Square Ethics Report

tech corruption deception privacy violations unfair pay data breach

Block is not ethical

Block is a US company that has violated anti‑money laundering regulations ^[1] and failed to prevent data breaches exposing personal data ^[2]^[3]. It has also failed to investigate and prevent fraud ^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] and has withheld payments from small businesses ^[10].

Alternatives to Square

Send your message and feel good about where you shop. These companies are alternatives to Square.

133 alternative companies tagged: tech

Mytos

healthcare

85 🥰

Mytos is a British biotech startup which creates systems to automate human cell manufacture, with the potential to underpin breakthroughs in drug discovery and cell therapy [1].

Hugging Face

tech

70 😊

HuggingFace is a French-American software and artificial intelligence company which provides free access to machine learning models [1]. HuggingFace has campaigned for legislation to support open-source AI development [2].

Dell

tech

65 😊

Dell offers convenient trade-in and recycling solutions to help protect the environment by reusing precious materials to make new products [1]. Journalists investigating Dell have uncovered evidence of technical flaws and unethical business practices, including the use of low-quality components and deceptive sales tactics [2].

Apple

tech

55 😐

Apple is an American technology company credited with innovation in personal computing [1] which has a generally pro-consumer stance on privacy [2][3][4] and a proactive climate policy [5][6][7]. Apple has engaged in anti-competetive practices [8], its factories have seen abusive working conditions [9][10], and its climate claims have been called misleading [11].

Shazam

music

55 😐

Shazam is owned by Apple.

Netflix

tech

50 😐

Netflix is an American tech and entertainment company. Netflix has been accused of illegally retaining and using consumer data [1].

Sony

tech

50 😐

Sony Group Corporation is a Japanese technology conglomerate that has engaged in price fixing [1], conducted surveillance on environmental activists [2], and created invasive DRM software [3]. Sony's runs a recycling program that takes back and recycles any of their products at no cost to the consumer [4].

ASUS

electronics

50 😐

ASUS is a Taiwanese electronics company known for manufacturing computers and hardware components. It has been criticized for non-consumer-friendly repair and warranty practices [1], while its supply chain has been found to benefit from forced Uyghur labour [2].

Coursera

education

49 😐

Coursera is an American edutech company that offers online courses but has been accused of prioritising shareholder returns over their learners [1][2].

10.

Deezer

tech

49 😐

Deezer is a French music streaming service that suffered a data breach leaking over 200 million users' data [1].

11.

Twitter

social media

48 😐

X, formerly known as Twitter, is an American social media platform owned by Elon Musk, under whose ownership hate speech has flourished [1]. Twitter has been pivotal in democratising the spread of information and news [2], and for purposes like organising political actions [3], but its algorithm has been found to be politically biased [4].

12.

Anthropic

tech

46 😐

Anthropic is an American artificial intelligence company that illegally used stolen books [1][4], songs [2], and information scraped from the internet [3] to train its systems.

13.

Currys

retail

46 😐

Currys is a UK electronics retailer that has sold numerous defective goods and delayed refunds [1][2], forced additional fees on customers [3], mis‑sold insurance to customers [4], and failed to pay minimum wage [5].

14.

Carphone Warehouse

retail

46 😐

Carphone Warehouse is owned by Currys.

15.

Duolingo

tech

45 😐

Duolingo is an American language-learning app that replaced employees with AI [1][2].

16.

AMD

tech

AMD is an American electronics company that underpaid its staff [1], engaged in price fixing of its GPUs [2], and falsely advertised its products [3].

17.

ATI

tech

ATI is owned by AMD.

18.

Lenovo

electronics

Lenovo is a Chinese technology company that came under scrutiny for preinstalling software on its devices that compromised user privacy [1][2], as well as firing an employee returning from Family and Medical Leave [3].

19.

Dropbox

tech

Dropbox is an American technology company that has faced allegations of gender discrimination [1] and nonconsensual use of user data for research [2].

20.

Just Eat

food

Just Eat is owned by prosus.

21.

Revolut

finance

Revolut is a UK-based fintech company that has been accused of misleading customers [1], enabling money laundering [2], and failing to protect or reimburse defrauded customers [3][4]. Its internal practices have been criticized for poor working conditions [5], high turnover and unpaid work for employees [6], and unexplained customer account closures [7][8].

22.

SoundCloud

tech

SoundCloud is a German music streaming platform that has allowed the use of its users' uploaded songs for training artificial intelligence models [1][2]. The company also suffered a significant data breach exposing personal details of approximately 30 million users [3].

23.

American Express

finance

American Express is an American payment card company that has repeatedly forced unlawful fees on its customers [1][2][3][4], misled small business about its services [5], engaged in various anticompetitive practices [6][7] and discriminated against female employees [8] as well as spanish-speaking customers [9].

24.

Grubhub

food

Grubhub is owned by Wonder Group.

25.

Take Two

videogames

Take Two is an American video game publisher that has engaged in anti‑union practices [1], stolen music from an independent artist [2], and operated predatory gambling games [3]. The company has also underpaid employees and denied them breaks [4][5][6][7].

26.

Zynga

videogames

Zynga is owned by Take Two.

27.

2K

videogames

2K is owned by Take Two.

28.

Ghost Story Games

videogames

Ghost Story Games is owned by Take Two.

29.

Zoom

tech

Zoom is an American video‑conferencing platform that published terms of service permitting the company to train artificial intelligence on user data [1]. It has illegally shared user data with large technology firms [2][3] and, at the behest of the Chinese government, suspended the accounts of human‑rights activists discussing the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident [4][5].

30.

Keybase

tech

Keybase is owned by Zoom.

31.

EA

entertainment

EA is owned by public-investment-fund.

32.

Bioware

entertainment

Bioware is owned by EA.

33.

Criterion Games

entertainment

Criterion Games is owned by EA.

34.

DICE

entertainment

DICE is owned by EA.

35.

Respawn Entertainment

entertainment

Respawn Entertainment is owned by EA.

36.

Accenture

finance

41 😐

Accenture faces criticism for working with Isabel dos Santos, accused of corruption, and is under employee backlash over a $297 million contract with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that supports inhumane policies [1]. Accenture has been involved in allegations of corruption-linked businesses and faces internal protests similar to those at Amazon, Salesforce, Microsoft, and Google [2].

37.

Salesforce

tech

Salesforce, a tech company facing legal scrutiny for aiding Backpage in sex trafficking [1], has been highlighted for its tax avoidance strategies, with findings revealing it paid minimal federal taxes in 2018 [2]. Additionally, controversy surrounds its contracts with Customs and Border Protection, leading to the rejection of a donation by a legal aid group for immigrants and refugees [3], and allegations of inadequate accommodations for employees with developmental disorders in Japan [4].

38.

Bosch

tech

Bosch was fined €90 million for its role in the Dieselgate scandal, delivering around 17 million devices with illegal software causing higher nitrogen oxide emissions [1]. The Robert Bosch Stiftung is a charitable foundation associated with the company focusing on health, education, global issues, and interdisciplinary exchange to promote a sustainable future [2].

39.

Spotify

tech

Spotify is a music streaming service that has been accused of unfairly compensating artists [1][2] and whose CEO has donated millions to military artificial intelligence research [3][4]. Although spotify has reduced piracy it has also reduced music sales [5] limiting benefit to artists.

40.

Logitech

electronics

Logitech is a Swiss company that has ended support for customers' existing products causing them to stop working [1] and engaged in accounting fraud [2]. The company has also violated customer privacy [3] and maintained unacceptable working conditions in its supply chain [4].

41.

Slack

tech

Slack is owned by Salesforce.

42.

Verizon

telecommunications

38 😡

Verizon is a US telecommunications company that has committed tax avoidance [1], overcharged customers [2], sold customer data without consent [3][4], illegally shared customers' location data [5], leaked customer data in a data breach [6], and committed environmental violations [7]. Verizon has collaborated with NSA to spy on phone calls of millions of people [8], and has several billion in US military contracts [9].

43.

Tesla

electric vehicles

Tesla is an American automotive and sustainable energy company which is the world's biggest manufacturer of electric vehicles [1] and is a major installer of solar power systems [2] and battery storage [3]. Tesla has engaged in anti-union practices [4], received claims of workplace sexual harassment [5], committed environmental waste violations [6], and been accused of anticompetitive repair policies in several lawsuits [7], while its head Elon Musk has endorsed far-right political parties [8].

44.

HP

electronics

HP is a multinational technology company that has engaged in anticompetitive and anticonsumer practices [1][2][3] and has been linked to abusive labour conditions in its supply chain, including the use of forced Uyghur labour [4][5]. HP also provides services to the Israel Police and Population and Immigration Authority [6] and has received over $368 million in U.S. military contracts [7].

45.

Deliveroo

tech

Deliveroo is owned by DoorDash.

46.

DoorDash

tech

DoorDash is an American delivery platform that has been criticized for poor working conditions, misclassifying workers and withholding tips [1][2][3][4]. It has also engaged in monopolistic practices [5] and violated workers' sick pay rights [6].

47.

Wolt

tech

Wolt is owned by DoorDash.

48.

Garmin

electronics

Garmin is a US-based technology company that has been accused of hiding features behind paywalls [1] and engaging in false advertising [2], and has also illegally fired pregnant migrant workers [3].

49.

Tidal

tech

Tidal is owned by Block.

50.

Block

tech

Block is a US company that has violated anti‑money laundering regulations [1] and failed to prevent data breaches exposing personal data [2][3]. It has also failed to investigate and prevent fraud [4][5][6][7][8][9] and has withheld payments from small businesses [10].

51.

Cash App

tech

Cash App is owned by Block.

52.

Afterpay

tech

Afterpay is owned by Block.

53.

Bitkey

tech

Bitkey is owned by Block.

54.

Weebly

tech

Weebly is owned by Block.

55.

Buzz

tech

Buzz is owned by Block.

56.

Github

tech

Github is owned by Microsoft.

57.

Microsoft

tech

Microsoft is an American technology company that has received recognition for sustainable practices [1], workplace gender inclusivity [2] and provided cyber security services to Ukraine [3]. Microsoft has avoided billions in tax [4] while replacing journalists with AI [5], abused its monopolistic position [6][7], participated in government surveillance of the public [8][9] and construction of a Microsoft data center destroyed a historic black cemetery [10].

58.

Xbox

video games

Xbox is owned by Microsoft.

59.

tech

Linkedin is owned by Microsoft.

60.

Paypal

finance

Paypal is an American company that has engaged in anticonsumer practices [1], deceptive practices [2], and inadequate anti‑fraud systems [3]. It has stolen users' funds [4][5], blocked the accounts of political activists—a practice that has supported the Russian regime [6][7][8][9][10][11], fined users promoting misinformation [12][13], and suspended journalists' payments over coverage of Syrian families [14].

61.

tech

Pinterest is an American company that secretly tracked users [1] and failed to compensate a platform co‑creator [2]. Pinterest has a record of racial discrimination and sexism against employees [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10].

62.

Skype

tech

Skype is owned by Microsoft.

63.

Booking.com

travel

Booking.com is owned by Booking Holdings.

64.

Priceline.com

travel

Priceline.com is owned by Booking Holdings.

65.

Agoda

travel

Agoda is owned by Booking Holdings.

66.

Kayak

travel

Kayak is owned by Booking Holdings.

67.

OpenTable

travel

OpenTable is owned by Booking Holdings.

68.

Momondo

travel

Momondo is owned by Booking Holdings.

69.

Booking Holdings

travel

Booking Holdings is a global online travel conglomerate which has been implicated in anti‑competitive collusion and unfair pricing practices [1][2][3]. It has been criticized for failing to pay small hotels while distributing billions to shareholders and seeking pandemic government aid [4][5], and for operating in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank [6][7].

70.

Mastercard

finance

Mastercard is a U.S. company that collaborated with the Nigerian government to track payments linked to ID cards [1], tricked customers into sharing financial data [2], and sells customer payment data for profit [3]. It has charged illegal fees and overcharged customers [4][5][6], engaged in anticompetitive monopolistic practices [7][8][9], and discriminated against employees on race and gender grounds [10].

71.

Xiaomi

tech

Xiaomi is a Chinese technology company that has been accused of engaging in corruption [1], unfair repair practices [2], environmental violations in its supply chain [3], and selling phones with secret censorship software [4]. The company has also been reported to track customers' phone usage without consent [5][6][7][8] and to participate in Uyghur forced labour [9].

72.

POCO

tech

POCO is owned by Xiaomi.

73.

Redmi

tech

Redmi is owned by Xiaomi.

74.

Uber

tech

30 😡

Uber is an American tech company that refuses to provide standard employee protections to its drivers [1], misled drivers about potential earnings [4], underpaid its drivers [5], and has had a culture of workplace sexual harassment [2][3]. Uber has avoided taxes using offshore companies [6], has discriminated against disabled passengers [7], and has conducted invasive surveillance on its passengers' journey data [8].

75.

Oppo

electronics

29 😡

Oppo is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer that has been implicated in evading customs duties [1][2] and unlawfully pre‑installing loan apps that collect personal data without consent [3][4]. The company has also been linked to forced labor and wage theft in its electronics factories [6], complicit in forced Uyghur labour in its supply chain [5], and continues operations in Russia [7].

76.

Intel

tech

25 😡

Intel is a U.S. company that has engaged in anticompetitive monopolistic practices [1][2][3][4][5], tax avoidance [6][7], age discrimination against employees [8], and a CEO sex scandal [9]. Additionally, Intel has sold known defective chips [10][11][12], maintained unacceptable working conditions in its supply chain [13] and wage suppression of employees [14], while maintaining close connections to the U.S. military [15] and the Israeli government and military [16].

77.

Siemens

tech

25 😡

Siemens is a German Engineering company that has been repeatedly implicated in bribery and corruption scandals [1][2][3][4], has underpaid employees [5][6], and was involved in supplying Russian operations in Crimea despite sanctions [7]. The company also contaminated water supplies in Ohio [8] and is a BDS target for its role in constructing electricity infrastructure in Israel [9].

78.

Ubisoft

videogames

Ubisoft is a French video game company that has designed games to be addictive and financially draining [1][2] and has been accused of toxic and misogynist leadership [3]. The company has also faced allegations of psychological abuse of employees [4] and multiple reports of sexual assault against employees [5][6][7][8].

79.

Massive Entertainment

videogames

Massive Entertainment is owned by Ubisoft.

80.

Red Storm Entertainment

videogames

Red Storm Entertainment is owned by Ubisoft.

81.

Reflections Interactive

videogames

Reflections Interactive is owned by Ubisoft.

82.

FreeStyleGames

videogames

FreeStyleGames is owned by Ubisoft.

83.

Ketchapp

videogames

Ketchapp is owned by Ubisoft.

84.

YouTube

tech

YouTube is owned by Google.

85.

Google

tech

Google is an American tech conglomerate that has conducted mass surveillance on the public [1][2][3], enacted anti-union schemes [4], engaged in monopolistic and anticompetitive practices [5][6][7], and avoided billions in tax [8][9][10].

86.

LG

tech

LG is a South Korean technology and industrial conglomerate that produces products including electronics, batteries and petrochemicals. In 2020 two fatal accidents at LG Chem facilities resulted in the deaths of thirteen people [1].

87.

Fitbit

tech

Fitbit is owned by Google.

88.

TikTok

tech

TikTok is owned by ByteDance.

89.

Waze

tech

Waze is owned by Google.

90.

ByteDance

tech

ByteDance is a Chinese company that has been accused of having a toxic work culture and dismissal of maternity leave [1], building addictive features against regulations [2], misleading users about data storage and location tracking [3], and violating children's privacy by collecting data on minors [4][5][6][7]. ByteDance has also been implicated in illegally spying on journalists investigating the company [8][9][10][11], sharing user data with the Chinese Communist Party [12], and collaborating with Chinese authorities to spread propaganda on Xinjiang [13].

91.

Doubao

tech

Doubao is owned by ByteDance.

92.

Seedance

tech

Seedance is owned by ByteDance.

93.

CapCut

tech

CapCut is owned by ByteDance.

94.

Toutiao

tech

Toutiao is owned by ByteDance.

95.

Whee

tech

Whee is owned by ByteDance.

96.

Lark

tech

Lark is owned by ByteDance.

97.

PICO

tech

PICO is owned by ByteDance.

98.

Lemon8

tech

Lemon8 is owned by ByteDance.

99.

SoundOn

tech

SoundOn is owned by ByteDance.

100.

Baike.com

tech

Baike.com is owned by ByteDance.

101.

Airbnb

tech

19 👺

Airbnb is an American holiday rental website that has avoided billions in tax [1][2], raised rental prices and caused evictions for local people where it operates [3][4][5], lobbied governments to avoid regulation [6], and operated rentals in illegal settlements in the West Bank [7][8][9]. One of Airbnb's founders joined the US government DOGE organisation [10], hidden cameras have been found in several Airbnb properties [11][12][13], and thousands of reports of sexual assaults in Airbnbs are made every year, using settlements and legal tactics to silence surviors [14][15][16][17].

102.

OpenAI

tech

OpenAI is a United States-based artificial intelligence company that switched from a non-profit to a for-profit structure [1], has faced copyright infringement allegations [2], and has been accused of deprioritising AI safety [3]. The company has used legal threats to silence critics [4], its products have been linked to mental health episodes and suicide [5][6][7], and it works closely with the US military [8].

103.

Tripadvisor

tech

Tripadvisor is an American travel‑review platform that has been accused of predatory pricing practices [1] and of hosting misleading and fake AI‑generated reviews, including the use of AI to produce deceptive summaries of hotel feedback [2][3][4][5][6]. The company has also been implicated in supporting Israeli settlements [7][8][9] and in silencing sexual assault victims who reported abuse on its platform [10][11][12].

104.

Cruise Critic

tech

Cruise Critic is owned by Tripadvisor.

105.

FlipKey

tech

FlipKey is owned by Tripadvisor.

106.

TheFork

tech

TheFork is owned by Tripadvisor.

107.

Niumba

tech

Niumba is owned by Tripadvisor.

108.

SeatGuru

tech

SeatGuru is owned by Tripadvisor.

109.

Expedia

travel

Expedia is a American travel company that has engaged in false advertising [1], tax avoidance [2], predatory pricing [3], and misleading sales tactics with hidden charges [4]. Additionally, Expedia has discriminated against victims of sexual harassment [5] and operated in illegal West Bank settlements [6][7][8].

110.

Hotels.com

travel

Hotels.com is owned by Expedia.

111.

Vrbo

travel

Vrbo is owned by Expedia.

112.

Travelocity

travel

Travelocity is owned by Expedia.

113.

Hotwire

travel

Hotwire is owned by Expedia.

114.

Orbitz

travel

Orbitz is owned by Expedia.

115.

CheapTickets

travel

CheapTickets is owned by Expedia.

116.

Trivago

travel

Trivago is owned by Expedia.

117.

Wotif

travel

Wotif is owned by Expedia.

118.

Philips

electronics

12 👺

Philips is a Dutch company that has engaged in price fixing [1], failed to meet medical manufacturing standards [2], paid kickbacks to encourage referrals to its machines [3], sold faulty bottles exposing babies to microplastics [4], concealed information about deadly manufacturing errors [5], and produced faulty respirator machines that killed over 300 people [6][7][8][9].

119.

Instagram

media

Instagram is owned by Meta.

121.

media

Whatsapp is owned by Meta.

122.

Facebook

media

Facebook is owned by Meta.

123.

Lyft

tech

Lyft is an American ride‑hailing company that has faced customer privacy violations [1], price‑fixing allegations with Uber [2], denied drivers fair wages [3] while deceiving them with misleading earnings claims [4] and maintaining low pay and unfair working conditions [5][6][7][8]. It has also failed to protect customers from sexual assault [9][10], allowed abuser drivers to use the app to reach children [11], and has been linked to at least 10 deaths, 4000 assaults, and 360 rapes in Lyft rides [12][13].

124.

Motivate

tech

Motivate is owned by Lyft.

125.

Free Now

tech

Free Now is owned by Lyft.

126.

Snapchat

tech