I Thought I Found the Next Big Tool for Freelancers

As someone who regularly writes software reviews and compares the latest SaaS platforms for small businesses, I’ve grown used to the rhythm: test the product, analyze features, evaluate pricing, compare with competitors, and publish my verdict.

But this time, what started as a simple review spiraled into something much bigger.

It began with a project management tool I stumbled upon during a Reddit thread. The comments raved about it: clean UX, free tier, AI integration, and automation that made Trello and Asana look like spreadsheets.

Naturally, I was intrigued.

The software—let’s call it “TaskPilot”—positioned itself as an all-in-one SaaS project management solution. I signed up for the freemium model, linked my Google Calendar, imported dummy tasks, and ran it side-by-side with Notion, ClickUp, and Monday.com for my comparison review blog post.

The user experience was genuinely impressive. TaskPilot had responsive dashboards, real-time collaboration, and even voice-to-task features. Everything looked legitimate.

But I noticed something odd: every time I logged in, the login pinged from a different location—France, then Singapore, then Estonia.

At first, I chalked it up to a global server network. But then my phone started receiving spam emails. Not just junk—but weirdly specific ones: “Top tools for freelance reviewers,” “Ready to monetize your SaaS blog?”—things directly tied to my writing.

Something wasn’t right.

So, I did what any skeptical tech writer would do. I opened DevTools and started tracking the network activity while using the app. One ping stood out—an encrypted request sent to a domain that wasn’t TaskPilot’s.

I traced the IP. It was linked to a known data monetization company flagged for unauthorized tracking.

I dug deeper.

Turns out, TaskPilot wasn’t just a SaaS platform—it was a front.

Buried deep in its terms of service (page 27, section 14b) was a clause that granted the company permission to “anonymously aggregate behavioral usage data for third-party insights.”

Translation: they were harvesting user behavior to sell to ad tech companies.

My blog post changed direction.

I went from writing “Top 5 AI Productivity SaaS Tools for 2025” to “The Project Management Tool That Secretly Sells Your Data.”

That post? It exploded. Shared across Hacker News, LinkedIn, and Medium. The company denied it, then ghosted the internet. Their Twitter vanished. Website? Redirected. Within a week, it was offline.

But the real plot twist?

Three days after the post went viral, I got an email.

From a whistleblower.

He had worked on TaskPilot’s backend team. He confirmed everything—tracking scripts, data aggregation, affiliate harvesting, and even keyword-based targeting.

He said, “We were told to make it clean and addictive. The goal wasn’t user retention—it was user profiling.”

I updated my post to include his insights and screenshots.

Then I got an offer.

A major cybersecurity SaaS firm reached out. They wanted me to consult on product integrity and transparency for their own platform.

Today, I’m not just reviewing software—I’m shaping the ethics behind it.

So if you’re reading this while testing out your next subscription-based service, don’t just skim the features.

Read the fine print.

Because sometimes, the slickest SaaS tools aren’t helping your business—they’re selling it.