An Amazon Dash Button Donates To ACLU Every Time Trump Tries You

Consider it an upgrade to the stress ball – an Amazon Dash Button designed to send a $5 donation to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) with every press. In case you’re wondering, this isn’t something that Amazon created. It was actually the result of a programmer and a suggestion from a friend who really doesn’t like President Donald Trump.

How Amazon Dash Buttons Work

Amazon first released its Dash Buttons in 2015, and they’re essentially your very own Buy Now buttons for specific products. You order the button from Amazon for a specific product that you buy often, and then whenever you need to place an order, you simply press the button. For example, you could get a button for Tide detergent or Doritos. Amazon Dash Buttons also have the logo of the brand you’re buying on them. Yes, the company that helped popularize a one-click checkout process felt that its customers needed an even faster option to make their purchases. Each Amazon Dash Button costs $4.99, but Amazon issues you a $4.99 credit after your first purchase, so you essentially get it free of charge.

Inspiration for a Customized Amazon Dash Button

Nathan Pryor, a programmer and designer, says that he got the idea for an ACLU Dash Button from his friend Katherine. She mentioned that she wanted an ACLU Dash Button that she could use to donate to the organization anytime Trump did or said something offensive. Pryor realized that it would actually be possible to make one of these, so he set out to do it.

Customizing Amazon Dash Buttons

Almost as soon as Amazon released its Dash Buttons, people started hacking them to perform other functions, such as ordering pizza. In response to this, Amazon released its IoT Button in 2016, a customizable button designed for users to program it however they want. IoT, by the way, stands for “Internet of Things.”

The ACLU Donation Button

So, how did Pryor create this ACLU Donation Button? He started the programming process while he was waiting for his IoT Button to show up. Since there was no Application Programming Interface (API) for making a donation, Pryor made his own for donating to the ACLU. He used the information in the organization’s donation form to write his script. When the script runs, it pulls up the donation pae, enters all the necessary information and submits the donation. It then sends a text message notification confirming the donation. Pryor wisely went with a prepaid gift card for his test runs on this script, ensuring that if it went wrong, he wouldn’t be stuck paying for multiple donations. First, he tested the script on its own, and it proved to be a success. After that, he spent a few hours programming the IoT button until it also worked as intended.

Finishing Touches

Pryor completed his button by putting the ACLU’s logo on it. He also made his code available online, so anyone can download the code and make their own $5 donations. Of course, depending on your opinion of President Donald Trump and how often you look at his Twitter, you may end up making quite a few donations. Keep in mind that Pryor’s code has no guarantees regarding its effectiveness or security. Should the ACLU change their donation form at all, it will no longer work. And you should probably make sure no kids or pets go on a pressing spree if you do make your own ACLU Donation Button. That being said, it’s a cool idea and a great way to give back.