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As far as I understand, you can use open-source code for the monitor mode and also for the secure world of the TrustZone, so you're not required to use non-free software.

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The question is who "you" is here – if the program is being secured against the user, and you are the user, then you don't have freedom 1 of the free software definition: "the freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish".

To paraphrase agent Smith, what good is the source code if you're unable to run it?

Not if the code in the internal boot ROM uses TrustZone and enters non-secure mode before executing any external code, preventing any other code from using the secure mode. As the article says, that's what many ARM SoCs do, but not all of them, so being able to run your own secure-mode code is dependent upon the SoC allowing it.

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