Privacy By Design For Everyone

2024

What’s your resolution for 2025?

As 2024 wraps up, have you thought about your plans in the coming year? At the Calyx Institute, we took a look back at our work in 2024, and are making new year’s resolutions to level up our privacy tool development and maintenance, deepen our community support with grantmaking, and provide our supporters with accessible resources to address their privacy needs.

The year 2024 saw both advances and challenges for digital privacy and internet freedom with AI and other emerging technologies on the rise. In the U.S., 19 states have passed comprehensive privacy laws, marking an effort to broaden and fortify rights to data privacy. Countries in both Asia and Latin America carried on with the trend to create data protection regulations highlighting AI governance, cybersecurity, biometric data collection, and cross-border data transfer. The European Union (EU) adopted the AI Act, the first comprehensive legal framework to regulate AI, aiming at furthering the protection of personal data that started with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws. Despite policy efforts, social media and platform companies are doubling down on massive surveillance with the aid of AI to sustain their data-harvesting business models. Billions of people suffered severe data breaches online, including their financial and health records.

All of these trends and emerging issues made our mission at the Calyx Institute more critical than ever: we will keep defending digital privacy, advancing connectivity, and striving for a future where everyone has access to the resources and tools they need to remain securely connected.

In 2024, we expanded the depth of digital tool development around our flagship Android operating system, CalyxOS, while continuing our endeavor in bridging the digital divide with Calyx membership premiums’ hotspots.

This year, CalyxOS expanded to support 26 mobile device models. We successfully launched the CalyxOS version 6 based on Android 15 source code in October, simultaneous to the official Android 15 release. Throughout 2024, we started making CalyxOS available for more Pixel, Motorola, and Fairphone models while sustaining security updates for older models even if the manufacturers had ended their maintenance for these devices. We keep all security updates automatic over-the-air every month with full usability checks to minimize cyber attacks and elevate digital experience for people who are using CalyxOS. In addition, we are steadily and consistently revising and improving core features and services for everyday use, such as Setup Wizard, SeedVault for phone backups and restoration, Panic Button, Work Profile, and location service settings. Looking ahead, we are preparing to launch more CalyxOS features that are crucial to a wide range of use case scenarios so that people can have more flexibility to customize protection for their personal data based on their individual needs. Stay tuned for more news about CalyxOS!

As our Internet membership program continues to grow, we are proud to be facilitating more members than ever with our mobile Wi-Fi hotspot membership that enables them to get connected when they need it in places where connectivity resources are scarce. Our members’ generous contributions make all of Calyx’s work possible, and we are proud to show our thanks by helping bridge the digital divide, especially in moments when our members need it most. As Hinde, a longtime member from South Carolina, shared, “[Our Calyx] mifi device saved our bacon here in SC during Helene. Operated and connected flawlessly. … We were able to keep in touch with friends and family and relay messages for many more of our neighbors, too. We could regularly check the outage maps and communicate with the utilities so they were able to address potentially dangerous situations quickly and we could stream video to keep up with developments regionally.”

In 2025, we look forward to bringing you even more ways to enjoy the benefits of your Internet membership with us, including a new Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program to provide our members with upgraded flexibility and convenience. Whether you’ve just joined us or have been a member for many years, we’re so thankful for your trust in our work.

To ensure our tools serve the needs of our global community, we are excited to kick off a comprehensive community research project in 2025 to get insights from various stakeholder groups, which will guide our future enhancement both in the CalyxOS development and membership program. Talk to us on social media, or reach out to us via email, and let us know how we can do better in bringing back control over your privacy and staying connected!

2024 also marks four years since we launched our first grant program at Calyx. This year, Calyx funded Sunset Spark’s work to develop a multi-purpose curriculum focused on privacy, internet infrastructure, and the role of the public and private sectors in our digital world. As a nonprofit organization offering free education in science and technology in the heart of Brooklyn, Sunset Spark equips children and young people from diverse backgrounds with digital literacy and skills they need to enhance self-protection in today’s digital life. This curriculum aims to close the gap in digital inequality and assist K-8 school teachers in recentering technology education on privacy and freedom topics – concerns that are timely and relevant to students and their families. Learning from this and our previous work, we are coming back in 2025 with an even bigger and more refined grant program to support passionate people and projects in the internet freedom ecosystem.

Calyx has always been passionate about building community resources in addition to tool- and grantmaking-support for people to get more native in FOSS tools and digital privacy. As we reflect on research work we published throughout the past years, we are strategizing for a more integrated plan to provide research and educational resources on privacy, security, and other imperative topics in the digital realm. In 2025, we will regularly share a series of bite-sized digital privacy and security tips, and launch more collaborations with Calyx’s partners in promoting valuable resources for individual online safety and security.

Join our community effort!

None of our work can be done without you. It is the individual support from each of you that allows us to synergize efforts to keep digital privacy and connectivity accessible to our members, communities and beyond. As 2025 approaches, there are more ways you can join this movement to protect your rights to data privacy and internet access. Here’s how:

Become a Calyx member

The best way to support Calyx’s mission is to become a member. Sign up for a membership today! You will receive a thank you gift for your generous support. You can also let us know how we can make our membership program better by emailing us at help@calyxinstitute.org.

Donate to Calyx—and double the impact with employer match!

Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us one step closer to fulfilling our mission. You can double the impact of your gift instantly if your employer matches your donation. Click here to learn more about how employer donation matching can take your donation even further with a few easy steps.

Stay connected to Calyx updates and news

Starting in 2025, we will send regular community updates and resources to everyone who is interested. You can support us by staying up to date with our news and subscribing to the Calyx newsletter! Keep an eye out for the invitation to subscribe in Q1 2025.

If you prefer social channels, you can follow and engage with us on Mastodon, Twitter/X, Facebook, and Instagram, or join our Matrix channel.

Spread the word

Don’t forget to share our digital privacy news and resources with friends and family! By spreading the word about Calyx’s mission and membership program, you can help us continue defending digital privacy, advancing connectivity, and working toward a future where everyone has access to the resources and tools they need to remain securely connected.

Together, we are building a movement to reshape our digital future towards privacy and internet freedom for everyone!

Thanks for all your support,
The Calyx Institute Team

CalyxOS Privacy Champion Membership now includes Pixel 7a phone

Our CalyxOS Privacy Champion membership is back, now with the Pixel 7a as a membership premium! CalyxOS phone memberships are a great way to invest in a more private phone experience, as well as support our nonprofit mission to develop and distribute free online privacy tools. Plus, they make great gifts! You can learn more and sign up here

A new CalyxOS Privacy Champion membership that includes a Pixel 7a pre-flashed with our CalyxOS privacy-focused operating system is $700 for the first year and $10 to renew if you'd like to continue supporting our work maintaining and improving CalyxOS.

CalyxOS offers a suite of features inspired by our core principles of Privacy By Design, like encrypted backups, secure communications, control over when and how your apps communicate, and more. These advances pair perfectly with the Pixel 7a's excellent technological capabilities, including Google's improved Tensor G2 chipset, which provides better performance and faster processing speeds compared to the Tensor G1 chipset in the Pixel 6a. The 7a also features a dual rear camera system, 8GB RAM, up to 90Hz Smooth Display, and wireless charging. You can view more details here

Want to make your CalyxOS phone membership even better? Combine it with our unlimited wifi hotspot membership! Our CalyxOS phone memberships do not come with any wifi or data benefits included, and can be used with any phone or data carrier.

Thank you for your membership and support,


The Calyx Institute

Our Contributor Plus membership level is BACK with the JEXtream 5G hotspot!

We are excited to announce that Contributor Plus memberships will now come with a brand new device: the Franklin JEXtream RG2100! This hotspot supports 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6, USB tethering, 5x LTE Carrier Aggregation, and has an internal 4x4 MIMO antenna. As with all Calyx Membership hotspots, wifi data is unlimited and unthrottled.

Sign up for a new Contributor Plus membership to get a JEXtream 5G hotspot + a year of unlimited data. A new Contributor Plus membership is $600 for the first year, and renewal dues are $500/year or $175/quarter.

If you are in the middle of your membership period, you also have the option to order the JEXtream as a replacement device for a $250 donation. Just log in to your account with us, click Devices, and then click Order Replacement Device.



Before you decide if a Contributor Plus membership is right for you, check your area on T Mobile’s map to make sure you have adequate 5G coverage. As with all our memberships, the Calyx Institute cannot offer test hotspots or offer refunds if service is inadequate or non-existent. Our wireless hotspots and data plans are offered as a thank you gift to member donors who support our research into privacy protecting communications technology, and are not a commercial transaction.

You can read more about the JEXtream 5G hotspot here. If there are any other questions we can answer for you about our memberships or the hotspots we offer as membership premiums, please let us know at help@calyxinstitute.org.

Calyx Mobile Hotspots and RV Living are a Perfect Match

Living in an RV offers unparalleled freedom and adventure, but staying connected on the road can be a challenge. In the digital age, where connectivity is key, mobile hotspots are a game-changing solution for RV dwellers. These portable devices give nomads the ability to stay connected, work remotely, and enjoy the conveniences of modern life, while also embracing their wanderlust.

Off the Beaten Path
RV living is all about exploring new destinations, not knowing where you might be tomorrow. Mobile hotspots liberate nomads from the constraints of traditional connectivity options. Unlike fixed internet installations, which are limited to specific locations, mobile hotspots leverage cellular networks, so wherever there is cell service, a hotspot user has full internet access. Calyx's hotspots connect to T-Mobile's US network. Anyone with a Calyx hotspot can stay connected to friends, family, work and school on the go anywhere that T-Mobile's cell network covers. Check out T-Mobile's coverage map here: https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/coverage-map.

Uninterrupted Remote Work
Many RVers work remotely. The best and easiest way to telecommute is by using a hotspot that maintains a reliable internet connection. Mobile hotspots offer consistent internet, allowing RV dwellers to work from home, wherever home happens to be that day. Whether you're a freelancer or remote employee, a Calyx mobile hotspot ensures you can do everything you would do if you were in the office: write, research, communicate, attend meetings, collaborate with colleagues, and meet deadlines.

Low-Maintenance Connectivity
Setting up a fixed internet connection in every new location you choose to stop for a day or two is complicated, not to mention expensive and time-consuming. Mobile hotspots such as the ones Calyx offers its members eliminate the need for multiple subscriptions and installations, providing a hassle-free solution for those who prefer a simpler approach.

Entertainment on the Go
Living on the road doesn't mean sacrificing entertainment. Calyx hotspot memberships allow RVers to stream their favorite shows, movies, games, and music. Whether you're parked in a bustling city or nestled in a serene natural setting, you can enjoy unwinding with your favorite media.

The freedom to explore without sacrificing connectivity, the ability to work remotely, and the cost-effectiveness make mobile hotspots a must-have for modern nomads. Embrace the digital age while enjoying the serenity of RV living – Calyx hotspot memberships are the key to unlocking the full potential of life on the open road.

Of course, it’s not surprising that we think Calyx hotspot memberships are a great choice, but we’re thrilled that the Mobile Internet Resource Center has included us as one of their Top Pick Plans within the Non-Profit tier.

Please check out their review of our Membership Program and see how we stack up against other nonprofit wifi programs here.

Here's their overview of our Sustainer membership, featuring the Mifi X Pro hotspot: Sustainer membership review

They have also done an overview of the Franklin T10 hotspot, currently available with our Contributor membership: Franklin T10 hotspot review