Why firmware is not open-source?

[EugeneF]

Why the firmware for the receiving stations is not open source? I think it is not safe. The point is - you suggest us to buy and install at our home some hardware "black box", witch is receiving something broadband from the air, process it by the unknown way, and send it to the internet via closed protocol. And the controller board even have a built-in microphone! How can we be shure, that your device does only what it supposed to do, and does not do anything else in the background? Maybe capturing mobile phone transmissions, maybe police or military radio communications, maybe everything heard by the microphone... Of course most probably it is not true, bat maybe. Just maybe... Especially after all that Snouden revelations and so on... It turns out, it is only a matter of trust, and it is not good.

In such cases, out of respect for your users, usual solution is distributing the open-source software, which anybody who familiar with programming can check and make shure that it is "clean" and work properly. And closed sources arise suspicions, that you have something to hide... Are you?

[cutty]

NO. But it is proprietary among the network members and developers.

[Tobi]

Why the firmware for the receiving stations is not open source? I think it is not safe.

Because we want to stay on a high quality level and we don't want do have several other TOA detection networks by just copying our work. I'm sure we will release that code as open source in the far future. Meanwhile check our open source applications written by participants.

The point is - you suggest us to buy ...

Nobody suggest you to buy anything!

and install at our home some hardware "black box", ...

I never before saw a black box, which comes completely unassembled and with schematics.

witch is receiving something broadband from the air, ...

Something? Just read the documentation and check the schematics, and you will see that it's a simple VLF receiver.

process it by the unknown way, ...

Everyone can see what it's receiving. You can also attach an oscilloscope.

and send it to the internet via closed protocol.

All the raw signal data can be downloaded by the participants.

And the controller board even have a built-in microphone!

Yes, we stream the audio data directly to some security agencies and we get some big server for the strike locating from them. Where is the problem?

How can we be shure, that your device does only what it supposed to do, and does not do anything else in the background?

Whatever I would answer here, you might made another conspiracy theory out of it. Instead you should ask all the others who participate in this great project.

Maybe capturing mobile phone transmissions, maybe police or military radio communications, maybe everything heard by the microphone...

Please show me a VLF mobile phone ! Everything in this frequency range is either for the public or encrypted (military).