Adobe's recent unethical actions

Ben Pfaff pfaffben@msu.edu
18 Jul 2001 15:34:42 -0400


Mrs. McHale and Mr. Prescott:

I have read in various places that Adobe has had Mr. Dmitri
Sklyarov arrested for the "crime" of demonstrating that some of
Adobe's encryption products do not provide good security.  This
is an unethical and ultimately unacceptable way for a corporatino
to behave.  Instead of trying to suppress criticism of your
technologies, you should be improving them so that they do not
have the flaws that they do.

As a result, I am boycotting all Adobe products, starting
immediately.  This includes even such things as printers with
Adobe-branded PostScript engines.  I am sending copies of this
letter to a group of friends to encourage them to boycott Adobe
as well.

I hope that Adobe will reconsider its actions in this matter.  At
the very least, a public apology is due to Mr. Sklyakrov,
possibly some other forms of compensation as well.  You should be
thanking him, not attempting to imprison him for defects in your
own technologies.

Sincerely,

Ben Pfaff
B.S., Michigan State University, Electrical Engineering.
Stanford Graduate Fellow, Computer Science.