On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 09:56:50AM -0500, Stephen Adler wrote:
> I think linux will play a big role in keeping google and other media 
> companies at bay. 

It won't; they can not be stopped.  It's a simple fact caused by the
nature of the technology and by human nature.  They have something you
want, and you don't really have any alternatives.

> I'm thinking a cell phone project is needed. Call it GNUFone. Adopt
> an open architecture cell phone and port linux to it. Then you can
> run KDE and/or Gnome Fone apps..

You still need a carrier, who will by necessity have access to all
your communications.  You still also will have the services you're
using being delivered by someone... they also by necessity have access
to vast amounts of information regarding what you're doing.  In many
cases, the content you're accessing is not being delivered to you by 
the people who own the content... someone is doing it for them.  Often
that someone is delivering content for many different entities.  As
such, they are in a unique position to collect all sorts of
information about your usage patterns, and sell that information to
whomever is interested.  Scrupulous businesses will not collect
personally identifying information about you... but how do you know if
the people delivering the content you're using are scrupulous?  You
don't even have a relationship with these people; you're using their
services entirely unknowingly.

Bottom line: you lose.  Your privacy is already gone.

The only hope: wireless is ubiquitous.  It should be possible for
people to create their own internet, entirely free of the corporate
and government controls.  But, such a network is both unlikely to
carry the content you want, and likely to be infiltrated by the
corporate and government entities that you're trying to keep out, by
its very public nature.

-- 
Derek D. Martin    http://www.pizzashack.org/   GPG Key ID: 0xDFBEAD02
-=-=-=-=-
This message is posted from an invalid address.  Replying to it will result in
undeliverable mail due to spam prevention.  Sorry for the inconvenience.