Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation and creator of GNU, warns that the shift to cloud computing is a deliberate trap that hands control of users' data and software to large corporations. He criticizes the marketing push behind web-based services such as online email and storage, arguing that companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon are encouraging people to store personal and work files on remote servers, which creates dependency and potential lock-in. The piece notes industry behavior that fuels concern - widespread promotion of "cloud" services, efforts to redefine the term, and even attempts to trademark it - while highlighting growing worries about privacy, ownership and the risk of being denied access to one’s own information.
Stallman’s substantive recommendation is straightforward: do computing on local machines using freedom-respecting software to maintain control and avoid becoming defenseless under proprietary or third-party web platforms. He contends that relying on others’ servers or closed programs amounts to surrendering users’ autonomy and risks escalating costs and restrictions over time. The warning is positioned alongside similar skeptical voices in the industry, presenting cloud adoption as a fashion-driven shift with significant consequences for user freedom and data sovereignty.
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