Happy New Year

The greatest excitement in moving into a new year is the prospect of quantified
growth.

Of course, it also means another year to look forward to the health of those you
care for.
DNA Collection

Consider a recent article from the EFF [regarding ``Rapid DNA Analyzers''][0].
The article poses the potetial issues involved, but also consider that any DNA
collected (if not destroyed) would violate not just your privacy, but your
entire blood line. What if DNA from immigrants were collected? Much of that
information is inherited, so generations down the line, your privacy is still
violated.

I cannot comment intelligently on the matter since I haven't read deeply enough
into the proposed storage/hashing/etc policies, but those polices can be abused
and such data can be leaked. I highly oppose any sort of DNA collection outside
of personal at-home use (when the technology is available with free software)
and use by medical professionals for personal medical reasons so long as the
institution performing the test can provide stringent evidence of its
destruction. But even then, if law enforcement somehow got a hold of the DNA
before it were destroyed, then the problem still exists, so it would be best if
you had your own personal tools to analyze your own DNA and distribute only the
portions that were required (and encryption tools like [GPG][1] could be used
for distribution).

One day, but not now. Let's make those scanners affordable and run free
software.

[0] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/12/rapid-dna-analysis
[1] http://www.gnupg.org/
USPTO Wants To Hear From Software Community

The [USPTO wants to hear from the software community][0]. Interesting, but the
problem is that the ``software community'' includes more than just those who
find software patents to be an abomination.

I have [mentioned issues with software patents in a previous post][1], but one
resource that may be worth looking at direclty is [``The Case Against
Patents''][2] [pdf].

[0] http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20130104012214868
[1] http://mikegerwitz.com/thoughts/2012/10/Abolishing-Patents.html
[2] http://research.stlouisfed.org/wp/2012/2012-035.pdf
LuLu Says Goodbye to DRM

On January 8th, [LuLu announced that they would be dropping DRM][0] for users
who ``[download] eBooks directly from Lulu.com to the device of their choice''.
This is a wise move (for [those of us who oppose DRM][1]), but unfortunately, as
John Sullivan of the Free Software Foundation noted on the fsf-community-team
mailing list, the comments on LuLu's website[0] are not all positive:

    This is a positive development, but unfortunately there has been a lot
    of negative reaction in the comments on their announcement.

    It'd be great if people could chime in and support them their move away
    from DRM.

At first glance, certain authors seem to be concerned that the absense of DRM
will lead to ``more illegal file sharing''[0]:

  [...] I’ve got copies of my non-DRM ebooks all over the torrent sites and
  thousands of downloads registered, for which I haven’t received a cent. As
  soon as you push for them to be taken down, they’re posted up again.

While it is unfortunate that those authors are not receiving compensation for
their hard work, it should be noted that this problem exists even *with*
DRM, so it is not a valid argument toward keeping it.

I applaud this move by LuLu, though I'm disappointed to see this comment in the
original post[0]:

  Companies like Amazon, Apple and Barnes & Noble integrate a reader’s
  experience from purchasing to downloading and finally to reading. These
  companies do a fantastic job in this area, and eBooks published through Lulu
  and distributed through these retail sites will continue to have the same
  rights management applied as they do today.

They do not do it well; no DRM is good DRM.

[0] http://www.lulu.com/blog/2013/01/drm-update/
[1] http://defectivebydesign.org/
Re: FSF Wastes Away Another ``High Priority'' Project

A couple days ago, my attention was drawn to an article on Phoronix that
[criticized the FSF for its decision to stick with GPLv3 over GPLv2 on
LibreDWG][0] due to the number of projects that make use of it---licensed under
the GPLv2---under a now incompatible[1] license. This article is very negative
and essentially boils down to this point (the last paragraph):

    Unless the Free Software Foundation becomes more accomodating [sic] of these
    open-source developers -- who should all share a common goal of wanting to
    expand free/open-source software -- LibreDWG is likely another project that
    will ultimately waste away and go without seeing any major adoption due to
    not working with the GPLv2.

It it worth mentioning why this view is misguided (though understandable for
those who adopt the ``open source'' philosophy over that of software
freedom[2]). Let me start with this paragraph from the Phoronix article[0]:

  The Free Software Foundation was contacted about making LibreDWG GPLv2+
  instead (since the FSF is the copyright holder), but the FSF/Richard Stallman
  doesn't the DWG library on the earlier version of their own open-source
  license.

The FSF's founding principle is that of software freedom[3] (beginning with the
GNU project). Now, consider the reason for the creation of the GPLv3---the GPLv2
could not sufficiently protect against software patents and newer threats such
as ``tivoization''.[4] These goals further the FSF's mission of ensuring---in
this case---that free software *remains* free ([a concept that RMS coined
``copyleft''][5]). It would make sense, then, that the FSF (and RMS') position is
that [it is important that we adopt the GPLv3 for our software][6].

From this perspective, it does not make sense to ``downgrade'' LibreDWG's
license to the GPLv2, which contains various bugs that have since been patched
in GPLv3---it is not pursuant to the FSF's goals. (Of course, not all agree with
the GPLv3; one such notable disagreement (as well as issues
stemming from copyright assignment) leaves the kernel Linux perpetually licensed
under the GPLv2[7] since it does not contain the ``or later'' clause[8]).

That is not to say that the author's concern is not legitimate---a number of
projects are licensed under the GPLv2 and therefore cannot use the newer (and
improved) versions of LibreDWG that are licensed under the GPLv3 (unless they
were to upgrade to the GPLv3, of course). Whether or not upgrading is feasible
(e.g., in the case of the kernel Linux, it is not) is irrelevant---let us
instead focus on the issue of adoption under the assumption that the project is
either unwilling or unable to make use of a library licensed under the GPLv3.

As aforementioned, the author focuses on the issue of adoption[0]:

  LibreDWG is likely [...to] go without seeing any major adoption due to not
  working with the GPLv2

A focus on adoption is a focus of ``open source'', not free software,[2] the
latter of which the FSF represents. With a focus on software freedom, the goal
is to create software that respects the [users' four essential freedoms][9]; if
the software is adopted and used, great! However, freedom should never be
sacrificed in order to encourage adoption. One may argue that ``downgrading'' to
the GPLv2 is not sacrificing freedom because the software is still free (it is
even the GPL)---but it is important to again realize that the GPLv3 is ``more
free'' than the GPLv2 in the sense that it *protects* additional freedoms;[6]
so, while the GPLv2 isn't necessarily sacrificing users' freedoms directly, it
does have such an indirect effect through means of enforcement.

A reader familiar with GNU may then point out the LGPL---the Lesser General
Public License---under which popular (and very important) libraries such as
glibc are licensed.[10] In fact, one could extend this argument to any
library---why not have LibreDWG licensed under the LGPL to avoid this problem in
its entirety, while still preserving the users' freedoms for that library in
itself? This understanding requires a brief lesson in history---the rationale
under which the LGPL was born. To quote the GNU project:[11]

  Using the ordinary GPL is not advantageous for every library. There are
  reasons that can make it better to use the Lesser GPL in certain cases. The
  most common case is when a free library's features are readily available for
  proprietary software through other alternative libraries. In that case, the
  library cannot give free software any particular advantage, so it is better to
  use the Lesser GPL for that library.

It was for this reason that glibc was released under the LGPL---because it was
better to have the users adopt some sort of free software than none at all;
there were other alternatives that existed that users may flock to if they were
forced to liberate their own proprietary software (after all, the C API is also
standardized, so such a feat would be trivial). Now that glibc has since matured
greatly, it could be argued today that it has proved its usefulness and the LGPL
may no longer be necessary, but such a discussion is not necessarily relevant
for this conversation.

What is important is that [the FSF does not recommend the LGPL for most
libraries][11] because that would encourage proprietary software developers to
take advantage of both the hard work of the free software community and the
users of the software. Now, I cannot speak toward the alternatives to
LibreDWG---do there exist proprietary alternatives that are reasonable
alternatives to non-commercial projects? I do not have experience with the
library. However, I hope by this point the FSF's position has been rationalize
(even if you---the reader---do not agree with it).

Of course, this rationalization will still leave a sour taste in the mouth of
those ``open source'' developers (or perhaps even some free software developers)
that think in terms of what is ``lost'': these projects---which are themselves
free software and therefore beneficial to our community---cannot take advantage
of *other free software* due to this licensing issue. Since these projects had
already existed when LibreDWG was licensed under the GPLv2, the relicensing to
GPLv3 may seem unfair and, therefore, a ``loss''. It is difficult to counter
such an argument if the above rationale has not been sufficient; nor will I
argue that the situation is not unfortunate, should the projects be unable to
relicense. However, it must be understood that, to ensure the future of free
software, the FSF must adopt to combat today's threats and so too must other
free software projects.

The Phoronix article mentioned two projects in particular that suffer from
LibreDWG's relicensing: LibreCAD and FreeCAD.[0] LibreCAD omits the ``or later''
clause that was mentioned above, preventing them from easily migrating to the
GPLv2 (which is against the FSF's recommendation[12]). Unless the project
requires that contributors assign copyright to the project owner, then they
would have to get permission from each contributor (or rewrite the code) in
order to change the license (which is not unheard of; [VLC had done so recently
to migrate from the GPL to the LGPL][13]); this is a significant barrier for any
project with multiple contributors, especially when your project is a derivative
work (of QCad).

The other project mention was FreeCAD, and the author of the article mentions
that the project depends on Coin3D and Open CASCADE, ``both of which are
GPLv2'', so the project cannot migrate to GPLv3.[0] A quick look at Coin3D's
website shows that the software is actually licensed under the modified
(3-clause) BSD license, and so migrating to the GPLv3 is not an issue.[15] Open
CASCADE has its own ``public license'' that I do not have the time to evaluate
(nor am I lawyer, so I do not wish to give such advice), so I cannot speak to
its compatibility with the GPLv3. That said, I'm unsure if it would be a barrier
toward FreeCAD's adoption of the GPLv3.

Ultimately, the moral of the story is to plan for the *future*---if you use a
project licensed under the GPL, ensure that it has the ``or later'' clause that
allows it to be licensed under later version of the GPL, since you can be sure
that the FSF and many other free software developers will be quick to adopt the
license. Of course, many may not be comfortable with such a licensing decision:
you effectively are giving the FSF permission to relicense you work by simply
releasing a new version of the GPL. It is your decision whether you are willing
to place this kind of trust in the organization responsible for starting the
free software movement in the first place.

Readers may now assume that I am placing the entire blame and onus on the
implementors of LibreDWG. The onus, perhaps, but not the blame---this truly is
an unfortunate circumstance that takes away from hacking a free software
project. Unfortunately, the projects are stuck in a bad place, but the FSF is
not to blame for standing firm in their ideals. Instead, this can be thought of
as a maintenance issue---rather than a source code refactoring resulting from a
library API change, we instead require a ``legal code'' refactoring resulting
from a ``legal API'' change.

[0] http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTI4Mjc
[1] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#WhatDoesCompatMean
[2] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html
[3] http://www.fsf.org/about/
[4] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/quick-guide-gplv3.html
[5] http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/
[6] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/rms-why-gplv3.html
[7] http://lwn.net/Articles/200422/
[8] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#v2v3Compatibility
[9] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
[10] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html
[11] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html
[12] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-howto.html
[13] http://mikegerwitz.com/thoughts/2012/11/VLC-s-Move-to-LGPL.html
[14] https://bitbucket.org/Coin3D/coin/wiki/Home
[15] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#ModifiedBSD
[16] http://www.opencascade.org/getocc/license/
Re: Who Does Skype Let Spy?

Today, [Bruce Schneier brought attention to privacy concerns surrounding
Skype][0], a very popular (over 600 million users[1]) VoIP service that has
since been acquired by Microsoft. In particular, [users are concerned over what
entities may be able to gain access to their ``private'' conversations][1]
through the service---Microsoft has refused to answer those kinds of questions.
While the specific example of Skype is indeed concerning, it raises a more
general issue that I wish to discuss: The role of free software and SaaS
(software as a service).

To quote Schneier:[0]

   We have no choice but to trust Microsoft. Microsoft has reasons to be
   trustworthy, but they also have reasons to betray our trust in favor of other
   interests. And all we can do is ask them nicely to tell us first.

Schneier continues to admit, in similar words, that we are but ``vassals'' to
these entities and that they are our serfs.[2] His essays regarding the power of
corporations and governments over their users[3] echo the words of Lawrence
Lessig in his [predictions of a ``perfectly regulated'' future made possible by
the Internet][4]. While Lessig (despite what his critics have stated in the
past) seems to have been correct in many regards, we need not jump into the
perspective of an Orwellian dystopia where we are but ``vassals'' to the
Party.[5] Indeed, this is only the case---at least at present---if you choose to
participate in the use of services such as Skype, as ubiquitous as they may be.

Skype is a useful demonstration of the unfortunate situation that many users
place themselves in by trusting their private data to Microsoft. Skype itself is
proprietary---we cannot inspect its source code (easily) in order to ensure that
it is respecting our privacy. (Indeed, as a user on [the HackerNews
discussion][6] pointed out, Skype has installed undesirable software in the
past.[7]) If Skype were [free software][8], we would be able to inspect its
source code and modify it to suit our needs, ensuring that the software did only
what we wanted it to do---ensuring that Microsoft was not in control of us.

However, even if Skype were free software, there is another issue at work that
is often overlooked by users: Software as a Service (SaaS). When you make use of
services that are hosted on remote servers (often called ``cloud''
services)---such as with Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Instagram, iTunes,
iCloud and many other popular services---you are blindly entrusting your data to
them. Even if the Skype software were free (as in freedom), for example, [we
still cannot know what their servers are doing with the data we provide to
them][9]. Even if Skype's source code was plainly visible, the servers act as a
black box. Do they monitor your calls? Does Facebook abuse your data?[10] How is
that data stored---what happens in the event of a data breach, or in the event
of a warrant/subpoena?[1]

The only way to be safe from these providers is to reject these services
entirely and use your own software on your own PC, or use software that will
connect directly to your intended recipient without going through a 3rd
party.[9] (Never mind your ISP; that is a separate issue entirely.) If you must
use a 3rd party service, ensure that you can adequately encrypt your
communications (e.g. using GPG to encrypt e-mail communications)---something
that may not necessarily be easy/possible to do, especially if the software is
proprietary and works against you.

The EFF has published [useful information on protecting yourself against
surveillance][11], covering topics such as encryption and anonymization.

If we are to resist the worlds that Lessig[4] and Schneier[3] describe, then we
must [stand up for our right to privacy and demand action][12]. [Who will have
your back][13] when we're on the brink of ``perfect regulation''[4]; who will
stand up for your rights and work *with* you---not against you---to preserve
your liberties? Without this push, services like Skype empower governments and
other entities to work toward perfect regulation---to continuously spy on
everything that we do. With everyone putting their every thought and movement on
services like Facebook, Twitter[14] and Skype, the Orwellian Thought Police[5] have
the ability to manifest in a form that not even Orwell could have
imagined---unless it is stopped.

To help preserve your ever-dwindling rights online,[15] consider becoming a
member of or participating in the campaigns of the [Free Software
Foundation][16], [Electronic Frontier Foundation][17], the [American Civil
Liberties Union][18] or any other organizations dedicated toward free society.

(Disclaimer: I am a member of the Free Software Foundation.)

[0] http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/01/who_does_skype.html
[1] http://www.skypeopenletter.com/
[2] http://www.schneier.com/essay-406.html
[3] http://www.schneier.com/essay-409.html
[4] http://codev2.cc/
[5] Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. ISBN 978-0-452-28423-4.
[6] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5139801
[7] http://blogs.skype.com/garage/2011/05/easybits_update_disabled_for_s.html
[8] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
[9] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html
[10] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/01/facebook-graph-search-privacy-control-you-still-dont-have
[11] https://ssd.eff.org
[12] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/01/its-time-transparency-reports-become-new-normal
[13] https://www.eff.org/pages/when-government-comes-knocking-who-has-your-back
[14] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/01/google-twitters-new-transparency-report-shows-increase-government-demands-sheds
[15] https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8750
[16] http://www.fsf.org/register_form?referrer=5804
[17] https://supporters.eff.org/donate
[18] https://www.aclu.org/donate/join-renew-give
Phone ``Unlocking'' Once Again Illegal

[Ridiculous.][0] We should own the hardware that we purchase.

[0] https://www.eff.org/is-it-illegal-to-unlock-a-phone