[Fsf-friends] Ban Closed Source Software and Hardware

[Mani A]

Research on brain tapping and variants are usually conducted in
secrecy by different military agencies and almost certainly by large
corporates. The former includes the CIA, FBI, certain units of the
Indian military and many others. In the US, a few judicial cases
relating to such activities have actually gone against the state. Such
research and the equipments developed are never reported to the public
and academic bodies. Exceptions include relatively lighter CIA games
like the MK-ULTRA (1952-62 : officially) that was disclosed in 1975.
Apart from these the few disclosures that have happened have been
subjected to much counter propaganda and counter actions.

With the severe advancement in the management of vague and imprecise
information since the seventies, the increase in computing power, AI,
neurobiology and advances in  'brain tapping' technologies, we have a
lot of reasons to feel all the more insecure. This insecurity has more
to do with the essential nature of closed source software and hardware
than anything else. It is too difficult even for skilled reverse
engineers to pronounce completely on what they seem to see.

Already we have good many applications available. It is so EASY to
misuse them. Some links are:

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/03/the_us_military.html
http://faculty.uca.edu/~ronmc/INFO3321/Spring_2006/Presentations/ET1/Group
5/BrainGate.doc
http://www.ladlass.com/intel/archives/cat_cia.html

Some interesting open source stuff too:
http://openeeg.sourceforge.net

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain-computer_interface
http://science.howstuffworks.com/brainport.htm
http://www.bariumblues.com/

Some controversial stuff:
http://barbarahartwell.blogspot.com/2006/12/ken-adachi-educate-yourself-promoting.html

Interesting things about the CIA here:
http://www.mindcontrolforums.com/mindnet/mn195.htm
http://www.whale.to/b/nsa7.html
http://www.thehiddenevil.com

Who knows what the CIA and other agencies have hidden in the M$Windows
to start with?

When a group of wild buffaloes is charging at you, then you must not
wait for the stampede!

These are important reasons for a total ban on closed source software
and hardware.


Best

A. Mani




-- 
A. Mani
Member, Cal. Math. Soc