this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2023
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Free and Open Source Software
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When the bad actor in question in a military or government organization, one of the realities of the modern world is that they will use your code whether you like it or not. They aren't going to stop because you use a license that prohibits them using it, if they deem it something that is useful enough. They'll just ignore your complaints and hide any wrongdoing long enough for you to go away.
If you publish FOSS, you are relinquishing a lot of control of how that software is used. A license that says "don't use this in bombs" only works if all parties are acting in good faith, and I don't think we can rely on millitaries playing nice if there's an advantage to be had.