Algorithms are for advertisers. Ello is community, creativity and confidentiality.

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Mar 22, 2016, 06:00 ET

BOULDER, Colo., March 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Instagram has now followed Twitter's and parent company Facebook's lead manipulating users' feeds in favor of advertisers. Ello (http://ello.co) continues to be the ad-free network uniquely focused on serving the needs of its robust community of creators, quality brands and publications.

Ello offers a viable and enriching alternative for all those who value humans over algorithms. While farming human data is a great model for advertising platforms and advertisers, it comes at a real cost for people who value community, individuality and meritocracy.

As well-known illustrator and designer, Andy Hau (https://ello.co/andyhau), recently pointed out: "All instagrams are equal but some instagrams are more equal than others. 'You may be surprised to learn that people miss on average 70-percent of their feeds,"' says the official Instagram release. So instead, we're now going to make you miss certain people's post 100-percent of the time, so that we can sell more advertising. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." (https://ello.co/andyhau/post/8QP3HVE7V5uGDBbyMHDigw)

"We trust our community members to effectively manage their own streams and maintain a direct connection with their followers at no cost, financial or otherwise," says Ello co-founder and CEO Todd Berger. "We respect data privacy and the privacy of our users. We stand strongly behind Apple and find it a bit disingenuous and humorous that companies that profit wildly from selling user data are now supporting Apple."

Ello's values, which include legal commitments to never selling ads and user data to third parties, are codified in the company's Public Benefit Corporation charter.

"When we founded Ello," says Berger, "we set out to build an online community we wanted to be part of ourselves. We had seen the promise of the internet devolve into public pillory, surface over substance, and the sale of personal data. We know there is a better way, and we are more committed than ever to leading the discussion."

Launched in Fall 2014 as an online community for creators, Ello is the best place for creative people everywhere to discover, discuss, publish, share and promote the things they are passionate about. Ello is for anyone who respects, enjoys, is entertained by, or participates in the creative process. Ello is available on the web and via the Ello App, available in the Apple App store.

Contact:

Mark Gelband

[email protected]

+1 303-522-1192

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SOURCE Ello