DebConf10 - Eben Moglen - How We Can Be the Silver Lining of the Cloud

DebConf10 - Eben Moglen - How We Can Be the Silver Lining of the Cloud. In this talk, Eben goes far past the earlier "Freedom in the Cloud" talk, changing the focus from scraping Facebook, to laying down a concrete, detailed vision of the "FreedomBox", and how it could be a game changer. (Note that the audio stops cutting in and out after he switches mics a few minutes in.) Freedom Box Project http://wiki.debian.org/FreedomBox Inspired by Eben Moglen's vision of a small, cheap and simple computer that serves freedom in the home, we are building a Debian-based platform for distributed applications. Freedom Box is about: * privacy * control * ease of use * dehierarchicalization 1. Vision Statement We live in a world where our use of the network is mediated by organizations that often do not have our best interests at heart. By building software that does not rely on a central service, we can regain control and privacy. By keeping our data in our homes, we gain useful legal protections over it. By giving back power to the users over their networks and machines, we are returning the Internet to its intended peer-to-peer architecture. In order to bring about the new network order, it is paramount that it is easy to convert to it. The hardware it runs on must be cheap. The software it runs on must be easy to install and admimistrate by anybody. It must be easy to transition from existing services. There are a number of projects working to realize a future of distributed services; we aim to bring them all together in a convenient package. 2. Requirements This is the result of a brainstorm from the debconf team. * enable people to reclaim their privacy and control of their data * return to the peer to peer nature of the net (vs. tendency towards hierarchical organization) * making a consumer product * easy to use for everyone (pre-installed, easily configured, easily restored) * inexpensive (dirt cheap) * use at home (expand: legal significance of 4th amendment context) * smooth transition from cloud services (e.g. social networks) * secure routing * generic and configurable * extensible * want hardware makers to be enthusiastic about the project