FSF: United for a Web without proprietary JavaScript [LWN.net]

From:		"Free Software Foundation" <info-AT-fsf.org>
To:		<lwn-AT-lwn.net>
Subject:		United for a Web without proprietary JavaScript
Date:		Fri, 30 Aug 2013 20:51:48 -0400
Message-ID:		<E1VFZPo-0004AM-67@eggs.gnu.org>
Archive-link:		Article, Thread

Dear ,

For some time now, free software users have been concerned about the
increasing number of Web sites that cannot run without nonfree
JavaScript programs downloaded and executed on the visitor's
computer. Richard Stallman first raised the concern with his article
[The JavaScript Trap][1], pointing out that most JavaScript programs
are not freely licensed, and that even free software Web browsers are
usually configured to download and run these nonfree programs without
informing the user. We've recently started organizing free software
users around the issue.

Now we're proud to announce a [new, dedicated Web page][2] for our
Free JavaScript campaign, an ongoing effort to persuade organizations
to make their Web sites work without requiring that users run any
nonfree software. By convincing influential sites to make the
transition, we will raise awareness of the need for free
software-friendly Web sites and influence the owners of other sites
to follow.

The current focus of the campaign is [Greenpeace.org][3], the online
home of the famous global environmental organization. They haven't
responded to our email requesting that they make their site work
without requiring nonfree software, so we're asking you to add your
voice with an email of your own. We'll focus on Greenpeace for a
period, and then move to another focus, concentrating efforts on one site
at a time to maximize our impact.

Head over to the new [Free JavaScript campaign area][2] to learn more
about the issues and take action by emailing Greenpeace.org. The
campaign page also hosts resources for using the Web without nonfree
JavaScript, a [mailing list][4] and a [wiki page where you can share
your ideas for the campaign][5].

Sincerely,

Zak Rogoff
Campaigns Manager

P.S. If you are an experienced JavaScript developer that's interested
in helping with the campaign, please let us know by emailing
<campaigns@fsf.org>!

[1]: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/javascript-trap.html "The JavaScript Trap"
[2]: https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/freejs "The Free JavaScript campaign"
[3]: http://www.greenpeace.org "Greenpeace"
[4]: https://crm.fsf.org/civicrm/profile/create?gid=205&re... "Free JavaScript Action Team sign
up"
[5]: http://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:Free_Javascript_Action_...

*You can view this post online at
<https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/united-for-a-web-with...>.*
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FSF: United for a Web without proprietary JavaScript

Posted Sep 6, 2013 11:44 UTC (Fri) by NRArnot (subscriber, #3033) [Link]

I've just read the cited article, and I'm having trouble understanding what the "trap" may be. Can someone spell it out?

Obviously running someone else's code in my browser has security risks, but the issue of malicious code is orthogonal to its free-ness. (It is perfectly possible to write an open-source virus!)

I don't get asked to click on any license agreement by (most) sites that send me Javascripts, and I haven't entered into any legal contract when I view their pages. Therefore I'm legally constrained only by copyright law, which applies equally to the visible content of the web pages in my browser window. As I understand that, bulk copying (of visible content or hidden scripts) is out, "fair use" is possible but probably unwise, learning by reading the script is perfectly OK (which is why some sites obfuscate their scripts? ).