GoKawiilCory Doctorow warns of coming battle to lock down general-purpose computers
In a 2011 talk at the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin, author and activist Cory Doctorow argued that future policy fights over copyright, security, and control would really be fights about restricting general-purpose computers themselves. He framed the debate as moving beyond copyright disputes into a broader struggle over who controls what computers are allowed to do.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Doctorow's warning anticipated years of subsequent conflicts over device locking, DRM, app-store gatekeeping, and government efforts to mandate backdoors or restrict software freedom. The talk remains a foundational reference point for arguments defending open, programmable computing against increasing corporate and state control.
- Doctorow argued regulatory battles would increasingly target general-purpose computing itself, not just specific content.
- The talk reframed copyright and security debates as fundamentally about control over what devices can do.
- It has become a widely cited touchstone in discussions of digital rights and computing freedom.
Cory Doctorow "Information Doesn't Want to Be Free — If Doctorow's 28C3 talk on the war against general-purpose computing hooked you, this book is the natural next step — it's his extended argument about DRM, copyright and who really controls your devices. Same sharp, fast-talking voice, in a form you can underline and argue with.
See Cory Doctorow "Information Doesn't Want to Be Free on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: en.wikisource.org — Cory Doctorow, 2026-09-13
Published there as: “The Coming War on General Computation (2011)”
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