Andreas Gajdosik
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Texts

On the Barricades of a Free Internet

A few months ago, a casual conversation at GobGob unexpectedly turned to the topic of free software and the internet. I can’t recall the entire discussion word-for-word, but I’ll try to paraphrase the core ideas expressed by one of GobGob’s co-editors: Open source has lost. It’s too complex, unwelcoming, and nobody cares anymore. We need to admit it. People are on platforms, they want simple services, and platforms deliver. That’s just the reality.

Cambridge Artalytica

When Cambridge Analytica’s marketing practices became public in the spring of 2018, everyone looked surprised. European and American lawmakers, leaders, entire governments were surprised. But did any of them or other experts really have no idea that the Facebook API existed, had never used it or at least read its documentation, and therefore could not have known that this leak, or rather just the use of the data, was something perfectly normal?