It's not a "free app" or "free service" if I need to create an account or register to use the service. amirite?

Free means "without charging money".

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Free in this context is purely financial.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It's presented that way to be misleading......so people would think it's free.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

People dont think it's free, they know its free, they know because there is no upfront or later financial cost that is the only free that matters when debating using a product or service.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

it's free bro. If you don't pay, that's how it's called.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If they read the TOS (lol) the people would know, but who tf does ?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If you use a service and pay nothing, it's free. The app costs you nothing as does creating an account. Tesco are giving away free food. You have to sign for it and provide an address so they know where to send it. That's free right? No difference

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Nothing is free. You 'pay' for everything in one way or another. You may not pay financially for an app, but you pay by allowing specific information about you to be sold to 3rd parties. Your likes, dislikes, and sometimes your financial information. It is foolish to not consider the risks of downloading a particular application and how it may record your keystrokes or look for more personal information you have on the device.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Oh, your precious personal information about wanting to buy XYZ boots, browsing a certain website or being ... years old from a certain location. What a disaster! I personally am happy to be shown relevant ads and want more.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You personally may be fine with it, but it has privacy implications that are concerning, especially when it's not straightforward what information is being collected or what is being done with it.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Free is about price not hassle...

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yes, its free. You arent paying anything: its free, period.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Wait back up. Just because you don't pay for it, doesn't make it free. You're right in this case you are not paying anything. However, there are companies out there paying for your information from them. Someone is still making money off of you from this free app. Basically you are giving the app a free product to sell. Really the only thing free is what you give away to companies to sell. Now if it's a big deal or not, I suppose that depends on your viewpoint.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

But you are paying.......with your personal info. Just so you know.....there are things in life that have value other than money.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I mean by that logic nothing is free then. YouTube and other websites you pay by watching ads. Free local events? Probably paid with tax dollars. Free to play games? Either paying with time (they make the grind intense enough that people want to spend money) or more money.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yes you are right. Technically nothing is free.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Literally everything is paid for with something. Wanna try this free sample? You've now paid via your time and attention.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Exactly.....nothing in this world is "free"

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Which is why when something is referred to as "free", they mean it costs no money. Anyone not being pedantic would generally realize that.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I am pedantic......but I do realize that. I just don't like it.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If you care so much about your personal info actually being private you shouldnt even be using internet. And in this case, it is just about money and nothing else. You dont give money to them: its free

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You must be American lol There are other forms of payments in the world, like your time, your data, your kidneys...............please find it in yourself to accept that. Just because you don't spend money on something, doesn't mean it's free. Period.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Hence unpopular opinion?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yes, and a stupid and objectively wrong one

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Non unpopular but incorrect

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Righto champ, so when your personal information gets sold off or stolen by cyber crime and your identity has the potential to be compromised, then tell me I'm wrong.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You're only wrong in calling it not free....it's free. Learn what words mean. Ofc it'll probably be sold off..also, learn to make a junk email, and use it for all those sites

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Genius....it's called a dummy account. I have 3 dummy emails with information relating to fictional characters. You must not be that creative to figure out to use a fictional characters info to protect your own privacy. A child could figure out that one.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Why do you need 3? I have just the one and it's adequate.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Unless you fall for a stupidly obvious scam, your identity shouldnt even part of the equation because they only ask you for a mail adress, everything else can be faked, so im telling you you're wrong right now because you are, period

by Anonymous 2 years ago

That's not how opinions work...

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Derp derp

by Anonymous 2 years ago

No, just incorrect. It's not an opinion at all.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It's just wrong, not unpopular.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

its not even an opinion. you could have an opinion about it being a pain that you have to provide personal information. or discuss why the word "free" should have a different meaning that doesnt refer to only monetary cost but also other things of value. but just stating that it does, which is factually wrong, isnt an opinion

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You can always use a fake name and/or a disposable email. There are literally free (yes, free even by your definition) services where you can make a temporary burner email.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Nothing is free. Every single free app or service is selling your data. The ones that aren't are those sites that have a ridiculous amount of ads and redirects.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Is that a bad thing? Do you expect people to make services for you with absolutely nothing in return? It's not like you're a king or that they owe you anything.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If I am watching ads they are getting their fair share and I shouldn't have to do anything else

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Ah right. So you deserve an intensive software application maintained and designed by hundreds/thousands of software engineers. Anything more than a 3 second ad, and it's crossing the fair share, hey.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It's a fair argument. Companies could charge for their software but they've chosen to make it free with ads. It's a business strategy that laid the ground work for some of the most successful tech companies.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I'm not forcing people to pay for things they don't want to. I'm just saying it's silly to be outraged that one expects everything to be so convenient and free for them at no cost.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Alot of people do, it's called open source

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Remember: if you're not paying for a product, that means you are the product

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Completely agree. If use of the app or service is conditioned on the user giving personal information, then the app or service is not free to the user.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If it is free you are the product.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Eh I'm ok AS LONG as they don't send me a poop ton of emails 😂

by Anonymous 2 years ago

The amount of sites that ask for logins even for the most trivial of things is beyond ridiculous in this day and age. I just use a bogus email and have the same password for everything of this nature. "Security" be damned, if they get the password all they're getting is some made up details. I'm considering getting a backup phone number too just to keep the cold callers off my back.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If something is free, then *you're* the product.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

i agree with this!

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yes. You aren't paying with money, but with data

by Anonymous 2 years ago

This isn't an opinion

by Anonymous 2 years ago

This is just wrong.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It costs no money, therefore it is free

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yeah, I hate paying so much for using Google search, I wish it was free /s

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If you're not paying for a service then the product they're selling is you.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If the product is free, you are the thing that's being sold.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

In my circle...this is rather very popular opinion.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Like a date ;)

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If you want to use any device with internet access now you are giving away your info. Although you can choose if it will be Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta or Amazon etc.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Free in every context like this, it is 100% monetary. There is no misleading into being free. Or anything else. It is free. Thus opinion is dumb. Not unpopular.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Do you know how currency works?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It's free, it's just not anonymous.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

My first reaction was "ugh, another popular opinion in unpopular opinions" My second reaction was "wtf??" The nothing in life is free knowledge has not been passed down. The funny thing is when you talk about things like working overtime, pulling a second job, suddenly everybody agrees their time is valuable and even time and a half isn't enough to incentivize. When it comes to screwing around with a "free service" and mindlessly wasting hours, time's not valuable... Does not compute

by Anonymous 2 years ago

"if the product is free, you are the product"

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Op doesn't know what free means. Ifs doesn't cost you money then it's free. Not an unpopular opinion you're just wrong.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

According the economic theory, nothing is free except air and sunshine etc.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

That's not what free means, of you don't pay it is free, registrations are not money

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It's not a free app unless it's code is entirely public domain.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

‘That sample wasn't free, I had to ask you to give it to me. That was effort on my end. What are you? Some kind of scam artist?' — This guy at a Costco probably

by Anonymous 2 years ago

In that aspect, nothing's free. Food samples? Nope, you have to drive to them. COVID relief and financial assistance? Sorry, you have to reach out for it. Birthday/holiday gifts? They aren't free because, although money didn't come out your pocket to buy it, somebody else did!

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Thanks captain obvious.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Sounds like you are just confused to what "free" means

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It's unpolular opinion. Not "Completely wrong opinion"

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Wise folks have said. If you're not paying for it, you're the product.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Amen. Free should also mean free of hassles and time wasting.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

nothing is free. If you are ever offered a free service, it's because you are the one being sold.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If the app asks for your wifi password, it too is not free.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

well you're not playing for anything but the app makes money off of your information. so nah.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You confuse financial cost vs opportunity cost

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Did you spend money? No? Then is was free.

by Anonymous 2 years ago