New Article
Looks like
Sys Admin has
published an article of mine. Pretty boring stuff, I'm
afraid.
Privacy and Open Source
This whole "Smart Tags" thing has got me riled up. Even
here on Advogato, seems there are quite a few MS apologists
who think it's a good idea.
Maybe I am brimming with hypocricy. But doesn't it seem
strange: some think it right to give up the one true power
of the Internet-- the power of a single voice whispering to
whomever wishes to listen-- to a corporation? Any
corporation would be bad, but they wish to give up this
power to the corporation that has shown time and again they
are willing to ignore privacy issues and the rights of
individuals simply for profit.
Okay, not simply for profit-- for the power over
communication. For the right to substitute individual
communication for Microsoft's communication.
The power of the Internet is the ability of one person to
communicate to the world. Now Microsoft gets to step in and
control that communication.
Yes, I'm stating this as a worse-than-reality scenario. But
perhaps I value even the smallest of my rights; and I see
this as yet another Microsoft gambit to control communication.
Free software programmers have, in my experience, valued
privacy and freedom. With smart tags, Microsoft has
effectively stated they control our communication (and thus,
one major aspect of our privacy) by default. I will not
allow Microsoft to control the definitions and values
associated with the ideas I express to the world.
Now, all you apologists out there: Go ahead and give
Microsoft control of the definitions of the words you use.
But do it explicitly; don't let Microsoft claim birthright
to our thoughts, which is essentially what they are doing,
like a maggot whispering in your ear during every
conversation you have, twisting the words in ways that suit
only the maggot.
Force them to create a new tag to turn this "feature"
on, not off. We can do it; we are powerful in our
whispering, if we whisper together.