Disrupting - NYU ITP
Duban Morales
Week 05
Date 10/03/2025
Week 05
Date 10/03/2025
Beacon
Duban Morales
Week 04
Date 09/26/2025
Week 04
Date 09/26/2025
Divesting from big tech
Proton Calendar
Paywall - free lowest tier
Privacy - End-to-end encrypted (events, titles, locations, attendees). Proton claims they cannot access user data. Stored in Switzerland under strict privacy laws.
Privacy - End-to-end encrypted (events, titles, locations, attendees). Proton claims they cannot access user data. Stored in Switzerland under strict privacy laws.
Accessibility - Mobile + web apps; accessibility documentation is limited (screen reader support basic, not as advanced as big tech).
User agency - Allows multiple calendars (paid), export/import ICS, good customizability. Open-source clients.
User agency - Allows multiple calendars (paid), export/import ICS, good customizability. Open-source clients.
Web app- Needs internet connection. No offline mode in the browser
Mobile app- You can view already-synced events offline, but adding new events while offline doesn’t always sync smoothly until you reconnect
Mobile app- You can view already-synced events offline, but adding new events while offline doesn’t always sync smoothly until you reconnect
Fastmail calendar
Paywall - free 30 days
Privacy - No ad targeting; but calendar data is not encrypted end-to-end. Company is Australia-based, subject to surveillance laws.
Privacy - No ad targeting; but calendar data is not encrypted end-to-end. Company is Australia-based, subject to surveillance laws.
Website has a ‘how to’ page that takes users on a step by step guide to transfer into fastmail from other emails
Web app - Online only
Mobile app - Works offline in the app (Fastmail caches data). You can add/edit events offline and they’ll sync later
Mobile app - Works offline in the app (Fastmail caches data). You can add/edit events offline and they’ll sync later
Tuta Calendar
Paywall - free lowest tier
Privacy- Based in Germany, privacy-first mission. Tuta’s site highlights E2EE, including calendar. EVEN PUSH REMINDERS
Web app - Needs internet connection
Privacy- Based in Germany, privacy-first mission. Tuta’s site highlights E2EE, including calendar. EVEN PUSH REMINDERS
Web app - Needs internet connection
Mobile app - Events already synced are visible offline, but adding/editing requires reconnection to push changes
Next Cloud (open source)
Paywall -
Fully open source, no corporate entanglement unless you buy enterprise hosting
Privacy - 100% user-controlled if self-hosted.
Offline use is possible with the right setup , fully customizable
Privacy - 100% user-controlled if self-hosted.
Offline use is possible with the right setup , fully customizable
Duban Morales
Week 01
Date 09/05/2025
Week 01
Date 09/05/2025
Introduction
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, in an inner-city minority community a melting pot of cultures, languages, and perspectives. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture with a minor in Applied Computer Science. My political awareness has been shaped largely outside the classroom, through lived experiences in Los Angeles and exposure to a wide range of struggles. I view politics as closely connected to space, access, and equity considering who gets to shape environments, who has access to resources, and whose voices are marginalized. Growing up, I saw firsthand how city planning and resource distribution affected neighborhoods differently.
While I haven’t engaged in direct political disruption, I have taken small actions such as avoiding certain stores or merchandise, and I’ve noticed patterns in how immigrants are targeted and how schools are underfunded. Looking forward, I see myself contributing by either designing a website, creating a physical object like a sculpture or an installation with a QR code, assembling the object, and helping with distribution and promotion through posters or photography.