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@RobertoArchimboldi Gladly.

To summarize;
Linux, the kernel developed and distributed by Linus Torvalds et al, contains non-Free Software, i.e., software that does not respect your essential freedoms, and it induces you to install additional non-Free Software that it doesn't contain. Even after allegedly moving all firmware to a separate project as of release 4.14, Linux so-called "sources" published by Mr Torvalds still contain non-Free firmware disguised as source code.

Few people realize Linux is not free. The same thing happens to Stux, this cute penguin. Stux, a cute penguin. Few realize he's not Free

GNU maintains a fully free version of Linux - GNU Linux-libre that you can confidently share and modify in the knowledge that you are sharing free software and not infringing the GPLv2 (which has the problem that it automatically terminates permanently on infringement, even if accidentally done, which means you need to ask each and every relevant copyright holder to restate your license on infringement (this problem was fixed by the GPLv3)); https://www.fsfla.org/ikiwiki/selibre/linux-libre/

Long explanation;
Many of the Linux developers simply don't care about freedom - all they care about is fast development and immediate technical functionality, thus when those sort find it convenient to array encode some proprietary software and place it right into the file and they figure they'll get away with it, they'll do it (a free software developer instead gets the hardware to work with free software, no matter how difficult it is to do so or how long it takes (some hardware is unfortunately impossible to support, as it is handcuffed digitally with signature checks)).

That's right, the poster child of "open source", isn't even fully source available!

It is popular to confuse the user by calling peripheral software; "firmware", when such software lacks any firmness, as what the peripheral card runs is software that the manufacturer can easily change and that the user could also easily change too, provided the source code and installation information they deserve and are often legally entitled to.

One immediate example is; https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/arch/powerpc/platforms/8xx/micropatch.c

Motorola supplied some proprietary software update in object code form and a Linux developer found it convenient to array encode it and shove it in.

Although the identifier notes GPLv2-only, there is no corresponding source code, nor a written offer for such, so that's not the license.

There's also a bunch of other dodgy stuff;
Certain tables in the below that look like they could contain software, with no source code available, but there is the possibility that such is all pure data and/or magic register values (if this is pure data, leaving the data format undocumented is questionable):
drivers/net/ethernet/realtek/r8169_main.c
drivers/net/usb/r8152.c
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/rtl8xxxu_core.c
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/rtl8xxxu_8192c.c
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/rtl8xxxu_8192e.c
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/rtl8xxxu_8723a.c
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtl8xxxu/rtl8xxxu_8723b.c
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw88/rtw8821c.c
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw88/rtw8822b.c
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw88/rtw8723d.c
drivers/net/wireless/realtek/rtw89/rtw8852a.c
drivers/net/phy/mscc/mscc_main.c

drivers/media/usb/dvb-usb/af9005-script.h
File automatically generated by createinit.py using data
extracted from AF05BDA.sys (windows driver):

drivers/media/common/b2c2/flexcop-fe-tuner.c
/* CableStar2 DVB-C */
#if FE_SUPPORTED(STV0297) && FE_SUPPORTED(PLL)
static u8 alps_tdee4_stv0297_inittab[] = {

drivers/media/i2c/vgxy61.c
static const u8 patch_array[] = {

The worst case I've seen sat in the "source code" for >20 years and then was finally removed, not because it was proprietary, only because it was totally obsolete;
drivers/net/appletalk/cops_ffdrv.h
drivers/net/appletalk/cops_ltdrv.h:
* The firmware this driver downloads into the Localtalk card is a
* separate program and is not GPL'd source code, even though the Linux
* side driver and the routine that loads this data into the card are.
*
* It is taken from the COPS SDK and is under the following license
*
* This material is licensed to you strictly for use in conjunction with
* the use of COPS LocalTalk adapters.
* There is no charge for this SDK. And no waranty express or implied
* about its fitness for any purpose. However, we will cheerefully
* refund every penny you paid for this SDK...
* Regards,
*
* Thomas F. Divine
* Chief Scientist

You can also check and see for yourself; https://linux-libre.fsfla.org/pub/linux-libre/releases/6.12.9-gnu/deblob-6.12

Most of that simply disables proprietary software loading machinery, as that pretty much otherwise dumps out an error demanding that the user install proprietary software, although some of it does removes proprietary software and arrays full of dodgy-looking unexplained binary data.

The user is of course free to load whatever proprietary software they like if they wish, or revert any of the patches the patching script makes by overwriting with the original files (although Linux-libre users tend to just make do without any, as in most cases you can just fine).

As for "linux-firmware", it's claimed that is a separate project, but much of that is clearly extensions to or derived works of Linux, with half the driver in Linux and the other half running on a peripheral card - although both run in different address spaces, how they pass complex non-standardized data structures and are always updated in lockstep, makes it clear that they're 2 parts to the same program and intentional copyright infringement to deny the users the freedom they deserve is being done.

One of the files in "linux-firmware" even has a compiled copy of Linux in it! But of course they don't demand that the GPLv2 is followed for such software.

Furthermore, Linus is paid millions of dollars a year to allow the "Linux Foundation" intentional copyright infringement club to assist businesses with getting away with infringing the GPLv2 (of course, they don't even use systemd/Linux, they use macos - have a look at the pdf metadata for their yearly report pdf's if you doubt my word).

If anything above is false, I want to know and would like to be linked to something that shows why it's false (not a reddit comment).

As you can clearly see, Linux is a proprietary kernel and makes you look bad if you use it - but of course you can proudly state you run GNU/Linux-libre if you do.

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