Started transcriptish for debconf20

1 files changed, 29 insertions, 19 deletions

diff --git a/ap_debian/transcriptish.rst b/ap_debian/transcriptish.rst
index e1510d2..b9ae7f4 100644
--- a/ap_debian/transcriptish.rst
+++ b/ap_debian/transcriptish.rst
@@ -3,27 +3,38 @@
 ===============================================
 
 I believe a lot of people here care about Free Software, and I guess
-that a number of those also care about the related issues of freedom in
-computing, that nowadays involve more and more things that aren't
-running on computers we can control.
+that a number of those also care about freedom in general computing,
+which nowadays involves more and more things running on computers that
+we can't control.
 
-There are many of those, and the one I'm talking about today starts with
-the consideration that a lot of computer-ish time is being spent on
-social networks, providing valuable data to companies that have proven
-multiple times they can't be trusted with those.
+Today I'm talking about one of those things: social networks.
 
-Data breaches happen 
+They are a pretty useful thing, enabling an egalitarian access to
+communication, and by stretching a bit the definition to include email
+one can claim that they are involved in enabling the existence of
+projects like debian itself.
 
-Doing without social networks can be an option for somebody, but it
-doesn't have to be the only way to 
+They are also, sadly, a great way to attract people to one's platform in
+order to squeeze every bit of sellable personal data out of them.
 
-This problem has been known for a long time, and at least since 2008
-with StatusNet and 2010 with Friendica and Diaspora there have been
-the will to develop an ecosystem of alternative platforms, of course
-based on Free Software, to allow people to have the advantages of social
-networks while keeping control of their data and experience by having
-networks of federated servers all talking with each other, like email,
-except designed in the current millenium.
+If this was about showing ads to make people choose between two
+equivalent brands of, say, pasta, it wouldn't be a big deal, but that
+data has already been used to manipulate elections and it has been
+leaked multiple times and made available to criminals.
+
+On the topic of why social networks as a business model are toxic and
+a cost on society, I'd recommend reading Cory Doctorow's article “Zuck’s
+Empire of Oily Rags”, which is much better written than I could do.
+
+Free Software has been offering technical tools to solve this for a long
+time, by developing federated, self-hostable server software to allow
+people to have the advantages of social networks while keeping control
+of their data and experience; like email, except designed in the current
+millenium.
+
+The first such projects I know of were StatusNet in 2008, Friendica and
+Diaspora in 2010, so federated social networks have been available for
+more than 10 years.
 
 When I say networks, plural, of course I mean that there were a few
 incompatible protocols, none of the platforms were completely mature,
@@ -33,5 +44,4 @@ in talking about federated social networks. I was there, I was happy
 with it, but I'd be the first to admit that something like that wasn't
 going to help more than a tiny minority of people.
 
-With time, a pornapocalypse or two to attract more users and an effort
-towards standardization, today the federated networks are 
+Since then, things have improved.