ACE team members speak with Joe Lee about Free Software, the social network project GNU Social he is involved with, another project that he works with Media Goblin for media publishing, federated platforms, decentralized networks, and ACE’s projects.
Joe Lee is a technology enthusiast who is devoted to sharing Free Software with anyone who wishes to break loose from the chains of proprietary software. He works as a technology consultant for businesses, but much of his time is spent making house calls for individuals who seek help with computer issues. If the root of the problem is the nonfree operating system, the solution he offers is an upgrade to GNU/Linux. People in California who employ his GNU/Linux expertise include a former Carnegie Hall concert pianist, now a music teacher in Walnut Creek, an English professor who teaches poetry at the California College of the Arts, graphic artists in San Francisco, an attorney in Martinez, a retired US Marine veteran in Livermore, a cosmetologist in Pleasanton, a Marxist activist in Berkeley, a MUNI rails dispatcher, and many families with parents and children who are interested in technology and privacy. He holds seminars about privacy and Free Software at public libraries and at the annual Silicon Valley Code Camp. Sometimes he takes on the role of the annoying protester, standing in front of computer retail stores, calling on people to reject proprietary software for the sake of defending a free society and democracy.