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Free and Open-Source Software: Freedom, Transparency and Efficiency in the Digitalization Era

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Hellenic Association of Political Scientists (HAPSc)   

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Journal of Politics and Ethics in New Technologies and AI  | ΕΚΤ eJournals   

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Free and Open-Source Software: Freedom, Transparency and Efficiency in the Digitalization Era (EN)
Prokakis, Emmanouil
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
"Peer-reviewed Article" (EN)
2022-08-30
Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) has grown substantially over the past decades, becoming an essential part of the modern world. FOSS refers to software that preserves the user’s freedom to read the program’s source code, make modifications and redistribute it. Since the source code is open and accessible to everyone, the user is not only permitted, but also encouraged to make modifications to the software to fill specific needs. Corporations utilize that capability to get access to specifically tailored software for their needs, while proprietary software fails to meet that promise due to providing a standardized package of the software, adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. Therefore, FOSS allows for a more efficient fulfillment of software needs. Additionally, FOSS can play an important role in the protection of human rights in the digital realm, particularly in the case of the right to privacy. Because of its transparent nature, FOSS is more respectful towards the user’s privacy, compared to proprietary software, since the latter restricts the user from knowing the program’s under the hood functionality. With closed source software, arises a problem of asymmetric information between the software company and the consumer. FOSS offers a solution to this information asymmetry, by allowing users to obtain information about the inner workings of the program they rely upon. Through FOSS, the imbalance of power between the developer and the user disintegrates. (EN)
Digital Rights (EN)
Software needs (EN)
Transparency (EN)
Information asymmetry (EN)
Free and Open-Source Software (EN)
Right to privacy (EN)
Proprietary software (EN)
English
Hellenic Association of Political Scientists (HAPSc) (EN)
2944-9243
Journal of Politics and Ethics in New Technologies and AI; Vol. 1 No. 1 (2022): Journal of Politics and Ethics in New Technologies and AI; e31230 (EN)
Copyright (c) 2022 Emmanouil Prokakis (EN)
Hellenic Association of Political Scientists (HAPSc)
Journal of Politics and Ethics in New Technologies and AI
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