44 lines
2.7 KiB
HTML
44 lines
2.7 KiB
HTML
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id: ct
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title: Canadian Tariffs
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previous: mm
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next: lag
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date: 2025-01-21
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---
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<h2>Canadian Tariffs</h2>
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<p>
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On January 15th Cory Doctorow posted some <a href="https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/15/beauty-eh/#its-the-only-war-the-yankees-lost-except-for-vietnam-and-also-the-alamo-and-the-bay-of-ham">thoughts</a> on how he thought that Canada should respond if the US proceeds to levy tariffs on our exports.
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He sees this as an opportunity.
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</p>
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<p>
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Most countries, Canada included, have kwotowed to the US in implementing its restrictive laws around IP, specifically DRM.
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Which have made it illegal almost the world over to modify computerized systems.
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We did this to keep trade open because on the global stage the US is the largest buyer of most things.
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</p>
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<p>
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However with the threat of tariffs being implemented anyway why should we keep those laws on our books?
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Trade will be hit anyway so there is no longer a point in aquiescing to the US pressures.
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We can open up new industries making the tools to allow people to take back ownership of their devices.
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To freely repair, transact, and modify without having to pay a tax.
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We could have true ownership again where we actually get the final say on how anything we have bought behaves.
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This would benefit each of us individually with more control over our devices.
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It would benefit farmers who could repair their tractors, businesses who could sell useful application without app store taxes.
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</p>
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<p>
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I am a Canadian, and I am a software developper who seems to be more sensitive than most to stuff like this.
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Not having control over my stuff bothers me and so I self host everything I can.
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I do have a few devices that I don't really trust.
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An Ipad that I won at a work raffle, my Android phone.
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Then some other stuff around the house like our Roku box.
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When I installed a pihole on our network and routed all the traffic through it, the largest number of blocked network requests came from that box even when it was not in use.
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</p>
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<p>
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I have been considering buying a new phone, not because I need it.
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My Samsung A20 is working fine 5 years in, but in order to get a phone that is supported an alternative operating system like Calyx or Graphene OS.
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That battles with my desire to not waste a perfectly good device and buy things that I don't need.
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</p>
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<p>
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I would love it if Canadian politicians took this to heart and repealed the DRM laws.
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I would jump at the opportunity to legally work on these problems and help my community, and hopefully many others take ownership over their devices again.
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I love this idea and hope that our politicians consider something like this as it offers another option not dependent on the US going forward.
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</p>
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