Re: chromebooks

[Jean Louis]

* lily via libreplanet-discuss <libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org> 
[2020-11-09 19:09]:
> Hola óscar,
> 
> In my experience of working with children, I have found that Google
> already has had an incredible impact.

In general yes. There are also many useful things for society coming
from Google. But because corporation works based on its own principles
one cannot trust it to be best choice for every individual.

Google killed many and for that reason cannot be trusted:
https://killedbygoogle.com/

> Before COVID-19 I was a regular volunteer with an organization that
> gives free laptops running the GNU+Linux operating system.

I am working in Tanzania and Uganda. If you could ship some 20 laptops
I will open GNU Free Software Club with such and have ongoing
education program based exclusively on GNU principles of Free
Software. Educational program is better than giving away laptops.

> I taught children about the importance of computer user freedom,
> that GNU means FREEDOM, and I taught children how to use free
> software like LibreOffice, GIMP, VLC, Blender, and others for school
> work. (I showed the Free Software 30 years video, and the video talk
> by Richard Stallman Free Software and Education)

Could you then submit your story to GNU webmasters to include it on:
https://www.gnu.org/education/education.html

> Sadly, I found that children as young 5 years old knew the Google
> Chrome icon, and felt that unless they had it they could not connect
> to the internet. I showed them that the internet is accessed through
> a web browser, and that FireFox is a web browser that respects their
> freedoms. Most children felt uncomfortable using FireFox despite
> this.

Google is marketing too well. But that is not the only problem.

I am communicating with nice intelligent people online while often
surrounded physically with less litterate people (I am very kind now,
I am not telling here what I really mean). And then I get surprised:

- many people do not even know what is browser or Internet browser,
  but they use it all the time and do speak English. Encountered many
  times.

- many people do not know if they have multiple browsers, they just
  use one.

- many do not know it is Internet. They call it Google

- if they have multiple browsers they will use just one and not know
  what other is doing actually

- they mostly do not know what that mini buffer line signifies in the
  browser, the place where we write http:// they almost never use it
  today. This strategy have been created by Google. Maybe it was not
  intentional, maybe it was. But it does aligns well with Google goals
  to monopolize people. That is why we hear today that Google wants to
  kill the URL: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=google+kills+url&atb=v154-3am&ia=web

  When URL is killed, they will kill the INPUT BAR or how it is
  called. The minibuffer for URL input.

  When that is killed, what remains? Google. Monopoly. Power over
  others.

> Google is taking advantage of the pandemic to sneak their way into
> the classroom and collect academic information as well as very
> personal information about the most vulnerable population in our
> society, our CHILDREN.

They are not selective to children, they accept ALL data about
anybody.

> This should be alarming to everyone! This is not only wrong ,but in
> the United States I believe this is a violation of the Family
> Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). (Legal experts should
> comment on this.)

To sneak the way they do it legally. They give terms and conditions
and people submit to it.

Normally, if average anonymous person on street asks user:

- to know when user is waking up
- to know when user is going to sleep
- to know who are friends, family and clients of user
- to read users' emails
- to store files for user in anonymous home
- to know what user likes and dislikes
- to know more about the user than his wife, mother or brother, sister

then user on street will say NO. "Are you ridiculous?" May even call
police feeling intimidated.

But Google, well... user does not even see ANY face of person working
at Google but blindly believes anything that is offered from Google.

That is why I say it is good marketing.

We need campaigns for awareness.

> I am not a parent, but if I were a parent, I would never let Google
> touch my daughter. I would equip her with the knowledge of Free
> Software and help her build her own computer that she would
> understand inside and out.

Very commendable. We were doing similar things with 12 years. 

> I know these are difficult times, but there are used laptops
> available for affordable prices, and there are resources to learn
> how to install GNU+Linux operating systems on them. Parents should
> take advantage of this and say NO to schools demanding that they use
> software and hardware that violates the privacy of their children
> and undermines their education by stripping them of not only
> software knowledge but hardware knowledge.

Especially ANY non-free software should be rejected.

Jean