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diff --git a/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/your-freedom-needs-free-software.html b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/your-freedom-needs-free-software.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ae20140 --- /dev/null +++ b/talermerchantdemos/blog/articles/en/your-freedom-needs-free-software.html @@ -0,0 +1,149 @@ +<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> +<!-- Parent-Version: 1.84 --> +<title>Your Freedom Needs Free Software +- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> +<!--#include virtual="/philosophy/po/your-freedom-needs-free-software.translist" --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> +<h2>Your Freedom Needs Free Software</h2> + +<p>Many of us know that governments can threaten the human rights of +software users through censorship and surveillance of the Internet. +Many do not realize that the software they run on their home or work +computers can be an even worse threat. Thinking of software as +‘just a tool’, they suppose that it obeys them, when in +fact it often obeys others instead.</p> + +<p>The software running in most computers is <a +href="/philosophy/categories.html#ProprietarySoftware">non-free, +proprietary software</a>: controlled by software companies, not +by its users. Users can't check what these programs do, nor +prevent them from doing what they don't want. Most people accept +this because they have seen no other way, but it is simply wrong +to give developers power over the users' computer.</p> + +<p>This unjust power, as usual, tempts its wielders to further +misdeeds. If a computer talks to a network, and you don't control the +software in it, it can easily spy on you. Microsoft Windows spies on +users; for instance, it reports what words a user searches for in her +own files, and what other programs are installed. RealPlayer spies +too; it reports what the user plays. Cell phones are full of non-free +software, which spies. Cell phones send out localizing signals even +when ‘off’, many can send out your precise GPS location +whether you wish or not, and some models can be switched on remotely +as listening devices. Users can't fix these malicious features +because they don't have control.</p> + +<p>Some proprietary software is designed to restrict and attack its +users. <a href="http://badvista.org/">Windows Vista</a> is a big +advance in this field; the reason it requires replacement of old +hardware is that the new models are designed to support unbreakable +restrictions. Microsoft thus requires users to pay for shiny new +shackles. It is also designed to permit forced updating by corporate +authority. Hence the <a href="http://badvista.org/">BadVista.org</a> +campaign, which urges Windows users not to ‘upgrade’ to +Vista. (For the equally malicious Windows 7 and Windows 8, we now have +<a href="http://windows7sins.org/">Windows7Sins.org</a> and +<a href="http://upgradefromwindows8.org/">UpgradeFromWindows8.org</a>.) +Mac OS also contains features designed to restrict its users.</p> + +<p>Microsoft has installed back doors for the US government's use in +the past (<a +href="http://www.heise.de/tp/artikel/5/5263/1.html">reported on +heise.de</a>). We cannot check whether they have successors today. +Other proprietary programs may or may not have back doors, but since +we cannot check them, we cannot trust them.</p> + +<p>The only way to assure that your software is working for you is to +insist on Free/Libre software. This means users get the source code, +are free to study and change it, and are free to redistribute it with +or without changes. The <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux +system</a>, developed <a href="/gnu/gnu.html">specifically for users' +freedom</a>, includes office applications, multimedia, games, and +everything you really need to run a computer. +See <a href="http://www.gnewsense.org/">gNewSense.org</a> for +a <a href="/distros/distros.html">totally Free/Libre version of GNU/Linux</a>.</p> + +<p>A special problem occurs when activists for social change use +proprietary software, because its developers, who control it, may be +companies they wish to protest—or that work hand in glove with the +states whose policies they oppose. Control of our software by a +proprietary software company, whether it be Microsoft, Apple, Adobe or +Skype, means control of what we can say, and to whom. This threatens +our freedom in all areas of life.</p> + +<p>There is also danger in using a company's server to do your word +processing or email—and not just if you are in China, as US lawyer +Michael Springmann discovered. In 2003, AOL not only handed over to +the police his confidential discussions with clients, it also made his +email and his address list disappear, and didn't admit this was +intentional until one of its staff made a slip. Springmann gave up on +getting his data back.</p> + +<p>The US is not the only state that doesn't respect human rights, so +keep your data on your own computer, and your backups under your own +custody—and run your computer with Free/Libre software.</p> + +</div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above --> +<!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> +<div id="footer"> +<div class="unprintable"> + +<p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to +<a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. +There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> +the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent +to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> + +<p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, + replace it with the translation of these two: + + We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality + translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. + Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard + to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> + <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> + + <p>For information on coordinating and submitting translations of + our web pages, see <a + href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations + README</a>. --> +Please see the <a +href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations +README</a> for information on coordinating and submitting translations +of this article.</p> +</div> + +<!-- Regarding copyright, in general, standalone pages (as opposed to + files generated as part of manuals) on the GNU web server should + be under CC BY-ND 4.0. Please do NOT change or remove this + without talking with the webmasters or licensing team first. + Please make sure the copyright date is consistent with the + document. For web pages, it is ok to list just the latest year the + document was modified, or published. + + If you wish to list earlier years, that is ok too. + Either "2001, 2002, 2003" or "2001-2003" are ok for specifying + years, as long as each year in the range is in fact a copyrightable + year, i.e., a year in which the document was published (including + being publicly visible on the web or in a revision control system). + + There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers + Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. --> + +<p>Copyright © 2007, 2017 Richard Stallman</p> + +<p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license" +href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative +Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.</p> + +<!--#include virtual="/server/bottom-notes.html" --> + +<p class="unprintable">Updated: +<!-- timestamp start --> +$Date: 2017/08/27 14:56:06 $ +<!-- timestamp end --> +</p> +</div> +</div> +</body> +</html> |