Stopping bad guys from using my open source project (feedback wanted)

https://news.ycombinator.com/rss Hits: 8
Summary

Stopping bad guys from using my open source project (feedback wanted)In short: I maintain a sorta-popular open source package, and I want to prevent big corporations and “bad guys” from using it. I want feedback on how to do this.Open source and exploitationI’ve been learning more about open source sustainability. More accurately, I’ve been learning more about how open source is exploited by large companies.Some recent links that have influenced my view:This pair of slides from the maintainer of curl. The first slide: 38 massive car brands that use curl. The second slide: 0 of them give anything back.“The Value of Open Source Software” says that “firms would need to spend 3.5 times more […] if OSS did not exist”, and that OSS is giving businesses about $12,000,000,000,000 USD (12 trillion dollars) for free.“What is open source?” says that “volunteers are creating software for free that largely benefits large corporations.”“Open Source Power” asserts that open source software needs to be more thoughtful about how it donates its work to the commons, because it’s being abused.“Open Source Developers Are Exhausted, Unpaid, and Ready to Walk Away” argues that open source maintainers are being exploited and are burning out. That’s dangerous for the industry.“How US tech giants’ AI is changing the face of warfare in Gaza and Lebanon” made me think about how open source tools like PyTorch kill innocent people, if indirectly.“The Death of Consequences” claims that “extractive organizations will not take licensing seriously”, and that the open source movement needs more teeth.Overall, these ideas lead me to believe that the open source movement needs to see itself as in a larger social context. Can we shift the balance of power away from massive companies and their massive harms? Can we prevent Nazis from using our software? Should we even try?What can I do to help?I maintain a sorta-popular open source package. I say popular because it had over 200 million downloads in ...

First seen: 2025-11-30 03:46

Last seen: 2025-11-30 10:46