Right to root access

I believe consumers, as a right, should be able to install software of their choosing to any computing device that is owned outright.

This should apply regardless of the computer's form factor. In addition to traditional computing devices like PCs and laptops, this right should apply to devices like mobile phones, smart home" appliances, and even industrial equipment like tractors.

In 2025, we're ultra-connected via a network of devices we do not have full control over. Much of this has to do with how companies lock their devices' bootloaders, prevent root access, and prohibit installation of software that is not explicitly sanctioned through approval in their own distribution channels.

We should really work on changing that.

Medhir Bhargava

Obviously, this is preaching to the choir here on OSNews. I agree with Bhargava 100%. It should be illegal for any manufacturer of computing devices - with a possible exception for, say, things like medical implants, certain aspects of car control units, and so on - to lock down and/or restrict owners' ability to install whatever software they want, run whatever code they want, and install whatever operating system they want on the devices that they own. Computers are interwoven into the very fabric of every aspect of our society, and having them under the sole control of the biggest megacorporations in the world is utterly dystopian, and wildly dangerous.

Personally, I would take it a step further: any and all code that runs on products sold must be open. Not necessarily open source, but at the very least open, so that it can be inspected when malice is suspected. This way, society can make sure that the tech billionaire oligarchs giving nazi salutes aren't in full, black-box control over our devices. Secrecy as a means of corporate control is incredibly dangerous, and forcing all code to be open is the perfect way to combat this. Copyright is more than enough intellectual property protection for code.

The odds of this happening are, of course, slim, especially with the aforementioned tech billionaire oligarchs giving nazi salutes effectively running the most powerful military in human history. Reason is in short supply these days, and I doubt that's going to change any time soon.