Software Freedom Day and the open source way

David M Williams
Monday, 10 September 2007 21:39

Business IT - Open Source

Another timely illustration of the virtues of transparency comes with software that “calls home.” The classic modern example is Microsoft’s activation process in its latest line of operating systems and its office suite. Just like above, rumours and talk abound that “Bill Gates is checking up on you.”

This is similarly true for Windows Update and Microsoft Error Reporting; these too send data back to Microsoft and regularly are suspected of reporting possible, or perceived, infringing activities. Now, again, we’re not saying these rumours are true but simply that they exist, and they will always continue to exist wherever the software remains an impenetrable black box. If the application’s behaviour cannot be freely inspected then speculation will run rife, and typically this will tend towards views that regard the vendor with suspicion.

Once again, this is impossible with open source software. If an open source app calls home, the relevant section of code can be easily examined by any person who can read and understand the program code. And there’s definitely no doubt any app with even a whiff of hostility or privacy invasion would be lambasted on SlashDot, Digg and all across the reaches of the Internet.

The above examples are things we’ve all experienced; they’re pretty easy to understand. Let’s step it up a notch. In today’s world, technology is ubiquitous. Software is found in many places, and this can include quite un-technical areas that relate to our basic and simple operation in the world. Consider for a moment that most modern democracies are experimenting with, or considering, electronic voting. Presently, the manual paper- and labour-intense electoral systems are understood. Voters know their identity is crossed from a roll, that their individual ballot paper is marked by them and sealed, and that it is later counted with scrutineers of varying political persuasion watching. The processes, along with its checks and balances, have a transparency about them. They can be understood. They can be trusted.

In complete disparity, electronic voting systems are not understood and nor are they transparent. With automation goes the row upon row of people watching people. If the voting system cannot be trusted then likewise the results it yields can not be trusted either. At best, even if you have full faith in your society and government, it must be conceded that without independent verification of the process, the results can not be free from suspicion or rumour.

It’s at this point that software freedom takes on a whole new meaning and a whole new level. The promoters of Software Freedom Day are striving to bring attention directly to the effect technology today can have on basic human rights. Voting is but one example; education, health, communications, justice and many other areas all use technology heavily. Software freedom is about ensuring your civil rights are protected, through the use of program code which is open and accessible and that can be examined by any third party. Under these conditions it can thus ultimately be trusted – for if the technology is untrustworthy then the results and outputs are worthless.