95 Theses of Geek Activism
by Devanshu Mehta
Geek activism has not taken off yet, but it should. With the gamers recognizing the need for a louder voice, EFF gaining momentum and Linux taking on the mainstream on the one hand and recent severe losses in privacy, freedom of speech and intellectual property rights on the other, now seems to be the best time to rally around the cause.
Geeks are not known to be political or highly vocal (outside of our own circles)- this must change if we want things to improve. So here is my list of things people of all shapes, sizes and sides of the debate need to know. Some of these are obvious, others may not be meant for you. But hopefully, some of these will inspire you to do the right thing and others will help you frame the next discussion, debate or argument you have on these topics.
# *Reclaim the term ‘hacker’*. If you tinker with electronics, you are a hacker. If you use things in more ways than intended by the manufacturer, you are a hacker. If you build things out of strange, unexpected parts, you are a hacker. Reclaim the term.
# Violating a license agreement is not theft.
# All corporations are not on your side.
# Keep in touch with everyone you can vote for and make sure you know where they stand on the issues you care about.
# More importantly, make sure they know where you stand on the issues you care about.
# Everything will enter the *public domain* some day- even Mickey Mouse.
# Read the original 95 theses. Yes, they are irrelevant to these causes. Yes, they are religious- and not even close to my religion. And yes, they are 500 years old. But they do demonstrate how stating your beliefs clearly, effectively and publicly to *challenge the status quo* can change the world. Of course, I have no delusions of grandeur!
# Use TOR for privacy and anonymity.
# Trusted computers must not be trusted.
# Democrats may seem to be on your side, but keep an eye on them. They may only be the lesser of two evils.
# Republicans may seem to be the enemy, but that is only because they are in power now. The true enemy is a lack of accountability.
# Read Eric Raymond’s The Cathedral and the Bazaar.
# Why do I have to jump through hoops just to get video off my own home movie DVDs?
# Know the DMCA so you know what you are up against.
# The true enemy is the line: “If you haven’t done anything wrong, what do you fear?” The problem with that line, as Schneier has said, is that it assumes that the desire for privacy implies wrong-doing.
# Proprietary data formats must never store public information.
# Some corporations are on your side- find them and reward them.
# No one has ever told me where I could play my 45 RPMs. Why are my MP3s any different?
# The _analog hole_ is not a hole. The world is analog.
# If you are in the US, let your Senator know what you feel.
# Treating your customers like criminals- or potential criminals- will turn customers away.
# This bears repeating, treating paying customers as potential criminals is a losing strategy.
# Some corporations may seem to be on your side, but are not.
# Fair use is a good thing.
# *Use multiple operating systems* regularly so you truly understand interoperability.
# Write to your local newspaper- they can shape the opinions of the people do not understand the issues we care about.
# Do not follow the Electronic Frontier Foundation, *participate in it*.
# Read of Thoreau’s words on civil disobedience.
# Data mining will not stop terror.
# *Express your opinion in public*.
# Blog.
# The GPL is not gospel, but it comes close.
# Use multiple MP3/music players so you truly understand interoperability.
# If you are in the US, let your house representative know how you feel.
# Those in favor of suspending some liberties for security, answer this: “Who watches the watchers?”
# Except for extreme cases, the *government* should not be in the business of *parenting our children*.
# When arguing with people who disagree, *be polite*, but not condescending.
# RFID is just a technology- its existence does not make us more secure.
# Now and in the future, presence of encryption implies *nothing*. In fact, whatever it does imply is *none of your business*. Without any other probable cause, the user must not bear the burden of explaining reasons for use of encryption.
# Flame wars help the other side.
# New technologies to promote and develop media will prosper because of computers and the Internet, *not inspite of it*.
# Security is a trade-off- what are you willing to give up?
# Calling Microsoft evil buys you nothing- it only polarizes the argument.
# Holding Google to its “Don’t do evil” mantra buys us a lot.
# Read of Gandhi’s actions in civil disobedience. Discover Satyagraha.
# Use Creative Commons.
# Understand the difference between civil disobedience and breaking the law.
# Can’t find anything to watch on network TV? Watch Democracy TV.
# Frame the argument in terms of the average person, not the edge-case geek. These problems affect geeks first, but *will affect everyone in the future*.
# Privacy, civil liberties and civil rights are a slippery slope. The reason we continuously fight for them is not that we all seek a utopian society where doves fly free- in fact, I seek a perpetual ‘tug-of-war’ where the rope gradually slips in the direction of my beliefs.
# Users do not want the permission to use digital media; they want to *own* digital media. This means using them as they choose, where they choose, in the device of their choice without fear of litigation or sudden inactivity. These users are customers- treat them with respect.
# Support the free, public domain archives of information.
# *Undermine censorship* by publishing information censored in oppressive countries.
# And then, there is the 12-step plan for the games industry.
# Corporations and producers of digital media _must_ trust their own consumers. Sales will reward trust.
# Breaking the law because you disagree with the current law is not the way to solve the problem in a democratic society.
# *ID cards* do not make us more secure.
# Voicing your views in a Slashdot comment thread is good, in your own blog is better, but in places that non-geeks frequent is best.
# DRM does not work because the customer/user has the key, cipher and ciphertext in the player. (thanks Cory Doctorow)
# Bloggers have rights– be aware of them.
# Find out why electronic voting machines are regulated less than casino gaming machines.
# Find out about Spimes– they are in your future if things go well.
# Have a global perspective in ideas of geek civil liberties, intellectual property rights and so forth. Do you like your country’s policies in this respect? Can you help people from another country?
# Geek activism is not all about extreme positions. There is a gradient- find your position on it.
# Read the PATRIOT ACT– know what you are _really_ up against.
# In the US, put a few technologists in power in Washington. Abroad, do the same for your own seat of government.
# Write to mainstream media- they have more mindshare than they are given credit for.
# Read what your founding fathers said before taking someone’s word for it. Quote the founding fathers back at them- there were so many of them, and they said and wrote so much, that you will find a quote for each situation. Try this one for starters, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” – _Benjamin Franklin_. Read more Bejamin Franklin. Read “more cool quotes”:http://www.scienceaddiction.com/2006/04/25/outrage/
# Read more.
# Mixed tapes are legal. Time-shifting TV is legal. Regardless of the media.
# Decide what is offensive for yourself- don’t let the government decide it for you. If you do not, pretty soon, you may only see one side of every argument.
# Music purchases should not be governed by determining which seller has the most clout among the player manufacturers.
# We do not lock the door to our bedrooms or bathrooms because we have something to hide. We do not secure our networks, conversations, emails and files because we have something to hide.
# Make sure that if a vendor locks you in, you lock them out.
# 80% of games are *not rated M*.
# You may agree with Richard Stallman, but make sure you understand the opposing point of view.
# An email tax to certify that it is “legitimate” is an awful idea.
# Know your rights and be prepared to defend them.
# *Open source is not free*.
# *Free is open source*.
# The ESRB game rating system exists for a reason- so that parents can be parents and the government can get on with more important stuff.
# Do not allow corporations to get away with assisting oppressive regimes. Let your voice be heard.
# *Linux is no longer a philosophy*- it is a good piece of software. Use it if it fits your needs.
# There are reasons based in mathematics that establish the NSA wiretaps and other similar brute data mining ideas do not work.
# Multiple nag screens that warn us of possible insecurity do not make us more secure.
# More information available to the most number of people is a *good thing*.
# There are DRM free alternatives for music you can play anywhere.
# *Vote*.
# Free as in free lunch is good. Free as in a free people is even better. For software and for everything else.
# Quoting Schneier’s blog: Cardinal Richelieu understood the value of surveillance when he famously said, “If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged.” Watch someone long enough, and you’ll find something to arrest — or just blackmail — with. Privacy is important because without it, surveillance information will be abused: to peep, to sell to marketers and to spy on political enemies — whoever they happen to be at the time.
# Read our modern geek philosophers- read Bruce Perens, Cory Doctorow, Bruce Sterling and even Richard Stallman. Read Schneier to find practical reasons why stupid security mechanisms are stupid. Read them even if you disagree with them- it will help frame your point of view.
# DRM only keeps *an honest user honest*.
# You have the right to anonymity on the internet.
# *Be proud of being a geek*, a gamer, a privacy advocate, promoter of free speech and an innovator without fear of litigation, of government or restrictions on liberties- a geek activist.
# Most of all- have fun.
If you disagree with any or all of what I have said- good for you. Let me know how. Let me know why. Let us argue, let us debate. But, in the end, let us get stuff done.
UPDATE: Thanks to BoingBoing and so many others for the inbound links. And keep the comments below coming.
UPDATE #2: And now digg-pwnd too (just discovered that word). The site is dying under the weight of a thousand blog links, but we shall overcome. Some day. Expect a follow-up on the numerous comments below (thanks!), the numerous comments on Digg and the many dozen blogs around the Internet who have commented on this story. So far I have been told that I have inspired people to start blogs, to revive their blogs, to donate to the EFF, to write open letters and much more. This is all fantastic news, but it cannot stop here. It will not- stick around and we will make things happen.
UPDATE #3: This story was later picked up by Wired Magazine for the December ’06 issue (the one with lonelygirl15 on the cover). It also made its way in to many online editions of offline publications as well. I am about to start (July ’07) a series expanding on many of the thoughts from this original article and clarifying/amending things that have been questioned since.
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These 95 theses are almost anecdotal – many of them are. Say, so. is actually going to study the points you have put out here, what would this education be good for?
A geek is a geek is a geek, but does this still apply to a set of geeks? You know, Luther was disruptive in what he proposed. OTOH, he was deeply involved in a social structure of his times, uniting some disparate views and actions. But these worthwhile theses of yours are a call to books, to ideas, and to study — not a call to unity. This disturbs me a little.
Repeatedly, you resort to voting, political voting for power and law. Them to are not sufficient for a topology of a society. Sane voting can bring us somewhere–no doubt–but it is the fabric that counts; stitches give it a form (parliaments do this to nations) and nothing else. And remember: what’s been stitched together, can come apart. No amount of study will prevent this.
Interesting and mostly inspiring, your individualistic theses cannot render a viable programme behind the first step, which is to get informed. If to participate, and _how_ to participate, is left to the reader. This is a significant omission. Do you plan on issuing your thoughts on the community of geeks, or on the society of ours generally? It might be an interesting and moving experience. I am looking forward to it.
Yours,
V.M.
Excellent stuff. As a liberal and a progressive, I’ve been thinking about this kind of stuff for a long time. Getting internet users thinking about what politics means to them and their geekiness is crucial to maintaining the freedom of the internet and all things digital.
And I agree that the biggest enemy is the line “If you’re not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.” This can be used to justify anything that has to do with individuals against authoritarian interests. It is so tempting for good people to give in to it because they aren’t doing anything wrong, but these individuals lack a larger understanding of what it means when you internalize this concept. If you ever, for one second think “I shouldn’t do or say that because someone may be watching or listening”, congratulations, you live under fascism.
eh, as someone who’s been doing this shit for 20 years and ebing that 95% of my work is necessarily in the public domain I’d have to say this is mostly squishy feels good to say bullshit.
1) Someone who fucks with shit is not a hacker. They are someone who fucks with shit. Someone who fucks with shit and does it well and really understands the nature of what they are fucking with – thats a hacker. Not all work is equal.
2) Violating a license agreement *can* be theft depending on what the license agreement covers. Something to keep in mind is that *no* one is making the person agree to the terms of the license.
3) Duh.
4) Agree completely. However, its important to keep in mind that elected officials are *not* there to rubber stamp your desires. They are there to actually *lead* people and as such they will, at times, be obliged to do things the public doesn’t want but is in their best long term interest. The problem we have now is that very few elected officials actually do this.
5) Agreed.
6) And someday the earth will just be a burned out cinder orbiting a snowball of a sun.
7) The 95 theses didn’t change the world. The world had already changed the 95 theses really just highlighted what was happening. Protestantism was, by that point, already underway and had been a growing force for the previous 200+ years.
8) TOR is great, unless you care about performance.
9) There are no perfectly secure computers. However, there are also very very few security protocols that cannot be circumvented by a sufficiently scary person with a pair of garden shears threatening to cut off your toes.
So forth and such not. Mostly the points are often naive and little more than philsophical sound bites that seem to convey meaning but are actually content free. If you took the time to actually explore the implications behind them, create the framework that supports them, and then determine how to apply them to the really real world then you might have something.
This has got to be the most paranoid thing I’ve ever read.
You guys have way too much time on your hands, and a complete lack of perspective on what really matters in this world.
No wonder “geeks” come across as condescending. They ARE condescending.
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[…] You might hate RIAA? Think the iPod is evil? Is Open Source the answer to all that’s wrong with the world? Do you look at how TOR works and think, “Hey wait, terrorists could use this!”? Do you feel defensive when you explain to co-workers that you encrypt your IM sessions? If you have ever contemplated these kinds of issues, then you really need to get your arms around these: http://www.scienceaddiction.com/2006/07/23/95-theses-of-geek-activism/ […]
I believe someday that there will be a war waged between artists and geeks. The artists will claim they are creating things, making things and the owners of those intellectual properties. The geeks will say that everything should be public domain and open source.
People will either stop creating things if they’re just to be appropriated by someone else without reimbursement.
Number 68 should be amended — Franklin didn’t say that.
http://www.futureofthebook.com/stories/storyReader$605
@Nate- artists and geeks are on the same side. I am strongly for intellectual property rights and am not for an exclusive adherence to open sourcedness. Walt Disney surely deserved to be reimbursed many times over for his adorable creation, Mickey Mouse. But should the Disney corporation profit from it 80 years later? At what point should it enter the public domain?
There are many other issues- is it illegal for me to use your artwork in a class report on art? How about your song in a mixed tape for my wife? No one wants to stop an artist from being fairly compensated for their art- but are we letting corporations decide what constitutes fair use? Your point is extremely valid and a fair balance must be achieved- I will probably do an article on where I stand on these issues soon.
I am a geek and proud of it, in that I publish a site dedicated to helping people relieve back, neck and shoulder pain, as well as arthritis and sciatica discomfort through articles and advice, including information on exercise, yoga and ergonomic products that can make a difference in the life of someone with chronic pain.
http://backbebetter.blogspot.com
In reference to #81, There is no “more important stuff” than being a parent. I suggest “the government can get on with other important stuff”.
@3j- read #81 again. It says _so that parents can be parents and the government can get on with more important stuff._
[…] Auch wenn ich der zehntausendste bin, der diesen Artikel verlinkt, er hat es verdient: 95 Theses of Geek Aktivism geben sich mit nicht weniger als mit dem Anspruch zufrieden, als in ihrer Bedeutung dem Kram vom ollen Luther nachzufolgen. Sicher kann, nein muss und soll man über die ein oder These streiten. Schon weil einiges ziemlich banal ist (oder nur für die USA zutrifft). Aber genau darum geht es, in den Kommentaren es auch schon einges Anmerkungen. Ach ja: Ist in Englisch. […]
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I see that a few have taken issue with #17 “Some corporations are on your side- find them and reward them.” I believe it is true that some are. If we are going to enact change, we are first going to have to change the way we think about things.
The main crux of the issue is the idea that many people believe if someone is profiting from a transaction, then it is a bad thing. Someone is getting screwed. It does not necessarily need to be so. There are some corporations out there (more accurately, certain visionary leaders in corporations) that are finding ways to create more profitable, environmentally/socially responsible products/services while still turning a profit.
There are some people out there who really believe in making money while doing something for the betterment of fellow human beings. I’ve met some, and happen to be one.
Don’t believe me? One area that is a boom for these ideas at the moment is Green Architecture. There are a lot of companies out there who are finding that you can turn a profit and develop new ideas for the future.
Our future depends on business concepts like these. There are some of these companies out there. They may be hard to see, but they are there. If we bring our 19th century view of capitalism into the new millenium, then I am afraid our environmentally irresponsible policies will be our undoing. If we, however, focus on creating new ideas and business concepts to create a happier, healthier world (which IS possible, given the technology of today) then the human race may just be around to see the next millenium.
Now why would I want to ‘reclaim’ the word hacker? I’ve always been aware of the obsolete positive connotation of the term, but even back in the mid 80s regarded it as a dead usage.
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5k1ttl3 Says (July 23rd, 2006 at 9:31 pm):
“Breaking the law because you disagree with the current law is not the way to solve the problem in a democratic society.â€
…Perhaps not, but then again the US isnt a democracy, no matter how many time they tell us it is. We’re a democratic republic.
Actually, the US is a Constitution-based federal republic with a strong democratic tradition; this according to CIA Worldbook.
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html
The difference (from the CIA Worldbook) :
Democratic republic – a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.
Federal republic – a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental representatives.
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#2 – does this include violations of the GPL ?
[…] Link […]
Now this is simply a fantastic statement. I am from Portugal and we (me and a bunch of friends) are creating an association to adress many of these problems. We are still in the debate stage but this article will surely help us in the process. Good work.
@Sandra, let me know how the process goes and do send a link when you are ready.
I know.. I’ll respond to each one of the 95 points individually
1) Uh-huh
2) Mmm, Uh-huh
3) Yeh, Uh-huh
4) Mmm mmm
5) Yeah, Uh-hmm
6) Mmm ah, uh-huh
Oh no, wait there… That’s inane
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well done, thanks for putting many of these issues into a handy format. Nice to read for anybody, well put.
— dot tilde dot
Just wanted to let you know, I wrote up a long rant and criticism / support for your theses. Anyone who wants to hop on and debate me, feel free.
[…] So in addition to calling your Congressmen and Senators in Washington D.C. (Toll Free: 888-355-3588, or if you have the dime: 202-224-5852.) You might want to ask your state reps if they have an opinion on Net Neutrality? if they don’t have an opinion, take the oppurtunity to educate them. But before you educate them, educate yourself. […]
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i’ve read some comment as well and i can just repeat what they wrote first.
just keep the good work, this post can make difference, for instance i’ll look closer at #12, #28.
I now officially feel like a hacker, thank you. Check out my site – it is all about open-ness and helping others out while contributing to the ghettorigging world. I make things out of unusual things.
Traduction française approximative de « 95 Theses of Geek Activism ». Suggestions, améliorations et corrections bienvenues.
And #96, try to have a sense of humor. 2% of scientists have become so shrill about either global warming or creationism that they’re making us all sound like crazy harpies.
Read “95 Theses of Geek Activism” – Politics…
Today I found what I consider to be an important blog entry for everybody to read. It deals with all sorts of different freedom expanding ideas to counteract the encroachment on our civil liberties by Big Business and Big Government.
…
[…] I don’t usually repost things that I find elsewhere on the web in my blog here, but in this case I’m making an exception. I am happily, and in the spirit of the theses themselves, reprinting this from the Science Addiction blog. I don’t agree with all of them, but they’re all important points. The 95 Theses of Geek Activism: […]
I love this! The only thing I don’t like the sound of is “spimes” ugh. I think there is a better solution for over industialization and that is not it.
Sorry ’bout the Link to your article. I’ve somehow missed that, fixed 🙂
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[…] A must read: Geek activism has not taken off yet, but it should. With the gamers recognizing the need for a louder voice, EFF gaining momentum and Linux taking on the mainstream on the one hand and recent severe losses in privacy, freedom of speech and intellectual property rights on the other, now seems to be the best time to rally around the cause. […]
[…] Interesting right? Continue to the full article… […]
[…] 95 Theses of Geek Activism “Geeks are not known to be political or highly vocal (outside of our own circles)- this must change if we want things to improve. So here is my list of things people of all shapes, sizes and sides of the debate need to know.” […]
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[…] Science Addiction has an interesting post on The 95 Theses of Geek Activism. I suggest you at least take a quick glimpse of what it entails as all of it will pertain to you eventually. The “technically adept” (nerdy) are affected by some of these problems first, but there are still some wise words in there. […]
Now why would I want to ‘reclaim’ the word hacker? I’ve always been aware of the obsolete positive connotation of the term, but even back in the mid 80s regarded it as a dead usage.
Thanks so much for sharing this, Devanshu! So true and so inspiring!
Be proud of your geekness.
[…] Science Addiction » 95 Theses of Geek Activism: 1. Reclaim the term ‘hacker’. If you tinker with electronics, you are a hacker. If you use things in more ways than intended by the manufacturer, you are a hacker. If you build things out of strange, unexpected parts, you are a hacker. Reclaim the term. 2. Violating a license agreement is not theft. 3. All corporations are not on your side. 4. Keep in touch with everyone you can vote for and make sure you know where they stand on the issues you care about. 5. More importantly, make sure they know where you stand on the issues you care about. 6. Everything will enter the public domain some day- even Mickey Mouse. 7. Read the original 95 theses. Yes, they are irrelevant to these causes. Yes, they are religious- and not even close to my religion. And yes, they are 500 years old. But they do demonstrate how stating your beliefs clearly, effectively and publicly to challenge the status quo can change the world. Of course, I have no delusions of grandeur! 8. Use TOR for privacy and anonymity. 9. Trusted computers must not be trusted. 10. Democrats may seem to be on your side, but keep an eye on them. They may only be the lesser of two evils. […]
[…] Science Addiction » 95 Theses of Geek Activism: 1. Reclaim the term ‘hacker’. If you tinker with electronics, you are a hacker. If you use things in more ways than intended by the manufacturer, you are a hacker. If you build things out of strange, unexpected parts, you are a hacker. Reclaim the term. 2. Violating a license agreement is not theft. 3. All corporations are not on your side. 4. Keep in touch with everyone you can vote for and make sure you know where they stand on the issues you care about. 5. More importantly, make sure they know where you stand on the issues you care about. 6. Everything will enter the public domain some day- even Mickey Mouse. 7. Read the original 95 theses. Yes, they are irrelevant to these causes. Yes, they are religious- and not even close to my religion. And yes, they are 500 years old. But they do demonstrate how stating your beliefs clearly, effectively and publicly to challenge the status quo can change the world. Of course, I have no delusions of grandeur! 8. Use TOR for privacy and anonymity. 9. Trusted computers must not be trusted. 10. Democrats may seem to be on your side, but keep an eye on them. They may only be the lesser of two evils. […]