While this is true, I'd put much more trust in the PiHole team than I would some random corp - by the very nature of what they've built, and how they licensed i

While this is true, I'd put much more trust in the PiHole team than I would some random corp - by the very nature of what they've built, and how they licensed it, I'd expect them to be privacy centric. By paying for such a service, I'd also feel like I was contributing to the ongoing maintenance of PiHole by the core team. I think the GP's suggestion is a fantastic one!