= A restriction on technological restrictions =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150506-01.en.html ]
== The right to install other software on your computing devices ==
Safecast is a global project to map radiation data from around the world
and release this information openly. When the project just started out,
they used modified hardware, together with their own custom software and
a few clever tweaks, to allow anyone to participate in the project. This
kind of ingenuity, the ability to re-purpose or adapt existing
technology by replacing or supplementing its software, should be
permitted and encouraged by the law. In the example of Safecast,
fortunately nobody prevented them from being innovative.
But all of us depend on the possibility to install or replace programs
that we use every day, to increase our security, privacy or convenience
-- or just because we happen to like using a different program on our
laptop, tablet, phone, router, television, car, or on other devices.
Today, on the International Day Against DRM, the undersigned
organisations are calling on lawmakers to safeguard the right to tinker
for everyone. To make sure that the owner of every device is allowed to
replace or supplement the software in that device if they so choose,
thereby empowering owners to control their own property. Many
manufacturers today add technological restrictions that prevent device
owners from changing their devices, or having someone do so for them.
This can be in breach of the licences on the devices (as with Free
Software/Open Source Software licences, which grant the rights to use,
study, share, and improve the software for any purpose). It is clear
that any right to tinker must also be coupled with a legal provision
that prevents technological restrictions of the same right.
To successfully guarantee that device owners are in control of their own
technology, the following organisations ask that the right to tinker be
guaranteed for everyone, and that technological restrictions that
interfere with this right be limited by law.
- L'Association Francophone des Utilisateurs de logiciels libres (AFUL) <https://www.aful.org>
- Chaos Computer Club <https://www.ccc.de>
- Deutscher Konsumentenbund <https://www.konsumentenbund.de>
- Digitalcourage <https://digitalcourage.de>
- Digitale Gesellschaft <https://digitalegesellschaft.de>
- European Digital Rights <https://edri.org>
- Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
- KDE e.V. <https://ev.kde.org>
- Associazione LibreItalia ONLUS <https://www.libreitalia.it>
- Open Rights Group <https://www.openrightsgroup.org>
- Open Source Business Alliance <https://www.osb-alliance.de>
- Open Source Initiative <https://opensource.org>
- The Document Foundation <https://www.documentfoundation.org>
- UFC-Que Choisir <https://www.quechoisir.org>
- VideoLAN <https://www.videolan.org>
- Vrijschrift <https://www.vrijschrift.org>
== Press contact ==
Matthias Kirschner <press(a)fsfeurope.org>
Vice President, Free Software Foundation Europe
Schönhauser Allee 6/7, Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49-1577-1780003
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Worldwide more than 50 events about Open Standards =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150324-01.en.html ]
On March 25 is this years Document Freedom Day and, depending on your
time zone, it has already started. Document Freedom Day is the global
campaign for document liberation by local groups throughout the world.
So far more than 50 groups registered their events in over 25 countries
ranging from Asia, Europa, Africa, to South and North America.
Open Standards are crucial to ensure that different computer systems can
work together, and that users can access documents regardless of the
computing platform or device they use. They are the foundation of the
Internet and the World Wide Web as well as all kinds of technical
communication.
Every year, on the last Wednesday of March and the days around, people
highlight these important aspects of our digital sovereignity by
celebrating Document Freedom Day. In 2015, Document Freedom Day is
happening around the world beginning on Tuesday 24, 12 UTC until
Thursday, 12UTC. Following the path of the sun, the first events are
happening in Japan, Taiwan and India, followed by more than 20 events in
Europe, 1 in Africa, and more than 20 in North- and South American.
Taken together, all these events make DFD the biggest campaign to
promote Open Standards on a local level.
And Document Freedom Day is growing even beyond: In the past years,
Document Freedom Day achieved to establish a view on technological
boundaries and freedoms under social aspects. More and more, Document
Freedom Day is becoming a day to raise political attention also on a
national level or global. In 2015, different organisations will use
Document Freedom Day to publish and spread political statements. If you
are not close to any event or you miss the time to pass by, watch out
#DFD2015 in the news, blogs and media, participate and help to get the
world interconnected in freedom.
You can still participate: use this day to invite your friends or work
mates for a drink or a coffee break and tell them about the
international day of Open Standards and why Open Standards are important
to you - and for everyone.
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Jonas Öberg joins FSFE as Executive Director =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150302-02.en.html ]
FSFE has recruited long-time Free Software activist Jonas Öberg to be
the organisation's Executive Director. He joins the organisation's
leadership team on March 1.
Jonas Öberg[1] is one of FSFE's founding members, and was the
organisation's vice president from 2001 through 2008. He has
considerable experience in managing Free Software-related projects and
organisations. Before joining as the organisation's Executive Director,
he has been a Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow working on the Elog.io
project to create a global provenance repository for creative works,
worked as Creative Commons' regional coordinator in Europe, lectured in
Software Engineering and built up the conference FSCONS in its original
form.
Jonas first started volunteering for Free Software in 1998, while
studying mathematics at a university level. Finding the classes in
computer science much more interesting than mathematics, he soon found
Free Software and began volunteering for the Free Software Foundation as
chief webmaster for the GNU Project. Through the years, he's also
participated in Debian, the GNOME project, and authored the occasional
software himself.
"We're absolutely delighted to have Jonas on board," says Karsten
Gerloff, FSFE's president. "FSFE's volunteers and staff are
enourmously dedicated and motivated. Jonas will channel this energy
into an even greater capacity for action. Thanks to him, we will be
able to achieve so much more for Free Software."
"We face a need to secure the legal, social and technical
foundations of Free Software, as well as continuing the work of
raising awareness of Free Software," says Jonas Öberg. "Those are
challenges that I very much look forward to tackling together with
our staff, Fellows and volunteers across Europe and elsewhere, as
well as in collaboration with other organisations."
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. http://www.fsfe.org/about/oberg/
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Call for events: Be a part of Document Freedom Day 2015 =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150224-01.en.html ]
Document Freedom Day (#DFD2015) is a global campaign for document
liberation, with grassroots events throughout the world taking place on
March 25, 2015. Add your voice to this worldwide celebration of Open
Standards, and register your DFD event for 2015![1]
Every year since 2008, people who care about a free information society
celebrate Document Freedom Day to raise awareness of Open Standards[2].
On this day activists around the world come together to talk about
access to communications, run local public activities, and generally
spread the word about Open Standards in a dozen different ways. Be part
of the movement and sign up your DFD team today![3]
== How to get involved ==
"Every year, the most important part of this campaign is being done
by people just like yourself that run local events around the world.
For this, we have made it easier than ever to organise an event"
says Erik Albers, head of the international Document Freedom Day
team. "We are offering promotion materials[4] in many languages, and
artwork you can remix, share and improve[5] to publicise your own
event."
To coordinate this year's DFD campaign, FSFE's Document Freedom Day team
has also built a shiny new website[6], making it easier for you to get
in touch with other people participating in DFD around the world, and
with FSFE's campaign staff.
If you are running a local event, we may be able to offer funding of
your local activities or your local print runs[7] - thanks to DFD's
generous sponsors[8]. To get inspired, take a look at what other groups
from Mexico to Japan did last year[9].
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. https://www.documentfreedom.org/registerevent.html
2. https://fsfe.org/activities/os/index.en.html
3. https://www.documentfreedom.org/registerevent.html
4. https://www.documentfreedom.org/promotion.html
5. https://gitorious.org/document_freedom_day/artwork
6. https://www.documentfreedom.org/index.html
7. https://www.documentfreedom.org/funding-expenses.html
8. https://www.documentfreedom.org/sponsors.html
9. https://www.documentfreedom.org/news/2014/news-20140424-01.en.html
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Position paper for the boost of Open Educational Resources on the basis of Free Software =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150210-01.en.html ]
Together with FSFE and other partners, the Bündnis Freie Bildung ("Free
Education Alliance") today publishes its position paper about the
creation and usage of Open Educational Resources (OER). Therein, the
Bündnis demands a consequent publishing of all OER-material under public
licences and their availability as Free Software and in Open Standard
formats.
The Bündnis Freie Bildung is following a vision to have "all educational
resources usable without any legal or technical barriers". This can only
be achieved by using Free Software and Open Standards. Consequently, we
find it as a core postulation of the alliance's initial position
paper[1] "Der Weg zur Stärkung freier Bildungsmaterialien" ("The road to
boost Open Educational Resources" only available in German). The paper
has a specific focus on the creation and usage of OER inside the German
educational system.
"In the upcoming years, Open Educational Resources will receive an
ever growing importance inside all sectors of public and private
education", says Erik Albers from the FSFE. "To bring OER to their
full potential, Free Software is indispensable. We are happy to join
the Bündnis Freie Bildung today to bring an understanding of this
context into politics and society."
Furthermore, the position paper demands to consider the use of Free
Software already during the development or extension of IT
infrastructures. In addition, it shall be mandatory to publish
educational resources that have been paid with public money as Open
Educational Resources. By this, the Bündnis Freie Bildung expects a
higher fairness in education and the promotion of participative
structures inside the educational system. Both are characteristics, that
experience an ever growing importance with the ongoing digitalisation of
learning and teaching.
"The more we see classic educational environments equipped with
computers, the more important it is to offer every learner an
education that is independent from manufacturers and products, that
is participative and is built on top of free educational material.
For the FSFE, this begins with Free Software and achieves perfection
in interaction with OER", says Erik Albers.
== About the Bündnis Freie Bildung ==
The Bündnis Freie Bildung[2] is a coalition of organisations and
individuals with the aim to pin the usage and support of Open Education
Resources into politics and society. The alliance was founded by
Creative Commons Germany, Open Knowledge Foundation Germany and
Wikimedia Germany. The FSFE affiliates with the Bündnis as a partner.
Inside the alliance, the FSFE raises awareness about free technology -
namely Free Software and Open Standards - as a necessary condition for a
sustainable development of Open Educational Resources.
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. http://buendnis-freie-bildung.de/positionspapier-oer/
2. http://buendnis-freie-bildung.de/
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Show your love for Free Software =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2015/news-20150209-01.en.html ]
Every year on 14th February, the Free Software Foundation Europe asks
all Free Software users to think about the hard-working people in the
Free Software community and to show them their appreciation individually
on this "I love Free Software"-Day.
Like last year[1] the campaign is dedicated to the people behind Free
Software because they enable us to use, study, share and improve the
software which enables us to work in freedom. This time the focus
especially lies on the small contributions to the big picture of the
Free Software community.
"When people think of the Free Software they need and admire, many
think of large well-known applications. These softwares and the
organisations behind it are very important indeed. But we should
also think of the countless developers who spend their free or work
time to write and improve the smaller bits of software we also rely
on." says Max Mehl, this year's #ilovefs[2] campaign manager.
"Coders are no machines and their contributions deserve our respect
and gratitude."
For I love Free Software Day 2015 FSFE has several suggestions how to
show one's love to the people behind Free Software, for example:
- *Pictures* A picture is worth thousand words. The Free Software
Foundation Europe already collected some images[3] of people showing
how they express their support for Free Software developers in public.
That's a very individual way to participate.
- *Postcards* If you rather prefer to clothe your thoughts in words the
brand-new postcards enable you to do so. It's either suitable for your
valentine or for developers which software you adore. The postcards
can be ordered[4] for free just like FSFE's other promotion material.
- *#ilovefs* always had great online impact so FSFE is once again
looking forward to seeing a lot of messages on microblogs, social
networks, mailing lists, and blogs in a variety of languages.
- *Donations* to developers and organisations dedicated to Free Software
are another way how to declare one's appreciation. Invite them for a
drink or donate to their projects, to FSFE[5] or to other supporters
of Free Software[6].
"Software is deeply involved in all aspects of our lives. It is
important that this technology empowers rather than restricts us.
Free Software contributors give everybody else the freedom to use,
understand, adapt and share the software they have written. This way
they help to support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of
speech, freedom of press and privacy." says Matthias Kirschner,
FSFE's Vice President. "We should not underestimate the power of a
simple "thank you" to motivate them in their important work for
society. So say thank you on 14th February!"
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140221-01.en.html
2. http://ilovefs.org
3. https://fsfe.org/campaigns/ilovefs/whylovefs/gallery.en.html
4. https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword.en.html#ilovefs-campaign
5. https://fsfe.org/donate/index.en.html
6. https://wiki.fsfe.org/DonateToFreeSoftwareProjects
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= EU to fund Free Software code review =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141219-01.en.html ]
The European Parliament has approved funding for several projects
related to Free Software and privacy. In the EU budget for 2015[1],
which the European Parliament adopted[2] on December 17, the
Parliamentarians have allocated up to one million Euro for a project to
audit Free Software programs in use at the Commission and the Parliament
in order to identify and fix security vulnerabilities.
Even though these institutions are tightly locked into non-free file
formats, much of their infrastructure is based on Free Software.
“This is a very welcome decision,” says FSFE's president Karsten
Gerloff. “Like most public bodies, the European institutions rely
heavily on Free Software for their daily operations. It is good to
see that the Parliament and the Commission will invest at least a
little in improving the quality and the programs they use.”
The European Commission's Directorate General for Informatics (DIGIT)
will be in charge of implementing the pilot. FSFE urges the Commission
to work closely with upstream developers. The EC should make the audit
results public as soon as possible, and contribute any improvements it
makes to the upstream projects.
The budget further lists a project to encrypt communications among the
EU institutions, funded with EUR 500,000; and a pilot that uses Free
Software and Open Standards to help civil society actors participate in
lawmaking, by improving AT4AM, the software that MEPs use for drafting
legislation, which the Parliament published as Free Software in 2013[3].
Another project is intended to enable the European Commission to make
unclassified documents publicly available by default.
“Taken together, these projects are a first step towards more
transparent policy making in Europe,” says Gerloff. “We will
continue to work with the Commission and the Parliament to help them
along the path of engaging more consistently and effectively with
the Free Software community.”
Media contact:
Karsten Gerloff
Mail: gerloff fsfe.org
tel.: +49 176 9690 4298
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/budget/data/DB2/2015/en/SEC03.pdf
2. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20141027STO76315/ht…
3. http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/2012/07/18/helping-the-european-parliament-to…
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Study: To ensure transparency, European Parliament must adopt Free Software, Open Standards =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141212-01.en.html ]
A study relesead on Friday says that the European Parliament must adopt
Free Software and Open Standards[1] in order to fulfil its transparency
obligations. The authors conclude that "the Rules of Procedure of the
European Parliament should whenever possible make Free Software and Open
Standards mandatory for all systems and data used for the work of
Parliament."
The study, entitled "Ensuring utmost transparency -- Free Software and
Open Standards under the Rules of Procedure of the European
Parliament"[2], was prepared by two legal experts for the Greens/EFA[3]
in the European Parliament. Its authors, the legal experts Carlo Piana
(Italy) and Ulf Öberg (Sweden), argue that the Parliament is committed
to an even higher standard of openness than other EU institutions.
"This study sends a strong signal that Free Software and Open
Standards are essential for the European institutions to fulfil
their transparency obligations," says FSFE's president Karsten
Gerloff. "We call on the European Parliament to implement the
study's recommendations at all levels, and as quickly as possible,
in particular with regard to access and use of documents, email and
encryption, video streaming, and upcoming procurement decisions."
The study lists a number of concrete steps the European Parliament needs
to take in order to fulfil its transparency obligations:
- Immediate technical measures includes to enable access and use of
documents, email and encryption with and through Open Standards. In
other words, the European Parliament must make it possible to work
with ODF, IMAP and OpenPGP inside the Parliament. It must also ensure
that citizens can use these open standards to communicate with the
Parliament, regardless of the software platform they are using.
- When acquiring software and services, the European Parliament should
prefer Free Software based on Open Standards. This is not only allowed
by the EU's procurement rules, but actually "serves the general
economic interest of the EU".
- The European Parliament should continously check that its IT
infrastructure and services comply with the Constitutional Principle
of Openness and the Parliament's own Rules of Procedure to ensure the
utmost transparency.
FSFE and others have repeatedly criticised the Parliament for failing on
transparency. Currently, MEPs and parliamentary staff do not have access
to a standards-compliant email solution, and live video streams from the
Parliament are not accessible for Free Software users.
"The Parliament needs to open itself to the world," says Gerloff.
"Live video streams that allow all Europeans to follow the
Parliament's work are essential to democracy in the 21st century.
Encryption is a necessity to allow the citizens to talk to their
MEPs in confidence. Utmost transparency is one of the EU's
fundamental principles, and Europeans expect their Parliament to do
better in this regard."
The Greens/EFA are soliciting feedback[4] for a second edition of the
study.
Media contact:
Karsten Gerloff
Mail: gerloff fsfe.org
tel.: +49 176 9690 4298
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. https://fsfe.org/activities/os/def.en.html
2. http://www.greens-efa.eu/fileadmin/dam/Documents/Studies/Ensuring-Utmost-Tr…
3. http://www.greens-efa.eu/free-software-and-open-standards-in-the-european-p…
4. http://euwiki.org/Ensuring_utmost_transparency_--_Free_Software_and_Open_St…
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/
= Get secure with a smartcard and support FSFE’s work in 2015 =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141203-01.en.html ]
Free Software Foundation Europe is a pan-European charity, established
in 2001 to empower users to control technology. To enable the
organisation to intensify its work with the European Commission and to
let more people know about Free Software, the FSFE needs another
€190,000 for its work in 2015. Next year, the FSFE will push harder than
ever to weave software freedom into the fabric of our society.
The new European Commission is currently setting the direction of its
policy making for the coming five years. The FSFE is in frequent contact
with Commission staff who currently see open doors for Free Software in
Brussels. In 2015, the FSFE wants to use this momentum to push for
changes on software procurement, standardisation, and device
sovereignty, and create real progress for Free Software and Open
Standards.
At the same time, in 2015 the FSFE will reach out to more people, and go
to more places where people do not yet know about Free Software. The
FSFE will expand its network of local groups throughout Europe. The
organisation is constantly translating its increasingly popular
promotion materials[1] into many European languages. Local volunteers
can spread the word about Free Software by ordering gratis promotion
packs, and distributing the materials at libraries, cinemas, shops and
in other places, greatly extending the reach of the Free Software
message.
The best way to support the FSFE's work is to[2] become a Fellow (a
sustaining member of the FSFE). All Fellowship contributions directly
benefit the FSFE’s work towards a free society. Fellows receive a state-
of-the-art Fellowship smartcard[3] which, together with the free GnuPG
encryption software and a card reader, can be used to sign and encrypt
e-mails, to secure SSH keys, to securely log into a computer from a
potentially insecure machine, or to store the user’s hard disk
encryption keys. Since the encryption key is stored on the card itself,
it is almost impossible to steal.
There is also the option to make a one time donation to the FSFE[4].
To continue its work in 2015, the FSFE will need €420,000 in total. The
organisation has already secured €230,000 thanks to existing sustaining
members, regular donations, and merchandise sales. The FSFE requires
another €190,000 to underwrite its work in 2015.
- Karsten Gerloff's blog entry about the FSFE's work in the last 12
months[5]
1. https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword.en.html#promo-material
2. https://fsfe.org/join/join.en.html
3. https://fsfe.org/fellowship/card.en.html
4. https://fsfe.org/donate/onetime-donation.en.html
5. http://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/2014/12/01/preview-what-fsfe-did-in-2014/
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to
control technology. Software controlled technology is deeply involved
in all aspects of our lives; and it is important that this technology
empowers rather than restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the
right to use, understand, adapt and share software. These rights help
support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and
privacy. (http://fsfe.org)
= Italian consumers shouldn’t have to pay for software they don’t want – Letter to Regulators =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141017-02.en.html ]
FSFE and Italian consumer association ADUC, along with Italian group
ILS, are asking regulators to take concrete steps to protect Italians
from being forced to pay for software they do not want or need. Italy’s
High Court ruled in September[1] that computer vendors must reimburse
customers for the price of unwanted non-free software that comes pre-
installed on PCs and laptops. Today, FSFE, ADUC and ILS have sent a
letter to the Italian competition authorities[2], calling on them to
ensure that vendors will comply with the High Court’s decision, and
respect the rights of their customers.
“Vendors can’t rightfully ask consumers to jump through hoops in
order to enjoy their legal rights, and the authorities have a duty
to protect those rights,” says FSFE’s President Karsten Gerloff.
“The simple steps we are calling for today would lead to much
greater freedom of choice for Italians. We are hopeful that the
competition authorities will take action to implement the High
Court's ruling.”
- FSFE, ADUC, and ILS are asking the competition watchdog to take the
following steps: When non-free software is pre-installed on a device,
it must carry a prominent notice to users to make them aware of the
possibility to receive a reimbursement for the price of the software
license.
- Hardware vendors should put in place simple procedures for consumers
to claim reimbursements for pre-installed software in line with market
prices. Reimbursement procedures must not be unnecessarily
complicated, and need to be easy for consumers to find and follow.
- Warranty and support provisions for the device must not be affected by
whether a consumer chooses to have the price of the software
reimbursed.
Alternatively, vendors could sell their devices pre-installed with Free
Software, releasing them from the above obligations.
“Only Free Software allows users to fully control what their
computers are doing, and where their personal data goes,” says
FSFE’s President Karsten Gerloff. “Anyone who buys a computer should
have the option of receiving it with Free Software pre-installed.”
In most European countries, it is difficult for consumers to acquire PCs
and laptops without being forced to pay for a license for a non-free
operating system at the same time. FSFE has long been pushing for
vendors to end their current practice of pushing non-free software on
consumers who do not want or need it. The organisation maintains a wiki
page[3] with advice for consumers. Here, buyers can also report their
experiences in obtaining reimbursements from different vendors in
various countries.
--
Free Software Foundation Europe <https://fsfe.org>
FSFE News <https://fsfe.org/news/news.en.rss>
Upcoming FSFE Events <https://fsfe.org/events/events.en.rss>
Fellowship Blog Aggregation <https://planet.fsfe.org/en/rss20.xml>
Free Software Discussions <https://fsfe.org/contact/community.en.html>
1. https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140912-01.en.html
2. https://fsfe.org/www.aduc.it/generale/files/file/allegati/Istanza%20AGCM%20…
3. https://fsfe.org//wiki.fsfe.org/WindowsTaxRefund.en.html
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a non-profit
non-governmental organisation active in many European countries and
involved in many global activities. Access to software determines
participation in a digital society. To secure equal participation in
the information age, as well as freedom of competition, the Free
Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) pursues and is dedicated to the
furthering of Free Software, defined by the freedoms to use, study,
modify and copy. Founded in 2001, creating awareness for these issues,
securing Free Software politically and legally, and giving people
Freedom by supporting development of Free Software are central issues
of the FSFE.
http://fsfe.org/