Brazilian physicists boycott Dell
'Don't ask, don't Dell' policy
A group of Brazilian physicists is trying to launch a boycott by the country's academic community to fight Dell Computer's war on terror.
The campaign is a response to Dell's security checks, which take a hard line against Anti-American scheming with an impregnable barrier of drop down options and radio buttons.
The story was first reported by Brazil's daily Folha de Sao Paulo, and spotted by the folks at The Economic Times
Dell's methods quite reasonably depend on the honesty and forthrightness of Enemies of Freedom™ to identify their intentions to use Dell products in the production of weapons of mass destruction. When a customer proceeds to checkout, they get hit with a probe such as this:
 |
Still, it beats waterboarding.
Dell demands its products not be handed over to citizens of Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Libya, North Korea and Syria, and others deemed hostile to the United States. The company says the export compliance document is a standard government requirement. But Brazilian nuclear physicist Paulo Gomes of the Federal Fluminense University isn't satisfied.
"I do not have to justify my actions before anyone, and I am not obliged to follow US policies. I am a buyer. I am not receiving a donation. Besides, I have ties with Cuban physicists and will not renounce those," he said.
Gomes will return the two computers if Dell provides a refund and sends a letter to the Physics Institute at UFF justifying the restrictions, The Economic Times reports.
Gomes sent a report on his displeasure to the Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology and the Brazilian Physics Society to recommend the boycott to its members. ®
COMMENTS
@There are physicists in Brazil?
Well, we do spend quite a lot of their time on the beach frolicking with the math babes, and we're indistinguishable from the computer science guys on the sand-floored bars, so it is no wonder you've not noticed us.
Questions
IIRC, when Evelyn Waugh visited the US, he had to fill in an entry form that asked if he intended to “subjugate the government of the United States." He wrote, “sole purpose of visit,” and was detained for a week...
brazilian import taxes
yes as an american company dell must comply with these laws but if brazil didnt have some ass backwards policies themselves they could have a much stronger electronics industry... as is there is a heavy tarif on all imported electronics parts and companies who who try to do business there.
This was put into place in hopes of stimulating local electronics industry growth but has not been followed through on at all, which is very typical of the brazilian government... It is very common for people who travel to brazil often to bring laptops, digi cams and video game systems to sell while there to finance their trip because buying even a ps2 memory card will cost about 70 dollars US... about 120 rais. Thats allot of money to your average brazilian.
But in this case considering hes already got the machines does it realy matter how he fills out forms? dell and he us trade dept would be hard pressed to try to make the brazilian government as the fudning body/owner return the machines.
yes these laws are total bs, I am respnsible for distributing token cards for my company. All the newer tokens come from china but i cant export them to employees in china even if their at a company location.
how much sense does that make?
@Wassenaar Arrangement
Quite right sir (or madam).
leaving aside all the braying about crap Dell machines, US Imperialism, Michael Dell's political affiliations, etc., etc., this has nothing to do with any of these.
The United States is a signatory to the Wassenaar Agreement. This is a multilateral agreement on export controls for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies. Signatory countries are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States. (Israel didn't sign it but agreed to abide by it.)
So, if your country's on the list then it, too, may be an imperialist tool with industrialists who are in the pocket of right-wing politicians and who make crap computing equipment. Or, alternatively, we could always do a little learning before running off at the mouth on El Reg.
Hooray for Dell!
The guy admits he is collaborating with Cuban Physicists...he is the exact kind of customer Dell is trying to avoid. Sounds like the system is working.
BTW, I may go out and buy a Dell computer just to register my support for their screening program.
