Arduino's new terms of service have left many members of the maker community worried about the future of open-source hardware and software. The company, which has been acquired by Qualcomm, has updated its ToS to include a restriction on reverse-engineering, sparking concerns that this could limit the ability of users to modify or improve Arduino boards.
The change was made just months after the acquisition, which raised questions among makers about whether the new terms would be enforced. In response to concerns from users like Adafruit's Limor Fried and Phillip Torrone, who expressed worry that the new language on reverse-engineering is too broad, Arduino released a statement saying that any hardware or software released under open-source licenses would remain available as before.
However, Fried and Torrone claim that the statement does not address their concerns. They have asked Arduino to provide more clarity on what data from AI systems is retained and how it will be used, as well as why the company has added opt-out language to its ToS regarding user-generated content.
The addition of a new "AI Policy" section to Arduino's ToS has also raised eyebrows among makers. The policy allows Arduino to monitor user accounts and use of AI products, including features and functions, compute time, and storage. Fried and Torrone have expressed concern that this could lead to the sharing of data with Qualcomm, which is not explicitly stated in the company's blog about the new ToS.
The maker community has long valued Arduino's commitment to open-source principles, and many are worried that the new terms will limit their ability to modify or improve boards. While Arduino's statement says that the content published on its platform remains the user's property, Fried and Torrone argue that this language is still too broad and does not provide sufficient clarity.
As Qualcomm completes its acquisition of Arduino, makers will be watching closely to see whether the company upholds its commitment to open-source principles.
The change was made just months after the acquisition, which raised questions among makers about whether the new terms would be enforced. In response to concerns from users like Adafruit's Limor Fried and Phillip Torrone, who expressed worry that the new language on reverse-engineering is too broad, Arduino released a statement saying that any hardware or software released under open-source licenses would remain available as before.
However, Fried and Torrone claim that the statement does not address their concerns. They have asked Arduino to provide more clarity on what data from AI systems is retained and how it will be used, as well as why the company has added opt-out language to its ToS regarding user-generated content.
The addition of a new "AI Policy" section to Arduino's ToS has also raised eyebrows among makers. The policy allows Arduino to monitor user accounts and use of AI products, including features and functions, compute time, and storage. Fried and Torrone have expressed concern that this could lead to the sharing of data with Qualcomm, which is not explicitly stated in the company's blog about the new ToS.
The maker community has long valued Arduino's commitment to open-source principles, and many are worried that the new terms will limit their ability to modify or improve boards. While Arduino's statement says that the content published on its platform remains the user's property, Fried and Torrone argue that this language is still too broad and does not provide sufficient clarity.
As Qualcomm completes its acquisition of Arduino, makers will be watching closely to see whether the company upholds its commitment to open-source principles.
Arduino's new ToS is just what I needed to liven up my day - a healthy dose of paranoia about reverse-engineering. And let's be real, the whole "any data from AI systems is retained" thing sounds super reassuring... said no one ever 
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Not exactly the most inspiring news for the maker community, especially considering Arduino's history of prioritizing open-source principles.
. Can't wait to see how this all plays out! 
. It's like Arduino's just tryin' to keep up with Qualcomm's money, but in doin' so, they're losin' sight of what made 'em awesome in the first place - the community, man! 
They gotta bring back that transparency and openness, or else we'll be stuck with boards that are more restrictive than a library book 
. I mean, come on, Limor Fried and Phillip Torrone are speakin' out against this stuff, and you'd think Arduino would listen... but maybe they just don't care about the people who made 'em famous in the first place 
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. "The only constant is change," after all - Mark Twain. It's interesting to see how the maker community is reacting to Arduino's new terms of service. The question remains, will they really uphold their commitment to open-source principles?
. I think it's reasonable for the maker community to want more clarity on these issues, especially given Arduino's history of supporting open-source principles 
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. As the company continues to navigate these changes, it's crucial that they prioritize transparency and communication with their community 
. After all, open-source hardware and software rely on trust and collaboration among users 
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it's all well and good that the content published on their platform remains yours but what happens when they start making changes behind the scenes without our consent? 
, that's what makes maker culture awesome 
! I'm not sure why Arduino needs to monitor user accounts and AI usage 
? The language about data sharing is still super vague 
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. We should be talking about how to make the platform better, not fighting over whether or not we have permission to modify our own projects 
. Sorry, just venting here...
. And don't even get me started on the AI policy thing...like how are we supposed to know what data they're retainin' and for what reason? 
It's like, I understand business but at the end of the day this is about the community not just about some CEO makin' bank. Arduino has always been all about empowerin' people to make stuff and now it feels like they're tryin' to take that away from us 
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What if they start controlling what we can do with their boards? It's like they're taking away our freedom to tinker and improve! 
. They're tryin' to get some clarity, and I think we should be worried about what's goin' on here. We need to know more about what Arduino's gonna do with our data and how they're gonna enforce these new rules.
. We've always been about innovation and sharing ideas, not some corporate oligopoly 
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