Perspectives of Free Software as social movement

Perspectives of Free SW as a Social Movement
Agenda
 Speaker introduction
 Importance of software and digital devices in contemporary societies
 Components and nature of the problem
 Limits of traditional activist approaches
 Why it is important to evolve Free SW activism into a mass Social Movement
 What this implies for activists and educators
 What Catholics can do in this space
 Conclusion
Quito, Congreso Internacional “Software Libre y Democratización del Conocimiento October 21-24, 2008 1
Marco Fioretti ttp://mfioretti.net marco@digifreedom.net

Speaker introduction
 Marco Fioretti (marco@digifreedom.net)
 freelance writer, activist and teacher about open digital standards, Free Software, digital technologies and the their
relations and impact on education, ethics, civil rights and environmental issues.
 Regular contributor of Linux.com, Linux Journal, LinuxFormat and other online and printed magazines
 Author of the Family Guide to Digital Freedom (http://digifreedom.net)
 Memberships:
− www.digistan.org: free and open digital standards for overall growth in the global economy
− www.eleutheros.it: a Catholic Approach to Information Technology (co-founder)
− www.OpenDocumentFellowship.com: adoption, use and development of the OpenDocument format
− www.RULE-project.org (Run Up to date Linux Everywhere, co-founder)
 Home page: http://mfioretti.net
Marco Fioretti http://mfioretti.net marco@digifreedom.net

Importance of software and digital devices
in contemporary societies
The quality of our lives and our civil rights depend every year more on which software
and electronic devices are used around us and on how they are used.
Even if we don't own a computer!

Importance of software and digital devices in contemporary societies (2)
 Digital technologies are essential for:
 preservation of official documents
 efficient delivery of education, professional training, telecommunications and public services
 guarantee equal opportunities in the workplace and other fields of life
 The way in which they are regulated or deployed already has a great influence on
how much people can actually practice freedom of speech or other basic civil rights
 Consequence: education and participation in this field does NOT belong to
computer education, but is civic education!

Components and nature of the problem
 The actual impact of hardware and software digital technologies on civil rights and
equal opportunities is a combination of many factors:
 General Legislation (availability of public documents online, freedom of speech, etc)
 Hardware costs and limitations
 Copyright regulations and copyright duration
 Availability of official, international open standards for file formats and telecom protocols
 Price and availability of fast Internet connections
 Software licenses
 Quite often, the license of the software involved in some “digital rights” problem is either irrelevant or a
really secondary issue.

Components and nature of the problem (2)
 Practical examples of the secondary role of software licenses in the Big Picture:
 Energy efficiency
 E-voting
does e-voting make any sense in the first place? Cfr http://digifreedom.net/node/52)
 Net Neutrality
 Freedom of speech
 Transparency of Public administrations
 Restrictions to file sharing and derived works
 Digital Rights Management
Free Software activists have often been the first to spot a problem, but this doesn't mean the solutions start from Free SoftwareFree Software activists have often been the first to spot a problem, but this doesn't mean the solutions start from Free Software

Limits of traditional activist approaches
 The examples demonstrate the limits of focusing mainly on software, software licenses and
software Freedoms when digital technologies limit civil rights and equal opportunities
 The ideals of the Free SW Foundation are still valid today, but:
 the default attitude and communication strategy to promote often seem just elitist.
 the expectation that every computer user could also be a competent and willing contributor
to the software he or she uses simply has no basis in reality today.
 The same applies to other common assumptions
 Cfr: “Seven Things we're tired of hearing from software hackers”, http://digifreedom.net/node/56

Limits of traditional activist approaches (2)
 Focusing on software is often wrong, or at least less effective, both technically and
strategically:
 Software programs are pens, file formats are alphabets: if the alphabet is free and
standardized, who really cares if the pen is patented? Do pen manufacturers have the
same lock-in power of software office suites developers?
 Cfr www.opendocumentfellowship.com/files/Open_formats_favor_innovation_LEM_Pisa.pdf
 Who limits the freedom of other people the most, that is who damages society the most?
 a Windows user who produces and exchange files in the OpenDocument format with MS Office,
or...
 A Gnu/Linux / OpenOffice user who produces and exchange files in .doc, .ppt or .xls closed
formats?

Why it is important to evolve Free SW activism into a mass Social Movement
 Widespread usage of digital technologies in a way more open, efficient, conscious and
responsible than it normally happens today:
− could facilitate a more active participation of all citizens to public life
 reduce public expenses at several levels
 help to create small businesses in any sector and ICT jobs less vulnerable to off-shoring
 reduce pollution (data centers could surpass the airline industry as a greenhouse gas
polluter by 2020)

Why it is important to evolve Free SW activism into a mass Social Movement (2)
 Awareness and involvement about digital issues must become mass social movements, but
− In spite of the impact of digital technologies on all citizens, including those who still
don't own and never use a computer:
− Real, positive change in all these areas will only happen on a scale large enough to make
an actual difference in a reasonable time...
 ...if there is direct involvement of a number of non-technical citizens orders of magnitude
bigger than the current population of Free Software, Free Culture and Digital Rights activists.

What this implies for activists and educators
 Adoption of a new language, new approach, new priorities
− Making more people use Free Software, or making all existing software Free as in
Freedom, is not the most urgent priority
− Focus on making people support Free Software, rather than using it personally
− Make people ask for and practice Digital Freedom and always use and demand Free as in
Freedom Formats!
− Propose Free Software only when it is actually necessary to solve a problem (cfr e-
voting)
− Start from what people really need and care about
cfr “How to turn into Free SW supporters people who couldn't care less”,
http://digifreedom.net/node/103

What Catholics can do in this space
 Catholics have even more reason than others to be active in this field:
 Who said the things below? Richard Stallman?
− "The technological configuration underlying the Internet has a
considerable bearing on its ethical aspects. Use of the new information
technology and the Internet needs to be informed and guided by a
resolute commitment to the practice of solidarity in the service of the
common good."
− With the right to be informed goes the duty to seek information.
Information does not simply occur; it has to be sought. On the other
hand, in order to get it, the man who wants information must have
access to the varied means of social communication.

What Catholics can do in this space (2)
 Who said those things? Richard Stallman?
 Answer: no, the Catholic Church. Sources:
− 1) “Ethics in Internet”
− 2) "Communio et Progressio"
 For much more links and practical proposals on this theme, please read:
− “Free Software's surprising sympathy with Catholic doctrine”
(www.linux.com/articles/49533)
(also available in Spanish at www.eleutheros.it)
− The Eleutheros Manifesto (www.eleutheros.it/documenti/manifesto) from...
−− Progetto Eleutheros – A Catholic Approach to Information Technology

Conclusion
 Technology is legislation
− Caring about (digital) technology means caring for a better world
 This is why Free Software and digital rights movements must become a mass social
movement as soon as possible
 To make this happen it is necessary to change language and priorities (which does not mean
renegading the GNU manifesto or giving up the four freedoms: it's just inserting them in the
big picture)
 Catholics have even more reasons than others for playing an active role in this field...
 as a service to the whole society!

Perspectives of Free Software as social movement

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