protestware xsnow

Alexander Ivanov <[email protected]>
Newsgroups gmane.linux.debian.devel.general
Message-ID <CAFE1aJnp3YVZ+M45wf1F4PfAyZagVQcMgHau7AyXdiXwtYFeWg@mail.gmail.com>
Dear Maintainer and Debian Quality Assurance Team,
I am reporting a violation of the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) in
the "xsnow" package (version 1:3.8.3-1, currently in trixie/stable).

The upstream source code contains hidden geofenced/locale-fenced logic that
alters the application's behavior based on the user's language settings.
Specifically, if the user's locale is set to Russian ("ru"), the
application triggers a disguised visual element (Ukrainian flags labeled as
"EXTRATREE") with a significantly higher probability.

The non-compliant logic is located in `xsnow-3.8.3/src/scenery.c` line 332
around

#ifdef USE_EXTRATREE
      if (global.Language && !strcmp(global.Language,"ru") && drand48() <
0.3)
tt = MAXTREETYPE;
      if (drand48() < 0.02)
tt = MAXTREETYPE;
#endif

This targeted behavior strictly violates the following foundational Debian
principles:
1. DFSG #5 (No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups): The software
introduces distinct behavioral changes and targeted messaging aimed
specifically at users of a particular language/locale group.
2. DFSG #6 (No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor): The application
restricts or alters its intended neutral functionality based on the user's
environment.

Since the package maintainer is also the upstream author who introduced
this geofencing mechanism, I am CC'ing this report to the wider Debian
development community to ensure proper evaluation according to the Debian
Policy.

Please consider patching out this non-free geofencing logic to keep the
package compliant with DFSG.

Thank you.
lmpx.com only provides a reader for public news (NNTP) servers. It is not affiliated with the servers or forums shown here and is not responsible for the content of articles, which is written by their respective authors.