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<title>Proprietary Incompatibility
- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
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<a href="/proprietary/proprietary.html">Malware</a> /
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<h2>Proprietary Incompatibility</h2>
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<hr class="full-width" />
<p>Nonfree (proprietary) software is very often malware (designed to
mistreat the user). Nonfree software is controlled by its developers,
which puts them in a position of power over the users; <a
href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">that is the
basic injustice</a>. The developers and manufacturers often exercise
that power to the detriment of the users they ought to serve.</p>
<p>This typically takes the form of malicious functionalities.</p>
<hr class="full-width" />
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<div class="article">
<p>One of these malicious functionalities is the deliberate
incompatibility of a program with third party software that operates on
the same data types.</p>
<p>A fairly common sort of incompatibility is the use of secret formats
or protocols. This directly blocks or hinders users from switching to
any other program—and, in particular, from switching to free
software which can liberate the device the software runs on.</p>
<p>Apart from being deliberately anticompetitive, secret formats put users'
digital data at risk. For instance, retrieval of old data will become very
difficult if support for the proprietary software that can read it is
discontinued.</p>
<p>Another sort of incompatibility occurs when a system makes some
important operation which would be necessary for migrating data to any
other system so cumbersome or so slow that it isn't doable for more than
a small amount of data.</p>
<p>More generally, the major tech companies tend to impose <a
href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/07/interoperability-fix-internet-not-tech-companies">
artificial restrictions</a> on the interoperability of their products to
monopolize the market, and this is often achieved through proprietary
malware.</p>
<div class="important">
<p>If you know of an example that ought to be in this page but isn't
here, please write
to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>
to inform us. Please include the URL of a trustworthy reference or two
to serve as specific substantiation.</p>
</div>
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<li id="M202311070">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2023-11</small>'
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<p>Chamberlain Group <a
href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/11/chamberlain-blocks-smart-garage-door-opener-from-working-with-smart-homes/">blocks
users from using third-party software</a> with its garage
openers. This is an intentional attack on using free software. The
official garage opener proprietary mobile app is now also <a
href="https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/09/lead-me-not-into-temptation/#chamberlain">infested
with ads, including up-selling its other services and devices.</a></p>
</li>
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<li id="M201803300">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2018-03</small>'
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<p>In MacOS and iOS, the procedure for <a
href="https://support.apple.com/guide/photos/export-photos-videos-and-slideshows-pht6e157c5f/mac">
converting images from the Photos format</a> to a free format is so
tedious and time-consuming that users just give up if they have a
lot of them.</p>
</li>
<li id="M201802120">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2018-02</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Apple devices lock users
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in <a
href="https://gizmodo.com/homepod-is-the-ultimate-apple-product-in-a-bad-way-1822883347">
solely to Apple services</a> by being designed to be incompatible
with all other options, ethical or unethical.</p>
</li> proprietary-incompatibility.html. -->
<li id="M201605044">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2016-05</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>iWork (office software that runs on MacOS,
iOS and iCloud) uses secret formats and <a
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IWork">provides no means of
converting them to or from Open Document Formats</a>. iWork
formats have changed several times since they were first
introduced. This may have had the effect of thwarting <a
href="https://github.com/obriensp/iWorkFileFormat">reverse
href="https://gothub.projectsegfau.lt/obriensp/iWorkFileFormat/">reverse engineering
efforts</a>, thus preventing free software from fully supporting
them.</p>
<p>iWork formats are considered <a
href="https://wiki.harvard.edu/confluence/download/attachments/204385883/Format%20profile%20-%20Apple%20iWork%20Pages%20v04.docx?version=1&modificationDate=1459873751000&api=v2">
unfit for document preservation</a>.</p>
</li>
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<li id="M201602110">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2016-02</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>A pacemaker running proprietary code <a
href="https://www.wired.com/2016/02/i-want-to-know-what-code-is-running-inside-my-body/">was
misconfigured and could have killed the implanted person</a>. In order
to find out what was wrong and get it fixed, the person needed to break
into the remote device that sets parameters in the pacemaker (possibly
infringing upon manufacturer's rights under the DMCA). If this system
had run free software, it could have been fixed much sooner.</p>
</li>
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