negative campaigning?

Adonay Felipe Nogueira adfeno at openmailbox.org
Sat Jul 29 14:59:40 UTC 2017


Interesting topic you all brought up! :)

As far as I can see it, despite having negative informations about some
products (I'm ignoring brands and for-profit organization names because
of [[https://k7r.eu/there-is-no-free-software-company-but/]] and
[[https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/libreplanet-2016-the-last-lighthouse-3d51/]]),
the negative information in various FSF and sister-organizations'
campaigns are based on facts. Most of the facts can be seen at
[[https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/]] (although the articles referenced
in each subpage might not be universally shareable, they do serve as
good basis for us to form arguments againts each product). Morever, we
already know issues with:

- The majority of websites available as of today (due to non-free
  JavaScript being served to the guest/visitor/client, or not being
  clearly marked-up as free/libre, see
  [[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html]]).

- Products from Sony :: See the previous references, and
  DefectiveByDesign.

- Products from Netflix :: Id.

- Products from Amazon :: Id.

- Products from Medtronic (and similar) :: See
  [[http://www.softwarefreedom.org/resources/2010/transparent-medical-devices.pdf]]
  and [[http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojog.2015.51009]].

- Products from Volkswagen :: See the GNU.org page on proprietary software.

- Computers for voting :: Although this is the only case in which we must
  promote against the use of software (for registration of the votes,
  not for counting if the counting is also attested against human-made
  count), according to
  [[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-digital-society.html#voting]],
  see the following example of a non-(free/libre) software in the voting
  system in Brazil:
  [[https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-digital-society.html#voting]].

Of special interest might be the section about appliances that is
present in the GNU.org page about proprietary software.

However, the GNU.org page on proprietary software also offers a
double-sided knife against us if for some unknown reason, our messages
switch from "in favor of freedom" to "in favor of security", at which
point we run the risk of appealing too much for security and failing to
raise awareness of the lack of the essential freedoms of the
software. Software freedom is a requirement for security and privacy,
but the inverse isn't true.

Now, you might be asking: "If we don't appeal to the lack of security
first, how do we reach out and make the explanation easier?". For this,
answer, I find the explanation given by Stallman in the beginning of his
speeches to be most suitable to let people know what we are talking
about at first contact.

The explanation goes similar to this: computers have the single job of
getting the next instruction and doing what it says, without questioning
if that's the right thing to do. With free/libre software, the user has
the possibility of controlling the software either individually (if he
wants to study it and does know how to do the changes), or collectively
(through sharing, selling, community engagement, hiring/contracts,
customization, and so on). Now, with non-(free/libre) software, the
software is controlled by the proprietor. It's always one or
another. And since in the non-(free/libre) case the essential freedoms
are absent, then society must always assume the worst: insecurity, loss
of privacy, loss of independence, and so on.

After this explanation of how software is used by computers and what are
the essential freedoms, then I usually give a fictional example of some
non-tech person hiring someone else to fix a problem in the free/libre
software they have, and say that this results in an improved version of
the software which both the non-tech and the hired person can either
share or sell.

After the fictional example, I give real examples of how
non-(free/libre) software impacts society.

About Debian: I know it was only an example, but I must say that Debian
is also non-(free/libre). If you want to discuss this further, please
start a topic anew. :)

-- 
- [[https://libreplanet.org/wiki/User:Adfeno]]
- Palestrante e consultor sobre /software/ livre (não confundir com
  gratis).
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- Pretende me enviar arquivos .doc, .ppt, .cdr, ou .mp3? OK, eu
  aceito, mas não repasso. Entrego apenas em formatos favoráveis ao
  /software/ livre. Favor entrar em contato em caso de dúvida.



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