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EdwardBontkowskiSecondPaper 5 - 31 Jan 2010 - Main.EdwardBontkowski
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| META TOPICPARENT | name="SecondPaper" |
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| | | The Free Software Solution | |
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< | So, at first glance, it appears that we may be heading directly towards Moglen’s hypothetical world of completely free reading material at the expense of any semblance of privacy. Not so fast, though. There is an alternative. Just as much as the free software movement is dedicated towards the “free” aspect of software, it is equally as dedicated to conserving the privacy of the users of software. As we have seen in other areas throughout the semester, the solution to this e-reader privacy issue already exists via free software. In this case, “FBReader”. FBReader is free software that allows the user to download e-books (from a large array of file formats) for use on their computer or mobile device. The key difference between FBReader and the commercial e-readers (besides the fact that FBReader is only software, not hardware) is that, because it is distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL, it does not track or monitor any information relating to what the user is reading. At the moment, FBReader is the safest e-reader with which to read e-books. However, unlike the other e-readers, it does not support proprietary formats with Digital Rights Management (“DRM”). | >
> | So, at first glance, it appears that we may be heading directly towards Moglen’s hypothetical world of completely free reading material at the expense of any semblance of privacy. Not so fast, though. There is an alternative. Just as much as the free software movement is dedicated towards the “free” aspect of software, it is equally as dedicated to conserving the privacy of the users of software. As we have seen in other areas throughout the semester, the solution to this e-reader privacy issue already exists via free software. In this case, “FBReader”. FBReader is free software that allows the user to download e-books (from a large array of file formats) for use on their computer or mobile device. A key difference between FBReader and the commercial e-readers is that, because it is distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL, it does not track or monitor any information relating to what the user is reading. Because of the GNU GPL, FBReader is the safest e-reader with which to read e-books. Moreover, because FBReader is just free software, with no hardware strings attached, ANY ebook format can be read on ANY device running a free software operating system. Therefore, FBReader truly allows for a completely universal, shareable way to maintain electronic libraries. Despite direct support for Digital Rights Management ("DRM"), DRM can be removed by other free software to become readable by FBReader. | | | | |
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< | However, given that it is this very proprietary-oriented infrastructure that likely causes these e-reader privacy problems (not to mention all sorts of other problems) to begin with, it would make little sense for free software to support such a format. And that is truly what is at the heart of all privacy issues. Proprietary software incentivizes the owner to invade the user’s privacy. Without things like the GNU GPL, companies can continue to insert ridiculously vague terms of agreement that allow for complete breach of privacy. In a world fast approaching Moglen’s hypothetical, this nearly limitless ability to monitor and track software users will become a pervasive and dangerous force. We must remember that free software not only provides a means to make software truly free, but also the means to make it truly private. | >
> | In any case, given that it is this very proprietary-oriented infrastructure that likely causes these e-reader privacy problems (not to mention all sorts of other problems) to begin with, it would make little sense for free software to directly support a format such as DRM. And that is truly what is at the heart of all privacy issues. Proprietary software incentivizes the owner to invade the user’s privacy. Without things like the GNU GPL, companies can continue to insert ridiculously vague terms of agreement that allow for complete breach of privacy. In a world fast approaching Moglen’s hypothetical, this nearly limitless ability to monitor and track software users will become a pervasive and dangerous force. We must remember that free software not only provides a means to make software truly free, but also the means to make it truly private. | | | |
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