ethical ubuntu

[Jack Wasey]

Anders Karlsson wrote:
> On Mon, 2006-06-05 at 16:54 +0100, Jack Wasey wrote:
>> I'd like to stress again that the spec is about providing information to allow 
>> the user to make a decision. To make an informed choice, people need information.
>>
> By all means educate people about the badness of closed source. But
> where will the line be drawn? [snip]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

The spec https://wiki.ubuntu.com/EthicalInfo is not just about FOSS, it's about 
ethics in the real world. Many people make consumer decisions about country of 
origin of their food, cars, etc., and the business, social, or environmental 
practices of companies. I want people to be able to make informed decisions on 
matters considered to be internationally important, such as freedom of speech, 
freedom from political imprisonment and torture. And there is a choice to be 
made when it comes to deciding whether to install Skype or not. This is all far 
more important than the open/closed debate.

I find it extremely distasteful that some companies abet governments in 
punishing people for expressing themselves, and I want to know who is doing it. 
I don't expect everyone to completely avoid Google, Microsoft, Yahoo as I do, 
but I think people should be aware of the consequences of using their software 
and services.

This spec can affect the average user, e.g. when their IM traffic or search 
queries are stored and passed on to whichever government demands them (US, 
China...). If the person is using Ubuntu in such a country, they definitely need 
to know what is safe and what is not. Ubuntu default should be safe. Remember, 
you can't do a web search for "censorship avoidance" in some countries.

Yes, Skype is bad for running a secret protocol, but some people find their 
involvement in censorship more serious, and another reason to avoid the company. 
I think we have a responsibility to inform users, not just keep packages out of 
mulitverse. For some users, it could make the difference between a prison 
sentence or not.

The spec is about information and choice in software and real world ethics.

Jack