Dr. Stallman has received 15 honorary doctorates (see: https://www.stallman.org/articles/dr-stallman.html). After a certain point, the consistency of such recognition speaks for itself. TBH after like 5 I would start seeing the point of calling myself 'doctor'. Georgia Tech also awards honorary doctorates through the statewide university system, and as such, there is no institutional policy dictating how individuals are to address one another.

I appreciate the concern and agree that RMS has been extraordinarily influential in the field of computing. We will be posting videos of the event afterward, so if you’re interested in hearing what he has to say in 2025, please keep an eye out!

Except honorary doctorates are awards, not academic qualifications. Influence or not he didn't do the work at those institutions, defending a dissertation, that would earn him the title, regardless of his contributions. That many of these awards are from non-US universities doesn't change that they're a form of marketing - these awards were not given out of the goodness of someones heart, but because these businesses wanted something out of the relationship by associating with his name.