Both paid & free have their place in the world. Not quite sure why the one is being portrayed as evil?

I also don't think its the responsibility/right of the user to fix the business model of the company ("Make them charge you or show you ads.").

To me the "pump and dump" approach is perfectly legit. Just make sure nobody gets hurt. e.g. Allow customer to export their data. Companies aim to make money, not win a papal election.