'It's Stalin's dream' Quote of the day by software pioneer Richard Stallman on the tracking capabilities of cell phones

Date:
Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:00:00 +0000

Description:
The long-time privacy advocate doesn't carry a cell phone to avoid being tracked

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The programmer Richard Stallman is not a household name, but his work has been instrumental in building the software industry, as has his long-term campaign for free software. He's also been a huge advocate for privacy in the digital age, and has railed against the rise of cell phones for that reason. "I dont have a cell phone. I wont carry a cell phone. Its Stalins dream. Cell phones are tools of Big Brother. Im not going to carry a tracking device that records where I go all the time, and Im not going to carry a surveillance device that can be turned on to eavesdrop." Richard Stallman, March 2011 Who needs phones anyway? Stallman first disclosed his views on cell phones in an interview with Network World , during a time in which smartphones were exploding in popularity. Quote of the day This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an
insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here . During this interview, Stallman indicated his long-held belief that the portable phones that many millions use would be the perfect tool that authoritarian forces could exploit and use to track the movements of populations. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

He also advocated for free software, which you would expect from the founder of the Free Software Foundation (FSF), which he established in 1985. This was backed by the creation of the GNU project a free software, mass
collaboration movement to give users freedom of choice to use and develop software for their devices. The legacy of free software Despite his
reluctance to ever use a cell phone, one of Stallman's achievements which he himself acknowledged in the interview was the third-party version of the Android mobile OS, from which all proprietary software was stripped out. You may like "Our mobile phones have become the greatest spy on the planet" - quote of the day by antivirus pioneer John McAfee Quote of the day by Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy: "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it" Quote of the day by ex-Google evangelist Vint Cerf: "Privacy may actually be an anomaly"

He pointed to new systems like Replicant, an alternative version of Android, that can run on certain devices without additional proprietary software. The catch is that this only works with older and outdated handsets , like the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the Galaxy Note 2. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/its-stalins-dream-quote-of-the-day-by-software-p ioneer-richard-stallman-on-the-tracking-capabilities-of-cell-phones


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