2025-09-05, 12:30–13:00 (Europe/Budapest), Track Room
With free software, the users control the program, both individually and collectively. So they control what their computers do (assuming those computers are loyal and do what the users' programs tell them to do).
With proprietary software, the program controls the users, and some other entity (the developer or “owner”) controls the program. So the proprietary program gives its developer power over its users. That is unjust in itself; moreover, it tempts the developer to mistreat the users in other ways.
Even when proprietary software isn't downright malicious, its developers have an incentive to make it addictive, controlling and manipulative. You can say, as does the author of that article, that the developers have an ethical obligation not to do that, but generally they follow their interests. If you want this not to happen, make sure the program is controlled by its users.
Freedom means having control over your own life. If you use a program to carry out activities in your life, your freedom depends on your having control over the program. You deserve to have control over the programs you use, and all the more so when you use them for something important in your life.
Advocating for free software isn't just a matter of personal values (although it would be reason enough alone): it is an essential building block of any free society. In 2025, most people interact more or less with software that is controlled by a tech industry that jealously guards its secrets. When the choice to understand and alter the technology that runs our world is locked away, we the people are forced to live in a non-free society. We don't have to accept an existence reminiscent of dystopian novels. While free software doesn't guarantee a free society, it does provide many kinds of frameworks and tools needed for building and sustaining free societies.
At the individual user level, free software is an important component of a free society because it allows users to study source code and alter it to suit their needs instead of the desires of proprietary vendors. With freedom in mind, there is no good reason why a tech giant should be able to tell you how, on which device, and for what purpose you can run a program. There are only bad reasons to deprive you of the freedom to study, modify, and share the program. Everyone should have the choice to control their own computing.
At a governmental level, a free society is dependent on accountable governance that is influenced only by its people, not by outside entities. When a government uses proprietary software, power is ripped away from the people and sold to the highest-paying corporation. Residents of a country have significantly less influence over their government when it's controlled by private money, and as a consequence, much less control over the laws in place, the choices they have, and who gets to watch the lives they lead. There may even be a strong suggestion or requirement to use proprietary software for government business. In addition to all of these freedom violations resulting from a government using non-free or jailed software, the government (and basically anyone), is unable to shield itself from foreign influences accessing a possibly unlimited amount of information. A government run on proprietary software must be held accountable by its people for not using free or open software.
For a society to be free, everyone must possess freedom of speech and the right to express dissent through protest. Free software allows activists to check and confirm privacy on their devices and channels before organizing and discussing issues. It allows movements and journalists, no matter how autocratic the society, to coordinate protests, express opinions, and publish facts without fear of prosecution or even violence. Free software makes it possible for people at every level to work for a free society.
A society is not free when it is rife with injustice, and free software is a vital weapon against injustice. Free software helps remove barriers to seeking any kind of information that a person may need or want, from life-saving reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare to how to build a computer from scratch and program troubleshooting. It allows scientists of all levels and backgrounds to contribute to disaster response programs and equity-informed technology solutions that make human existence more sustainable. Free software also makes it possible for us to have control over the medical technology that helps keep us healthy. If you look at an aspect of a society that is currently not free and just, there is probably a way that free software can contribute to it being more free.
We don't have to accept the "predetermined" path of non-freedom. You and I, and everyone else who lives on this planet, deserve to make our own choices when it comes to software. We shouldn't be forced to allow tech giants to control our destinies. We can decide who gets to have a say over our technology and our societies. Contd ........
I am Shazedur Rahim Joardar (Ring) from Dhaka, Bangladesh. As an IT professional my 22+ year of journey was packed with various GNU/Linux deployments, maintenance and end-user support. Loves resolving daily 15+ on-site and remote support to Debian/Ubuntu/OracleLinux/Alma/Rocky/FreeBSD/OpenBSD and many more. I am a GNU/Linux user, lover, translator and supporter since 2000, and a sysadmin since 2003 using Red Hat 5.0, later Fedora and RHEL. I am using Ubuntu in personal computers since December 2006. Canonical had sent a zero-priced gift pack of 10 CDs with Ubuntu 6.10 back then. I have started deployment of Ubuntu servers with Ubuntu 8.04 in 2009. Since 2009, I personally made over 6,300 new desktop or laptop installations with Ubuntu and LinuxMint.
In 2011, me along with 21 more Free software enthusiasts formed an organization titled “FOSS Bangladesh (Foundation for Open Source Solutions Bangladesh)” and started official tour to the Universities here in Bangladesh. Up to December 2024, FOSS Bangladesh had organized 83 events in various universities and colleges and schools to spread out the digital freedom knowledge among the pupils, the future leaders. In my invitation Mr. Richard M. Stallman Sir had visited Dhaka, Bangladesh at Daffodil International University for a session in 2014. I am also a Mozillian (Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird Fan, User and Supporter and end user support volunteer). My email and telegram (https://t.me/toshazed) id are very public and open to all Digital Freedom enthusiasts, lovers, users and interested ones. I can communicate in Bengali, English, Hindi, Urdu