Posted on March 5, 2024
Donations update: Support Stop AAPI Hate in its effort to end racism and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This March, Stop AAPI Hate is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will help Stop AAPI Hate in its mission to advance the multiracial movement for equity and justice by building power in its communities, working in solidarity with other communities of color and advocating for comprehensive solutions that tackle the root causes of race-based hate.
Read this important blog post about Stop AAPI Hate’s critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to Stop AAPI Hate to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding March grantees.
“My elderly grandmother was chased and almost attacked by a racist man as he was yelling at her to go back to China and Chinatown. The man was about to push my grandmother down a flight of stairs until she begged him not to and was able to run away.” – Woman in California
“I was walking up the stairs to a restaurant in the suburbs and this individual said, ‘Hey, Osama bin Laden.’ I asked him, ‘What did you say?’ and he said, ‘F–k you.’” – Man in Georgia
Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) hate has a long and deep history in the United States. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, hate acts against our communities dramatically increased, generating immense fear and pain. Recognizing the need to document the alarming rise of anti-AAPI racism and discrimination, AAPI community leaders and activists launched Stop AAPI Hate as an online reporting center.
Stop AAPI Hate is a coalition founded by Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University and the AAPI Equity Alliance after they recognized the need to document the rise of Covid-19-related racism and ramp up efforts to address anti-AAPI hate more broadly. In four short years, Stop AAPI Hate has become the nation’s largest reporting center documenting anti-AAPI hate acts and has received more than 11,000 reports. We also leverage our wide-reaching platform to combat racist stereotypes, elevate the diverse experiences of AAPIs, advocate for policies and inspire everyday people to take action against hate.
Today, our work extends beyond pandemic-related hate. Anti-Asian scapegoating and political rhetoric are on the rise, compelling Stop AAPI Hate to ramp up our efforts to tackle not just interpersonal hate but also institutional and societal hate. We’re leveraging data and research, policy and advocacy, strategic communications and community care strategies to fight anti-AAPI hate in all its forms. Our recent work includes:
Stop the Blame, a national campaign dedicated to tackling anti-Asian political scapegoating by confronting the rising tide of racist and xenophobic political rhetoric and policies targeting Asians in America.
An online data visualization tool that boosts access to data from our hate acts reporting center, which includes real-life stories from AAPIs impacted by hate as well as interactive dashboards.
New reports that highlight the diverse forms of hate AAPI communities experience and encourage tailored solutions to combat various types of racism and discrimination.
Posted on March 4, 2024
Funding from CREDO Mobile supports Amazon Watch in its fight to protect the Amazon rainforest
The Amazon is on the brink. A record drought is drying up rivers and killing irreplaceable wildlife like rare freshwater dolphins. Megafires are burning the rainforest by the square mile. Mega-development, extractive industries and agribusiness are adding to the destruction.
But thanks to long-term resistance and organizing by Amazonian peoples, we still have a chance to protect the remaining rainforest. For over 28 years, Amazon Watch has worked to protect the rainforest—and our climate—in solidarity with in solidarity with Indigenous peoples. Amazon Watch carries out campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability and the preservation of the Amazon’s vital ecological systems in partnership with Indigenous, forest and traditional peoples throughout the Amazon Basin.
To do all this, Amazon Watch needs support—and CREDO Mobile provides it. In August, our customers and community members voted to send a significant grant to Amazon Watch and it will enable the group to continue its mission to defend the rainforest.
Here’s a report from our friends at Amazon Watch that describes the many ways our donation is making a difference.
Recent victories
One of the key ways CREDO Mobile supports Indigenous peoples is through Amazon Watch’s Amazon Defenders Fund (ADF). The ADF is built on nearly three decades of trusted partnership with Indigenous nations and local organizations.
Amazon Watch’s team receives requests from partners in many forms — from WhatsApp messages and voice memos to larger proposals — and mobilizes solidarity funds quickly, sometimes in as little as an hour. Nimble, effective responses are critical to assisting Earth Defenders at risk, uplifting Indigenous leadership, protecting land rights and driving solutions.
Here are some of the recent solidarity funds we’ve mobilized to Amazonian partners to advance their autonomy and self-determination, with CREDO Mobile’s generous support.
- Legal support for Indigenous rights in Brazil. We mobilized funds to the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) to bolster its legal department. With Brazil’s shifting political landscape and strong mining and agribusiness lobbies, APIB’s legal presence in the capital of Brasília has become crucial to securing Indigenous land rights in the country.
The legal department aims to enhance its capacity for political advocacy and legal action as it works to protect the Yanomami peoples who are facing a humanitarian crisis caused by illegal mining in their territories and battles to defeat the Marco Temporal “time limit trick,” which would undermine Indigenous territorial rights.
- Protection of Indigenous territories from mining and oil in the Western Amazon. The Amazon Defenders Fund supported the Kutukú Shaimi Protective Forest Committee’s fight against mining with funds for solar power that, among other benefits, enables internet access, which is crucial for timely communication in hard-to-reach communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Funds were also mobilized to support the Sápara peoples’ 2023 assembly, which emphasized the importance of unity and coordination among the Sápara nation’s 23 communities in defending their territories against oil exploration and extraction.
- Amplification of advocacy by Peru’s Indigenous communities. The ADF mobilized solidarity funds to the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest, Peru’s national Indigenous federation, for its strategic advocacy and communications to combat deforestation and protect territorial rights defenders. Additional support was provided for gender equity work to strengthen the power of Amazonian women leaders.
- Support for Mining Out of the Amazon. In addition to the solidarity funding and accompaniment described above, with CREDO Mobile’s funding, Amazon Watch is ramping up our campaign to get Mining Out of the Amazon. Legal and illegal mining cause major environmental and human rights abuses in the Amazon.
SAMSUNG CSC
Together with Indigenous partners and allies, Amazon Watch is strategically campaigning to halt mining in the Amazon basin by: publishing risk alerts exposing the disastrous impacts of major mining companies’ operations to their shareholders and investors; coalition-building with Canadian First Nations leaders resisting the same corporations; advancing Indigenous land rights so that Amazonian peoples can say no to mining in their territories; accompanying legal processes for justice; supporting Indigenous leaders’ presence at mining industry events and climate conferences; and much more.
Thanks to CREDO Mobile’s support, we’re making progress. Brazilian federal prosecutors are now suing to annul Canadian mining company Belo Sun’s dubious contract aimed at opening what would be Brazil’s largest open-pit gold mine in the heart of the Amazon. Belo Sun filed a retaliatory lawsuit that unjustly targets community leaders, environmental defenders, researchers and Amazon Watch staff (while not positive, this demonstrates just how impactful our actions are). Belo Sun’s stock tanked over the course of these actions, which shows the impact and progress of our #MiningOutoftheAmazon campaign.
New initiatives
Amazon Watch has a number of important new projects in progress.
- Amazon Underworld and related activities. On November 22, 2023, Amazon Watch, in collaboration with Amazon Underworld and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, released “Amazon Underworld: Illegal Economies in the World’s Largest Rainforest.” This groundbreaking report covers the expansion of organized crime in the Amazon and makes the necessary case that any efforts to contain organized crime must be rooted in Indigenous land rights, territorial governance and communal economies.
Solutions must protect Indigenous peoples who resist organized crime from violent retaliation. These solutions offer an essential alternative to existing policies favoring repression and militarization without addressing the factors contributing to organized crime’s expansion. In conjunction with the report’s release, Amazon Watch has convened meetings with Indigenous partners, allies, embassies, UN departments and government officials in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama to address the research and concerns raised in the report and advance Indigenous-led solutions.
- Amplification of Indigenous voices against the Ferrogrão. Right now in Brazil, Munduruku, Kayapó and Apiaká peoples and their allies are resisting the development of a mega-railroad known as the Ferrogrão (“grain railroad”), which would violate their right to consultation in their territories and imperil the Amazon.
The Ferrogrão is a priority of Brazil’s agribusiness lobby and major commodity traders like Cargill and would have a devastating human rights and environmental footprint. The complete infrastructure package could destroy over 285,000 football fields of natural vegetation (which would emit 75+ million tons of carbon), cause serious biodiversity loss, reduce vital ecosystem services and impact 16 Indigenous territories. In 2021, project development was suspended via an injunction but, last May, Brazil’s Supreme Court authorized the resumption of studies on the Ferrogrão.
Next month, the Supreme Court will issue a new ruling on whether the project should advance or if the original injunction should stand. Amazon Watch is coordinating closely with Indigenous peoples and local communities affected by the Ferrogrão. This includes: coordinating strategic communications and advocacy among diverse movement partners; amplifying the rights of Indigenous communities, like the right to free, prior and informed consultation (FPIC) regarding activities in their territories; advancing campaigns to officially recognize Indigenous land rights; educating the public about the complicity of companies like Cargill in the destruction of the Amazon and the violation of forest peoples’ rights; and increasing popular resistance to the Ferrogrão.
In December, more than 100 Munduruku, Kayapó and Apiaká people disrupted a hearing on the Ferrogrão to make clear that the project violates their rights to FPIC in their territories.
If you’d like to learn more or get involved with Amazon Watch, please visit AmazonWatch.org.
Posted on March 4, 2024
Donations update: Support Reproductive Freedom for All as it fights to pass proactive policies for reproductive freedom and hold anti-abortion extremists accountable
Note from the CREDO Mobile team: This March, Reproductive Freedom for All is among three amazing groups that will receive a share of our monthly grant. Funding from the CREDO Mobile community will help Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) in its mission to fight for access to abortion, birth control, paid parental leave and protections from pregnancy discrimination.
Read this important blog post about Reproductive Freedom for All’s critical work, then visit CREDODonations.com and cast your vote to help send funding to Reproductive Freedom for All to support its efforts—and the efforts of our other outstanding March grantees.
In September 2023, NARAL Pro-Choice America announced that we would chart a new path forward as Reproductive Freedom for All. For the last 55 years, our organization and members have unapologetically helped lead the charge on both the state and national levels to protect and advance reproductive freedom through grassroots organizing, electoral change and political advocacy. Now, we’re in a unique and pivotal moment to reimagine the future of our movement and work — and it’s a moment we can’t afford to waste, especially with the looming 2024 elections, which will decide the fate of statehouses, Congress and the White House and, with them, the future of reproductive freedom.
As we have learned from our partners in the reproductive justice movement, the term “pro-choice” does not reflect the realities of those most affected by attacks on abortion access and reproductive freedom at large. For many — and especially for communities of color and others who are marginalized by our society’s institutions — there was never a choice.
Our new name, Reproductive Freedom for All, is an affirmation of our values that acknowledges our fight won’t be won until reproductive freedom is truly a reality for each of us. So while our core mission isn’t changing, our vision for how we get there is. Our more than 4 million members are fired up and we want more of the 8 in 10 Americans who support abortion access to join us so we can create a more powerful and diverse coalition.
To build power and take on the fights coming our way, we are reinvigorating our organizing program by:
- Emphasizing digital and relational organizing at both the state and national levels to mobilize our members to take action to protect, restore and expand abortion rights and access.
- Expanding our campus organizing program with an emphasis on community colleges — which we piloted in Michigan in 2022 — to states like Nevada and Arizona.
- Continuing to pioneer innovative research and drive cutting-edge messaging while leading the way when it comes to uncovering methods to reach new and diverse audiences.
- Working alongside our partners to elect reproductive freedom champions in key races in 2024 and beyond and to support legislation that advances our rights.
- Centering the fact that the systemic undermining of our democracy has impacted Black people, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities and young people the most.
With President and CEO Mini Timmaraju at the helm, we’ve doubled down on our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. And we’ve built and championed powerful statewide efforts alongside our partners to block egregious abortion bans and restrictions, and expand abortion coverage and access.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned nearly two years ago, the 8 in 10 Americans who support the legal right to abortion have made their voices heard loud and clear. This includes voters in red, blue and purple states — and people across the political and ideological spectrum. Our big wins over the last two years have been delivered by a diverse, inclusive coalition of voters, which demonstrates the importance of centering those most impacted by bans on abortion, including: Black, Latina/o/x, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Indigenous people; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; people with disabilities; and other historically oppressed communities.
With that knowledge, we are running our largest-ever electoral program ahead of the 2024 elections to mobilize even more of the 8 in 10. The upcoming elections will decide the future of this fight. We are working to ensure reproductive freedom champions are elected from statehouses to the White House and that we protect and expand abortion rights and access through ballot measures.
The stakes for this election could not be higher — Trump’s anti-abortion extremist allies have already laid out an 887-page blueprint that includes, in painstaking detail, exactly how he could leverage virtually every arm, tool, and agency of the federal government to attack abortion access. It is up to us to stop them.
Reproductive Freedom for All is a demand. It’s a call to action. And it’s a vision of the future we’re fighting for. It will take all of us to elect reproductive freedom champions and defeat anti-abortion extremists. Reproductive freedom can unite us all — we hope you’ll join us.
To support our efforts and learn more about what we do, please visit ReproductiveFreedomForAll.org.
Posted on March 3, 2024
Vote for Reproductive Freedom for All, Rise Up and Stop AAPI Hate this March
Every month, CREDO members vote to distribute our monthly grant to three incredible progressive causes – and every vote makes a difference. This March, you can support Reproductive Freedom for All, Rise Up and Stop AAPI Hate.
Reproductive Freedom for All
Reproductive Freedom for All mobilizes our 4 million members to fight for access to abortion, birth control, paid parental leave, and protections from pregnancy discrimination. We work for a future where reproductive freedom is a reality for us all.
Reproductive freedom is under unprecedented threat. Your support will help us give our members—and would-be members—a vehicle from which they can see themselves and activate in the fight for political and policy change.
Rise Up
Rise Up advances gender equity and justice in education, health, and economic opportunity by partnering with visionary local leaders around the world. We build power with women, girls, and their allies by providing training, funding, and connection to a global network to help them achieve meaningful, lasting change.
CREDO’s support will enable us to find, train, and support more local leaders around the world to scale their impacts and advance laws, policies, and norms to transform their communities and countries for a more gender-equitable world.
Stop AAPI Hate
Stop AAPI Hate strives to advance the multiracial movement for equity & justice by building power for our communities, working in solidarity with other communities of color, & advocating for solutions that tackle the root causes of race-based hate.
Join us in advancing the multiracial movement for equity & justice by powering our efforts to document anti-Asian and anti-Pacific Islander hate acts, bolster civil rights protections, & advocate for policies that create safer communities for all.
Your vote this month will determine how we divide our monthly donations among these three progressive groups. Be sure to cast your vote to support one, two or all three by March 31.
CREDO members who use our products and services everyday are the reason we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile and join our movement.
Posted on March 1, 2024
Our February grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible nonprofits. In February, CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation among Brady: United Against Gun Violence, Center for American Progress and Inside Climate News.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our February grant recipients thank you.
Brady: United Against Gun Violence
“CREDO is an incredible partner in helping fuel Brady’s mission to free America from the epidemic of gun violence.” – Kris Brown, President, Brady: United Against Gun Violence
To learn more, visit BradyUnited.org.
Center for American Progress
“Thank you! We’re honored to have your support in our mission to advance the lives of all Americans.” – Stefan Romberg, Chief Development Officer, Center for American Progress
To learn more, visit www.americanprogress.org.
Inside Climate News
“Thank you for your continued support and partnership! CREDO members like you make it possible for Inside Climate News to continue to raise the bar for groundbreaking, independent journalism focused on the escalating climate crisis.” – David Sassoon, Founder and Publisher, Inside Climate News
To learn more, visit www.insideclimatenews.org.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in March, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on February 23, 2024
New Year’s Resolutions Survey Results
Back in January, we asked members about their New Year’s Resolutions. We wanted to share these results with you.
Most people did not make resolutions in 2024, but more than 2/3 of respondents have made resolutions sometime in the past.
By far, the most common resolution was to exercise more – over 50% of respondents made that resolution. Other popular resolutions were: Clean/organize my living space, Eat better, do more for the environment and read more books. 23% of people said they wanted to be more conscious consumers. 17% wanted to increase their political participation.
We had some inspiring responses:
I strive to get better every day, not just once a year.
Keep it reasonable. Baby steps are okay. Improvement but not full blown change is still success.
I just want to be my best self everyday while encouraging others to do the same. Loving one another and planet every single day
Focusing more on my true purpose and enjoying life at the same time.
Slow down. Get more rest and recharge.
Some fun responses:
Not to make any more New Year’s Resolutions, and this is the ONE RESOLUTION I HAVE FAITHFULLY KEPT, WITHOUT BACKSLIDING!
And some great advice:
Keep on Keeping on
Floss my teeth every day
Try to see the good in people
Be more kind.
Posted on February 15, 2024
Mobile banking Trojans are built to hack your bank account and steal your money
If you have a bank account, you probably use your phone to access it. Most people now do at least some of their banking on their phone and almost half of consumers do the majority of their banking on their mobile.
It’s quick and convenient. But it can be risky, because bank accounts are a rich target for hackers, who every year develop more—and more effective—ways to get at your money by infiltrating your phone and stealing your banking credentials. Almost 200,000 new mobile banking Trojans were identified at official and unofficial app stores in 2022, double the number in 2021.
“This drastic increase signifies that cybercriminals are targeting mobile users and are increasingly more interested in stealing financial data,” said Kaspersky Lab in its “Mobile Threats in 2022” report.
A lot of money is at stake. For instance, in early 2022, a malware campaign called Dark Herring targeted more than 100 million people around the world and stole hundreds of millions of dollars from them.
Trojans are built to deceive
A Trojan (named after the legendary Greek horse) is a malicious app that looks legitimate but does a lot of damage if installed on your phone. A banking Trojan is designed to steal money from your bank account. It fools users because it’s disguised as some other type of app, like a game, retail app or antivirus tool. If downloaded, it will ask for permission to access various phone functions, as normal apps do, and once permissions are granted and the Trojan is installed, it will enable hackers to remotely access your phone, get ahold of vital data like your mobile banking login and steal your money.
Cybercriminals spread their mobile banking Trojans at both unofficial and official app stores. Official stores have security measures in place to prevent Trojans from being uploaded but they’re not 100% effective. And when a mobile banking Trojan does successfully reach an official store, it may be downloaded by hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting users before it’s discovered and deleted.
Trojans are also disseminated via ads on social media and at third-party websites. There’s a Trojan called SpyNote in circulation now that is sent to users in a text message. Once installed, it can record your phone calls, record video, track your every tap and keystroke, and easily steal your banking username and password. It’s so hard to uninstall, users have to do a factory reset to get rid of it.
Trojans are often sent by email or social media message. These usually urge quick action, with a prompt along the lines of “Immediate response required.” They may claim that a delivery of yours has been delayed or canceled and include a link where you can learn more. Click the link and your device will be infected.
Banks and tech companies, of course, are constantly improving their defenses against mobile banking Trojans. But as fast as they move, hackers move just as quickly. This means you can’t ever be 100% protected against mobile banking Trojans but you can take commonsense precautions to keep your phone and your bank account safe from hackers.
Download apps only from official app stores
You should never download any app from a third-party app store, ever. If you want an app for your phone, get it only from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. It does happen that malicious apps sneak onto these official stores but it’s rare. To be as secure as possible, download your mobile banking app only from your bank’s website.
Review permissions requested by apps
When you install a new app, it will ask you to grant permissions so it can access various functions on your phone. A mobile banking app might request access to your location, camera, text messages and microphone.
The majority of the time, these requests are legitimate. The app needs them to do what it does. For example, it needs access to your camera so you can upload check images and it needs access to your text messages so it can send you one-time security codes.
But some of the permissions requested by apps are not reasonable. You can manage all the permissions granted to your apps and cancel any that seem odd or invasive. Here’s how.
Android
Open Settings and tap Apps. Tap the app you want to check on, then tap Permissions. Here you’ll see all the permissions granted to the app and you can change permissions by tapping Allow or Don’t allow.
iOS
Open Settings and tap Privacy & Security. You’ll see a list of phone features—Location Services, Contacts, Calendars and more. Tap the feature you want to check on and you’ll see a screen that shows all the apps that are accessing that feature. You can turn off permissions for specific apps.
Update your banking app regularly
App updates usually include patches for security holes and fixes for bugs, so keeping your banking app up to date will keep you more secure.
Consider a switch to CREDO Mobile
At CREDO Mobile, we care about your right to privacy. In fact, we care about all your rights—like your right to be whoever you want to be, your right to make your own health decisions and your right to a future not set on fire by fossil fuel companies.
That’s why we’ve donated over $95 million to nonprofit groups working for progressive causes like LGBTQ equality, reproductive choice and climate justice. These donations cost our customers nothing extra—but they mean everything to the nonprofits that rely on us.
Switch to CREDO Mobile and you’ll get the good feeling that comes with knowing you support the causes important to you, simply by using your phone. You’ll also get all you want from a phone company: competitive rates, great deals on new devices and nationwide coverage on the top-rated, most reliable network.
Posted on February 13, 2024
Funding from CREDO Mobile helps the National LGBTQ Task Force fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people
LGBTQ+ Americans are under attack. Recently, the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, declared its first-ever national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people “following an unprecedented and dangerous spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative assaults.”
In statehouses across the U.S., over 75 anti-LGBTQ+ laws were passed in 2023, more than double the number in 2022. It’s a nationwide campaign to restrict LGBTQ rights and, on the street, it can have lethal consequences. Fueled by the rhetoric of conservative politicians, extremists are going after the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ people are nine times more likely than non-LGBTQ+ people to be victims of violent hate crimes.
The vast majority of Americans support LGBTQ+ rights and now is the time for that majority to stand up for the LGBTQ+ community.
Here at CREDO Mobile, we do it every day. We also give much-needed funding to nonprofit groups fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. In August, CREDO Mobile customers and community members sent a significant donation to the National LGBTQ Task Force, which works to build a future where everyone is free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives.
Our grant helped the Task Force put on its 2024 Creating Change Conference in New Orleans in January. Creating Change is the nation’s foremost political, leadership and skills-building conference for the LGBTQ+ movement. The five-day program in January included hundreds of workshops and training sessions, and many networking opportunities for attendees. It’s a vital event in the Task Force’s ongoing effort to train and mobilize thousands of activists across the nation to create a world where you can be you.
Other change-inducing initiatives operated by the Task Force include:
- Queering Equity: LGBTQ+ people are a part of every community and they have distinct needs caused by intersecting manifestations of oppression. Queering Equity creates solutions that address these needs while centering the most marginalized among us.
- Queering Faith: To build an equitable society for LGBTQ+ people, we must continue to emphasize that people of faith are not our adversaries — and that equity and religious freedom are interconnected and mutually reinforcing.
- Building Power: The Task Force has played a pivotal role in mobilizing, training, organizing — and at times challenging — the LGBTQ+ movement over the past 50 years. Organizers are the heart and soul of the Task Force and it works continuously to train and empower a new generation of leaders.
- Queering Democracy: The Task Force is committed to ensuring a fair democracy by queering the census, queering the vote and prioritizing the watchdog role of FedWatch, a Task Force program that monitors and publicly comments on administrative policy and government data. The Task Force also works on voting rights, federal legislation and policy formation and regulations.
Queer the Vote is a Task Force project dedicated to educating and mobilizing LGBTQ+ rights supporters during key elections. As everyone knows, the 2024 election could be the most key in our nation’s history and this is why the Task Force has significantly expanded its Queer the Vote project with a new website, QueerTheVote.org, and a pledge for people to confirm their participation in the elections.
Queer the Vote encourages LGBTQ+ people and allies to go to the polls in 2024 and make an impact for the LGBTQ+ community. It builds grassroots people power and creates the conditions to deliver concrete wins for LGBTQ+ people. It does this by ensuring year-round engagement, enhancing the volunteer experience through skills-building workshops, building partnerships, increasing visibility and setting measurable goals.
To learn more about Queer the Vote and all the vital work that the National LGBTQ Task Force does, go to TheTaskForce.org.
Posted on February 8, 2024
Quick ways to extend your phone’s battery life
Smartphones are basically small computers. And, like any computer, they use a lot of power. Also like any computer, they’re useless if they don’t have a charge. So a part of most people’s routine these days is periodically checking the battery level on their phone.
If you find yourself constantly dealing with a low battery level, there are ways you can extend the life of your charge. Here are a few helpful tips.
Charge more often
The old wisdom in a lot of online circles was to let your phone battery run down to almost zero before recharging. This, the thinking went, would make your battery more robust and longer-lived. But it’s no longer true.
Most phones now have a lithium-ion battery that will live longer if it’s charged more often. Unlike the nickel batteries installed in yesterday’s phones, today’s lithium-ion batteries function best when they’re maintained at 50% charge or higher. If you let a lithium-ion battery drain often, it will live a shorter life and work at lower capacity.
Unplug your phone when it’s fully charged
When your phone is at 100% charge, pull the plug. If you leave it in, your phone will enter a state of “trickle charging” that can speed the battery’s aging process and cut its lifespan.
Let’s say you leave your phone plugged in overnight. The battery will drop to 99%, then charge back up to 100% again. And again. That’s trickle charging and, over time, it taxes the battery and shortens its life. Also make sure your phone as some breathing space so it doesn’t get too hot. Don’t put your book on top of it when you go to sleep. And don’t put your phone under your pillow.
Turn off WiFi and Bluetooth when not in use
When your WiFi and Bluetooth are on, your phone will constantly scan for networks or other devices it can connect to. This uses battery power. So if you turn off WiFi and Bluetooth when not in use, your battery will last longer.
If you’re going from your home WiFi to your office WiFi network, it’s realistic to leave your WiFi on. It won’t make a big difference in your charge. But if you’re out and about for an entire day, switching WiFi off will extend your charge and the overall life of your battery.
See which apps are draining power
Obviously, a power-intensive app like a graphics-rich game or YouTube will pull a lot of power while you’re using it. But many apps also drain your battery in the background even when you’re not using them.
A cloud-storage company called pCloud researched power use by apps and identified the apps that suck the most charge from your battery. It looked at three factors: other applications an app uses, like the camera or location services, the amount of power those applications use and whether dark mode is an option.
PCloud found the top 10 battery hogs to be:
- Fitbit
- Verizon
- Uber
- Skype
- Airbnb
- Bigo Live
- Tinder
- Bumble
Fitbit and Verizon permit 14 out of 16 possible functions to run in the background, including the four most power-hungry features: camera, location, microphone and WiFi connection. When all those functions are running in the background, they’re burning up a lot of your charge.
On both iOS and Android devices, you can see which apps are using the most power in your Settings. Go to Settings > Battery to see a list of apps and how much battery they’re using.
Dim your screen
Your display uses a lot of power. When you can, turn down the brightness on your phone and you’ll extend your charge.
Turn on dark mode
Love it or not, dark mode can save a significant amount of battery, because the white space on your screen needs power to light up.
On your iPhone, go to Settings > Display & Brightness. Select Dark to turn on Dark Mode. On your Android device, open Settings, tap Display, then toggle on Dark.
Upgrade your phone
As mentioned, phone batteries get old and, when they do, they need charging more often. Globally, the average for phone replacement is about 3 and a half years and 40% of people get a new phone every two to three years. Three-quarters of people upgrade their phone because they find their battery life has grown too short.
If you’ve decided it’s time to upgrade your phone, why not upgrade your service at the same time? To CREDO Mobile, the phone company that supports the same progressive causes you do. We have a lot of great deals on new devices. To see them all, go to CREDOMobile.com.
Posted on February 4, 2024
Our January grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible nonprofits. In January, CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation among Public Counsel, Rainforest Action Network and She Should Run.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our January grant recipients thank you.
Public Counsel
“Thank you, CREDO members, for helping Public Counsel work towards a more equitable society where all people thrive, with systems and laws delivering the promise of justice to all.” – Kristen Jackson, Interim President and CEO, Public Counsel
To learn more, visit www.publiccounsel.org.
Rainforest Action Network
“Thank you for your support of Rainforest Action Network. While ‘action’ is our middle name, we can only win with the collective power of our network! Together, we will do what is necessary to challenge corporate power and systemic injustice.” – Ginger Cassady, Executive Director, Rainforest Action Network
To learn more, visit www.ran.org.
She Should Run
“Thank you for supporting She Should Run! As we work to inspire women from all walks of life to consider their political power, it’s going to take all of us, including CREDO members like you, that will make this movement possible.” – Erin Loos Cutraro, Founder + CEO, She Should Run
To learn more, visit www.sheshouldrun.org.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in February, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
