Fostering Responsibility in the Digital Age through Free and Open-Source Software
Dear Academicians,
Please teach your students about Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) and encourage them to use FOSS products, so that they can grow into responsible adults, rather than into zombies.
It is our moral responsibility as educators to impart the knowledge and importance of Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) to our students. By encouraging the use of FOSS products, we can help shape responsible and informed adults who value their digital freedoms and privacy.
Proprietary Software Is Often Malware
Proprietary software, also called nonfree software, means software that doesn't respect users' freedom and community. A proprietary program puts its developer or owner in a position of power over its users. This power is in itself an injustice.
Power corrupts; the proprietary program's developer is tempted to design the program to mistreat its users. (Software designed to function in a way that mistreats the user is called malware.) Of course, the developer usually does not do this out of malice, but rather to profit more at the users' expense. That does not make it any less nasty or more legitimate.
Building a Secure and Ethical Digital Toolkit
To foster responsible digital practices, educators should introduce students to FOSS alternatives across various domains:
Linux as Operating System
Linux, with distributions like Ubuntu, offers a robust, secure operating system that doesn't require antivirus software, thanks to its inherent security features. It promotes a culture of transparency and user control, making it an ideal choice for learning and computing.
App Stores: F-droid - The Open-Source Repository
F-droid serves as a repository for open-source Android applications, ensuring users can download apps with full knowledge of their functionality and security. This transparency is a stark contrast to proprietary app stores, where app behavior is often opaque.
Social Media: Decentralized Platforms - Mastodon and Bluesky
Mastodon and Bluesky, utilizing protocols like ActivityPub and AT, offer decentralized social media experiences. These platforms empower users by eliminating the control of a single entity, fostering a community-driven approach to social interaction.
Messaging: Secure and Sovereign Communication
Signal and Element provide secure, end-to-end encrypted messaging services. Element, with its federated architecture, allows users to host their own servers, ensuring sovereignty over their communication.
Artificial Intelligence: Ethical AI with Hugging Face
Hugging Face models, such as those from deepseek and Mixtral, offer ethical AI solutions developed with community input. These models exemplify how FOSS can provide transparent and accountable AI, unlike proprietary systems that may prioritize profit over user interests.
A Call to Action for Educators
Educators play a pivotal role in shaping the digital literacy and ethical understanding of their students. By integrating FOSS into the curriculum, we can empower students to make informed choices, fostering a generation that is both technologically literate and ethically grounded.
The adoption of FOSS is more than a technical decision; it's an ethical commitment to freedom, transparency, and community. As educators, let us champion this cause, not just for the benefit of our students, but for the future of an open, secure, and responsible digital society.
Together, we can ensure that our students are not passive consumers but active participants in the digital world, equipped to navigate and shape it responsibly. The time to act is now—let us embrace FOSS and a future generation of informed, responsible digital citizens.