Equipping Maintainer Communities for Legal Actions and Collective Power

A discussion on the importance of providing legal support and collective power to maintainers in the open source community, including the mention of organizations like Software Freedom of Concernancy and the idea of an open source developer union.

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Guest

Mohammed Shah

Panelist

Richard Littauer

Show Notes

In this episode, host Richard engages in a conversation with guest Mohammed Shah about open source sustainability and the significant challenges faced by open source maintainers. Mohammed shares his background as a full-stack developer and discusses his involvement in a project aimed at reducing prediabetes risk using a WhatsApp chatbot. The discussion delves into the WhatsApp chatbot project, potential violations of WhatsApp’s terms of service, and the unique license used. Mohammed recounts the distressing experience of receiving cease and desist letters, leading to his decision to step down as the project’s maintainer. Richard and Mohammed explore the difficulties faced by open source maintainers and the need for collective representation, including the idea of forming an open source developer union. Mohammed also tells us about a climate-related initiative he’s working on and a website he set up called CVE.Earth, for tracking corporate environmental destruction. Press download now to hear more!

[00:01:03] Mohammed introduces himself as a full-stack developer and talks about his involvement in a project called Antler, aimed at reducing the risk of prediabetes in specific communities using a WhatsApp chatbot.

[00:02:55] Mohammed explains the project, which involved creating a CLI tool that allows users to interact with their own WhatsApp accounts programmatically.

[00:04:02] The discussion touches on the potential violation of WhatsApp terms of service and how many projects in the space could be in violation.

[00:06:19] Richard asks about the license Mohammed used to put this code up. He explains the unique license he sued for the project, which allows for specific purposes but not for nefarious activities, and Richard mentions Mohammed’s Hippocratic + Do Not Harm License.

[00:07:35] Mohammed describes the distressing experience of receiving cease and desist letters which led him to step down as the project’s maintainer.

[00:09:27] Richard discusses the stress and challenges open source maintainers face when receiving cease and desist letters and the lack of resources to respond effectively.

[0011:05] Mohammed shares that the project is on hold, and he cannot transfer it to others due to the legal risk.

[00:12:24] We hear Mohammed’s idea of forming an open source developer union to deal with unique legal cases affecting a small group of developers but with broader implications. This union could help address legal challenges and protect open source developers. He emphasizes the need for collective power in the open source community, like other worker unions or collectives that have the ability to advocate for the rights of their members.

[00:13:58] Mohammed expresses that he wishes he had not put himself at risk with the project but defends open source work as a valid and important endeavor. He believes in the significance of open source work and its impact on a wide range of people.

[00:15:22] The discussion delves into the role of large tech companies as gatekeepers and how they exert control over access to their APIs. Mohammed suggests that these companies should provide APIs as public infrastructure for interoperability.

[00:17:54] Mohammed mentions a new project related to climate and corporate environmental responsibility that he’s been working on, and a website he set up called CVE.Earth, for tracking corporate environmental destruction.

[00:18:58] Find out where you can reach out to Mohammed on the web.

Spotlight

[00:19:46] Richard’s spotlight is Tom ‘spot’ Callaway, an awesome developer.
[00:20:36 Mohammed’s spotlight is two books: The Creative Act: A Way of Being and Silent Coup: How Corporations Overthrew Democracy.