Android Not Really Free - Stallman

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Android has come a long way from its startup roots, and is now among the most popular smartphone and tablet operating systems in the world. But while Android’s main intent is to provide a freer alternative to platforms like iOS, the Free Software Foundation’s Richard Stallman thinks Android still has a long way to go.

Richard Stallman has often been critical of Linux, particularly because of how Linux had moved away from the philosophy of freedom in software. By “free,” Stallman doesn’t necessarily mean free products, but rather the freedom to do what one pleases with software or, basically, control over the software.

Stallman writes that Android has not stuck with the philosophy of software freedom, with Google withholding part of the platform’s code, manufacturers installing proprietary add-ons, and even some important portions of mobile phones being under proprietary licenses. As such, he writes that Android is a “major step towards an ethical, user-controlled, free-software portable phone,but there is a long way to go.”

The version of Linux included in Android is not entirely free software, since it contains non-free “binary blobs” (just like Torvalds’ version of Linux), some of which are really used in some Android devices. Android platforms use other non-free firmware, too, and non-free libraries.

In a nutshell, Stallman says Android does not conform to the ideals of free software because users are often severely limited with their control over their Android smartphones (and tablets), and how these devices interface with the network. For example, phones can theoretically activate their microphones and GPS and be turned into a listening or tracking device.

• Google withheld the source code for Android 3.0 Honeycomb as it supposedly still had bugs. However, Stallman warns that Google might have intended to keep Honeycomb proprietary in the first place.
• Android, by default, prevents users from accessing the OS’s innards. While this can be circumvented through rooting, users should not have to root their devices to have more control in the first place.
• Some important drivers and firmware are proprietary, which include the network radio, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3D system, and even the phone’s mic. While there are free and open-source alternatives, most phones as a finished product will contain dozens and dozens of non-free technology.

Stallman still hopes for Android to be more of a free platform that gives its users better control over how the phone works, what it does, and how this is done. The question here, of course, is whether it matters much to the average end-user whether Android can give them more control over all aspects of portable communication and computing.