Why Political Liberty Depends on Software Freedom More Than Ever

Software Freedom Law Center ^ | 5 February, 2011 | Eben Moglen

[NewHampshireDuo]

Excerpt:

Social networking—that is, the ability to use free form methods of communication from many to many, now, in an instantaneous fashion—changes the balance of power in society away from highly organized vehicles of state control towards people in their own lives.

What has happened in Iran, in Egypt, in Tunisia—and what will happen in other societies over the next few years—demonstrates the enormous political and social importance of social networking. But everything we know about technology tells us that the current forms of social network communication, despite their enormous current value for politics, are also intensely dangerous to use.

They are too centralized, they are too vulnerable to state retaliation and control. The design of their technology, like the design of almost all unfree software technology, is motivated more by business interests seeking profit than by technological interests seeking freedom.

[NewHampshireDuo]

I know little of Moglen but he has founded a group called the FreedomBox Foundation http://www.freedomboxfoundation.org/ that is briefly described as follows:

FreedomBox is the name we give to a personal server running a free software operating system, with free applications designed to create and preserve personal privacy.

FreedomBox software is particularly tailored to run in "plug servers," which are compact computers that are no larger than power adapters for electronic appliances.

Located in people's homes or offices such inexpensive servers can provide privacy in normal life, and safe communications for people seeking to preserve their freedom in oppressive regimes."

I was wondering if anyone here is seriously looking at devices such as plug servers or other mechanisms whose purpose is to permit free communication and reduce your "footprint" on the internet or avoid the internet all together. That could even include good old dial up BBS technology and ham radio accessed bulletin boards using legal but hard to intercept digital modes.

While FreedomBox is a development effort and is some time from fruition, an example of an existing plug server is the TonidoPlug: http://www.tonido.com/

[mmercier]

Years back, when the justice department was looking to stick its finger up Microsoft's bumm... They doubled their installation of Microsoft Windows platforms to handle the case.

The government can not effectively manage a diner. The only people subject to their laws are those who submit through personal guilt.

The rest simply do what they do and go where they go, with the likes of schumer and reid sniffing up a cold path... Miles behind. It is almost impossible to manage information delivery systems, if you do not understand the code.