Software that controls your body should always respect your freedom. This article is a recap of scandals of medical devices, like hearing aids, insulin pumps, bionic eyes, and pacemakers, and what we can learn from them. It’s astonishing: you wouldn’t expect these devices to be run by software in such a way that they can leave you completely helpless.
It should also respect your PRIVACY! There are numerous articles about CPAP machines transmitting your data to not only your doctor but also your insurance company, WITHOUT your consent. Possibly your employer as well. If your insurance company decides you’re “not complying” and using your CPAP machine enough, they’ll take it away from you. Your employer could fire you.
Having a sleep apnea diagnosis can also limit you from certain jobs, and can make it harder to get life insurance. In some ways it feels like you’re not a free man anymore.
Privacy is a natural consequence of freedom that FSF is talking about. Their stance is that any computing device under your ownership should do everything you want it to, and only what you want it to.
Why are they even connected to the internet?
Providing information for your care providers to act on it. At least that’s why I would WANT to have it. Is it being effectivly used like that though? I have no idea.
I can’t with this article… there’s a very legitimate argument to be made here, but instead they are whining that stuff stopped working after an iOS update. If you’re running something life-critical you do not install every single update the moment it comes out.
There’s a reason why Google and Apple let developers test out pre-release versions of their OSes months before the release. Companies which don’t test their apps out to prepare for new versions are at fault, nothing else.
I agree wholeheartedly, alas we live in an imperfect world. It sounds like you’ve waited for an update or two that took longer than expected.
I’m not arguing that the source code shouldn’t be made public. If someone posses the right skills they should definitely be able to take full control over the devices they depend on to keep them alive. It’s a invasive feeling knowing you depend on a gizmo to not die.
The author of this article is glossing over a lot of steps by implying that open sourcing the apps and firmware is a fix for delays in app store approval or other common problems that are inherent in the software/hardware ecosystem. It not really a flawed argument, it’s just not what I would’ve lead with.
I ran an iPhone for many years and never updated anything at all. The apps were updated automatically.
Edit: Ah, you’re talking about an iOS update. Forgive my lack of reading comprehension. Apps that have been automatically updated have been known to stop working, however.
No worries. I clearly should have articulated my point better. I’m always worried about over explaining or sounding pendantic.
I’m always worried about over explaining or sounding pendantic.
That makes two of us :)
Keeping a life critical device up to date sounds necessary, to the contrary.
Not if the existing software functions properly. If there’s a fix in it you need then sure, once the vendor has tested and approved it you should migrate.
Depends if it is internet enabled (which most are now a days). If that patch is for a 0fay exploit I don’t want ransomeware for pacemakers.
I think you’re making a good case against an Internet enabled pacemaker ;-)
