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posted by
Dopefish
on Monday February 24 2014, @09:00PM
from the don't-click-ok-to-accept-the-eula dept.
from the don't-click-ok-to-accept-the-eula dept.
andrew writes:
"Alternet.org reports recent updates to terms of conditions for Bank of Americas cell phone app and Capital Ones new credit card contract have given banks unsettling new abilities. These privileges include the authority to access to your phone microphone and camera or even showing up at your workplace and home unannounced at any time.
From the the article:
We're witnessing a new era of fascism, where corporations are creating intrusive and over-bearing terms and conditions that customers click to agree to without even reading.
As a result, corporations in America have acquired king-like power, while we're the poor serfs that must abide by their every rule or else."
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Have Terms of Service Become Totalitarian Tools?
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If the thunder don't get you, then the lightning will.
(Score: 1) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday February 25 2014, @07:58AM
It turns out that the NSA is heavily into linux, and is quite good about contributing patches back upstream.
Using software for anything you damn well please, means that freedom zero provides the freedom to commit gross human rights violations.
I would be completely unsurprised were I to learn that North Korea is heavily into Open Source as well as Free Software.
(They're different things, kids. Learn to tell the difference.)
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 1) by lennier on Tuesday February 25 2014, @08:31PM
"It turns out that the NSA is heavily into linux, and is quite good about contributing patches back upstream."
Yep, they probably breathe oxygen and use the English language as well.
"Using software for anything you damn well please, means that freedom zero provides the freedom to commit gross human rights violations."
Yes. But that is the point of freedom: that people can do (arbitrary bad things) and (doing that bad thing) is the wrong thing, not (using software) to do it).
The NSA implements the reverse logic and says "the Internet/your cellphone should not be used to commit (arbitrary bad thing) therefore we will tag and trace every packet sent and reserve the right to take pictures with your cellphone to make sure that the Evil Bit is not enabled". But that seems more problematic in the long run than saying "this is a technology, use it for what you want".
I'm not a huge fan of total libertarianism. I believe there is a place for government. But software and communication technology seems to be one of those awkward natural monopolies where it works best to either have zero regulation, or 100% totalitarianism, and I'd rather not have the totalitarianism.
Where tracing and enforcement needs to happen, I'd rather it not be baked into the fundamental core software we can't escape.
Delenda est Beta