Video download link | md5sum 593aae11b7e5e06b971a2f29012bf9c6 Microsoft Lobbying Against Software Freedom Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0



Summary: There's legislation that would discriminate against Free software, boosted by Microsoft and its creeping interests, which include the so-called 'Linux' Foundation (a force of corporate occupation against the GNU/Linux community and its collective interests^*)

About a year ago Dr. Andy Farnell explained how companies like Microsoft had worked to privatise the Commons, e.g. hoarding Free software in sites like GitHub (proprietary) and then censoring, plagiarising etc. in the interests of "core infrastructure" etc. They tell us they're protecting us while stealing from us and denying basic freedom in the digital realm. They tell us we must give up control in the interest of "security" and let 'responsible' companies like Microsoft manage us. Noticing a recurring theme here?

Remember this is the company that uses crimes to impose proprietary software on people -- software that already has (partly-hidden) back doors in it -- ones that cannot be detected easily or removed. Microsoft is not people's boss, but it might feel like it can boss politicians, even outside the United States. Hence this legislation in the US, which can now be seen (similar shades) in the EU.

Yesterday this new episode of "Enterprise Linux Security" was published to say: "Supply chain attacks in open source software projects are a real possibility. In fact, we've covered actual incidents in previous episodes of this podcast. In this episode, Jay and Joao discuss developing legislation that will require the components within open source projects to be a part of a bill of materials (among other requirements)."

But the malware is sent from Microsoft (GitHub/NPM) most of the time. Shouldn't this "supply chain" be taken out of the hands of Microsoft and the NSA?

Meanwhile, here in Europe the NLnet Labs team is warning that "the proposed Cyber Resilience Act" would work against Free software (which NLnet supports). This refers to this old (15 September 2022) proposal which claims it "bolsters cybersecurity rules to ensure more secure hardware and software products."

The consultation is now closed and the very top shows a Microsoft front group, "ACT | The App Association (Belgium)" [sic] under "Public consultation ... Feedback and consultation period 16 March 2022 - 25 May 2022" (finished half a year ago).

One reader has asked, "where the fuck is the EFF on this?"

Well, EFF has been busy attacking the father of Free software, defaming him while promoting Microsoft's surveillance. ⬆ _____ ^* The 'Linux' Foundation does not speak for GNU/Linux users but for antagonistic, sometimes outright hostile, corporations that look to undermine software freedom, promoting fake security that in effect means corporations control the community and hijack the narrative [1, 2].