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Aside from the details of this specific proposal it seems to me that government mandates on what end-user software can do is uncharted territory. How would thi

Aside from the details of this specific proposal it seems to me that government mandates on what end-user software can do is uncharted territory. How would this affect open source browsers ? The most widely known browsers (ie. Chrome and Firefox) aren't even traditional commercial products since they are distributed for free and derived from open source code.

Someone 5y ago
Having government mandates on what end-user software can do is not uncharted territory. Some examples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_th... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIF#Unisys_and_LZW_patent_enforcement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIF#Unisys_and_LZW_patent_enfo... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regula...
- tgflynn 5y ago
  Your examples don't support your argument very much. Export controls on cryptography were eliminated decades ago as it became clear that they made no sense and were counterproductive in a world where the Internet exists. Patents are a legal concept that has been in existence for centuries but enforcement is only possible through civil court proceedings between private parties. Governments are not directly involved in enforcing patents. Moreover there have been few if any successful patent lawsuits against open source software. As for the GDPR, from the wikipedia page you linked it appears to apply to enterprises that process data, not software. I don't think the GDPR attempts to restrict what data a software program can process locally on your computer. It only comes into effect if that data gets sent to some company.
  - Someone 5y ago
    > Export controls on cryptography were eliminated decades ago According to that Wikipedia page, some restrictions remain today. Even if there weren’t anymore, I wouldn’t call it a territory uncharted because we haven’t been there for a few decades. > Governments are not directly involved in enforcing patents. Not directly, no, but they decide on what’s patentable and what’s not, and on how long patents hold. For example, AFAIK the periodic Disney patent extension doesn’t come about from civil court proceedings between private parties. > I don't think the GDPR attempts to restrict what data a software program can process locally on your computer Similarly, I haven’t read the proposal, but don’t expect this regulation will forbid you to use any kind of certificate locally on your computer, or between your own computers. > It only comes into effect if that data gets sent to some company. That, IMO, is limiting “what end user software can do”.

Someone 5y ago

Having government mandates on what end-user software can do is not uncharted territory. Some examples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export_of_cryptography_from_th... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIF#Unisys_and_LZW_patent_enforcement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIF#Unisys_and_LZW_patent_enfo... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regula...

tgflynn 5y ago
Your examples don't support your argument very much. Export controls on cryptography were eliminated decades ago as it became clear that they made no sense and were counterproductive in a world where the Internet exists. Patents are a legal concept that has been in existence for centuries but enforcement is only possible through civil court proceedings between private parties. Governments are not directly involved in enforcing patents. Moreover there have been few if any successful patent lawsuits against open source software. As for the GDPR, from the wikipedia page you linked it appears to apply to enterprises that process data, not software. I don't think the GDPR attempts to restrict what data a software program can process locally on your computer. It only comes into effect if that data gets sent to some company.
- Someone 5y ago
  > Export controls on cryptography were eliminated decades ago According to that Wikipedia page, some restrictions remain today. Even if there weren’t anymore, I wouldn’t call it a territory uncharted because we haven’t been there for a few decades. > Governments are not directly involved in enforcing patents. Not directly, no, but they decide on what’s patentable and what’s not, and on how long patents hold. For example, AFAIK the periodic Disney patent extension doesn’t come about from civil court proceedings between private parties. > I don't think the GDPR attempts to restrict what data a software program can process locally on your computer Similarly, I haven’t read the proposal, but don’t expect this regulation will forbid you to use any kind of certificate locally on your computer, or between your own computers. > It only comes into effect if that data gets sent to some company. That, IMO, is limiting “what end user software can do”.