 First of all, thank you very much for the invitation and the opportunity to speak here Here in my hands, I Have more computing power than the whole world had when we landed on the moon I have more computing power than all computers together in the world and we landed on the moon and This is an extremely powerful machine Today those computers are not just in space shuttles or the base station or You don't need large buildings to have a computer in there. We have them everywhere We have them in our homes as a TV as Wi-Fi router we have plenty of them in our cars in our planes we Carry them around in our pockets or have them on our labs and some of us even have them inside their bodies for example as a hearing aid or Directly connected to the heart as a defibrillator So You can do all those things with one single machine One single machine which does all those things because it's a general-purpose machine and This machine we will be able to solve so many problems in the future Because it's not limited we can do everything with it so There are so many possibilities Which we have with this machine So many things we can do with so many problems humankind can solve with those machines And even if together we all together sit here and brainstorm about crazy ideas What we can do with that it will just be a fraction of that what would be possible When we landed on moon people would not have imagined what we would to do today with those computers The question is how long will that be true? How long will it be the case that all of us can decide on our own what to do with those computers? Might someone else limit us in there in what we can do with these machines who will Or might limit us in what we are able to do with this powerful machines Who will control the computers around us? Who will control the computers which might be a danger for us so? Today I want to show you How companies slice by slice Took away functionality from this machine which in principle could do everything How they discovered that if they reduce the functionality of the machine that they might have a financial benefit for that so First I want to give you some examples of what already happened and then I want to share some ideas with you what we can do To counter this and I'm also looking forward to discuss those ideas and your ideas during the conference With you also after the talk, so please if you have something ideas come up talk with me. I'm here for the next two days so The first thing first cut is general purpose machine head is quite obvious for you Companies made software proprietary Before you could do everything with the software you could use it for any purpose study the source code share it with others and improve it but then They decided to cut those down So they decided who is allowed to use the software They decided to limit what you are allowed to do with that software They decided to limit who is able to learn what all these powerful machines around us are actually doing how they are functioning They made it very hard for us to understand how those machines work because they didn't provide the source code and They also made it difficult for us to share the software with others So if we solve the problem or if a problem once was solved by you in kind They didn't allow us to share this with others so that their problems are also solved and They made it very difficult for us to adopt the software to our own needs So they limited what we can do with that. They Didn't allow us to just make one small modification to the software So it does it the way we want it. They forced us to write a software from scratch or to change our behavior So it fits the software So all of that was cutting down what we can do with these machines There are lots of limitations what we have imagine if all software out there would be free software How fast we could solve problems? But in this case it's slowing us down the machine is not as powerful as it could be for humankind the Many other of those restrictions which this machine Which got from from others was Is often the summarized under the term digital restriction management, so companies invest time to make To develop functionality, which all the users don't want most of the users don't want they invest Time to make the machine worse than it was before to save their business model so one of the Why why does known examples is the sim card lock with mobile phones everybody on the streets knows about that so companies invested time to Write a program which checks what sim cards you are putting into your mobile phone and if This sim card which perfectly fits in there and the machine could deal with every sim card from all providers They check whom it belongs to the sim card and just allowed it if it's from one provider So that was not a functionality which people love that much especially when you're on vacation and if you have the same products the same phone with or without sim lock you would always choose the one without sim lock if it's for the same price but they invested time to Add functionality which most people don't want and also thereby limited what the computer else doesn't want because you kind of just say Don't allow other sim cards, but you have to add a lot of other restrictions through this computer as well Most of you probably don't know this notice because you might use software which ignores it but when people Watch DVDs They often have this unskippable tracks one or several of them and those unskippable tracks They tell them that they are not allowed to copy the DVD and They tell them what will happen when you do so And you cannot say yes, I heard that I already saw this notice for ten times one hundred times Please fast forward. That's not possible. You have to watch it every time Now the thing is what would have happened if people wouldn't have seen those notices What could be the worst thing that happened if people would not see this? They might not know that they are not allowed to copy the DVD They might not know what the punishment is. Oh, and the fine is two hundred and fifty thousand dollars they might not notice and Maybe some companies wouldn't have earned so much money. Also, that's questionable How would that be transferred to other devices? How would something like this look for a car when I drive with my car and I don't know the rules. I can do much more harm. I can actually kill people So how would something like this look for a car? Do I have to sit there every time and Then the machine tells me You have to try from the right side You should not drive as fast in the city as you drive on the highway When there is a red light, it doesn't mean drive as fast as you can but stop and And then they will tell me all the the sentences for the different things which you could do and That every time before I drive to a supermarket Would that make sense? so You have to do it every time and You couldn't say okay, I know it The the other thing they also did with DVDs was that the companies divided the world into five areas and See DVDs got a region code and the players got a region code And then you could just play the DVDs with the player from the region code We bought a DVD so when you were in vacation and you bought a DVD you couldn't watch it there but yeah, so the With music CDs There were also lots of restrictions what they introduced and attacked our machines so One thing which this journal purpose computer can do very good is copying When you have one audio file with one command you can have 10 100 1000 or a million without much cost It's very very easy and with the internet you can make these copies from one place around the world to another Now you would think that the music industry Was very happy when there was a wide distribution of computers and diverse was cheap internet connection And I thought wow we don't have to press the CDs anymore and distribute them to our shops We can directly send it to the people home But that's not what they thought at that time. They thought how can we make the computer? How can we make sure that our music files cannot be copied? How can we remove a functionality which this computer is so good at? so What they did was they developed a copy protection for the CDs and added those to the CDs Problem was that they also implemented in a bad way so when people bought one of those CDs with all CD players you often couldn't listen to the music CD wasn't working also for car CD players and so when you bought a CD it was better than if you would go to a If you would download some music files and burden on your CD yourself not really a popular thing and One big advantage at that time was that the companies they had to put a label on those CDs They had to put a label that it's one of those CDs which is restricting what you can do with them so you can decide not to buy one of those CDs next time and Some companies didn't stop there when it didn't turn out as they expected Imagine you buy a CD You go home put it inside your computer and Then there's a program installed without your knowledge and this program checks if there are programs executed which could copy the CD and if it detects one it kills it and Beside that it also opens some security holes and slows down your computer Doesn't seem That's interesting but It's what happened when you gave 20 euros to Sony for buying one of those CDs they had that for 50 million CDs and It didn't just stop to attack the computers of individuals in the end 200,000 computers of governmental and military institutions were affected by that So they attacked all the machines and remove functionality from those machines just to preserve Their business model and to make sure that you cannot copy a CD now I'll ask the question because you all have to wake up a little bit Who of you ever lent a book to someone else? And who of you already sent an email attachment to someone else? It's not that difficult, right? So I was a little bit puzzled when I first read that you can Lent books with Amazon ebooks I Thought well, it's a file. You can copy it. I it was already possible with other books It's so easy to send around files. Why is that not possible? It's not possible because Amazon and others made sure that on those ebook readers They control this platform and take away functionality from us They control those and make sure that not you are allowed to decide what you can do with this computer But that they decide what you are allowed to do with this computer So they decide that you are not allowed to lend a book and just keep it on your reader And when you want to lend a book you have to lend all your books your whole bookshelf and then after some time they developed the functionality to do it, but That was all because they first introduced those restrictions so from those Things that you were at that people companies were attacking our computers like with the Sony rootkit or that they added restrictions to Other devices outside like the CDs with the ebook readers you go deeper You control the whole computer and make sure that you cannot install another program there to circumvent this Who of you heard about we if he's a new boot and trust a platform module tpm Okay, so it The theory The theory is that the theory is that you have a chain of trust That you decide in the beginning what Operating from your hardware will boot so it works that there are keys in the hardware and Then you you check what? Those operating system if it has the right signature with this key and if it has the right signature it will start So you can make sure that I trust the key of my distributor and then it will boot The operating system and if it was manipulated and thereby the the signature will be changed it will not boot So I will be I will be protected against attackers at this level already And then his operating system will start and can also check which applications should be on this machine Which applications are allowed to be installed and what what permissions they have so I could for example I would be warned if Sony tries to install a rootkit on my machine It will not allow this probably and I could also make sure to give programs the right permissions to do something with my data or not do it For example, I could decide to give Amazon the right to download ebooks And I could also give Amazon's program the right to read those files on my machine So I can read them on the computer, but I might not give them the right to delete those I would as that's actually one thing I forgot to talk about at the book part that They didn't just invent this but they also removed books later from you so they They afterwards when you already bought a book they deleted those books from all the machines happened for example with George Orwell's 1984 they removed the books from all the readers of the people without anyone knowing it or You couldn't do anything against it So yeah, you can protect against such threats and you can make sure that your data is protected Well That's especially important if the owner of a computer and a user are different people So when you have to program the software of one of those ATMs The bank probably doesn't want that the user is allowed to install other programs on these machines They probably don't want that you are allowed to modify data on this machine without They knowing it they want to make sure that Just trusted people can make modifications to these machines and that you are just allowed to go there Typing a pin choose an amount get the money without installing programs changing the Computers behavior because this machine is owned by the bank not by you, but you are the user of this so the problem is that the same The same mechanisms which help to protect the owner of a computer Which helped to protect you from from attackers Can also be used Against you as the owner It can be used against the owner of the computer. You just have to make one small change You have to make one small change and that's that at the beginning You are not allowed to decide whom to trust at the first step You are not the person who is allowed to say I trust this key and I don't trust that key and At that point when you are not allowed to do this the whole thing will change and Then someone else decides which operating system will be running on this machine and which not Someone else will decide what applications you are allowed to install on this computer and which you are not allowed to install And someone else will decide what will happen with your data If it will be removed or not what you can copy and what you will not be able to copy all this is then not Anymore a chain of trust, but it's a chain of control someone else will control you what you are allowed to do with this and This is something which is at the moment Coming more and more to laptops and desktop computers as well. It was already highly implemented in gaming consoles and Epo greeners we already had them or Tablet and mobile phones, but it's coming more and more to the laptops and desktops with those developments in we if he a secure boot and tpm So the question is How do we deal with that? What will we do about it that other people take away control from us as the owners of Computers and that they decide what we are allowed to do and what we are not allowed to do That they decide what we are allowed to do with those powerful machines the first thing is We have to resist and it's it's not that that easy as I say Because often you think about why do they do that and how it might be okay? But the first crucial thing is that we do not accept this That we do not accept it in our mind that this is okay to limit this powerful machine It is not okay that someone else decides what we are allowed to do with our computers. That's not okay We should not accept it. Nobody should accept it and we have to do something against it and one thing is in your mind already Don't accept that this is a normal condition. It's not good for our society. So we should not accept it but I guess want to do a little bit more and All of you already do more because you are here and So all of you already use free software You probably also check out how free software works you develop it further you share with others in your community You help others to also use free software introduce them to it You help them to understand how software works that they can participate there you make translations so that more people are able to use the software you you share the software with others and show them Hey, you can also do this and you help people to make The computer work in a way which fits their needs Help them to make modifications so they can use computers in a way they want So that's a big contribution to preserve this the power of this tool of this computer it's a very important task and We all have to continue doing this Because the software is the heart of all these machines and we have to make sure that people can control this other more specific things for to take control about the machine itself is Help us that we preserve the right to tinker or that we get it in some legislations We should be always legally allowed to change the hardware we own We should always be legally allowed to Install software on our own computers without anyone else having to give us permission for that. We have to fight for this Second thing you saw with the CDs we have you can help to to make it sure that those Devices which have restrictions that they are labeled that they have to tell you what restrictions they have That the normal condition is a general-purpose computer and when they restrict what you can do with that That they have to tell you what you are not allowed to do with it that someone else can delete your data that someone else Can ins put data on it that you are not allowed to install other applications that you are not allowed to do Technically it's it's not possible to install another operating system and so on that should be on the label And so you can make a decision what you want to buy and what not and the other is helped to make good specifications like the with trusted computing with the TPMs and we if you stick your boot we saw more and more that they were developed in a way that Like TPM version 1.2 was still written in a way that they protect the owner that the owner has to control and now with the Drafts for version 2.0 it takes away this control and gives it to the vendors and That's something we have to monitor closely and we have to make sure that all specifications in these areas that they Make sure that the owner of a of a hardware is the one who Has the control over that and who decides what he can do with that on what not and not someone else So we have to monitor what specifications how they develop It will not be it will not happen that at one point There's a big step and then all those specifications say and the owner should not have the control it's sliced by slice and it's going one step after another and with wavy and and the TPMs we see this that it's going in this direction and when it was easy in the Long time ago it was very difficult to install a Linux on a laptop you bought but We got better and better with that so in future and We already see that now it's getting more and more complicated to install Linux on laptops or desktop computers because of that But it is something Those are all all things which are ready on a very high level like if you want to encourage someone to also develop Free software programs come here to Academy or Look at those specifications and evaluate them That's that's a lot of effort probably and not all people can spend so much time on that Can you read it? So it's important that we think about Ways for more people to participate in this movement We have to find easy ways to help to to do one part and So I want to share a few of them on Brainstorm a little bit and I hope that afterwards during conference you can come up with your own ideas so Just one I some ideas what I see around me what what people are doing where it often depends You just need a few minutes a week or a few minutes a month one thing is When people send you Dog X attachments you write back to them and tell them no. I don't want to have this Can you please send it as an ODT? very small thing and Depending on how the relationship is like if someone else wants something from you It's easier if it's your boss It might be more difficult some people might not do it with their boss That's okay. Some people might do it with their boss That's better, but it's it's always something which how comfortable people are they can do something and it's one small step the the other thing is like for example Talk about those things with politicians Politicians they they get all kind of crazy ideas from from other people they discuss with them about topics which are You can't imagine what they have to deal with so You don't have to be shy to talk with them about software freedom go there talk with them. Maybe it's once 15 minutes That's okay That's 15 minutes in a year where you go to a politician and talk with them about it at that point You might still think oh what a freak But when there is a fifth person they might think oh Assistant please research what this is about there are things like Sometimes we are too smart so we already know before which shops sell free software in on their hardware and We already know which which computers we can use for that and we don't ask other people go to a shop and say Can I have this and this device and they say no and then other people also go there and then the shops after sometime changes it So for example in the past when I was at an electronic shop I always when I had like three minutes to spare. I asked the staff Do you have any machines with free software pre-installed and then depending on my time? I either said when they said no, I either discussed with them why I would like to have this or When I didn't have time I just walked away with a very sad face and Again, it's something one person does it Not that much will happen lots of people do it there will be a change probably and It's something which doesn't cost a lot of money to do this and ask there It's a few minutes and even if you just do this once a year. That's fine the the other thing is that like sometimes when companies Sell free software on their devices We we should support them and it's something where it's very easy to say to your friends Buy this laptop there. It's pre-installed. Yes, it's a little bit more expensive, but you support something good Please don't buy it there for 50 bucks less and then ask me to help you to install it there Encourage your friends to buy a laptop switch up pre-installed with free software. It somehow works also other Like tablets and and other devices try to give money to those who value your freedom and give as little as possible To companies who take away your freedoms So that's something important. Don't be person who tries to Want to save this last bucks Just to have it a little bit cheaper if you can afford it support the people who develop free software another thing which is Also very small thing to do Show that you are part of this movement show others that you that you are part of this like when You wear a t-shirt you have a pin You put some posters in in your office Those are all small things which show others around you That you are working for the same thing that you are part of the same movement and it's it's something you should not underestimate like When I once walked around my neighborhood and then I saw someone with a hacking for freedom t-shirt and I didn't know that person That's motivating because there are others around me who believe in the same things It's in some companies they when when they see poses. Oh, there's someone who thinks the same as I do and So also like when I was here at the at the airport someone was looking at my t-shirt and I thought oh, you're also going to academy and So that's how you make people who think the same So use this show others that you that you also support it And like once I was wearing the same t-shirt here in a Berlin subway. Someone came I'm also using KDE and he was very happy. So Yeah, and that's very small thing even if you don't change anything else show that we do that put it on your laptop so other people see what you think about and What other small thing everybody can do is and it which also takes very little time Say thank you to the others In the free software community we often we just tell people oh, there is this bug there I want this feature and they complain and they discuss how to do something better and we often forget to say thank you And that's something which is also motivating for others and you can help with this With this movement to support it by saying thank you And even if you just do it once a year for example at the I love free software day on the 14th of February That's something which helps 10 minutes a year which helps So my point is That we have to find new ways very very small things people can do Things they can easily do and which are not From our expectations. They are not so high that we we expect them to do the same thing we do But that we give them easy things they can do do in a few minutes and every person and every small activity counts there and there are Still many people around the world Who don't benefit from fundamental freedoms? like freedom of the press freedom of assembly Freedom of speech Privacy or other freedoms we take as granted They have to fight for them every day and once you have them It doesn't stop there We have to defend all our freedoms again and again as a society We have to defend those and it's ongoing thing. It's not something you have it once and then it's there for all and as our world today Consist of so many computers around us and they are have so such a dominant position We also need to fight and we need to protect software freedom and the right to control our technology so thank you and Thank you for listening and thank you all for contributing to free software Good investment So the question was what I think about makers For everything Those are very important. I mean I Don't want that all the other computers out there Are not that we lose the possibility there to use them as channel purpose computers But if it comes to the worst those might be our last defense lines and It's important that we don't just control the the software But as I said that we are also allowed to modify the hardware Our own hardware. We should not be limited by someone else That we are that we can modify it and adopt it to our needs So those movements are very important and they very nice fit together with the with the free software movement Yeah, I hope they continue and Are such successful as the free software movement have been before? Google Well, they have a much larger budget than work some free software foundation Europe It's in first of all sometimes it's it's not that we fight them It's meanwhile. It's more complex. So Microsoft they are now also developing free software in some parts They they are providing free software installations where you can buy the service from them Google they also do a lot of free software things. So in some parts, there are joint goals in others. There are different goals and Yes, it's difficult when you have different goals to to To counter those on a political level. They have so many people in Brussels to do lobbying there Look at the last numbers room. For example Ertinger is is meeting with and you see okay There's people from Google Microsoft all the time there and I can tell you that as if he didn't have a meeting yet with him So it's difficult there, but on the other hand We are many we are a lot of people and a lot of people from us they don't do it in their paid time, but we do it as volunteers and So I think it's it's something which in the long run in the short term They are always more powerful, but when you look at the development for a long time. I think it's It's on our side that they slowly develop into our direction and it's more going this direction that we That they adopt free software and that they use more of disadvantages But it's something we have to of course, we have to invest to make sure that that we can still protect that we have to do all those small steps and if all of you do this and all of you convince others to do some of those small steps I Don't think that an employee from Microsoft or Google can convince people about their position Can convince people around them about their positions. That's something you You do when you're paid for it More and more parts of modern computers have their own processes in their own firmware, which is mostly proprietary software and If you buy a computer I mean the SSD for example or the graphics card and have their own firmware. How do you deal with that? How should we do deal with that? Mindy before that it was a very easy way to say like hardware operating system there are many layers between and We have to to work on those layers too We have to make sure that we control the buyers things like core boot or Libre boot We should make sure that we can change the firmware of of different different hardware and If we are not able to do this we will lose a strong part so Yeah We have to invest resources into this that this is also free software So how do you think That's actually could be a whole talk So I concentrate here on on the part of controllability of our own computers The thing you mentioned is that more and more is moving to others computers like If you want to have some stickers have some as well in this bag, so yeah We have to find solutions for this as well But it's a little bit more complicated like how can you make sure that you are for example allowed to run modified versions on someone else computer as well so that you have Similar rights and it would be your own computer How can we make sure that we can move our data to to other providers? Without losing any control over them. So there are many things they're like Think that the user data manifesto for some is a very good way forward with this There are many many questions which are still open there the Why I was highlighting this was that it's important that We also own some computers some of those computers belong to us So that we are always able to have those last computers at least to perform some some thing Some of our tasks in a way actually we on our own do and we don't depend on anyone else and by owning a device That's that's actually a very good step to do this So it's but it's two things we need both because many of the things which which is done on other people's computers They are so powerful. We cannot have those computers at home And yeah