119 lines
4.4 KiB
HTML
119 lines
4.4 KiB
HTML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
|
|
|
|
<html>
|
|
<version>2</version>
|
|
|
|
<head>
|
|
<title>Democracy and Free Software</title>
|
|
</head>
|
|
|
|
<body class="article">
|
|
<p id="category">
|
|
<a href="/freesoftware/freesoftware.html">Free Software</a>
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h1>Democracy requires Free Software</h1>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Throughout history technology has influenced society. Reading,
|
|
writing, arithmetic, agriculture, printing and radio are all examples
|
|
of developments that changed the way we interact through trade, art and science.
|
|
The most important cultural technology of the 21st century is software. The
|
|
Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is committed to ensuring that
|
|
people in our society have the right to shape this technology as they see fit.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Today it is impossible to imagine daily life without software.
|
|
The majority of us can't spend a single day without using
|
|
it. People use software in the
|
|
workplace, on laptops, and on mobile phones. Software is also found in
|
|
less obvious places however: in trains, cars,
|
|
televisions, washing-machines, fridges, and many other devices. None
|
|
of these devices could function without software. Without software we
|
|
couldn't write e-mails, make phone calls, go shopping, or travel as we
|
|
are accustomed to. Software is our society's central tool.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h2>Unchained</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
When others control a tool as important to us as software, they are
|
|
able to exert great influence over our actions. Whoever controls the search
|
|
engine that we use determines what we find. He who controls our e-mails
|
|
has the opportunity to censor us. Simply put, control of a communication
|
|
service entails the ability to decide who can exchange
|
|
what with whom. Similarly whoever decides how software operates has great
|
|
influence over how we live and work.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> In modern democracies power is separated. We distribute legislative,
|
|
executive and judiciary powers between different institutions. Furthermore
|
|
we distribute responsibilities between several levels of competence, e.g.
|
|
central government, regional government, and local government. A key
|
|
function of the freedom of the press is to safeguard against the formation
|
|
of an informational monopoly, where too much power would be concentrated in
|
|
too few hands. A key benefit of effective democracy is that you could give any
|
|
office inside the democratic system to your worst opponent.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
It would represent a great danger to democracy if the critical social instrument
|
|
that software constitutes were controlled by only a small group. Not
|
|
only does our communication depend on software, but
|
|
also a big part of society's infrastructure. FSFE wants to voice the
|
|
interests of computer users, and to hand control of software's future to
|
|
everybody. Society cannot afford to be dependent on private interests when it
|
|
comes to a tool as important as software.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<h2>Freedom</h2>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Our society must ensure that everybody has the opportunity to shape
|
|
software for themselves. This requires that we have the freedom to use
|
|
software for any purpose, to study how it works, to share it with others,
|
|
and to make improvements.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<ul>
|
|
<li>
|
|
<strong>Use:</strong> The freedom to use the software for any
|
|
purpose fights discrimination, and ensures equal opportunity for
|
|
everyone to participate in the society.
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>
|
|
<strong>Study:</strong> The freedom to study how software functions is
|
|
central to an understanding of how this critical tool works.
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>
|
|
<strong>Share:</strong> The freedom to distribute the software
|
|
ensures that we can assist others by sharing it with them.
|
|
</li>
|
|
|
|
<li>
|
|
<strong>Improve:</strong> Lastly, a society must have the freedom to change
|
|
its tools in order to develop them, and to adapt them to personal needs.
|
|
</li>
|
|
</ul>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
Software that respects these four freedoms is Free Software.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>
|
|
A democratic society needs firm foundations. One of these foundations is <a href="/freesoftware/freesoftware.html">Free Software</a>.
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
</body>
|
|
|
|
<author id="kirschner" />
|
|
<date>
|
|
<original content="2010-04-23" />
|
|
</date>
|
|
<sidebar/>
|
|
</html>
|
|
|