Microsoft, Facebook gathering information for US

Microsoft and Facebook are collecting personal information of the users for the US government, Computer Programmer and President of Free Software Foundation Dr. Richard Stallman said. Speaking in an interview with FNA, Stallman strongly dismissed Microsoft’s slogan 'Your Privacy is Our Priority' as a dishonest statement, and said, “I trust (Edward) Snowden because he shows us documents that he brought to us at great risk and personal cost, while Microsoft merely says we should trust Microsoft, which is no reason to trust it.” “The fact is, we have known for years that Microsoft was putting malicious functionalities in its software. It has demonstrated spyware, digital shackles (DRM), and a universal back door,” Stallman underlined. “What's new is that Microsoft does this for the US government as well as for Microsoft. Any proprietary program gives its owner unjust power over the program's users. Abuses of this power are only natural,” the renowned programmer told FNA. Asked why you criticize Facebook, he replied, “Facebook requires its useds to identify themselves. I call them ‘useds’ rather than 'users' because Facebook is using them. Facebook is designed to lure its useds into giving lots of data about themselves, and it collects a lot more data about them surreptitiously." “It requires running non-free software, the users do not control it. It uses its useds' names, photos and postings in advertisements for companies. It is designed to be addictive,” Stallman said. “For these reasons, I won't use Facebook, and I have never used Facebook. Thus, I can't tell you whether it is convenient. I don't care whether it is convenient. I won't pay with my freedom for mere convenience,” he said.