The French government is considering a law that would require web browsers – like Mozilla’s Firefox – to block websites chosen by the government.

  • krayj
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    1 year ago

    How are they going to stop people from downloading the source and modifying it and building versions of the browser that do not comply with that bullshit? Are they going to block French citizens from accessing the Firefox open source project entirely?

    • dansity@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      Laws are usually made by people far detached from what they are ruling on. In short: They have no idea. Although majority of the planet uses chromium based browsers and once this is implemented in chromium its kinda decided.

      • Teppic@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Except at it’s core chromium is open source, and I can’t see the FOSS community embracing the idea. The French also wouldn’t be able to fully limit access to unrestricted browsers.

        It’s an all round dumb idea. Much easier and more effective to tell ISPs to do the blocking.

        • hyperspace@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          Sure, Chromium is open source, but let’s not pretend that the community has any say over Chromium’s direction. Google is making the decisions, we’re just allowed to watch

            • hyperspace@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              I think I do. The source is open, but that doesn’t mean that the community decides what happens with Chromium. The comment I was replying to said that the FOSS community would not embrace Google’s decision. I say that Google does not care about you. What are you gonna do about it, short of forking Chromium and going your own way, or maybe patching out their changes? Most people will stay on the unmodified Chromium

              • lolcatnip@reddthat.com
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                1 year ago

                If I maintain a piece of software and everyone decides they’d rather use my version than develop their own, does that mean I control it, or does it just mean everyone is happy enough with my work that they’d rather use mine than do it themselves?

                I say that Google does not care about you.

                I don’t see how that’s relevant.

                What are you gonna do about it, short of forking Chromium and going your own way, or maybe patching out their changes?

                I dunno, maybe use of the many other Chromium-based browsers from groups that are already maintaining their own forks? Or use another browser entirely? I do both, actually.

    • merde alors
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      1 year ago

      what I don’t get is, they already do this through ISPs. Unless people use tor, they can’t see a site that’s blocked by their ISP.

      so, why 🤷

    • ahal@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      I think at that point it ceases to be Firefox. I guess the government could go after whoever is distributing the modified browser.