Open Source or Free Software?

Hi everyone,

Since "Open Source vs. Free Software" is something that we have covered in class, I thought I should briefly touch it here!

Let's start with some definitions:

Open source software usually refers to "computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a free software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software." Open source software is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner.

According to this,

“Free software” means software that respects users' freedom and community. Roughly, the users have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. With these freedoms, the users (both individually and collectively) control the program and what it does for them.

While these two concepts are quite similar, the latter emphasizes the "Freedom". The question is "which one do you prefer?"

Personally, I think Free Software is the way to go. It allows for broader range of modifications (more freedom!) to accomodate various real life issues. According to Stallman, The freedom that Free software provides is very much essential, not only for the individual users' sake, but for society as a whole because they promote sharing and cooperation. In a digitized world free software becomes increasingly essential for freedom in general.

To me, open source softwares always lack something; sometimes it is integrity that is absent, and other times it is their ever-changing property that just does not do it! Whatever it is, I rarely enjoy working with an open source software. I am quite sure I am not the only one that feels like this. Do a quick Google search and you will see how many people are actually tired of the Open Source concept.

I know this is short, but there is not much to talk about this issue. It is more of a philosophical issue than a scientific one! I really want to know what you think; leave me comment let me know!

Bill C-30, Better Known as Online Spying Act

Hello everyone!

First, I apologize for posting a bit late. I will post a number of articles in the next few days to get caught up.

These days, Bill C-30 is a hot topic. In case you are not familiar with this bill, you can read about it on the website of the Parliament of Canada, and here. In short, Bill C-30 grants the Canadian government access to users' online information such as IP address, name and other personal information through Internet Providers.

This bill has been created to target internet predators, and has also been called the “Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act”. Due to its possible (and probable) "spying" consequences, it has also been nicknamed "Online Spying Bill".

The introduction of this bill has caused major public debates, and while a few, such as Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, think this is a great idea, and it enhances citizens' security, there are thousands of people against it. Websites have been created to provide public awareness regarding (and against!) this bill; an online petition was created that asks Stephan Harper to respect the Liberal amendments to the Online Surveillance Bill; people decided to "tell vic everything" and flood the Minister's tweeter; and some even decided to threaten him! Here are a few example of the fun tweets tweeted to Toews (taken from here)!

"I don't like you,"

"I lost an email from my work account yesterday. Can I get your copy?"

"I used soy milk in my cereal today. Still on the fence about it,"

CBC news and other websites compared the this bill to the George Orwell's "Big Brother" story, 1984, while some other said it is the "Canadianized" version of SOPA.

On the other side of the story is Vic Toews who has stated that the people opposing the bill are supporters of pedophiles. This, and some of his other comments have been criticized by people and the media.

While I think digging up online dirt on criminals or suspects is essential to ensure citizens' security, I believe that it is an invasion of our privacy if it is done without a warrant. I also have to agree with a few of the critics of this bill in regards to its costly implementation. In this economy, I think there are better ways to spend tens or maybe hundreds of million dollars than to spend it on something that not only is not necessary but it also raises so many questions. Another major concerns is about the level of data security that the government has to provide for the users' data. I truly believe in what Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian has said

“This is going to be like the Fort Knox of information that the hackers and the real bad guys will want to go after. This is going to be a gold mine ... The government will say that they can protect the data, and they can encrypt it. Are you kidding me? The bad guys are always one step ahead.”

I really hope the Canadian government revises this decision. I do not want to feel like a criminal and have constant fear of identity theft, privacy erosion, and spying. Many of us are immigrants and have left our home country to escape dictatorships and insecurity. It is only fair that our new home provides us with these most basic human rights, the feeling of security and trust.

Let me know what you guys think!

It's all about Google!

Hello Everyone,

This is going to be my first real blog post.

There is a lot of debate going on about the issue of privacy in the digital era. Not even one day goes by without us hearing something about identity theft, privacy violation, or illegal use of data. Today was no exception.

While Google is counted as a good friend of most of us, it is surprising to know that Google’s name is very often involved in privacy violation law suits, and believe me, Google's new privacy policies are not making this any more right (or perhaps wrong?!). You can find a long list of Google's battles here.

Today, I came across this Washington Post article about another of these battles of privacy involving Google. Privacy advocates are once again concerned about Google's new policies violating the agreement made a while ago after Google was charged with exposing information of Gmail users when rolling out Google Buzz. There are legal concerns about Google overstepping privacy rights by creating more robust profiles of users, stitching together profiles of users across various Google services. Some Europeans have already asked Google to halt the changes.

Many of us that use Gmail have recently gotten an email that informs us about the changes to be made in Google's Privacy Policy. I am not sure how many of us actually have read the email, but even if we have, according to the EPIC "Google’s announcements fail to either disclose or adequately explain that user data will be consolidated for the proposes of benefiting advertisers through improved targeting of users.” For those of you who do not know what Google has changed, you can read about it here and here.

There are also many debates going on about the legal side of the story which I will not go into.

I think the issues rising from Google's new policies concerns us all. Google claims that the users can stay anonymous if they are not logged into any Google services. For me, Google is the go-to for email, calendar, online document editing, and of course web searching. It is impossible to take advantage of all of these services without logging in. So, the questions that come to mind are: how much information should I provide when I am logged in, and how can I protect them better?

It is important to understand the risks and think of a solution before it is too late. I really want to know what you think about this issue and wether or not these new policies will affect your relationship with Google. You might also want to check out this video about what Google's only solution for your privacy protection!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Who I am, and why I am here!

Hello,

I would like to begin writing by informally introducing myself.

My name is Shirin, and I am a fourth year CS major student at the University of Toronto. I currently reside in Toronto, but I will be moving to the United States in a few months to join my fiancé, Ali, in the state of Washington. My passion in life includes cooking and baking for Ali, travelling with him, and dancing.

This blog has been created as a requirement for CSC300 course that I am currently taking. Although an assignment, I am positive that I will enjoy blogging here.

In this blog I will mostly be talking about the interactions between computers and our present society, hence the name "SocioComputology". I will try to touch on different issues concerning the general population in regards to computer science and advancement of technology.

I would welcome any suggestions and feedback about the content of this blog. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know of what you think and what issues you are most interested about.