The xsnow app, which implements a falling snow effect on the desktop, has a hidden change inserted that displays the Ukrainian flag with a 2% probability. For users with the Russian locale, the probability of displaying the flag increases to 30%. Similar activity is also present in Debian-xsnow package supplied in the repository Debian 13.
In a complaint sent to the team Debian Quality Assurance Team, responsible for maintaining quality in Debian, it is indicated that such abnormal behavior does not meet the requirements for software that may be supplied in Debian, as it can be considered discrimination based on membership in a particular user group and discrimination based on the scope of use. Specifically, xsnow modifies behavior and targets specific user categories, altering the expected neutral functionality based on the user's environment.
Moreover, the points of the rules mentioned in the complaint Debian define non-discrimination only in code licenses, not in program behavior. The rules Debian do not regulate actions in the event of attempts to promote political statements and behavior in software that deviates from the stated functionality. Formally, such activity in Debian turned out not to be prohibited.
One option being considered for further action is to treat the program's protest actions as a bug or undocumented behavior requiring a patch to restore neutral and expected functionality. However, the situation is complicated by the fact that the xsnow package maintainer Debian is the author of this program who added the undocumented behavior in question.
Source: opennet.ru
