“Software that controls your body must always respect your freedom“, warns the program manager of the Free Software Foundation:
In July, users of proprietary software LibreLink, who live in the United Kingdom and use Apple devices, discovered that the app they rely on to monitor their blood sugar levels was no longer working. after developer Abbott pushed an update for the app…Despite what its name may suggest, there is nothing free about the LibreLink application. It is proprietary software, which means users must depend on the company to operate and distribute it. With free software(a user) would have had the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, modify and improve the software itself, or it could have relied on a community of developers and users to share and repair the software, and the old version of the software would have been available to roll back the update…
Two months later, with Apple’s update to iOS 17, users of the FreeStyle LibreLink and Libre 2 apps once again had reason to fear that the software they rely on would no longer work after the update of their iPhone. This time, users around the world were affected. In September, Abbott warned Apple users: “As part of the upcoming release of iOS 17, Apple is introducing Sleep Mode and Assisted Access Mode…this release may impact your experience with the FreeStyle Libre 2 app, the FreeStyle app LibreLink or the FreeStyle LibreLinkUp app. We recommend that you disable automatic operating system updates on the smartphone using the mentioned apps.” This warning was issued because sleep mode sometimes prohibited urgent notifications such as glucose alarms, and assisted access mode would impact sensor activation and changing alarm settings in the app. ..
And the scenario in which a company abandons its services or updates is not just theoretical. This is the bitter reality facing users of eye implants produced by Second Sight Medical Products since the company decided to abandon technology in 2020 facing the prospect of bankruptcy. (“>According to IEEE Spectrum), Terry Byland, whose vision has depended on the first generation Argus implant since 2004, recounts his experience: “As long as everything is good, I’m good. But if something goes wrong, well, I’m screwed. Because there’s no way to fix it.” That’s also what happened to Barbara Campbell, whose retinal implant suddenly stopped working while on the subway…
It is up to us, supporters of free software, to inform those around us of the challenges of proprietary software in medical aids. Let’s encourage our friends, parents and grandparents to ask their doctors about the software in their medical devices and to choose and insist on free software rather than proprietary software.
