**Aral Balkan** @aral · 2018-02-03T08:48:53Z

Aral Balkan @aral

#FOSDEM “cornerstone sponsor” is people farmer and titan of #SurveillanceCapitalism, Google.

Their business model is to track you on their own services and devices, across the web, and beyond and then use this intimate insight into you, your family, and your loved ones to manipulate your behaviour for profit.

Can someone remind me what principles #FOSDEM stands for again? Maybe Greenpeace is missing a trick by not having Exxon Mobil as a sponsor.

https://mastodon.ar.al/media/JKuneFOg0u33t5M4oBw

Feb 03, 2018, 08:48 · Web · 15 · 16

**Phoebe Benson** @cybermancermouse@computerfairi.es · Feb 03, 2018, 08:51

**Phoebe Benson** @cybermancermouse@computerfairi.es · Feb 03, 2018, 08:51

@aral I guess a lot of people have forgotten. It's not good.

**Danyl Strype** @strypey@quitter.se · Feb 03, 2018, 08:53

**Danyl Strype** @strypey@quitter.se · Feb 03, 2018, 08:53

@aral sadly this isn't uncommon. Lot's of "open" events have one or more of #TheStacks or the #SlavingEconomy apps (Uber etc) as sponsors

**Danyl Strype** @strypey@quitter.se · Feb 03, 2018, 08:54

**Danyl Strype** @strypey@quitter.se · Feb 03, 2018, 08:54

@aral I'm even uncomfortable with #GitHub sponsoring free code software events, as they still refuse to liberate all the code they user

**MMN-o ✅⃠** @mmn@social.umeahackerspace.se · Feb 03, 2018, 13:53

**MMN-o ✅⃠** @mmn@social.umeahackerspace.se · Feb 03, 2018, 13:53

@aral afaik FOSDEM is about free and open source software, which Google sponsors greatly. The comparison to Exxon mobile and Greenpeace is simply faulty.

**MMN-o ✅⃠** @mmn@social.umeahackerspace.se · Feb 03, 2018, 14:14

**MMN-o ✅⃠** @mmn@social.umeahackerspace.se · Feb 03, 2018, 14:14

I agree though that one may very well argue that Google has clauses forbidding their developers to barely even touch AGPL software etc, but there is lots of code there available _for_ AGPL software that is maintained and possible through Google (because it's some kind of MIT/Apache/BSD license).

Exxon's afaik never supplied the boats - or even the fuel (oh that'd be funny), which Greenpeace need when they go out to put banners on oil rigs and whatnot.

**Aral Balkan** @aral · Feb 03, 2018, 15:50

**Aral Balkan** @aral · Feb 03, 2018, 15:50

@mmn Understood, so basically #FOSDEM is not about ethical technology or opposed to #SurveillanceCapitalism. Got it. I was just a bit confused as it seemed to portray an ethical approach and seems to have attracted some ethical projects/people because of it. Noted for the future, thanks.

**Adrian Cochrane** @alcinnz@mastodon.social · Feb 03, 2018, 20:19

**Adrian Cochrane** @alcinnz@mastodon.social · Feb 03, 2018, 20:19

@aral My guess: it's a conference for those who build upon FOSS. Which doesn't really distinguish it anymore from other dev conferences. Though by that measure, Google definitely belongs.

So maybe we need a conference for those exclusively developing free software, but then we already have LibrePlanet.