Building Software Without Profiling: A Democratic Alternative to the Modern Web

If you build software, you are expected to collect data.
If you want growth, you are expected to track behavior.
If you want visibility, you are expected to rank, segment, and optimize people.

This article argues that none of this is inevitable.

Profiling Is Not Neutral

User profiling is often justified as “personalization” or “better user experience.”
In practice, it acts as a selection mechanism.

Profiling systems do not merely adapt interfaces. They decide:
who gets visibility
who gets promoted
who gets funded
who gets ignored

The result is a web where access is not based on merit, quality, or contribution, but on prior visibility, social capital, and algorithmic favor. The more data you already generate, the more the system amplifies you. Those without an audience remain invisible, regardless of value.

This is not a technical limitation. It is a design choice.

A Different Design Philosophy

The strategy behind my software projects is simple:
build systems that work without profiling users at all.

This means:
no behavioral tracking
no demographic inference
no psychological segmentation
no hidden scoring systems

Users are not reduced to data profiles. They are participants.

Registration, when required, is minimal. Usually limited to an email and a name. No age, no interests, no inferred identity. The system does not need to “know” the user to function.

This constraint is intentional. It forces different architectural decisions.

From Ranking to Rotation

Most platforms rely on ranking. Ranking inevitably concentrates attention.

Instead of ranking, my projects use rotation.

Content, visibility, and exposure are distributed over time rather than optimized for engagement. Everyone has access to the same opportunity space. The system does not reward those who already have reach, money, or external traffic.

Rotation is not randomness. It is fairness implemented as infrastructure.

This approach is currently used in Parole Da Leggere, a writing platform where authors rotate democratically on the homepage. Visibility is not earned through followers, ads, or optimization tricks. Every contributor is treated equally by design.

Why This Matters Beyond Content Platforms

The same logic applies to crowdfunding, marketplaces, and digital communities.

Most crowdfunding platforms are not democratic. They require creators to bring their own audience. Funding success depends more on external visibility than on the idea itself.

A profiling-free, rotation-based discovery model would allow ideas to surface based on exposure equity, not pre-existing influence.

This is not about removing competition. It is about removing structural bias.

Privacy as a Consequence, Not a Feature

In this model, privacy is not a marketing feature.
It is a consequence of architectural restraint.

When you do not profile users:
there is less data to secure
fewer compliance risks
lower incentive for surveillance-based monetization
higher trust between platform and user

The system becomes simpler, more robust, and more transparent.

The Future Is Not Bigger Algorithms

The future of the web does not need more data, deeper profiling, or stronger prediction models.

It needs:
fair distribution of attention
systems that do not punish invisibility
platforms that do not require surveillance to function

Profiling is a shortcut, not a necessity.

Building software without it is harder at first, but more sustainable in the long run. Not because it is ethically fashionable, but because it restores balance between people and platforms.

This is not a return to the early web.
It is an evolution beyond its worst habits.