Bonum Certa Men Certa

When They're Done Eliminating Our Software Freedom They'll Eliminate Our Freedom of Speech, Too

The below meme is from figosdev

figosdev meme



Summary: The attack on people's ability to express views or state facts is growing; it's a matter of increasing urgency because very innocuous words are nowadays being removed from the (digital) dictionary and people who are outspoken get expelled, even if pertinent facts are on their side and they're not being rude, just inconvenient to those in positions of power

THE BIGGEST incentive to crush free speech (expression of "strong" opinions, whatever that may be and in whose eyes) in Free software communities should be assumed to lie somewhere within those standing to lose the most (from critical speech, even if it is perfectly factual and polite). In the case of freedom-respecting software, the attempt to muzzle 'loudmouths' would typically come from those who already control/command the market, i.e. Red Hat/IBM, and those with ambitions to do the same, e.g. Azure/GitHub/Microsoft. It's not really surprising. It's very much expected. The last thing IBM wants is for people to open or peek at the cupboard, finding lots of skulls from Nazi era and American eugenics. Good luck opening up such subjects (IBM history) in a Fedora mailing list....

"Good luck opening up such subjects (IBM history) in a Fedora mailing list...."Clinically retarded people do exist (Nazi Germany 'euthanised' them en masse), yet years ago "Github Nuke[d] Repository Over Use Of The Word 'Retard'" (nowdays Microsoft targets even more innocuous words, as we noted in recent weeks). "You may find this interesting," said figosdev, "given the times we live in. I realise things have gotten harsher, not improved. Though there is a history here."

"Historical relevance" he called it... now it's impermissible in some projects to use words like "crazy" or "sanity check"...

"Another 1st Amendment attack," noted figosdev was in yesterday's news. "Precedents (not supporting ruling) are noted."

"Quick," said figosdev to make a point, "somebody ask Jim Zemlin if pointing out that Microsoft's founder's friend compared soliciting underage prostitutes to "stealing a bagel" is like "kicking a puppy!"..." (both are actual quotes, they're are real quotes and we have plenty of examples of the Linux Foundation suppressing reasonably harmless speech).

figosdev went on to say the foloowing regarding the Linux Foundation's Code of Conduct, which monopolistic corporations command:

Will Jim Zemlin be expelled from the Linux Foundation for unnecessary language that references violence against animals?

Does the Linux Foundation Code of Conduct condone or allow such language, outside the context of speaking against literal animal abuse?

It would be one thing for Mr. Zemlin to speak out against animal abuse, but clearly another (per the sort of business that CoC enforcers are up to lately) to needlessly create metaphors that bring up such violence with nothing other than a rhetorical purpose. Is criticising Microsoft like rape as well, or just animal abuse? Which of these metaphors are considered acceptable in the Linux Foundation Code of Conduct? Has Mr. Zemlin even apologised for this wildly inappropriate outburst?

[...]

Probably ideal to include these two URLs [from the above meme]

The meme was envisioned based on the UC Davis incident. Readers are encouraged to consider whether the top quote constitutes an actionable CoC violation, though it was chosen for simply being a very relevant quote that came up early in the search and was too good to pass up.

The fact that practically anybody (or close enough) can be found guilty of CoC violation one way or another is relevant, because enforcement is arbitrary.

The fact that the corporations pushing these measures do far worse is relevant, because they are not remotely qualified to police the words (they call it "conduct" but in practice it's generally words of others. Perhaps call it a "Code of Words" instead. Though "CoW" is arguably a sexist term in the U.K., and would itself probably would violate the CoW sooner or later.


Quoting the article about the UC Davis incident:

[...]

The task force found that the use of MK-9, the pepper spray discharged by Lt. Pike (and called a food product by Fox News’ Megyn Kelly), was not an authorized weapon for the department and its use “was objectively unreasonable.”

When asked why they felt the need to use the spray, officers initially told the task force that they felt the mob was hostile and needed to create a pathway for the officers to leave the quad. The task force concluded that “a detailed review of the evidence undermines this conclusion.”

(Yeah that sure is an unruly mob in the picture, seated on the ground. You see how people exaggerate the actions of people they're trying to silence? Cops do it -- CoCs do it -- even providers on the Cloud do it-- Let's do it! Let's Cry Wolf and Bluff!)


Developers of both proprietary and Free software need to fight back against this effort to make programming an occupation of "just shut up and code" (even software that violates human rights and helps genocide, crimes against humanity and so on).

Where next? What next?

Brakes racist

Recent Techrights' Posts

With 9 Mentions of Azure In Its Latest Blog Post, Canonical is Again Promoting Microsoft and Intel Vendor Lock-in, Surveillance, Back Doors, Considerable Power Waste, and Defects That Cannot be Fixed
Microsoft did not even have to buy Canonical (for Canonical to act like it happened)
Links 28/03/2024: GAFAM Replacing Full-Time Workers With Interns Now
Links for the day
Consent & Debian's illegitimate constitution
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
The Time Our Server Host Died in a Car Accident
If Debian has internal problems, then they need to be illuminated and then tackled, at the very least in order to ensure we do not end up with "Deadian"
China's New 'IT' Rules Are a Massive Headache for Microsoft
On the issue of China we're neutral except when it comes to human rights issues
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
IRC logs for Wednesday, March 27, 2024
WeMakeFedora.org: harassment decision, victory for volunteers and Fedora Foundations
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 27/03/2024: Terrorism Grows in Africa, Unemployment in Finland Rose Sharply in a Year, Chinese Aggression Escalates
Links for the day
Links 27/03/2024: Ericsson and Tencent Layoffs
Links for the day
Amid Online Reports of XBox Sales Collapsing, Mass Layoffs in More Teams, and Windows Making Things Worse (Admission of Losses, Rumours About XBox Canceled as a Hardware Unit)...
Windows has loads of issues, also as a gaming platform
Links 27/03/2024: BBC Resorts to CG Cruft, Akamai Blocking Blunders in Piracy Shield
Links for the day
Android Approaches 90% of the Operating Systems Market in Chad (Windows Down From 99.5% 15 Years Ago to Just 2.5% Right Now)
Windows is down to about 2% on the Web-connected client side as measured by statCounter
Sainsbury's: Let Them Eat Yoghurts (and Microsoft Downtimes When They Need Proper Food)
a social control media 'scandal' this week
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, March 26, 2024
IRC logs for Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
Windows/Client at Microsoft Falling Sharply (Well Over 10% Decline Every Quarter), So For His Next Trick the Ponzi in Chief Merges Units, Spices Everything Up With "AI"
Hiding the steep decline of Windows/Client at Microsoft?
Free technology in housing and construction
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
We Need Open Standards With Free Software Implementations, Not "Interoperability" Alone
Sadly we're confronting misguided managers and a bunch of clowns trying to herd us all - sometimes without consent - into "clown computing"
Microsoft's Collapse in the Web Server Space Continued This Month
Microsoft is the "2%", just like Windows in some countries
Links 26/03/2024: Inflation Problems, Strikes in Finland
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/03/2024: Losing Children, Carbon Tax Discussed
Links for the day
Mark Shuttleworth resigns from Debian: volunteer suicide and Albania questions unanswered, mass resignations continue
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 26/03/2024: 6,000 Layoffs at Dell, Microsoft “XBox is in Real Trouble as a Hardware Manufacturer”
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/03/2024: Microsofters Still Trying to 'Extend' Gemini Protocol
Links for the day
Look What IBM's Red Hat is Turning CentOS Into
For 17 years our site ran on CentOS. Thankfully we're done with that...
The Julian Paul Assange Verdict: The High Court Has Granted Assange Leave to Appeal Extradition to the United States, Decision Adjourned to May 20th Pending Assurances
The decision is out
The Microsoft and Apple Antitrust Issues Have Some But Not Many Commonalities
gist of the comparison to Microsoft
ZDNet, Sponsored by Microsoft for Paid-for Propaganda (in 'Article' Clothing), Has Added Pop-Up or Overlay to All Pages, Saying "813 Partners Will Store and Access Information on Your Device"
Avoiding ZDNet may become imperative given what it has turned into
Julian Assange Verdict 3 Hours Away
Their decision is due to be published at 1030 GMT
People Who Cover Suicide Aren't Suicidal
Assange didn't just "deteriorate". This deterioration was involuntary and very much imposed upon him.
Overworking Kills
The body usually (but not always) knows best
Former Red Hat Chief (CEO), Who Decided to Leave the Company Earlier This Month, Talks About "Cloud Company Red Hat" to CNBC
shows a lack of foresight and dependence on buzzwords
IRC Proceedings: Monday, March 25, 2024
IRC logs for Monday, March 25, 2024
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
Discord Does Not Make Money, It's Spying on People and Selling Data/Control (38% is Allegedly Controlled by the Communist Party of China)
a considerable share exists
In At Least Two Nations Windows is Now Measured at 2% "Market Share" (Microsoft Really Does Not Want People to Notice That)
Ignore the mindless "AI"-washing
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Still Has Hundreds of Thousands of Simultaneously-Online Unique Users
The scale of IRC