Fri Jul 04, 2014 at 10:25 AM PT: This is a diary I wrote about a year ago, and I very rarely post them, but in view of the recent events involving Hobby Lobby and Eden Foods, and seeing some commenters in those diaries wishing they had a tool to figure out what to buy and what to boycott, I thought this might be useful again. Republished as it appeared on May 22, 2013 with only this update note added.
Buycott is a new app designed to identify corporate trees of the products you buy, so that you are not inadvertently putting money into the pockets of billionaires who are buying their way into politics, or who otherwise support causes you are opposed to.
The homepage poses the question many of us at DK have often asked and tried to resolve through sites such as "Buy Blue", which ultimately failed:
Have you ever wondered whether the money you spend ends up funding causes you oppose?
A buycott is the opposite of a boycott. Buycott helps you to organize your everyday consumer spending so that it reflects your principles.
Example: During the SOPA/PIPA debate in 2012, a number of companies pushed to pass legislation that reduced online freedom of expression, while other companies fought hard to oppose the legislation. With Buycott, a campaign can be quickly created around a cause, with the goal of targeting companies with a boycott unless they change their position, or buycotting a company to show your support.
http://www.buycott.com/
Released only very recently, it has already gone viral and even crashed the website last week. A few bugs became evident but the company is working hard to overcome the glitches. Obviously, this is an idea whose time has come, and gives us an incredible tool to put our money where our mouth is - and avoid putting our money into oligarchs' wallets.
Several campaigns have already sprung up around the new app, such as "Big Oil", "Say No to GMO - Monsanto Products Boycott", and one that will probably be a favorite among Kossacks, "Avoid Koch Industries". Just as good, or even better, is that you can also support companies who are on the progressive side of causes near and dear to our hearts, such as LGBT rights or decriminalization of marijuana.
How it works:
First, users join campaigns boycotting business practices that violate their principles—such as products made by Big Food companies or corporations that have fought GMO labeling. When an item is scanned, “Buycott will then trace the product's ownership back to its top parent company and cross-check this company against the campaigns that you've joined before telling you whether it found a conflict,” according to the company's website.
http://www.takepart.com/....
I only found one other diary on this from last week, but which did not get the attention I think this app should warrant:
http://www.dailykos.com/....
Another thing about this product that says a lot about the programmer whose brainchild it is, he deliberately made the app non-partisan, so that it can be used by consumers of any stripe to shop according to their principles.
So what are you waiting for?? Download it and start buycotting!
A few more articles on this app:
technorati
Forbes
CNET
11:03 AM PT: Sorry, the links to the articles listed at the end no longer work, and the one I checked no longer existed at all - too old, I guess. Best to just use Google for more information, if you need/want it.