Comment by stackedinserter
4 years ago
The solution won't be technological, it will be in realm of laws and regulations. We are weak peasants and don't have any power over big tech, but we can change legal environment for them.
IANAL but we (via our elected representatives) can push a law that prohibit restrictions on execution of users' code on their own devices. Or we can split app stores from vendors and obligate them to provide access to third-party stores, like we do with IE and windows.
Also, it's completely doable to stop NSA/Prism totalitarian nonsense.
What we can do as tech people?
- raise awareness
- help people to switch from big tech vendor locks
- help people harming BT by installing adblockers, pihole etc
- participate in opensource (with donations or work)
- probably something else
This. You can't change mass behavior by individual pleas. Especially when the behavior generates outsized profits that can be used to advertise and lobby in its support.
The most pressing things that should be supported, to have the world I think we want:
1. Mandate open app stores. Your device, your choice. *
2. Mandate open browsers. Your device, your choice. The internet is fundamentally an extension of the OS at this point, so an free (as in speech) connection choice is a requirement for an open OS. *
3. Mandate open apps. Your device, your choice. Installing unsigned apps can be warned, but not prohibited (outside of enterprise devices).
4. Mandate configurable tracking. Your device, your choice. There must be a clear option to disable all tracking, along with an API / payment ecosystem for apps to detect this and request alternative payment. I.e. "free if advertising on + $5.99 if advertising off".
5. Mandate right to repair. The manufacturer must provide necessary technical specifications (hard or soft) for a base level of modification and repair. If the manufacturer no longer supports the device, everything must be released to the public.
* Selection must be offered at time of device setup. Installing alternatives can be warned, but not prohibited (outside of enterprise devices).
Lawmakers are more likely to enforce the direction this discussion is objecting to.
I agree, but we can elect different lawmakers. Let's push Louis Rossman to congress for example. I checked, his congressional district is represented by someone named Jerry Nadler, who's been sitting there since 1992 and (I'm pretty sure) is out of touch of his constituents since late 1990's.
The problem is you have to convince a large crowd for that. Spreading the information about free software and GNU/Linux phones is the same work explaining the people why we need to vote differently.