<!--#include virtual="/server/header.html" --> <!-- Parent-Version:1.841.96 --> <!--#set var="DISABLE_TOP_ADDENDUM" value="yes" --> <!-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please do not edit <ul class="blurbs">! Instead, edit /proprietary/workshop/mal.rec, then regenerate pages. See explanations in /proprietary/workshop/README.md. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --> <title>Proprietary Tyrants - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/side-menu.css" media="screen,print" /> <!--#include virtual="/proprietary/po/proprietary-tyrants.translist" --> <!--#include virtual="/server/banner.html" --> <div class="nav"> <a id="side-menu-button" class="switch" href="#navlinks"> <img id="side-menu-icon" height="32" src="/graphics/icons/side-menu.png" title="Section contents" alt=" [Section contents] " /> </a> <p class="breadcrumb"> <a href="/"><img src="/graphics/icons/home.png" height="24" alt="GNU Home" title="GNU Home" /></a> / <a href="/proprietary/proprietary.html">Malware</a> / By type / </p> </div> <!--GNUN: OUT-OF-DATE NOTICE--> <!--#include virtual="/server/top-addendum.html" --> <div style="clear: both"></div> <div id="last-div" class="reduced-width"> <h2>Proprietary Tyrants</h2><a href="/proprietary/proprietary.html">Other examples of proprietary malware</a><div class="infobox"> <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" /> </div> <div class="article"> <p>A <em>tyrant</em>deviceisonea malicious device that refuses to allow users to install a different operating system or a modified operating system. These devices have measures to block execution of anything other than the “approved” system versions. We also refer to this practice as <em>tivoization</em>. </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> <div class="column-limit" id="proprietary-tyrants"></div> <ul class="blurbs"> <!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M202312040"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2023-12</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p>Bungie's Destiny 2 is plagued with two major flaws:</p> <ul><li> <p>Some LG TVs<li>Like all proprietary tethered games, <ahref="http://openlgtv.org.ru/wiki/index.php/Achievements">are tyrants</a>.</p>href="https://destinytracker.com/destiny-2/articles/is-destiny-2-down-how-to-check-server-maintenance-and-downtime"> it can't be played when the company's servers are offline</a>.</li> <li>Ever since Bungie chose BattlEye as an anti-cheat program, Destiny 2 has been <a href="https://areweanticheatyet.com/"> incompatible with GNU/Linux</a> <small>[this page can't be viewed without JavaScript]</small>. Bungie forces Steam Deck users to <a href="https://www.pcguide.com/steam-deck/play-destiny-2/"> replace SteamOS with Windows, or play from Edge browser</a>. This doesn't have to be so, as several other games that use BattlEye do support GNU/Linux systems. Rather than doing the necessary adjustments, Bungie forces users to run nonfree software in order to keep an absolute control over them.</li> </ul> </li><li><a href="http://wiki.samygo.tv/index.php5/SamyGO_for_DUMMIES#What_are_Restricted_Firmwares.3F"> Samsung<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M202210110"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2022-10</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p>Xiaomi provides a tool to <a href="https://www.guidetoroot.com/unlock-bootloader-on-any-xiaomi-phones/"> unlock the bootloader of Xiaomi smartphones and tablets</a>, but this requires creating an account on the company's servers, i.e. providing your phone number. This is the price you have to pay for “legally” running a free software operating system on Xiaomi devices. But the manufacturer retains control of the unlocked device through a backdoor in the bootloader—the same backdoor that was remotely used to unlock it.</p> </li> <!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201802120"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2018-02</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p>Apple devices lock users 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> <!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201607150"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2016-07</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p>Microsoft accidentally left a way for users to install GNU/Linux on Windows RT tablets, but now it has <a href="https://www.securitynewspaper.com/2016/07/15/microsoft-silently-kills-dev-backdoor-boots-linux-locked-windows-rt-slabs/"> “fixed” the “error”</a>. They have the gall to call this “protecting” the users. The article talks of installing “Linux”, but the context shows it is really <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a> that users install.</p> </li> <!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201412010"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2014-12</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p>Apple arbitrarily <a href="https://9to5mac.com/2014/12/01/ios-8-1-signing-window-closed/">blocks users from installing old versions of iOS</a>.</p> </li> <!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201403150"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2014-03</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p><a href="https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=14/03/15/1912255"> Intel processors will have tyrant software built in</a>.</p> </li> <!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201304080"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2013-04</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p>Motorola, then owned by Google, made <a href="http://blog.azimuthsecurity.com/2013/04/unlocking-motorola-bootloader.html"> Android phones that are tyrants</a> (though someone found a way to crack the restriction).</p> </li> <!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201212180"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2012-12</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p>Samsung “Smart” TVs have <a href="https://wiki.samygo.tv/index.php?title=SamyGO_for_DUMMIES#What_are_Restricted_Firmwares.3F"> turned Linux into the base for a tyrant system</a> so as to impose DRM. What enables Samsung to do this is that Linux is released under GNU GPL version 2, <a href="/licenses/rms-why-gplv3.html">not version 3</a>, together with a weak interpretation of GPL version2.2.</p> </li><li><p>Apple arbitrarily <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2014/12/01/ios-8-1-signing-window-closed/">blocks users<!-- Copied frominstalling old versions of iOS</a>. </p>workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201210020"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2012-10</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p>Some LG TVs <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190917164647/http://openlgtv.org.ru/wiki/index.php/Achievements"> are tyrants</a>.</p> </li><li><!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201205280"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2012-05</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p>The Apple iThings are tyrant devices. There is a port of Android to the iThings, but installing it requires <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150721065208/http://www.idroidproject.org/wiki/Status"> finding a bug or “exploit”</a> to make it possible to install a differentsystem. </p>system.</p> </li><li><!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201110110"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2011-10</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p><ahref="http://fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/">href="https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/"> Mobile devices that come with Windows 8 aretyrants.</a> </p>tyrants</a>.</p> </li><li> <p><a href="http://blog.azimuthsecurity.com/2013/04/unlocking-motorola-bootloader.html"> Some Android phones are tyrants</a> (though someone found a way to crack the restriction). Fortunately, most Android devices are<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do nottyrants. </p> </li> <li>edit in proprietary-tyrants.html. --> <li id="M201105070"> <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2011-05</small>' --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --> <p><ahref="http://boycottsony.org">Thehref="https://www.defectivebydesign.org/sony">The Playstation 3 is atyrant</a>. </p> </li> <li> <p><a href="http://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=14/03/15/1912255"> Intel processors will have tyrant software built in</a>. </p> </li> <li> <p>Microsoft accidentally left a way for users to install GNU/Linux on Windows RT tablets, but now it has <a href="http://www.securitynewspaper.com/2016/07/15/microsoft-silently-kills-dev-backdoor-boots-linux-locked-windows-rt-slabs/"> “fixed” the “error”</a>. They have the gall to call this “protecting” the users. The article talks of installing “Linux”, but the context shows it is really <a href="/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html">GNU/Linux</a> that users install. </p>tyrant</a>.</p> </li> </ul></div><!-- for id="content", starts in the include above</div> </div> <!--#include virtual="/proprietary/proprietary-menu.html" --> <!--#include virtual="/server/footer.html" --> <divid="footer">id="footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="unprintable"> <p>Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to <a href="mailto:gnu@gnu.org"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. There are also <a href="/contact/">other ways to contact</a> the FSF. Broken links and other corrections or suggestions can be sent to <a href="mailto:webmasters@gnu.org"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>.</p> <p><!-- TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, replace it with the translation of these two: We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. 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