Richard Stallman, 2022-06-01
Human Rights Watch studied 164 software packages and web sites recommended by various governments for schools to make students use. It found that 146 of them gave data to advertising and tracking companies.
The investigators were thorough and checked for various snooping methods, including fingerprinting of devices to identify users. The targets of investigation were not limited to programs and sites specifically "for education" — for instance, they included Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
I expect that each package collected personal data for its developer. I'm not sure whether the results counted that, but they should. Once the developer gets personal data, it can provide that data to advertising profilers, as well as other companies and governments, and it can engage directly in manipulation.
The recommendations Human Rights Watch makes follow the usual approach of regulating the use of data once collected. This is fundamentally inadequate; personal data, once collected, will surely be misused. The only approach that makes it possible to end massive surveillance starts with demanding that the software be free. Then users will be able to modify the software to avoid giving real data to companies.
企业开发的软件存在大规模监控学生的情况
人权观察调查了政府让学生使用的164款软件和网站，从中发现146款会把数据出卖给广告公司。
调查者仔细确认了各种不同的监控方式，包括指纹识别技术。调查的对象不仅仅局限于教育领域的软件和网站，同时也包括zoom和Microsoft Teams.
我猜测每个软件都会为其开发者搜集数据。我不知道为什么会得出这样的结论，但是理论上来说是这样的。
一旦开发者得到用户数据，它就会把这些数据给广告商、公司和政府部门。然后这些部门就会使用这些数据。
人权观察给出的一般性建议是限制数据的使用，然而这是不够的。用户数据只要收集了，就会被滥用。只有自由软件才能避免大规模的监控。这样用户就能够修改软件使其不能把数据发给背后的公司。