Free software equals sovereignty? Stallman speaks

Richard Stallman, founder of the GNU Project, was recently interviewed by Rosalie Marshall of Australia’s IT news and gave the following intriguing response when asked: “Do you think public authorities should be leading the way with free software?”

Every public agency has a duty to maintain its control over its computing, as a matter of sovereignty. Using a non-free program means giving the program’s developer control over that computing. Thus, public agencies must reject proprietary software and move to free software. Venezuela and Ecuador are on the right track.

Discuss.

Hat tip: northxsouth