From: "Mikkel L. Ellertson" <mikkel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
David G. Miller wrote:
We don't hold a manufacturer of any other product liable for how their
product gets used. Guns are probably the best example. Although there
have been attempts, gun manufacturers aren't held liable for whatever
use their product is put to. Likewise, as long as a gun owner takes
customary and reasonable precautions against unauthorized use (e.g., a
gun safe, locking away key components, etc.), we don't hold a gun owner
liable if some steals his gun and then uses it in a crime. On the other
hand, if a gun owner doesn't take reasonable precautions and someone
gets hurt, they are not just liable but criminally culpable.
But we do hold them liable for providing defective products. We
would hold a gun manufacturer liable if the gun blew up when you
fired it. We hold a car manufacture liable if the gas tank blows up
on you. Why not a software publisher that provides an insecure
system by default? Do they have a responsibility to provide a
quality product? Especially if they are a monopoly or near monopoly?
When you make design decisions that put ease of use, and market lock
in ahead of security, aren't you responsible for the results?
(Ingratiating the web browser into the OS to lock out a competitor's
software, or setting the mail program to execute attachments by
default that can modify the system so that you can do remote
administration of a machine, even though most machines are not going
to use the "feature", and it puts machines at risk...)
In almost any other industry, they would be liable for the damages
they caused by these kinds of design flaws.
And the first time a Fedora Core release is hacked Red Hat goes out of
business. Is this your goal? (Mind you, there are days when I have
uttered enough unkind words Fedora-wards that I'd applaud the concept.
Note, there are not as many such days as there are days I've felt the
urge to disembowel somebody on the Microsoft campus - which would be
too kind for some of them such as the doofus who invented "Clippy.")
{^_-}
