My Android phone prevents me from taking screenshots if an app author doesn’t want me to. [ It] prevents me from recording phone calls at the request of my carrier, even though it’s legal for me to do so in my jurisdiction. I’m not loving where all this is going.—jeffparsons at HN

Indeed, governments, large technology companies, and data brokers have come to believe that we “technology users” are resources to extract value from, “monetize,” and control as they wish.

To begin with, the group “technology users,” is modestly sized no longer. Nowadays, the club has expanded to… nearly everyone on the planet! Ponder that for a second. Computers and communication networks have shoehorned themselves between almost every aspect of everyday life. We’re neither few nor unimportant any longer—we are the citizens of the world.

Thus, we have the power to declare that the trampling of human rights now occurring in the technology realm is not acceptable, and hasn’t been for quite some time. Of course, this is a power available to us only when realized. We must band together, demand respect from service providers, and even build some of our own solutions.

(Why yes, this is the theme of the Pixar film A Bug’s Life, if anyone needs a little inspiration. ;-)

The Good Old Days

For a long time we’ve relied on idealists in the FOSS software movements, such as the Free(dom) Software Federation (FSF) and Open Source communities to give us options beyond the worst of industry practice. Born from an earlier time in the mid 1970s, when AT&T was forced to release its Unix operating system source code as part of an antitrust case. That development fostered a culture of openness in computing, built on the tradition of sharing that underpins classic STEM research. (A tradition while once strong, now limps into the present.)

The next requirement for computing freedom was the availability of cheap, accessible hardware. Thankfully less than a decade later, serendipity struck with the introduction and rapid market dominance of the IBM Personal Computer (PC) in 1981—an accidentally open hardware platform that drove down costs through competition.

This combination of events (and a lot of hard work) led to an incredible “golden era” of technological innovation and prosperity, unrivaled in history until that point. So, there was a period of roughly twenty years—from the early 1980s through the year 2000—where we were in full control of our computers and living with substantial amounts of freedom and privacy. Looking back now, industry leaders might call it an accident, or perhaps a mistake. Either way, as we began to connect our PCs together the promise of a new-fangled “Internet” grew and grew. The future felt incredibly bright in the late 90s. So much potential lay ahead.

Slumbering Giants Awaken

Towards the end of this era, the powers-that-be began to wake up and recognize the ungodly amounts of money, sheer power, and leverage at stake. As a result, the technology industry increasingly moved to seize control from the end user. Locking products down and removing choices—ostensibly to simplify and secure—but also consistently (and only coincidentally ;-) enhancing profits all the while. Early on, the push was in deference to intellectual property concerns (as demanded by vested interests by the early 2000s), an increasing focus on neophyte users, and later in concert with an aggressive rise of government and corporate surveillance.

As a result, BigTech™ enthusiastically built the walls to lock us in, and were richly rewarded. It’s clear now we’ve lost a significant amount of autonomy in the process. Further, as the mobile-revolution later demonstrated, the accident (read: mistake) of the open Personal Computer platform won’t be made again. Indeed, there are recurring attempts to “fix the past” as well. Proposals for the dreaded “attestation” tech (i.e. the securing of your computer from you, not for you) are brought up regularly to shore up imagined deficiencies of the PC. While they typically garner disgust from experts, supporters know that only a single functional proposal has to slip under the public radar to entrench itself.

So, the “golden era” of openness and freedom in computing just described is largely over. Closed off in all growth areas; hanging on by its fingernails in legacy tech.

What Now?

I don’t get no respect! No respect at all.—Rodney Dangerfield

Notably, we claim that the predominantly open PC and FOSS software combo are no longer enough, as they’ve become further marginalized by proprietary mobile and cloud-based communication systems. Hard to believe, but a growing number of services[1] [2] [3] won’t even allow one to use the web any longer! These demand full control of the client from an “app” running on government/industry-approved corporate hardware.

Therefore, we must expand our mission to include these new frontiers—a superset movement if you will. Keep in mind, the goal is not only about computers, software, or network technologies, these are merely implementation details. The issues we really care about—at their core—concern ethics and human rights. Yes it sounds lofty, but the stakes are already high, growing, and continue to do so every year.

On the other hand, it makes sense to restrict the scope of this initiative to the parts of the problem that are practical to solve in the medium-term. In short, we suggest the curation of an open hardware line and FOSS software platform, matched with a palette of ethical web services supporting of our goals. Details to follow. Allons-y, Vámonos, 我们走吧  !

We’ve discussed a portion of the past few decades in the sections above. However, it may be surprising to find out how far this struggle reaches into the past, and just how ugly it can get. A warning—the pages below are lengthy and discuss some of the darkest chapters in history:

1. Historical Background
2. Recent IT History
3. Fiction & Vocabulary
4. Doctorow Insights

For sanity preservation they might be skipped, skimmed, or deferred.

In short, we the owners and end-users of technology products must be in the driver’s seat, i.e. no longer in a position of servitude to government and business interests.

We require our computing devices, software, protocols, and communication systems to acknowledge and support the inalienable, universal, human rights we enjoy elsewhere in our lives—recently circumvented by technology.

Let us also note that narrow exceptions may be necessary and are recognized—such as anti-tampering provisions for safety-regulated devices, e.g. medical equipment or motor vehicles, as required by bodies of legitimate regional law. Yet we won’t let exceptional needs eliminate our rights everywhere else.

With the “mission” addressed, we stipulate the following three pillars of autonomy as our primary goals:

1. Freedom, including:
   • Right to Repair
   • Interoperability and Accessibility
2. Privacy, and
3. Informed Consent

Let’s dig in, shall we?

🪽 Freedom 🪽

Ahh yes, the fundamental right that others spring from. To exist freely under the absence of unnecessary constraints. To use, control, express, develop, and communicate as we please with our computing devices. Sound familiar? Yes, it’s built on the past and present of important existing work:

• The Four Essential Freedoms of Software Freedom:

  1. The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.
  2. The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
  3. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.
  4. The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

• FSF’s “Respect Your Freedom” (RYF) certification is an example for hardware, though unfortunately not well known.

• The Software Freedom Conservancy provides advice, infrastructure, and legal support to FOSS projects.

Note however—these pioneering organizations continue to focus and brand themselves on the software-freedom aspect of the effort, which of course is and continues to be of essential importance. However, though these organizations are quite aware of the hardware and emergent privacy and consent aspects of the struggle, from the outside at least it appears that they have not fully realigned themselves on that new reality, or don’t intend to.

Might this be due to how unrealistic it’s been to build an open hardware platform and/or ecosystem? That idea has been a pipe dream, as long as we can remember. But, by the mid-2020s we are closer than many realize and getting closer to the goal.

We hope to expand the pioneering work above on freedom to other realms, specifically the following:

🛠 Right to Repair

“The companies that make our stuff have gone too far, and their actions are mobilizing more people to fight back.”

An ascendant movement describing the freedom to tinker with our electronics and other machinery. This includes the right to repair or replace components, update firmware and operating system, bypass restrictions (as threatened by the DMCA), and just plain-old figuring out how things work.

Wasn’t that always the case? For the most part, but companies have increasingly moved to lock up their hardware products to prevent “unauthorized” modification, in order to minimize costs and wring every last cent of profit they can from the customer. These unfairly gained, inflated repair costs continue to boost bottom lines.

Indeed, allowing for folks to fix (or hire someone to fix) the technology products they own facilitates a better world, straight up. Not only does repair reduce ownership costs over time, it also reduces electronic waste. Competition in the repair market gives consumers greater choice and control over their computing devices, while encouraging the creation of local repair jobs. Win-win—win.

🔍 Interoperability and Accessibility

The supporting players of freedom, promoting the effective exercise thereof. Technology built to empower and not exclude.

Interoperability means that systems, formats, and protocols work together, enabling collaboration and allowing us to move data freely. Therefore, our platforms must support open standards and protocols.

Accessibility means potentially and (preferably) easy to use for everyone—that is in accommodation of the folks of differing abilities. To the now healthy people who can’t be bothered to care, remember that our own senses will decline over time. You will get old, so think ahead. Don’t forget that ease-of-use benefits often accrue to others as well. Making a product easier to use, say for example for someone with arthritis, often makes it easier to use for everyone. [1] [2]

After all, what good is computing freedom if you can’t interact with others nor access all of it fully?

✋ Privacy

“Privacy is the right to choose what you keep to yourself and what you share with others.” —Small Technology Foundation

“Privacy protects us from abuses by those in power, even if we’re doing nothing wrong at the time.”
—The Eternal Value of Privacy, Bruce Schneier, 2006

On the technology side, this is the liberation from spyware and unnecessary telemetry, as determined by each of us. The right to conduct the business of daily life in solitude if we choose—free from government, corporate, criminal, as well as private surveillance. Well-implemented security also supports privacy, as it keeps private data private.

“Ultimately, privacy protects us from the unknown. Circumstances change.”
—The need and value of privacy, Vox, 2020

Indeed they do change, and more quickly than one might think.

Devices and platforms must be designed to support privacy by default. (Continued below.)

🤝 Informed Consent

The right to be fully informed, clearly and concisely, of the ramifications of the tech products we use, including their main options and associated tradeoffs.

Yes yes yes—to the extent that it is possible of course. Sometimes a product or system grows in complexity to the point that users cannot fully understand the inner workings. And that gives the lazy or unscrupulous the excuse to not even try.

Reason dictates that platforms must give explanation the “old college try,” at a minimum, rather than deciding ahead of time what’s best for us. Because, we’ve found more often than not, that means what’s best for their creators.

Furthermore, no means no—and permanently—to sensitive options until explicitly enabled. Defaults matter, and so does the permanency of our decisions. Oops, we mistakenly reset all your privacy settings to open!—is simply despicable</Daffy> and shall not be tolerated. When there’s a bug or reset, options must fall back to the more private, less sensitive choice.

With our main goals addressed, let’s look at breaking free of the current dystopia.

Good news: it may be a bit surprising, but we’re already about 90% of the way there in terms of the most important pieces we need! The future is here, but not yet evenly distributed. Legend:

• ✅ Complete (or nearly), and open
• ✔️ Open choices exist, but need improvement
• ❌ Proprietary, or no feasible open alternative

Summary of Progress

The (approximate) current status of the Ethical Computing space:

Kindly proceed to the status page for additional juicy details.

Ninety percent, huh? Well, we feel that most of the remaining portions are not insurmountable. While a few, such as fully open hardware components are impractical to achieve without substantial capital outlay, they can continue to be worked around in the medium term through software. Though, the situation appears to be getting better across the board after a decade of decline, with new attempts popping up frequently.

What we believe is needed is for folks to notice the trend and start working together. For their part, customers must divert some money toward their freedom and privacy! This is somewhat of an outreach/education problem, but it is getting easier as big tech companies turn the screws on their customers.

Introducing the Ethical Computing Initiative.

The Plan

In short, we work together to build a unified alternative to BigTech-favoring solutions. A proposed list of milestones:

1. Build a unified storefront, then a
2. Support organization
3. Licensing deals, mergers, buyouts?
4. New products?

The current plan is to cobble a Voltron-style solution from different manufacturers and software organizations into as cohesive a platform as possible. One that mirrors the product line of a consumer-focused tech company like Apple. That pros and regular folks alike know they can go to and have their IT needs solved. A line that pulls in a few directions instead of forty-two.

The name that comes to mind for the first milestone is… the League of Non-Aligned Worlds.  😅

The League of Non-Aligned Worlds is a forum of independent alien worlds that are not formally aligned with or against any major power and which for various reasons had banded together for mutual military support, diplomacy, and trade. Membership in the League is flexible and constantly changing in response to the shifting circumstances and events in the galaxy.

Later on if successful, we might try to convince some of these companies to merge, or potentially persuade folks to invest in buying the others as necessary to complete the product line.

The idea is that expecting customers to navigate dozens of different hardware vendors and hundreds of software providers (“distros”) for support is not practical, and so one of the main goals is to unify them into a few principals.

Brainstorming a Unified Storefront

(See the status page for more details what the products below entail.)

Imagine an ethically oriented organization under a single (or few) roof(s) selling:

• Framework Laptops
  • With Coreboot firmware, Linux preinstalled
• Star Labs StarLite Convertible Tablet
  • Provider/contributor of Coreboot firmware
• System76 Servers
  • Provider/contributor of Coreboot firmware
• The OpenWRT One router, perhaps with AdGuard pre-installed

• Mobile:

  • Fairphone, Android-compatible w/LineageOS
    
  • FuriLabs, Linux Phone with Phosh
    

• Cloud services: e.g. Librem One or Murena Workspace

  • perhaps with Liberapay-type donations integrated.
  • Safe DNS and VPN etc.

• Players like Purism, Pine64, or newer hardware like SiFive’s RISC-V platform could have interesting parts to play as well, though need further investment.

(Note: these are just examples, there are a number of other choices for each category that could be substituted.)

Whether this is able to happen simply via an online store, mergers, licensing deals, stock swaps(?), or whatever, is not too important—we simply hope to get folks collaborating as a first step. The insight here is that these pieces already exist! We simply need to put them together like Legos!

New Products

So, ready to build new technology products respectful of the user? Great! But first, an important digression…

A Business Model

1. Build cool (yet ideologically imperfect) openish hardware combined with FOSS software, supported through compatible business models.
2. Sell it.
3. Profit! 💰
4. Reinvest and improve on #1. 👀

Cloud / Services

We believe Purism and Murena are on the right track here with the subscription services named Librem One (reminiscent of Ubuntu One) and Workspace, which bundle Ethical versions of mail, chat, social media, storage, and VPN, etc. They could be expanded to various hosting and support services as well. Perhaps combined with something like Liberapay to spread donations. Lots of ideas naturally spring forth.

These are great ideas, and yet the cloud services are not mentioned on the Purism front page. One has to dig down the products page just to find a link. These are the kind of rough edges that need to be solved.

This wraps up our proposed roadmap section. Close details.