[Infowarrior] - 95 Theses of Geek Activism

[Richard Forno]

95 Theses of Geek Activism
Posted by Devanshu in Science Addiction, Rants, Geek Addictions, Politics,
http://www.scienceaddiction.com/2006/07/23/95-theses-of-geek-activism/

Geek activism has not taken off yet, but it should. With the gamers
recognizing the need for a louder voice, EFF gaining momentum and Linux
taking on the mainstream on the one hand and recent severe losses in
privacy, freedom of speech and intellectual property rights on the other,
now seems to be the best time to rally around the cause.

Geeks are not known to be political or highly vocal (outside of our own
circles)- this must change if we want things to improve. So here is my list
of things people of all shapes, sizes and sides of the debate need to know.
Some of these are obvious, others may not be meant for you. But hopefully,
some of these will inspire you to do the right thing and others will help
you frame the next discussion, debate or argument you have on these topics.

   1. Reclaim the term Œhacker¹. If you tinker with electronics, you are a
hacker. If you use things in more ways than intended by the manufacturer,
you are a hacker. If you build things out of strange, unexpected parts, you
are a hacker. Reclaim the term.
   2. Violating a license agreement is not theft.
   3. All corporations are not on your side.
   4. Keep in touch with everyone you can vote for and make sure you know
where they stand on the issues you care about.
   5. More importantly, make sure they know where you stand on the issues
you care about.
   6. Everything will enter the public domain some day- even Mickey Mouse.
   7. Read the original 95 theses. Yes, they are irrelevant to these causes.
Yes, they are religious- and not even close to my religion. And yes, they
are 500 years old. But they do demonstrate how stating your beliefs clearly,
effectively and publicly to challenge the status quo can change the world.
Of course, I have no delusions of grandeur!
   8. Use TOR for privacy and anonymity.
   9. Trusted computers must not be trusted.
  10. Democrats may seem to be on your side, but keep an eye on them. They
may only be the lesser of two evils.
  11. Republicans may seem to be the enemy, but that is only because they
are in power now. The true enemy is a lack of accountability.
  12. Read Eric Raymond¹s The Cathedral and the Bazaar.
  13. Why do I have to jump through hoops just to get video off my own home
movie DVDs?
  14. Know the DMCA so you know what you are up against.
  15. The true enemy is the line: ³If you haven¹t done anything wrong, what
do you fear?² The problem with that line, as Schneier has said, is that it
assumes that the desire for privacy implies wrong-doing.
  16. Proprietary data formats must never store public information.
  17. Some corporations are on your side- find them and reward them.
  18. No one has ever told me where I could play my 45 RPMs. Why are my MP3s
any different?
  19. The analog hole is not a hole. The world is analog.
  20. If you are in the US, let your Senator know what you feel.
  21. Treating your customers like criminals- or potential criminals- will
turn customers away.
  22. This bears repeating, treating paying customers as potential criminals
is a losing strategy.
  23. Some corporations may seem to be on your side, but are not.
  24. Fair use is a good thing.
  25. Use multiple operating systems regularly so you truly understand
interoperability.
  26. Write to your local newspaper- they can shape the opinions of the
people do not understand the issues we care about.
  27. Do not follow the Electronic Frontier Foundation, participate in it.
  28. Read of Thoreau¹s words on civil disobedience.
  29. Data mining will not stop terror.
  30. Express your opinion in public.
  31. Blog.
  32. The GPL is not gospel, but it comes close.
  33. Use multiple MP3/music players so you truly understand
interoperability.
  34. If you are in the US, let your house representative know how you feel.
  35. Those in favor of suspending some liberties for security, answer this:
³Who watches the watchers?²
  36. Except for extreme cases, the government should not be in the business
of parenting our children.
  37. When arguing with people who disagree, be polite, but not
condescending.
  38. RFID is just a technology- its existence does not make us more secure.
  39. Now and in the future, presence of encryption implies nothing. In
fact, whatever it does imply is none of your business. Without any other
probable cause, the user must not bear the burden of explaining reasons for
use of encryption.
  40. Flame wars help the other side.
  41. New technologies to promote and develop media will prosper because of
computers and the Internet, not inspite of it.
  42. Security is a trade-off- what are you willing to give up?
  43. Calling Microsoft evil buys you nothing- it only polarizes the
argument.
  44. Holding Google to it¹s ³Don¹t do evil² mantra buys us a lot.
  45. Read of Gandhi¹s actions in civil disobedience. Discover Satyagraha.
  46. Use Creative Commons.
  47. Understand the difference between civil disobedience and breaking the
law.
  48. Can¹t find anything to watch on network TV? Watch Democracy TV.
  49. Frame the argument in terms of the average person, not the edge-case
geek. These problems affect geeks first, but will affect everyone in the
future.
  50. Privacy, civil liberties and civil rights are a slippery slope. The
reason we continuously fight for them is not that we all seek a utopian
society where doves fly free- in fact, I seek a perpetual Œtug-of-war¹ where
the rope gradually slips in the direction of my beliefs.
  51. Users do not want the permission to use digital media; they want to
own digital media. This means using them as they choose, where they choose,
in the device of their choice without fear of litigation or sudden
inactivity. These users are customers- treat them with respect.
  52. Support the free, public domain archives of information.
  53. Undermine censorship by publishing information censored in oppressive
countries.
  54. And then, there is the 12-step plan for the games industry.
  55. Corporations and producers of digital media must trust their own
consumers. Sales will reward trust.
  56. Breaking the law because you disagree with the current law is not the
way to solve the problem in a democratic society.
  57. ID cards do not make us more secure.
  58. Voicing your views in a Slashdot comment thread is good, in your own
blog is better, but in places that non-geeks frequent is best.
  59. DRM does not work because the customer/user has the key, cipher and
ciphertext in the player. (thanks Cory Doctorow)
  60. Bloggers have rights- be aware of them.
  61. Find out why electronic voting machines are regulated less than casino
gaming machines.
  62. Find out about Spimes- they are in your future if things go well.
  63. Have a global perspective in ideas of geek civil liberties,
intellectual property rights and so forth. Do you like your country¹s
policies in this respect? Can you help people from another country?
  64. Geek activism is not all about extreme positions. There is a gradient-
find your position on it.
  65. Read the PATRIOT ACT- know what you are really up against.
  66. In the US, put a few technologists in power in Washington. Abroad, do
the same for your own seat of government.
  67. Write to mainstream media- they have more mindshare than they are
given credit for.
  68. Read what your founding fathers said before taking someone¹s word for
it. Quote the founding fathers back at them- there were so many of them, and
they said and wrote so much, that you will find a quote for each situation.
Try this one for starters, ³Those who would give up essential Liberty, to
purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.² ­
Benjamin Franklin. Read more Bejamin Franklin. Read more cool quotes
  69. Read more.
  70. Mixed tapes are legal. Time-shifting TV is legal. Regardless of the
media.
  71. Decide what is offensive for yourself- don¹t let the government decide
it for you. If you do not, pretty soon, you may only see one side of every
argument.
  72. Music purchases should not be governed by determining which seller has
the most clout among the player manufacturers.
  73. We do not lock the door to our bedrooms or bathrooms because we have
something to hide. We do not secure our networks, conversations, emails and
files because we have something to hide.
  74. Make sure that if a vendor locks you in, you lock them out.
  75. 80% of games are not rated M.
  76. You may agree with Richard Stallman, but make sure you understand the
opposing point of view.
  77. An email tax to certify that it is ³legitimate² is an aweful idea.
  78. Know your rights and be prepared to defend them.
  79. Open source is not free.
  80. Free is open source.
  81. The ESRB game rating system exists for a reason- so that parents can
be parents and the government can get on with more important stuff.
  82. Do not allow corporations to get away with assisting oppressive
regimes. Let your voice be heard.
  83. Linux is no longer a philosophy- it is a good piece of software. Use
it because it if it fits your needs.
  84. There are reasons based in mathematics that establish the NSA wiretaps
and other similar brute data mining ideas do not work.
  85. Multiple nag screens that warn us of possible insecurity do not make
us more secure.
  86. More information available to the most nummber of people is a good
thing.
  87. There are DRM free alternatives for music you can play anywhere.
  88. Vote.
  89. Free as in free lunch is good. Free as in a free people is even
better. For software and for everything else.
  90. Quoting Schneier¹s blog: Cardinal Richelieu understood the value of
surveillance when he famously said, ³If one would give me six lines written
by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have
him hanged.² Watch someone long enough, and you¹ll find something to
arrest‹or just blackmail‹with. Privacy is important because without it,
surveillance information will be abused: to peep, to sell to marketers and
to spy on political enemies‹whoever they happen to be at the time.
  91. Read our modern geek philosophers- read Bruce Perens, Cory Doctorow,
Bruce Sterling and even Richard Stallman. Read Schneier to find practical
reasons why stupid security mechanisms are stupid. Read them even if you
disagree with them- it will help frame your point of view.
  92. DRM only keeps an honest user honest.
  93. You have the right to anonymity on the internet.
  94. Be proud of being a geek, a gamer, a privacy advocate, promoter of
free speech and an innovator without fear of litigation, of government or
restrictions on liberties- a geek activist.
  95. Most of all- have fun.

If you disagree with any or all of what I have said- good for you. Let me
know how. Let me know why. Let us argue, let us debate. But, in the end, let
us get stuff done.