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diff --git a/md/article/education.md b/md/article/education.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..225dbf1 --- /dev/null +++ b/md/article/education.md @@ -0,0 +1,372 @@ +<!-- pubdate: 20210317 --> + +# Educational Institutes should use exclusively freedom-respecting software + +We urge educational institutes to [use free (as in freedom)/swatantra +software that respects students' freedom and +privacy][free-sw-edu]. For example, the Department of Scientific +Computing, Modeling, and Simulation, Savitribai Phule Pune University +[has been using free/swatantra software tools for more than 20 years +and it's currently helping other departments at Savitribai Phule Pune +University adopt free software][cs-unipune]. Free software is readily +available for all activities in the digital classroom and should be +preferred over their proprietary counterparts. + +[free-sw-edu]: https://www.gnu.org/software/free-software-for-education.html +[cs-unipune]: https://fsf.org.in/case-study/unipune + +## What is Free/Swatantra Software? + +Free/Swatantra software means that you, as user, have the freedom to +run, study, modify, and redistribute the program. With these freedoms, +the users, both individually and collectively, control the program and +what it does for them. When users don't control the program, we call +it “nonfree” or “proprietary” +program. Proprietary software is an injustice to the user because it +puts its developer or owner in a [position of power over its +users][free-sw-imp]. The developer uses this power [to spy, restrict, +censor, and abuse the user][gnu-malware]. + +[free-sw]: https://gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html +[free-sw-imp]: https://gnu.org/philosophy/free-software-even-more-important.html +[gnu-malware]: https://gnu.org/malware + +## Why should educational institutes use free software? + +Any computer user should use free software for their own freedom, but +educational institutes have [additional reasons to insist only on free +software][gnu-edu]. + +[gnu-edu]: https://www.gnu.org/education/edu-schools.html + +Some reasons are listed below: + +- Software should [respect the user's freedom][gnu-sbf]. + +- [Proprietary software is often malware][gnu-malware]. + +- Educational Institutes have a moral responsibility to respect + students' freedom and teach students to appreciate it — for + their own future and their country's future. + +- Educational institutes often expose students to [privacy-invading + technology][eff-sp] without any real choice to escape from + it. Educational institutes should respect students' privacy. Free + software is controlled by its users and therefore it can protect + them from surveillance. + +- Students cannot learn from proprietary software because it is + secret, and it prohibits learning as well as sharing while free + software encourages learning and sharing which align with the + mission of the schools. + +- Proprietary software makes the institute dependent on the owner of + the software while free software allows the institute to be in + control. + +[gnu-sbf]: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/shouldbefree.html +[eff-sp]: https://www.eff.org/wp/school-issued-devices-and-student-privacy + +Free software can save schools money, but this is a secondary +benefit. Savings are possible because free software gives schools, +like other users, the freedom to copy and redistribute the software; +the school system can give a copy to every school, and each school can +install the program on all its computers, with no obligation to pay +for doing so. Schools can also do necessary modifications as per their +requirements without further cost. + +## Problems with commonly used proprietary tools for education + +A lot of institutes rely on Google's Gmail and Microsoft's Outlook for +their email communications. Offering Google or Outlook accounts is an +injustice because: + +a. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Apple, and AOL are [surveillance +systems][prism]. + +b. Gmail [makes psychological profiles][alternet-gmail] not only of +Gmail users but of everyone who sends mail to Gmail users. + +c. Microsoft Outlook is known to block incoming mails from other email +service providers [without providing a reason](disroot-msh). + +[prism]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_%28surveillance_program%29 +[alternet-gmail]: https://www.alternet.org/2013/12/google-using-gmail-build-psychological-profiles-hundreds-millions-people/?paging=off +[disroot-msh]: https://disroot.org/en/blog/microsoft_hostility + +Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams are proprietary software +generally used in live classes and webinars. All of them use their +power over the users to collect personal and location data. Zoom +[collects a lot of data][spm-zoom] on students. Microsoft Teams and +Google also [snoop on their users][verge-mz]. We urge teachers to +help their students in resisting against proprietary videoconferencing +platforms; some ideas are [listed here][gnu-rz]. + +[spm-zoom]: https://studentprivacymatters.org/what-you-need-to-know-about-zoom-for-education +[verge-mz]: https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/1/21244058/google-meet-microsoft-teams-webex-personal-data-collection-privacy-policy-concerns +[gnu-rz]: https://www.gnu.org/education/teachers-help-students-resist-zoom.html + +A lot of times, students are asked to join a WhatsApp group for +important announcements which is an injustice to the student because +WhatsApp is a nonfree program. Further, WhatsApp [does not respect +user's privacy][forbes-wa]. + +[forbes-wa]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlypage/2021/01/08/whatsapp-tells-users-share-your-data-with-facebook-or-well-deactivate-your-account/ + +Google Classroom is another commonly used nonfree program which is an +[assault on student's privacy][gm-gc]. Google Forms are used for +filling personal details which sends data to Google, [a surveillance +company][rms-gs] known to track and profile users. Google Drive +[mistreats users][vice-gd] as well. + +[gm-gc]: https://gomindsight.com/insights/blog/privacy-with-google-classroom-education-industry-news/ +[rms-gs]: https://stallman.org/google.html#surveillance +[vice-gd]: https://www.vice.com/en/article/9kgwnp/porn-on-google-drive-error + +Chromebooks for schools [collect far more data on students than is +necessary, and store it indefinitely][eff-sp]. + +Many exam websites, institute and webinar websites report all their +visitors to Google by using the Google Analytics service, which [tells +Google the IP address and the page that was visited][pw-ga]. + +Further, educational institutes are [invading student's privacy][dw-p] +through cheating-detection systems. Requiring students to install a +proprietary monitoring software in their own computers is an +injustice. Monitoring software, by design, runs even when the owner of +the computer tries to stop it from running long after the exam is +finished and takes full control of the computer which [subjects users +to abuse][twtext-doctorow]. These monitoring apps [collect a lot of +data on students][eff-pa] such as: Recorded patterns of keystrokes, +facial-recognition, microphones and cameras record students' +surroundings such as biometric data, full name, date of birth, +address, phone number, scans of government-issued identity documents, +educational institution affiliation, and student ID numbers, records +of operating systems, make and model of the device, as well as device +identification numbers, IP addresses, browser type and language +settings, software on the device and their versions, ISP, records of +URLs visited, and how long students remain on a particular site or +webpage etc. The algorithms of these monitoring software could easily +flag students who don’t have control over their surroundings as +“suspicious” [which could further penalize them][wp-op]. + +No student should be forced to make a choice between getting +surveilled or to fail the exam. + +[pw-ga]: http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/434164/google_analytics_breaks_norwegian_privacy_laws_local_agency_said +[dw-p]: https://www.dw.com/en/anti-plagiarism-tools-a-new-age-of-truth-at-university/a-45475465 +[twtext-doctorow]: https://twtext.com/article/1252225044861693954 +[eff-pa]: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/08/proctoring-apps-subject-students-unnecessary-surveillance +[wp-op]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/01/online-proctoring-college-exams-coronavirus + +## Free Software Recommendations + +If you're a parent, talk to your child's school about the importance +of using free software that respects the freedom and privacy of +students and push for its adoption. If you're a student, team up with +your peers and write collective letters to the school raising +awareness about free software and urge them to provide a free software +infrastructure for your school. You can learn from people who +[successfully resisted][gnu-sr] the use of nonfree software in the +institutes. + +[gnu-sr]: https://www.gnu.org/education/successful-resistance-against-nonfree-software.html#content + +Here's a list of freedom-respecting software that can be used in +education: + +Operating system: [GNU/Linux distros][gnu-fd] + +Online Classes: Jitsi, BigBlueButton. See [this][fsfi-zoom] for more +details + +Instant Messenger: Element, Quicksy, Conversations. See +[this][fsfi-wa] for more details + +Uploading videos: [PeerTube][peertube] + +E-learning platform: [Moodle][moodle] + +Recording Lectures: [OBS][obs] + +Sharing notes, lecture videos etc. : [Nextcloud][nc], [Lufi][lufi] + +Digital writing pad: [Xournal][xournal] + +Document editor: [LibreOffice][libreoffice] + +Form filling: [KoBoToolbox][kobotoolbox], [NextCloud Forms][nc-f] +— [Disroot][ds-nc-f] provides NextCloud Forms. + +[gnu-fd]: https://gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html +[fsfi-zoom]: https://fsf.org.in/article/better-than-zoom +[fsfi-wa]: https://fsf.org.in/article/better-than-whatsapp/ +[peertube]: https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/PeerTube +[moodle]: https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Moodle +[obs]: https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Obs-studio +[nc]: https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Nextcloud +[lufi]: https://framagit.org/fiat-tux/hat-softwares/lufi +[xournal]: https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Xournal +[libreoffice]: https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/LibreOffice +[kobotoolbox]: https://www.kobotoolbox.org +[nc-f]: https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/forms +[dr-nc-f]: https://disroot.org/en/services/nextcloud + +Email: Institutes can hire a free software consultancy to run their +own mail server. For self-hosting mails, [Mail-in a-Box][mib] , +[iRedMail][irm] and [Freedom Box][fb] are good options. Further, the +users of the mail server(students, teachers, other staff etc) can use +end-to-end encryption so that only the participants of a communication +can read the mails. Furthermore, PGP may be used to encrypt emails to +recipients. For information about using PGP see [FSF's Email +Self-Defense guide][fsf-esg]. + +[fsf-esg]: https://emailselfdefense.fsf.org +[mib]: https://mailinabox.email +[irm]: https://www.iredmail.org +[fb]: https://www.freedombox.org + +The GNU website [lists free software that can be used in schools and +educational institutions of all levels][free-sw-edu]. The Free +Software Foundation keeps a comprehensive database of educational +software at the [Free Software Directory][fsd-edu]. + +[Freeduc-USB][freeduc] is a bootable USB +stick that contains useful applications for the classroom. + +When an educational institute provides laptops to students, they +should choose laptops which can run fully free software-- check [RYF +laptops by FSF][ryf-l] and [LibreTech](https://libretech.shop/). For +other hardware which can run fully free software, check +[h-node][]. + +[fsd-edu]: https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Education +[freeduc]: https://usb.freeduc.org/index-en.html +[ryf-l]: https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/laptops +[h-node]: https://h-node.org + +## Educational resources should be 'free' as in freedom + +<div class="file is-centered" style="margin-bottom:5px;"> + <img src="/assets/img/blackhole.png" alt="[ Don't let proprietary limitations stand in the way of discovery - Image ]" /> +</div> + +In today's age, free sharing of scientific knowledge has become the +[worst conceivable crime][pia] one can think of. Scientific journals +like Elsevier lock up academic research behind paywalls and prohibit +sharing with others. Since, the academic research is funded by public +money, it should be available free of cost as well as free in +freedom. For arguments on how the principles of software freedom apply +to academic papers, please read [this essay][gnu-pca]. Educational +resources-- like videos, recorded lectures, academic papers [should be +released under free/swatantra licenses only][rms-oe]. The [GNU Free +Documentation License (GFDL)][gnu-fdl] is a free license that can be +used for educational works. Creative Commons has two free licenses: +CC-BY and CC-BY-SA for this purpose. If you release your academic +papers under a free license, it will give everyone an opportunity to +learn from you. Some free (as in freedom) learning resources are +mentioned [here][gnu-lr]. We must not allow scientific knowledge to +get locked. + +[pia]: https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/how-did-the-free-sharing-of-scientific-knowledge-and-culture-become-the-worst-crime-our-justice-systems-could-think-of +[gnu-pca]: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/push-copyright-aside.html +[rms-oe]: https://www.stallman.org/articles/online-education.html +[gnu-fdl]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl.html +[gnu-lr]: https://www.gnu.org/education/edu-free-learning-resources.html + +## Free Software adoption in Indian education + +IT syllabus of class XI in Maharashtra [now includes free +software][fsfi-mh]. The state of Kerala [migrated more than 2,600 +public schools to free software][kite]. Unfortunately, Kerala is the +only state in India where IT education is [imparted over a Free +software operating system][ae-k] and other states should also take +initiative in this direction. A free software named [Tux +Paint][tux-paint] used at VHSS Irimpanam school, Kerala, where 11 and +12 years old students exercised the freedom to learn how the program +works and modify the program, which demonstrates that even non +programmers or children, [can actually influence and improve +information technology][gnu-tp] when software freedom is +granted. School-age children were able to effectively and quickly +exercise software freedom with Tux Paint in the [PC-in-the-Village +Experiment, Goa][de-k]. + +[fsfi-mh]: https://fsf.org.in/news/mh-schools-floss +[kite]: https://kite.kerala.gov.in/KITE +[ae-k]: https://www.academia.edu/10236947/IT_at_SCHOOL_PROJECT_OF_KERALA_A_LANDMARK_IN_ICT_INITIATIVE_IN_GENERAL_EDUCATION +[tux-paint]: http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/TuxPaint +[gnu-tp]: https://www.gnu.org/education/edu-software-tuxpaint.html +[de-k]: https://web.archive.org/web/20070203150611/www.digitalequalizer.org/kids.htm + +Some of the educational institutions in India that are using +exclusively Free Software: + +- [Ambedkar Community Computing Center (AC3)][gnu-ac3]. + +- [Vocational Higher Secondary School Irimpanam (VHSS + Irimpanam)][gnu-vi]. + +- Department of Scientific Computing, Modeling, and Simulation, + Savitribai Phule Pune University — [Statement + here](cs-unipune) + +If you know of other institutes which use free software, please let us +know, we would like to add them in this list. If you need help in +switching your institute to free software, feel free to [contact +us][fsfi-contact], we would be very glad to help you. + +[gnu-ac3]: https://www.gnu.org/education/edu-cases-india-ambedkar.html +[gnu-vi]: https://www.gnu.org/education/edu-cases-india-irimpanam.html +[fsfi-contact]: https://fsf.org.in/contact + + +## Some Related Links: + +- Remote education does not require [giving up rights to freedom and + privacy][fsf-re]. + +- Richard Stallman on [why schools should use exclusively free + software][rms-sina]. + + +- [Sign Free Software Foundation's petition][fsf-gsu] to call on + school administrators around the world to stop requiring students to + run nonfree software. + + +- [Free software enables free science][lp-fs]. + + +- [Guri][guri] — a project for free software in education. + + +- Ways in which technology used in education [puts students under + surveillance][eff-ps]. + + +- Schools are [deploying massive surveillance on their + students][eff-st] as if they are dissidents of an authoritarian + regime. + + +- [Join Students and Scholars In Speaking Out About the Effects of + Mass Surveillance on Campus][eff-ms]. + + +- [How Much Surveillance Can Democracy Withstand?][gnu-svd] + + +- [Don't Let][eff-ks] Science Publisher Elsevier Hold Knowledge for + Ransom. + + +[fsf-re]: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/remote-education-does-not-require-giving-up-rights-to-freedom-and-privacy +[rms-sina]: https://audio-video.gnu.org/video/richard_stallman_speech-sina.com-2005-09.ogg +[fsf-gsu]: https://my.fsf.org/give-students-userfreedom +[lp-fs]: https://media.libreplanet.org/u/libreplanet/m/free-software-enables-free-science +[guri]: https://guri.hipatia.net +[eff-ps]: https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/privacy-students +[eff-st]: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/02/schools-are-pushing-boundaries-surveillance-technologies +[eff-ms]: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/join-students-and-scholars-speaking-out-about-effects-mass-surveillance-campus +[gnu-svd]: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/surveillance-vs-democracy.html +[eff-ks]: https://www.eff.org/id/deeplinks/2019/10/dont-let-science-publisher-elsevier-hold-knowledge-ransom |