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0 pointsastrodust8y ago0 comments

Imagine if we were still fighting battles from the 19th century, that Prussia was still exchanging musket fire with France.

That's what GNU is doing today with their stubborn fights about licensing when there's far bigger problems emerging.

How about a right to privacy? How about a right to timely patches for their Linux-based phones? How about a right to repair hardware running GPL software? How about a right to know if your device has security faults?

I can make software that mines the personal emails of dissidents, runs facial recognition on hacked webcams, and ruins lives, and that's all fine as far as GNU's concerned so long as I give out the source code to anyone who asks.

That seems...problematic.

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JdeBP8y ago· 1 in thread

Richard Stallman on privacy, surveillance, corporate abuse of technology, and Android.

* https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/03/facebo...

* https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-testimony.html

* https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.htm...

* https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/judge-internet-usage.html

* https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/the-danger-of-ebooks.html

* https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/stallmans-law.html

* https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/android-and-users-freedom.htm...

So your position is that GNU should both get rid of Richard Stallman and start addressing this stuff. Clearly, you are not basing this upon Richard Stallman addressing these very things for quite a few years now via the GNU WWW site.

* https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/essays-and-articles.html

astrodustOP8y ago

He presents these in the most tin-foil hat manner possible and doesn't build a bridge to people trying to live ordinary lives.

Destroying your phone, not using a web browser, and eating vegan or whatever isn't something everyone can or should do.

If he wants to be some obscure mountain-top philosopher, that's fine, but being the GNU head at the same time is problematic.

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