Δυο γάιδαροι μαλώνανε σε ξένο αχυρώνα
Source in Greek
- User data is a kind of property
- The owner of user’s data is, obviously, the user
- In FOSS, code is a product and also the developer’s property
- Licensing is protecting the freedom of the code.
- You can use published code, as far its License approves
- If there is no published License, the code cannot be used/shared.
- Apply Code Licensing to User’s Collected Data
- In the case of a distro that collects user data, they need user approval, but how many choices do they offer to the users, in comparison to the well known Licenses? (yes/no)
- It gets very complicated, so I speed up to my personal conclusion:
Any user data collected by a distribution, can only be used under the same License on which they provide the rest of their software. Publish like OSS code.
I hear the immediate question:
How can user data be published in the open, so anyone can see?
The answer is simple, and similar as when you ask “which words are bad?” (those that a child shouldn’t hear)
If publishing user data in the open, produces embarrassment to the users that own the data, then they selected the wrong set, type, and/or format of that data.
There might be another question:
Why would a distro collect user data, and share them with their competition?
Tell that to the distro managers/staff that are supposed to manage Free Open Source Software.
There is nothing to hide from competitors, when everything is published.
There goes this post’s opening statement.
They are arguing over something that is not theirs, as if they are the owners.