Let’s say a Founder/Developer builds a Non-Essential APP/Web Portal. (We know that it’s always arduous & challenging for an APP/Web Portal made to be considered as an Invention!). The access to that is ‘initial’ subscription based, for small (bare minimum) amount of transaction. The Founder can open source it or protect it under IP or make USERs to indemnify for the content (if in case it being a Publishing Platform), but so far, the whole cycle till downloadable or usage requires a bare minimum transaction, maintaining USERs in Active State via when paid initially, willfully.
The Founder is then approached by VCs/Investors/Pvt. Equities, to expand it further, on the basis of Per Active User Valuation & in way forward, it’s then further expanded, accordingly. Amidst all this, USERs’ Data was only used for Community Centric Based Research & Development OR to Serve at Individual Level, as & when requested, on further transactions or not.NOTE
these FOUR Points:
1. The USER ‘initially’ paid (let’s
say bare minimum) for the Founder’s Services, that triggered the Actual
Active USER Counter (++);
2. The
USER / FOUNDER implicitly entered into Contract; (of indemnification, if in
case of Publishing);
3. The Actual Valuation was based on
Per Active USER; the same USER which initially subscribed for the
Services with a transaction;
4. USER Data was used for Collective
Community Based Research or serviceable at Custom Level.
NOW,
furthermore presume, if the Founder decides to provide the same APP/Web Platform,
FREE of any Monetary Transactions, wherever wherein
of Non Essential Services & including only Publishing or
Standalone or Client/Server based Applications/Platforms, further wherein
the usage of USER Data isn’t involved, neither at Community Based
Research nor at Individual Level; then too, the FOUR Points
are Applicable; sans the transaction part, of course! AS, None exploited
nor misused the DATA. Nor their Journey of becoming
Overnight Millionaires is anywhere to be Unethical for ONE Reason:
1. The APP/Platforms remained USER Centric
rather Ideological or Data Based Only.
The
whole supra Process, Product & the Act itself is ‘EHTICALLY’
LEGIT rather being LEGIT only.
Contrary to what
stated supra, would be:
A
Wrong Practice of First creating USER Base via providing FREE, Non-Essential,
Non-Publishing Services; & then Floating it on ‘PER
ACTIVE USER’ Data Valuation, sans USERS’ Intent of Paying Initially; Creating
a HUGE Active User Valuation, enabling such Founder(s), VCs, Pvt. Eqs.,
Investors, to create Wealth whose substrata was USERs’ Data only,
which wasn’t for community research nor publishing based.
As
imagine, how many USERs, “INITIALLY,” would’ve subscribed to ‘alike’
Platforms, by ‘PAYING’ bare minimum, before it creating Huge ACTIVE USER Base (Per-User
Valuation)?
RARE!
© Pranav Chaturvedi 2021