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<title>Proprietary Software
- GNU Project - Free Software Foundation</title>
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<h2>Proprietary Software Is Often Malware</h2>

<div id="skiplinks">
<p class="button"><a href="#TOC">Table of contents</a></p>
<p class="button"><a href="#latest">Latest additions</a></p>
</div>
<div style="clear: both"></div>

<div id="about-section">
<p>Proprietary software, also called nonfree software,
means software that doesn't
<a href="/philosophy/free-sw.html">respect users' freedom and
community</a>.  A proprietary program puts its developer or owner
<a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">
in a position of power over its users.</a>
This power is in itself an injustice.</p>

<p>The point of this page directory is to show by examples that the initial
injustice of proprietary software often leads to further injustices:
malicious functionalities.</p>

<p>Power corrupts; the proprietary program's developer is tempted to
design the program to mistreat its users.  (Software whose functioning designed to
function in a way that mistreats the user is called <em>malware</em>.)
Of course, the developer usually does not do this out of malice, but
rather to profit more at the users' expense.  That does not make it
any less nasty or more legitimate.</p>

<p>Yielding to that temptation has become ever more frequent; nowadays
it is standard practice.  Modern proprietary software is typically
an opportunity to be tricked, harmed, bullied or swindled.</p>

<p>Online services are not released software, but in regard to all the
bad aspects, using a way service is equivalent to using a copy of released
software.  In particular, a service can be had.</p> designed to mistreat the
user, and many services do that.  However, we do not list instances of
malicious dis-services here, for two reasons.  First, a service
(whether malicious or not) is not a program that one could install a
copy of, and there is no way at all for users to change it.  Second,
it is so obvious that a service can mistreat users if the owner wishes
that we hardly need to prove it.</p>

<p>However, most online services require the user to run a nonfree
app.  The app <em>is</em> released software, so we do list malicious
functionalities of these apps.  Mistreatment by the service itself is
imposed by use of the app, so sometimes we mention those mistreatments
too—but we try to state explicitly what is done by the app and
what is done by the dis-service.</p>

<p>When a web site provides access to a service, it very likely sends
nonfree JavaScript software to execute in the user's browser.  Such
JavaScript code is released software, and it's morally equivalent to
other nonfree apps.  If it does malicious things, we want to mention
them here.</p>

<p>When talking about mobile phones, we do
list <a href="/proprietary/malware-mobiles.html#phone-communications">one
other malicious characteristic, location tracking</a> which is caused
by the underlying radio system rather than by the specific software in
them.</p>
</div>

<p>As of January, 2017, March 2025, the files pages in this directory list around 260 650
instances of malicious functionalities, functionalities (with more than 750 references to
back them up), but there are surely thousands more we don't know about.</p>

<div class="toc">
<div class="companies">
<ul>
  <li><strong>Company

<p>Ideally we would list every instance.  If you come across an
instance which we do not list, please write to webmasters@gnu.org to
tell us about it.  Please include a reference to a reputable article
that describes the malicious behavior clearly; we won't list an item
without documentation to point to.</p>

<p>If you want to be notified when we add new items or type of product</strong></li>
  <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-apple.html">Apple Malware</a></li>
  <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-microsoft.html">Microsoft Malware</a></li>
  <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-adobe.html">Adobe Malware</a></li>
  <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-mobiles.html">Malware in mobile devices</a></li>
  <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-kindle-swindle.html">Malware in make other changes,
subscribe to the Amazon
      Swindle</a></li>
  <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-games.html">Malware in games</a></li> <a
href="https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/www-malware-commits">mailing list
<www-malware-commits@gnu.org></a>.</p>

<table id="TOC">
 <tr>
  <th>Injustices or techniques</th>
  <th>Products or companies</th>
 </tr>
 <tr>
  <td>
   <ul class="columns">
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-appliances.html">Malware in appliances</a></li>
</ul>
</div>

<div class="malfunctions">
<ul>
<li><strong>Type of malware</strong></li> href="/proprietary/proprietary-addictions.html">Addictions</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-back-doors.html">Back doors</a></li> doors</a> (<a href="#f1">1</a>)</li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-censorship.html">Censorship</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-coercion.html">Coercion</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-coverups.html">Coverups</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-deception.html">Deception</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-drm.html">DRM</a> (<a href="#f2">2</a>)</li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-fraud.html">Fraud</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-incompatibility.html">Incompatibility</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-insecurity.html">Insecurity</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-interference.html">Interference</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-jails.html">Jails</a> (<a href="#f3">3</a>)</li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-manipulation.html">Manipulation</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-obsolescence.html">Obsolescence</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-sabotage.html">Sabotage</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-interference.html">Interference</a></li> href="/proprietary/proprietary-subscriptions.html">Subscriptions</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-surveillance.html">Surveillance</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-subscriptions.html">Subscriptions</a></li> href="/proprietary/proprietary-tethers.html">Tethers</a> (<a href="#f4">4</a>)</li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-tethers.html">Tethers</a> to
servers</li> href="/proprietary/proprietary-tyrants.html">Tyrants</a> (<a href="#f5">5</a>)</li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/potential-malware.html">In the pipe</a></li>
   </ul>
  </td>
  <td>
   <ul>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-appliances.html">Appliances</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-drm.html">Digital href="/proprietary/malware-cars.html">Cars</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-in-online-conferencing.html">Conferencing</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-edtech.html">EdTech</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-games.html">Games</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-mobiles.html">Mobiles</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-webpages.html">Webpages</a></li>
    
   </ul>
   <ul>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-adobe.html">Adobe</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-amazon.html">Amazon</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-apple.html">Apple</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-google.html">Google</a></li>
    <li><a href="/proprietary/malware-microsoft.html">Microsoft</a></li>
   </ul>
  </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
  <td colspan="2">
   <ol>
    <li id="f1"><em>Back door:</em>  any feature of a program
     that enables someone who is not supposed to be in control of the
     computer where it is installed to send it commands.</li>

    <li id="f2"><em>Digital restrictions
    management</a> management, or “DRM” means
     “DRM”:</em>  functionalities designed to restrict
     what users can do with the data in their computers.</li>
<li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-jails.html">Jails</a>—systems

    <li id="f3"><em>Jail:</em>  system that impose imposes censorship on
     application programs.</li>
<li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-tyrants.html">Tyrants</a>—systems

    <li id="f4"><em>Tether:</em>  functionality that requires
     permanent (or very frequent) connection to a server.</li>

    <li id="f5"><em>Tyrant:</em>  system that reject rejects any operating
     system not “authorized” by the manufacturer.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
   </ol>
  </td>
 </tr>
</table>

<p>Users of proprietary software are defenseless against these forms
of mistreatment.  The way to avoid them is by insisting on
<a href="/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html">free
(freedom-respecting) software.</a> software</a>.  Since free software is controlled
by its users, they have a pretty good defense against malicious
software functionality.</p>

<h3 id="latest">Latest additions</h3>

<ul class="blurbs">
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
  <li id="M202407200">
    <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2024-07</small>'
    --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
    <p>The company making a “smart” bassinet called Snoo has <a
    href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/20/24202166/snoo-premium-subscription-happiest-baby">
    locked the most advanced functionalities of the Snoo behind a
    paywall</a>. This unexpected change mainly affects users who received
    the appliance as a gift, or bought it second-hand on the assumption
    that all these functionalities would be available to them, as they
    used to be. This is another example of the deceptive behavior of
    proprietary software developers who take advantage of their power
    over users to change rules at will.</p>

    <p>Another malicious feature of the Snoo is the fact that users
    need to create an account with the company, which thus has access
    to personal data, location (SSID), appliance log, etc., as well as
    manual notes about baby history.</p>
  </li>

<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
  <li id="M201807110">
    <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2018-07</small>'
    --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
    <p>Nintendo has devoted a lot of effort to <a
    href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/07/nintendo-reportedly-rolling-out-new-more-hack-proof-switch-hardware/">
    preventing users from installing third-party software on its Switch
    consoles</a>. These are now full-blown jails.</p>
  </li>

<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
  <li id="M202502210">
    <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2025-02</small>'
    --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
    <p>Apple <a
    href="https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/apple-pulls-icloud-end-to-end-encryption-feature-in-the-uk/">
    stopped offering iCloud end-to-end encryption in the UK</a>
    after the UK government demanded <a
    href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/02/07/apple-encryption-backdoor-uk/">
    worldwide access to encrypted user data</a>. This is one more proof
    that storing your own data “in the cloud” puts it at
    risk.</p>
  </li>

<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
  <li id="M202501170">
    <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2025-01</small>'
    --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
    <p>Canon is <a
    href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/canon-charges-50-per-year-to-use-a-900-camera-as-a-functional-webcam/">
    preventing customers from using one of its cameras as a webcam</a>
    unless they create an account on the company's server, and pay an
    additional subscription. This unjust practice could be eliminated if
    the camera firmware were free (as in freedom).</p>
  </li>

<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
  <li id="M202408140">
    <!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2024-08</small>'
    --><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
    <p><a
    href="https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/zero-click-windows-tcp-ip-rce-impacts-all-systems-with-ipv6-enabled-patch-now/">
    A critical vulnerability in Windows systems
    that support IPv6</a> was discovered in 2024, <a
    href="https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38063">
    16 years after the first affected system</a> was released. Unless
    the relevant patch is applied, an attacker can remotely execute
    arbitrary code on these systems. Microsoft considers exploits
    “likely.”</p>

    <p>The same sort of vulnerability in a free/libre operating system
    would probably be discovered sooner, since many more people would be
    able to look at the source code.</p>
  </li>
</ul>
<p class="button right-align">
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