E*Trade](https://us.etrade.com)|n|n|n|🕵|n|covers: Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, United Kingdom, and United States; funding bonus ($5k=>$50; $10k=>$100; $20k=>$150)|
|[Finhabits](https://www.finhabits.com)|n|n|n|n|n|[B corp](https://bcorporation.net/directory/finhabits); Hosted on Google Cloud; outsources to Apex; uses Equifax for address verification; sends spam|
|[InteractiveBrokers](https://interactivebrokers.com)|n|n|n|n|n|min. investment to avoid fees: $100k per account; has an "impact" feature to analyze the portfolio's ESG factors w.r.t. the user's ethical views; covers Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States; website is **partially Tor-hostile** but the site can be avoided for most operations after sign-up|
|[Janus Henderson](https://www.janushenderson.com)|n|n|n|n|n|**Amazon AWS-hosted**; transactional web host (www.secureaccountview.com) is not AWS, but it is Tor-hostile; working offline and receiving gratis paper statements is possible.|
|[nvstr](https://www.nvstr.com)|n|n|n|n|n|**Amazon AWS-hosted**; maintenance fee: $4/month; promos: $15-150 for funding, random bonus awards, referral bonuses|
|[Robinhood](https://robinhood.com/us/en/)|n|n|n|n|n|**Amazon AWS-hosted**; [Fined $65M](https://nypost.com/2020/12/17/sec-slaps-robinhood-app-with-65m-fine-for-misleading-users) for misleading users; They may have used CloudFlare in the past but apparently that changed; robotic support only -- human support is [difficult or impossible](https://mastodon.social/@cypnk/105802268148593250) to reach; all trades are on a margin and transfers to another broker are marked as such; transfers can take up to a month so any trades like options may expire or lose value since you cannot initiate without knowing a timeline|
|[Stash](https://stash.com)|n|n|n|n|n|**Amazon AWS-hosted**; no mutual funds; no options; no crypto; maintenance fee: $1/month|
@ -46,22 +44,29 @@ These brokerages have severe ethical or trust issues and should be boycotted:
|FUTU|n|n|n|n|n|support.fututrade.com is CloudFlared; no web app; mobile app is GPS-iOS-only; desktop is Mac/Windows only|
|Gatsby|n|n|n|n|n|no web app; no desktop app; mobile app is GPS-iOS-only|
|IEX|n|👁|n|n|n|an alternative to conventional stock markets; **Google-Cloud hosted**|
|InteractiveBrokers|n|👁|n|n|n|min. investment to avoid fees: $100k per account; has an "impact" feature to analyze the portfolio's ESG factors w.r.t. the user's ethical views; covers Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States; website is **partially Tor-hostile** but the website can be avoided for most post-registration activities like trading and fetching statements|
|Janus Henderson|n|👁|n|n|n|**Amazon AWS-hosted**; transactional web host (www.secureaccountview.com) is not AWS, but it is Tor-hostile; working offline and receiving gratis paper statements is possible.|
|Lightspeed|n|n|🌩|n|n||
|M1 Finance|n|n|🌩|n|n|They censor posts in their Reddit sub that expose the risks of passing sensitive financial data through CloudFlare.|
|Merrill Edge|n|n|n|n|🧪|Owned by one of the [most evil](usa_banks.md) banks in the world (Bank of America)|
|Merrill Edge|n|n|n|n|🧪|Owned by one of the [most evil][banklist] banks in the world (Bank of America)|
|Prudential|👌|n|n|🕵|🧪|**Amazon AWS-hosted**|
|Siebert|n|n|🌩|n|n||
|SoFi|n|n|🌩|n|n|They censor posts in their Reddit sub that expose the risks of passing sensitive financial data through CloudFlare; also [caught](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/10/online-student-loan-refinance-company-sofi-settles-ftc-charges) in a deceptive advertizing scandal.|
|Sogotrade|n|n|🌩|n|n||
|Stockpile|n|n|🌩|n|n||
|TD Ameritrade (TDA)|n|n|n|n|n|Majority owned by Charles Schwab; Schwab outsources banking operations to PNC bank, which is [quite evil](usa_banks.md); [uses MS Github](https://github.com/TDAmeritrade/stumpy) to host s/w; TDA has had several [data breaches](https://www.zdnet.com/article/report-td-ameritrade-data-leak-started-in-2005), one occurance of which leaked email addresses [impacting 6.2 million customers](https://web.archive.org/web/20130501215431/www.computerworld.com/s/article/9037083/TD_Ameritrade_was_warned_of_possible_data_breach_months_ago); and led to ransom demands and pump 'n' dump stock scams; Scottrade also had a [data breach in 2015](https://web.archive.org/web/20201123223450/https://fortune.com/2015/10/02/scottrade-data-breach), 2 years before TDA acquired it|
|TD Ameritrade (TDA)|n|n|n|n|n|Majority owned by Charles Schwab; Schwab outsources banking operations to PNC bank, which is [quite evil][banklist]; [uses MS Github](https://github.com/TDAmeritrade/stumpy) to host s/w; TDA has had several [data breaches](https://www.zdnet.com/article/report-td-ameritrade-data-leak-started-in-2005), one occurance of which leaked email addresses [impacting 6.2 million customers](https://web.archive.org/web/20130501215431/www.computerworld.com/s/article/9037083/TD_Ameritrade_was_warned_of_possible_data_breach_months_ago); and led to ransom demands and pump 'n' dump stock scams; Scottrade also had a [data breach in 2015](https://web.archive.org/web/20201123223450/https://fortune.com/2015/10/02/scottrade-data-breach), 2 years before TDA acquired it|
|TIAA-CREF|n|👁|n|n|n|Whole site is Tor-hostile; uses Ally Bank for banking; uses Pershing LLC (a subsidiary of BNY Mellon Corp) for clearing; BNY Mellon was [breached in 2008](https://web.archive.org/web/20160308134258/www.wctv.tv/news/headlines/28132494.html)|
|Tradingblock|n|n|🌩|n|n||
|Wealthfront|n|n|n|n|n|**forced h/reCAPTCHA**; Registration imposes Google reCAPTCHA; [caught](https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/US-regulator-sanctions-robo-advisers-Wealthfront-Hedgeable-on-false-disclosures-575044) making false disclosures and [charged](https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/12/21/bay-area-robo-adviser-firm-wealthfront-charged-by-sec-with-false-advertising) for false advertising.|
|Wealthsimple|n|n|🌩|n|n||
|Wellstrade|n|n|n|🕵|🧪|Owned by Wells Fargo, an [evil](usa_banks.md) bank.|
|Wellstrade|n|n|n|🕵|🧪|Owned by Wells Fargo, an [evil][banklist] bank.|
|Zackstrade|n|n|🌩|n|n||
[banklist](usa_banks.md)
[RAP-amazon](rap_sheets/amazon.md)
[RAP-cf](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md)
[RAP-pp](rap_sheets/paypal.md)
# Why ALEC members are blacklisted
American Legislative Exchange Council ("ALEC") is a right-wing super PAC and bill mill that puts corporate interests above the interest of human beings. ALEC:
@ -106,13 +111,14 @@ supplier-client relationship whereby we expect the supplier to serve
the customer's interest. It's not just anti-privacy, it's
anti-consumer.
Non-Tor users generally reveal their physical location to their bank or insurance company
every time they login. If all banks and insurance companies didn't care where you reside,
this wouldn't be a problem. But some financial institutions care more than others and
beyond reason. Banks typically
[collect your IP address](https://web.archive.org/web/20201024203113/www.decorahbank.com/legal-information/privacy-policy)
and one bank even outright admits in their
[privacy policy](https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141004/https://beneficialstatebank.com/uploads/files/BSB-Consumer-Privacy-Act-CCPA-Privacy-Notice-Current-6.4.2020.pdf#page=2)
Non-Tor users generally reveal their physical location to their bank
or insurance company every time they login. If all banks and
insurance companies didn't care where you reside, this wouldn't be a
problem. But some financial institutions care more than others and
beyond reason. Banks typically [collect your IP address](
https://web.archive.org/web/20201024203113/www.decorahbank.com/legal-information/privacy-policy)
and one bank even outright admits in their [privacy policy](
https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141004/beneficialstatebank.com/uploads/files/BSB-Consumer-Privacy-Act-CCPA-Privacy-Notice-Current-6.4.2020.pdf#page=2)
that they collect geolocation data from customers' IP addresses. For
nomads/world travelers banks can make their lives hell if their
profile doesn't seem to match up with their lifestyle. Some banks
@ -159,30 +165,42 @@ observation. In the context of banking and finance, this in turn
reduces your freedom of movement.
</details>
<details><summary>Special case: Homesite Insurance Group</summary>
An exception to blacklisting is given to Homesite Insurance Group (aka
Midvale Home & Auto) because only the quoting page blocks Tor users
and it's separate from all other resources. Since you can get quotes
over the phone we relaxed the blacklisting in their case. Consumers
are of course free to make their own choice anyway.
</details>
<details><summary>Special case: InteractiveBrokers</summary>
InteractiveBrokers's (IB) trading platform supports proxies over Tor
which makes it possible to use Tor for trading. It's also possible to
receive electronic statements and paper tax documents without using
the website. So the Tor-blocking website is not an obstical to most
routine operations. Nonetheless, it's a considerable problem that
initial registration and configuration can't be done over Tor. And
you may need to login to the website after registration to modify data
subscriptions, initiate a funds transfer, or read messages. We don't
have a dark gray list, so we ultimately blacklisted IB. Consumers are
of course free to make their own choice anyway.
</details>
The eye (👁) indicates that account access is restricted and exclusive to non-Tor users,
who must expose their IP address to the FI and who must expose their FI to their ISP.
### Why IB is only graylisted despite Tor-hostility
InteractiveBrokers's trading platform supports proxies over Tor which makes it
possible to use Tor for trading. It's also possible to receive
statements and tax documents without using the website. So the
Tor-blocking website is not an obstical to routine operations.
Nonetheless, it's a considerable problem that initial registration and
configuration can't be done over Tor.
## Why FIs in CloudFlare's walled-garden are blacklisted
Financial institutions that proxy their services through CloudFlare are
blacklisted automatically for taking a profoundly stupid risk with
Financial institutions that proxy their services through CloudFlare
are blacklisted automatically for taking a profoundly stupid risk with
consumer's sensitive financial data. CloudFlare holds the SSL keys
for every connection and sees all the traffic including username and
unhashed password. CloudFlare has proven to be untrustworthy with
sensitive information (demonstrated by CloudFlare's doxxing of the
identities of child porn whistle blowers). Apart from the
unacceptably high security risk of having a CloudFlare MitM, there are
countless [ethical problems](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md) with being an
enabler of CloudFlare.
countless [ethical problems][RAP-cf] with being an enabler of
CloudFlare.
The storm cloud (🌩) indicates that account access is restricted and
exclusive per CloudFlare's will and customers who do get access are
@ -194,8 +212,7 @@ privacy abuser).
Banks and brokerages that force customers to solve an hCAPTCHA or a
Google reCAPTCHA are blacklisted automatically. Use of these two forms
of CAPTCHA have an excessive detrimental impact on privacy and human
rights, which is outlined in the
[CloudFlare rap sheet](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md).
rights, which is outlined in the [CloudFlare rap sheet][RAP-cf].
Other forms of CAPTCHA aren't so invasive and aren't cause for
blacklisting.
@ -215,12 +232,14 @@ phone service, trust Google with their phone number, then also trust
Google not to tell data brokers where you bank and invest. FUTU has a
desktop app but only for Mac or Windows, so linux users and those who
avoid non-free software are stuffed. (Caveat: the FUTU Windows app has
[not been tested on WINE](https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141122/https://www.winehq.org/search?q=futu)
[not been tested on WINE](
https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141122/https://www.winehq.org/search?q=futu)
or ReactOS)
## Why CISPA supporters are graylisted
The [Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Intelligence_Sharing_and_Protection_Act)
The [Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)](
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Intelligence_Sharing_and_Protection_Act)
was a bill to bypass the 4th amendment to promote a system of
unwarranted mass surveillance through information sharing between the
government and private sector. Congress blocked the bill, but it was
@ -250,7 +269,7 @@ their staff through forced drug testing.
## Why Amazon and Google-hosted FIs are graylisted
Amazon is behind [countless evils](rap_sheets/amazon.md). It's
Amazon is behind [countless evils][RAP-amazon]. It's
paramount to boycott Amazon for anyone who cares about human rights,
privacy, or the environment. Amazon also has had several data
breaches-- Capital One, Juspay, Swiggy, etc., so it's a bad idea to
@ -292,7 +311,7 @@ credit bureaus.
Financial institutions like Merrill Edge, TD Ameritrade, and
Wellstrade have ethically controversial ownership. Merrill Edge and
Wellstrade are simply owned by extremely [evil banks](usa_banks.md).
Wellstrade are simply owned by extremely [evil banks][banklist].
A large majority of TD Ameritrade is owned by Charles Schwab. Schwab
is not directly involved in the highly controversial financing that
other large banks are, but Schwab outsources banking to PNC bank,

73
usa_insurance_companies.md
View File

@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ The following insurers have no significant ethical issues:
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|[American Family Insurance](https://www.amfam.com)|n|n|n|n|n||
|[Erie](https://www.erieinsurance.com)|n|n|n|n|n||
|[Homesite Insurance Group (aka Midvale Home & Auto)](https://go.midvaleinsurance.com)|n|n|n|n|n|affiliated with American Family Insurance; landing page is Fastly-hosted; quoting page is AWS-hosted & Tor-hostile but it's non-essential; login page has no issues|
|N&D Group|n|n|n|n|n|no website, only an access-restricted Facebook page|
|[The General](https://thegeneral.com)|n|n|n|n|n|parent: American Family Insurance; only writes auto policies; certified as [Great Place to Work](https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/7003720)|
@ -23,7 +24,6 @@ These insurers would normally be blacklisted, but due to the short whitelist the
|[Berkshire Hathaway](https://berkshirehathaway.com)|n|n|n|n|🧪|Berkshire Hathaway is not directly an ALEC member, but BH wholly owns ALEC members (e.g. Geico and Fruit of the Loom)|
|[Gen Re](https://www.genre.com)|n|n|n|n|n|parent: Berkshire Hathaway; akamai hosted, but transactional site www.genre-connect.com is not. The documentation ("Knowledge" link) is CloudFlared.|
|[Grange Mutual](https://www.grangeinsurance.com)|n|n|n|n|🧪||
|[Homesite Insurance Group (aka Midvale Home & Auto)](https://go.midvaleinsurance.com)|n|n|n|n|n|affiliated with American Family Insurance; landing page is Fastly-hosted; quoting page is AWS-hosted & Tor-hostile; login page has no issues|
|Horace Mann|n|n|n|n|🧪|no website, only an access-restricted Facebook page|
|[MetLife](https://www.metlife.com)|n|n|n|🕵|🧪|**Amazon AWS-hosted**; transactional site identity.metlife.com is not AWS|
|[National General](https://www.nationalgeneral.com)|n|n|n|n|🧪|formerly GMAC|
@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ These insurers have severe ethical or trust issues and should be boycotted:
|USAA|n|👁|n|🕵|🧪|sponsors Fox News|
|Western Mutual|n|n|🌩|n|n|**forced h/reCAPTCHA**|
[banklist](usa_banks.md)
[RAP-amazon](rap_sheets/amazon.md)
[RAP-cf](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md)
[RAP-pp](rap_sheets/paypal.md)
# Why ALEC members are blacklisted
American Legislative Exchange Council ("ALEC") is a right-wing super PAC and bill mill that puts corporate interests above the interest of human beings. ALEC:
@ -115,13 +120,14 @@ supplier-client relationship whereby we expect the supplier to serve
the customer's interest. It's not just anti-privacy, it's
anti-consumer.
Non-Tor users generally reveal their physical location to their bank or insurance company
every time they login. If all banks and insurance companies didn't care where you reside,
this wouldn't be a problem. But some financial institutions care more than others and
beyond reason. Banks typically
[collect your IP address](https://web.archive.org/web/20201024203113/www.decorahbank.com/legal-information/privacy-policy)
and one bank even outright admits in their
[privacy policy](https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141004/https://beneficialstatebank.com/uploads/files/BSB-Consumer-Privacy-Act-CCPA-Privacy-Notice-Current-6.4.2020.pdf#page=2)
Non-Tor users generally reveal their physical location to their bank
or insurance company every time they login. If all banks and
insurance companies didn't care where you reside, this wouldn't be a
problem. But some financial institutions care more than others and
beyond reason. Banks typically [collect your IP address](
https://web.archive.org/web/20201024203113/www.decorahbank.com/legal-information/privacy-policy)
and one bank even outright admits in their [privacy policy](
https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141004/beneficialstatebank.com/uploads/files/BSB-Consumer-Privacy-Act-CCPA-Privacy-Notice-Current-6.4.2020.pdf#page=2)
that they collect geolocation data from customers' IP addresses. For
nomads/world travelers banks can make their lives hell if their
profile doesn't seem to match up with their lifestyle. Some banks
@ -168,30 +174,42 @@ observation. In the context of banking and finance, this in turn
reduces your freedom of movement.
</details>
<details><summary>Special case: Homesite Insurance Group</summary>
An exception to blacklisting is given to Homesite Insurance Group (aka
Midvale Home & Auto) because only the quoting page blocks Tor users
and it's separate from all other resources. Since you can get quotes
over the phone we relaxed the blacklisting in their case. Consumers
are of course free to make their own choice anyway.
</details>
<details><summary>Special case: InteractiveBrokers</summary>
InteractiveBrokers's (IB) trading platform supports proxies over Tor
which makes it possible to use Tor for trading. It's also possible to
receive electronic statements and paper tax documents without using
the website. So the Tor-blocking website is not an obstical to most
routine operations. Nonetheless, it's a considerable problem that
initial registration and configuration can't be done over Tor. And
you may need to login to the website after registration to modify data
subscriptions, initiate a funds transfer, or read messages. We don't
have a dark gray list, so we ultimately blacklisted IB. Consumers are
of course free to make their own choice anyway.
</details>
The eye (👁) indicates that account access is restricted and exclusive to non-Tor users,
who must expose their IP address to the FI and who must expose their FI to their ISP.
### Why IB is only graylisted despite Tor-hostility
InteractiveBrokers's trading platform supports proxies over Tor which makes it
possible to use Tor for trading. It's also possible to receive
statements and tax documents without using the website. So the
Tor-blocking website is not an obstical to routine operations.
Nonetheless, it's a considerable problem that initial registration and
configuration can't be done over Tor.
## Why FIs in CloudFlare's walled-garden are blacklisted
Financial institutions that proxy their services through CloudFlare are
blacklisted automatically for taking a profoundly stupid risk with
Financial institutions that proxy their services through CloudFlare
are blacklisted automatically for taking a profoundly stupid risk with
consumer's sensitive financial data. CloudFlare holds the SSL keys
for every connection and sees all the traffic including username and
unhashed password. CloudFlare has proven to be untrustworthy with
sensitive information (demonstrated by CloudFlare's doxxing of the
identities of child porn whistle blowers). Apart from the
unacceptably high security risk of having a CloudFlare MitM, there are
countless [ethical problems](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md) with being an
enabler of CloudFlare.
countless [ethical problems][RAP-cf] with being an enabler of
CloudFlare.
The storm cloud (🌩) indicates that account access is restricted and
exclusive per CloudFlare's will and customers who do get access are
@ -203,8 +221,7 @@ privacy abuser).
Banks and brokerages that force customers to solve an hCAPTCHA or a
Google reCAPTCHA are blacklisted automatically. Use of these two forms
of CAPTCHA have an excessive detrimental impact on privacy and human
rights, which is outlined in the
[CloudFlare rap sheet](rap_sheets/cloudflare.md).
rights, which is outlined in the [CloudFlare rap sheet][RAP-cf].
Other forms of CAPTCHA aren't so invasive and aren't cause for
blacklisting.
@ -224,12 +241,14 @@ phone service, trust Google with their phone number, then also trust
Google not to tell data brokers where you bank and invest. FUTU has a
desktop app but only for Mac or Windows, so linux users and those who
avoid non-free software are stuffed. (Caveat: the FUTU Windows app has
[not been tested on WINE](https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141122/https://www.winehq.org/search?q=futu)
[not been tested on WINE](
https://web.archive.org/web/20210206141122/https://www.winehq.org/search?q=futu)
or ReactOS)
## Why CISPA supporters are graylisted
The [Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Intelligence_Sharing_and_Protection_Act)
The [Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA)](
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_Intelligence_Sharing_and_Protection_Act)
was a bill to bypass the 4th amendment to promote a system of
unwarranted mass surveillance through information sharing between the
government and private sector. Congress blocked the bill, but it was
@ -259,7 +278,7 @@ their staff through forced drug testing.
## Why Amazon and Google-hosted FIs are graylisted
Amazon is behind [countless evils](rap_sheets/amazon.md). It's
Amazon is behind [countless evils][RAP-amazon]. It's
paramount to boycott Amazon for anyone who cares about human rights,
privacy, or the environment. Amazon also has had several data
breaches-- Capital One, Juspay, Swiggy, etc., so it's a bad idea to
@ -301,7 +320,7 @@ credit bureaus.
Financial institutions like Merrill Edge, TD Ameritrade, and
Wellstrade have ethically controversial ownership. Merrill Edge and
Wellstrade are simply owned by extremely [evil banks](usa_banks.md).
Wellstrade are simply owned by extremely [evil banks][banklist].
A large majority of TD Ameritrade is owned by Charles Schwab. Schwab
is not directly involved in the highly controversial financing that
other large banks are, but Schwab outsources banking to PNC bank,