<p>For a while now, I’ve been playing with a thought experiment: <strong>what happens when your code is used for something you fundamentally disagree with?</strong></p>
<p>For a while now, I’ve been playing with a thought experiment: <strong>what happens when your code is used for something you fundamentally disagree with?</strong></p>
<p>Open source is great. It encourages collaboration, innovation, and accessibility. But what it doesn’t do is ask whether there should be <em>any</em> limits on how software is used. Right now, if you release something under a permissive license, you’re essentially saying: “Here, take this. Use it for whatever you want.” And sometimes, that “whatever” includes mass surveillance, AI-driven discrimination, or worse.</p>
<p>Open source is great. It encourages collaboration, innovation, and accessibility. But what it doesn’t do is ask whether there should be <em>any</em> limits on how software is used. Right now, if you release something under a permissive license, you’re essentially saying: “Here, take this. Use it for whatever you want.” And sometimes, that “whatever” includes mass surveillance, AI-driven discrimination, or worse.</p>
<p>Some people argue that this is just the price of open-source. Once you put code out there, it’s out of your hands. But I started wondering: <strong>does it have to be?</strong></p>
<p>Some people argue that this is just the price of open-source. Once you put code out there, it’s out of your hands. But I started wondering: <strong>does it have to be?</strong></p>
<p><em>(Fun fact: Apparently, just asking this question is enough to get your post removed from certain open-source communities. The conversation must be <em>very</em> settled, right?)</em></p>
<p><em>(Fun fact: Apparently, just asking this question is enough to get your <atarget="_blank"rel="noopener"href="https://www.reddit.com/r/opensource/comments/1ix38w4/comment/mej7eu5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button">post removed from certain open-source communities</a>. The conversation must be <em>very</em> settled, right?)</em></p>
<h2id="What-Is-the-Ethical-Open-License-EOL"><ahref="#What-Is-the-Ethical-Open-License-EOL"class="headerlink"title="What Is the Ethical Open License (EOL)?"></a>What Is the Ethical Open License (EOL)?</h2><p>The <strong>Ethical Open License (EOL)</strong> is a hypothetical licensing model that explores whether open-source can include ethical restrictions. This isn’t about restricting everyday users or stifling innovation. It’s about setting clear boundaries on how software <em>shouldn’t</em> be used.</p>
<h2id="What-Is-the-Ethical-Open-License-EOL"><ahref="#What-Is-the-Ethical-Open-License-EOL"class="headerlink"title="What Is the Ethical Open License (EOL)?"></a>What Is the Ethical Open License (EOL)?</h2><p>The <strong>Ethical Open License (EOL)</strong> is a hypothetical licensing model that explores whether open-source can include ethical restrictions. This isn’t about restricting everyday users or stifling innovation. It’s about setting clear boundaries on how software <em>shouldn’t</em> be used.</p>
<contenttype="html"><p>For a while now, I’ve been playing with a thought experiment: <strong>what happens when your code is used for something you fundamentally disagree with?</strong></p>
<contenttype="html"><p>For a while now, I’ve been playing with a thought experiment: <strong>what happens when your code is used for something you fundamentally disagree with?</strong></p>
<p>Open source is great. It encourages collaboration, innovation, and accessibility. But what it doesn’t do is ask whether there should be <em>any</em> limits on how software is used. Right now, if you release something under a permissive license, you’re essentially saying: “Here, take this. Use it for whatever you want.” And sometimes, that “whatever” includes mass surveillance, AI-driven discrimination, or worse.</p>
<p>Open source is great. It encourages collaboration, innovation, and accessibility. But what it doesn’t do is ask whether there should be <em>any</em> limits on how software is used. Right now, if you release something under a permissive license, you’re essentially saying: “Here, take this. Use it for whatever you want.” And sometimes, that “whatever” includes mass surveillance, AI-driven discrimination, or worse.</p>
<p>Some people argue that this is just the price of open-source. Once you put code out there, it’s out of your hands. But I started wondering: <strong>does it have to be?</strong></p>
<p>Some people argue that this is just the price of open-source. Once you put code out there, it’s out of your hands. But I started wondering: <strong>does it have to be?</strong></p>
<p><em>(Fun fact: Apparently, just asking this question is enough to get your post removed from certain open-source communities. The conversation must be <em>very</em> settled, right?)</em></p>
<p><em>(Fun fact: Apparently, just asking this question is enough to get your <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/opensource/comments/1ix38w4/comment/mej7eu5/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button">post removed from certain open-source communities</a>. The conversation must be <em>very</em> settled, right?)</em></p>
<h2 id="What-Is-the-Ethical-Open-License-EOL"><a href="#What-Is-the-Ethical-Open-License-EOL" class="headerlink" title="What Is the Ethical Open License (EOL)?"></a>What Is the Ethical Open License (EOL)?</h2><p>The <strong>Ethical Open License (EOL)</strong> is a hypothetical licensing model that explores whether open-source can include ethical restrictions. This isn’t about restricting everyday users or stifling innovation. It’s about setting clear boundaries on how software <em>shouldn’t</em> be used.</p>
<h2 id="What-Is-the-Ethical-Open-License-EOL"><a href="#What-Is-the-Ethical-Open-License-EOL" class="headerlink" title="What Is the Ethical Open License (EOL)?"></a>What Is the Ethical Open License (EOL)?</h2><p>The <strong>Ethical Open License (EOL)</strong> is a hypothetical licensing model that explores whether open-source can include ethical restrictions. This isn’t about restricting everyday users or stifling innovation. It’s about setting clear boundaries on how software <em>shouldn’t</em> be used.</p>
<h4id="What-is-your-blog-all-about"><ahref="#What-is-your-blog-all-about"class="headerlink"title="What is your blog all about?"></a>What is your blog all about?</h4><p>The purpose of this website is to give you a small overview about my projects, interests and opinions.</p>
<h4id="What-is-your-blog-all-about"><ahref="#What-is-your-blog-all-about"class="headerlink"title="What is your blog all about?"></a>What is your blog all about?</h4><p>The purpose of this website is to give you a small overview about my projects, interests and opinions.</p>
<h4id="How-can-I-contact-the-author-administrator-of-the-blog"><ahref="#How-can-I-contact-the-author-administrator-of-the-blog"class="headerlink"title="How can I contact the author/administrator of the blog?"></a>How can I contact the author/administrator of the blog?</h4><p>Mail: <ahref="mailto:tim.kicker@protonmail.com">tim.kicker@protonmail.com</a></p>
<h4id="How-can-I-contact-the-author-administrator-of-the-blog"><ahref="#How-can-I-contact-the-author-administrator-of-the-blog"class="headerlink"title="How can I contact the author/administrator of the blog?"></a>How can I contact the author/administrator of the blog?</h4><p>Mail: <ahref="mailto:tim.kicker@protonmail.com">tim.kicker@protonmail.com</a></p>
<h4id="Are-the-articles-on-this-blog-written-by-a-single-author-or-multiple-contributors"><ahref="#Are-the-articles-on-this-blog-written-by-a-single-author-or-multiple-contributors"class="headerlink"title="Are the articles on this blog written by a single author or multiple contributors?"></a>Are the articles on this blog written by a single author or multiple contributors?</h4><p>At the time of writing, all blogs were completely done by myself.</p>
<h4id="Are-the-articles-on-this-blog-written-by-a-single-author-or-multiple-contributors"><ahref="#Are-the-articles-on-this-blog-written-by-a-single-author-or-multiple-contributors"class="headerlink"title="Are the articles on this blog written by a single author or multiple contributors?"></a>Are the articles on this blog written by a single author or multiple contributors?</h4><p>At the time of writing, all blogs were completely done by myself.</p>
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timkicker
2 months ago