Free Software Foundation: Dating Is a Free Software Issue

'I've been making the argument that everything is a free software issue for a few months now,' writes the campaigns manager for the Free Software Foundation, in a new essay sharing thoughts on 'the issues proprietary technology poses in dating and maintaining romantic relationships':
Many dating Web sites run proprietary JavaScript... Proprietary JavaScript is a trap that impacts your ability to run a free system, and not only does it sneak proprietary software onto your machine, but it also poses a security risk. Any piece of software can be malicious, but proprietary JavaScript goes the extra mile. Much of the JavaScript you encounter runs automatically when you load a Web site, which enables it to attack you without you even noticing.
Proprietary JavaScript doesn't have to be the only way to use Web sites. LibreJS is an initiative which blocks 'nonfree nontrivial' JavaScript while allowing JavaScript that is either free or trivial. Many dating apps are also proprietary, available only at the Apple App and Google Play stores, both of which currently require the use of proprietary software.
The essay also warns about the proprietry software used for restaurant reservations, ride-sharing apps, and chat applications. (Not to mention the non-free software behind gift shopping on Amazon.) And even if you decide on a romantic evening at home, 'you might find yourself tempted by freedom-disrespecting, DRM-supporting streaming services like Hulu and Netflix....'
'These are all proprietary tools, and the act of using them restricts our freedoms. When the ways we connect with one another are proprietary, we're trusting our secrets, intimacies, and relationships to technology we cannot trust.'

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