Watchman Privacy 212 - The Hated One: Privacy or Profit
Jan 19, 2026
Gabriel Custodiet chats with The Hated One, a privacy-focused content creator known for educating audiences on surveillance and political theory. They delve into the challenges of maintaining integrity while recommending privacy tools, discussing the pitfalls of Proton's service expansion and its impact on metadata risk. The conversation moves to privacy-centric cryptocurrencies like Monero and Zcash, and The Hated One shares insights on creating a society that prioritizes privacy, advocating for decentralized governance and community resilience.
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Turned Down A Lucrative Proton Offer
- The Hated One described being approached by Proton with an attractive affiliate offer and rejecting it.
- He polled his audience and kept his Patreon-funded independence instead of taking the money.
Protect Your Independence
- Refuse affiliate/sponsor money if it compromises your credibility and independence.
- Let your audience fund you via Patreon or donations so your recommendations stay unbiased.
Ecosystems Create Privacy Risk
- Centralized ecosystems increase attack surface and create single points of failure for privacy.
- Proton's bundling of email, VPN, passwords and more pushes profit over minimized data exposure.