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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 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 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 service is equivalent to using a copy of released
software. In particular, a service can be 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 December 2023, March 2025, the pages in this directory list around 600 650
instances of malicious functionalities (with more than 710 750 references to
back them up), but there are surely thousands more we don't know about.</p>
<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 make other changes,
subscribe to the <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/proprietary-addictions.html">Addictions</a></li>
<li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-back-doors.html">Back 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-subscriptions.html">Subscriptions</a></li>
<li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-surveillance.html">Surveillance</a></li>
<li><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-tethers.html">Tethers</a> (<a href="#f4">4</a>)</li>
<li><a 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/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, or
“DRM”:</em> functionalities designed to restrict
what users can do with the data in their computers.</li>
<li id="f3"><em>Jail:</em> system that imposes censorship on
application programs.</li>
<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 rejects any operating
system not “authorized” by the manufacturer.</li>
</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>. 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>
<p style="margin-bottom: .5em">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2024-01</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --></p>
<p id="uhd" class="important" style="margin-top: 0">
<strong><a href="/proprietary/articles/uhd-bluray-denies-your-freedom.html">
UHD Blu-ray denies your freedom</a> — The anatomy of an Authoritarian
Subjugation System</strong></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: .5em">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2022-07</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" --></p>
<p id="uefi-rootkit" class="important" style="margin-top: 0">
<strong><a href="/proprietary/proprietary-insecurity.html#uefi-rootkit">
UEFI makes computers vulnerable to advanced persistent threats that are almost impossible
to detect once installed...</a></strong></p>
<ul class="blurbs">
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
<li id="M202405240"> id="M202502210">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2024-05</small>' class="date-tag">2025-02</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p><a
href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/05/pleas-for-open-sourcing-refunds-as-spotify-plans-to-brick-car-thing-devices/">Spotify
sold a music streaming device but they no longer support it</a>. Due to
its proprietary nature, it can no longer be updated or even used. Users
requested Spotify to make the software that runs on the device libre,
and Spotify refused, so these devices are now e-waste. Spotify is
now
<p>Apple <a
href="https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/apple-pulls-icloud-end-to-end-encryption-feature-in-the-uk/">
stopped offering refunds to save iCloud end-to-end encryption in the purchasers from
losing money on these products, but this wouldn't prevent UK</a>
after the products
from being e-waste, and wouldn't save users from being jerked around by
Spotify. 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 an example of how software one more proof
that is not free controls
the user instead of the user controlling the software. It is also an
important lesson for us to insist storing your own data “in the software in a device be libre
before we buy it.</p> cloud” puts it at
risk.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
<li id="M202403150"> id="M202501170">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2024-03</small>' class="date-tag">2025-01</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p><a
href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101887/microsoft-bing-popups-windows-11-google-chrome">
Microsoft
<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 malware tactics to get users to switch to
their web browser</a>, Microsoft Edge, and their search engine, Microsoft
Bing. When users launch the Google Chrome browser Microsoft injects one of its cameras as a pop up advertisement in webcam</a>
unless they create an account on the corner of company's server, and pay an
additional subscription. This unjust practice could be eliminated if
the screen advising users to
switch to Bing. Microsoft also imported users Chrome browsing data
without their knowledge or consent.</p> camera firmware were free (as in freedom).</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
<li id="M202403110"> id="M202408140">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2024-03</small>' class="date-tag">2024-08</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p><a
href="https://web.archive.org/web/20240311120515/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/technology/carmakers-driver-tracking-insurance.html">
GM is spying on drivers</a> who own or rent their cars, and give
away detailed driving data to insurance companies through data
brokers. These companies then analyze the data, and hike up insurance
prices if they think the data denotes “risky driving.”
For the car to make this data available to anyone but the owner or
renter of
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 car should be a crime. If first affected system</a> was released. Unless
the car relevant patch is owned by applied, an attacker can remotely execute
arbitrary code on these systems. Microsoft considers exploits
“likely.”</p>
<p>The same sort of vulnerability in a rental
company, that company should not have access free/libre operating system
would probably be discovered sooner, since many more people would be
able to it either.</p> look at the source code.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
<li id="M202312230"> id="M202411040">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2023-12</small>' class="date-tag">2024-11</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Surveillance cameras put
<p>The Pixel 9 “smart”phone <a
href="https://cybernews.com/security/google-pixel-9-phone-beams-data-and-awaits-commands/">
frequently updates Google servers with its location and current
configuration</a> along with personally identifiable data, raising
concerns about user privacy. Moreover, it communicates
with services that are not in by government
A use, and periodically attempts to surveil for
download experimental, possibly insecure software. The system does
not inform the user that it may be surveilling for
government B as well. That's because A put in a product is doing all this.</p>
<p>There is hope, however: it is possible to <a
href="https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-cctv-moscow-spying-schemes-investigation/32747767.html">
made by B
href="https://doc.e.foundation/devices"> replace the original Android
operating system with nonfree software</a>.</p>
<p><small>(Please note a deGoogled version</a> in Pixel phones up to
8a, and in phones from many other brands. No doubt that this article misuses the word “<a
href="/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html#Hacker">hack</a>” to
mean “break security.”)</small></p> Pixel 9
will be supported soon.</p>
</li>
<!-- Copied from workshop/mal.rec. Do not edit in proprietary.html. -->
<li id="M202311101"> id="M202312040">
<!--#set var="DATE" value='<small class="date-tag">2023-11</small>' class="date-tag">2023-12</small>'
--><!--#echo encoding="none" var="DATE" -->
<p>Microsoft
<p>Bungie's Destiny 2 is plagued with two major flaws:</p>
<ul>
<li>Like all proprietary tethered games, <a
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 annoying people who wanted to
close the proprietary program OneDrive on their computers, <a
href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/8/23952878/microsoft-onedrive-windows-close-app-notification">
forcing them 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 give the reason why they were closing it</a>. <a href="https://www.pcguide.com/steam-deck/play-destiny-2/">
replace SteamOS with Windows, or play from Edge browser</a>.
This
prompt was removed after public pressure.</p>
<p>This is a reminder that angry users still doesn't have to be so, as several other games that use BattlEye
do support GNU/Linux systems. Rather than doing the power necessary
adjustments, Bungie forces users to make
developers of proprietary run nonfree software remove small annoyances. Don't
count on public outcry in order to make them remove more profitable malware,
though. Run away from proprietary software!</p>
keep an absolute control over them.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p class="button right-align">
<a href="/proprietary/all.html">More items…</a></p>
</div>
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