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Richard Stallman's Political Notes

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College campuses have amped up surveillance

vendredi 30 octobre 2020 à 01:00

*From simple location-tracking apps to buttons that measure biometrics, college campuses have amped up surveillance in response to Covid-19.*

The article lacks a sharp conception for judging whether these systems are just or unjust and necessary or unnecessary, and for separating those characteristics from painfulness.

The conditions Vassar students had to sign up to must be very painful, and I might have taken a year off rather than accept them. But they are not unjust and may well be necessary to open the campus safely.

The PathCheck app's actions, assuming that the article describes them fully and accurately, seem to be legitimate provided the college makes proper commitments not to let any company or other organization handle any of the data nor to save it nor use it for anything else. But the fact that it is a nonfree app running in a mobile phone makes it unacceptable.

I'd apply the same criteria to reporting one's symptoms daily. That is ok, provided one doesn't have to do it via a portable phone or a nonfree program, and the school won't let any other organization handle the data, or save it for long.

(satire) State's official voting pen

vendredi 30 octobre 2020 à 01:00

(satire) *Lines Come To Standstill Outside Wisconsin Polls After State’s Official Voting Pen Rolls Under Vending Machine.*

Eco-friendly products

jeudi 29 octobre 2020 à 01:00

Amazon has a special store for selling "eco-friendly products".

This is sadly ironic, because buying them via Amazon is not eco-friendly. And that's in addition to all the way Amazon harms society.

Wisconsin's postal votes

jeudi 29 octobre 2020 à 01:00

The Supreme Court ordered Wisconsin to stop counting postal votes at the end of Tuesday, so Democrats are wisely calling on voters to drop them off rather than mail them.

Repressive Islamic rulers

jeudi 29 octobre 2020 à 01:00

Repressive Islamic rulers are revealing their agenda of world-wide censorship.

The sad thing is that they have inflamed the fanaticism of their followers to the point that these ravings win them more support at home. (The wrecker in the US is similar to them.) But it is totally wrong to appease them with any significant concession.

Rather, we need to teach people to recognize that Islamic rule tramples the human rights of everyone, Muslim or not.

I'm richer than you! infinity loop