Poll: Open source implantable medical devices

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the word share spelled with medical equipment

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Karen Sandler, Executive Director of the Gnome Foundation, recently gave a talk at OSCON 2011 explaining why free software is critical on implantable medical devices. (Sandler has a defibrillator.) She's wants the FDA to collect and examine the source code used in such devices, and make the code publicly available.

Should people have the right to examine the source code of medical devices implanted in their bodies?

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Colin Dodd is a writer at Red Hat.

3 Comments

If you need a program change in an implanted device you do not want to be faced with vendor lock in. You should be able to have the doctor of your choice make the change based on his programmer of choice. If you have closed source software in an implanted device then your choice is to stay locked in to the original supplier or entirely replace the device with a competitor's device (if such exists).

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Steve Stites

This is similar to the e-voting machine issue. How can the public trust a voting machine run by invisible proprietary code? (Answer: ignorance.) The old relay based voting machines were "programmed" with patch cords - but the cords and relay counters were visible, and could be checked by representatives of all parties.

"Sandler has a defibrillator."

As in, "if too many people listen to her, we'll have to ensure she has a heart attack". Scary.

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