Stallman is in computing circles a near legendary figure, and certainly one of the more influential persons in recent computing history. So the chance to listen to him speak at the nearby De Montfort University was worth braving the bitter cold for.

While Stallman isn’t a particularly great orator, his views were conveyed effectively enough (without powerpoint!) to keep your attention for the two hours. And his message is stark. In the digital world we are being stripped of freedoms in a way that would be unthinkable in the real-world (aka ‘meatspace’). While each of the nine threats outlined seem innocuous enough on their own, together the effect is rather chilling, very “1984”. We are sleep-walking into a world where we are under near-constant surveillance, where we can be punished without trial and where the demands of unaccountable business is paramount. Maintaining the freedoms and democracy painfully won over generations isn’t something that just happens, but something that has to be actively campaigned for.

Stallman could come across as rather paranoid in for instance eschewing a mobile phone, but it’s more as a logical outcome of his position. It’s well known your location can be tracked through your phone and if you truly believe you have the fundamental right to go about your business without being monitored then why carry one? You have to admire someone who has thought through a viewpoint and chosen to follow it’s consequences. There is much that I would agree with such as his description of Facebook as a giant surveillance engine. But for me I think the deeper issue is that for the most part people don’t really seem to care and don’t understand the issues. Those issues usually concern democratic principles that anyone should understand, but the technical nature tends to cloud things. For instance can you explain why UEFI is an attack on freedom?* And a digital society where the discussion on our rights and freedoms either isn’t happening or is controlled by companies and governments is a worrying one.

[*] UEFI can force computers to boot only ‘approved’ operating systems. At its paranoid worst it means you will only be able to have an officially sanctioned computer. And if you can’t own and control your own computer, who is controlling it?