Is it acceptable to use proprietary software (platforms) to promote software freedom?

[Thomas Doczkal]

On 07/26/2017 04:26 PM, Daniel Pocock wrote:
> Why not put the buttons in separate groups, e.g. Facebook and Google
> under a heading "CIA approved industry partners"?

maybe not all are catching the fun in your sentence ...
I often hear 'I have nothing to hide' and sure I use facebook and
WhatsApp but I don't care that three-letter-agencies know what I do
tomorrow and during the day. It's just someone told them to use WhatsApp
because they use it and it costs you nothing to get in there and to send
and receive messages. And if everyone is using it why should I move to
something else and risk losing information? People tend to inform other
via WhatsApp or facebook only and if you are not in the bubble your are
not informed. It's stupid but unfortunately it's that simple truth. In
this situation it's a clear black or white for 'newcomers'.

I personally experience this with two totally separated user bases.
In both cases I can reject using non-free software for me but I
understand everyone who does not. I had a hard fight with Signal until I
got it back to work (sometimes) and my family gets really angry
sometimes asking why I don't respond to there messages. I just tell them
that I haven't received them yet which is disappointing for both of us,
but a different story. Sorry I drifted away!

Back to topic: Who knows that e.g. Hackernews[0] won't be part of it
some day, although they might not be part of it right now? How do we
react if we find out and people ask us why we haven't informed them
earlier so they got used to it and learned to live with it? Then it's
literally the same situation they experienced with e.g. facebook because
nobody told them the risk of using 'US based proprietary services'[1].

just my two cent.

Best Regards,

Thomas






[0] Just an example with is not meant to be an instruction manual...!
[1] Someone might argue here that people have read and accepted the
'Terms of Service' and so on... But most of the time people are not
forced to do the first part, they're just forced to do the 'accept' part
and so they don't care.

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