proprietary.html

[Diff Report]

Modified:

    proprietary.html

diff -rNU2 proprietary.html proprietary.html
--- proprietary.html    2022-09-24 04:01:47.174825945 +0000
+++ proprietary.html    2022-10-11 04:01:54.150864078 +0000
@@ -74,25 +74,47 @@
 This power is in itself an injustice.</p>
 
-<p>The point of this page is that the initial injustice of proprietary
-software often leads to further injustices: malicious
-functionalities.</p>
-
-<p>In this section, we also list <a
-href="/proprietary/malware-mobiles.html#phone-communications">one
-other malicious characteristic of mobile phones, location tracking</a>
-which is caused by the underlying radio system rather than by the
-specific software in them.</p>
+<p>The point of this directory is to show by examples that the initial
+injustice of proprietary software often leads to further injustices:
+malicious functionalities.</p>
 
 <p>Power corrupts; the proprietary program's developer is tempted to
-design the program to mistreat its users.  (Software whose functioning
-mistreats the user is called <em>malware</em>.)  Of course, the
-developer usually does not do this out of malice, but rather to profit
-more at the users' expense.  That does not make it any less nasty or
-more legitimate.</p>
+design the program to mistreat its users.  (Software designed to
+function in a way that mistreats the user is called <em>malware</em>.)
+Of course, the developer usually does not do this out of malice, but
+rather to profit more at the users' expense.  That does not make it
+any less nasty or more legitimate.</p>
 
 <p>Yielding to that temptation has become ever more frequent; nowadays
 it is standard practice.  Modern proprietary software is typically
-a way to be had.</p>
-<hr class="thin" />
+an opportunity to be tricked, harmed, bullied or swindled.</p>
+
+<p>Online services are not released software, but in regard to all the
+bad aspects, using a service is equivalent to using a copy of released
+software.  In particular, a service can be designed to mistreat the
+user, and many services do that.  However, we do not list instances of
+malicious dis-services here, for two reasons.  First, a service
+(whether malicious or not) is not a program that one could install a
+copy of, and there is no way at all for users to change it.  Second,
+it is so obvious that a service can mistreat users if the owner wishes
+that we hardly need to prove it.</p>
+
+<p>However, most online services require the user to run a nonfree
+app.  The app <em>is</em> released software, so we do list malicious
+functionalities of these apps.  Mistreatment by the service itself is
+imposed by use of the app, so sometimes we mention those mistreatments
+too&mdash;but we try to state explicitly what is done by the app and
+what is done by the dis-service.</p>
+
+<p>When a web site provides access to a service, it very likely sends
+nonfree JavaScript software to execute in the user's browser.  Such
+JavaScript code is released software, and it's morally equivalent to
+other nonfree apps.  If it does malicious things, we want to mention
+them here.</p>
+
+<p>When talking about mobile phones, we do
+list <a href="/proprietary/malware-mobiles.html#phone-communications">one
+other malicious characteristic, location tracking</a> which is caused
+by the underlying radio system rather than by the specific software in
+them.</p>
 </div>
 
@@ -101,4 +123,10 @@
 back them up), but there are surely thousands more we don't know about.</p>
 
+<p>Ideally we would list every instance.  If you come across an
+instance which we do not list, please write to webmasters@gnu.org to
+tell us about it.  Please include a reference to a reputable article
+that describes the malicious behavior clearly; we won't list an item
+without documentation to point to.</p>
+
 <p>If you want to be notified when we add new items or make other changes,
 subscribe to the <a
@@ -408,5 +436,5 @@
 <p class="unprintable">Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2022/09/23 13:34:19 $
+$Date: 2022/10/10 12:04:02 $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>