= Munich sticks with Free Software =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20141016-01.en.html ]
On Tuesday, Munich's first mayor finally reacted to an inquiry by the
Green Party (in German)[1] related to rumours regarding a possible
switch back to a Windows-based desktop environment. The answer to the
inquiry shows that there is no factual basis for the claims made by
first mayor and second mayor. An evaluation of the IT infrastructure and
-processes is underway. FSFE calls on the city council to include vendor
independence as well as interoperability as factors in the
investigation, since they were central reasons for Munich to switch to
Free Software in the first place.
In recent months, statements by the new mayors Reiter and Schmid have
stirred up confusion regarding the future IT strategy of Munich.
Contrary to third mayor Christine Strobl, the first and second mayor
indicated a possible end of the exemplary usage of Free Software within
the city. Despite some effort on the side of the FSFE, facts were hard
to obtain. The answer to the inquiry now sheds some light on the issue.
== No factual basis for criticism ==
In this manner, the employee-survey “Great Place to Work” from late
2013, used by Reiter and Schmid in their criticisms towards the Free
Software used in the city, included various facets of the IT structure
not related to software, ranging from hardware to support and
telecommuting. It does not, however, offer any information on a possible
relation of the employees' problems with Free Software. This information
is currently unavailable, as Reiter says within the answer.
The mayor furthermore admits that the often-cited waiting time needed to
obtain official work mobile phone has “no relation” to the “operating
system LiMux”, but was instead caused by the fact that he was the first
to demand the implementation of iOS in the city's IT infrastructure.
Regarding the missing unified mail and calendar application criticised
by Schmid, it became clear that the implementation of the corresponding
Free Software solution Kolab is currently in the works. It was only
initiated in early 2014 and is expected to be used starting in 2015.
== Broad support for Free Software in Munich ==
The city's IT department, the city council[2], as well as third mayor
Christine Strobl, support the current IT strategy and thus distance
themselves from the criticisms of the first and second mayor. Strobl
emphasises that "upon careful checking" she still considers the switch
to Free Software as the right thing to do.
She has a sound economic basis for this view: Due to reduced licensing
expenditures alone, the city was able to save 11 million Euro. The
hardware cost alone of switching to Windows 7 would amount to 3,15
million Euro, with Windows 8 being even more expensive according to the
IT-administration. A switch would incur additional costs, and mean the
loss of the achievements in the support of open standards.
== Include vendor independence and interoperability ==
The document states that a working group will evaluate the IT-structures
and -processes within the city and will give advice on their
improvement. The criteria for this evaluation are formulated in a very
broad way, which makes it difficult to comment on them at this point.
One thing is clear: the evaluation needs to take vendor independence and
interoperability into account instead of limiting its perspective on
cost and user satisfaction, since the former have been central arguments
for the switch in the first place. This enables that the city to control
their own data and ensures the non-discriminative access to the cities
IT services.
“Other European Countries such as Great Britain, France, Italy, and
Sweden have made Free Software and Open Standards a central part of
their IT strategies for the public sector in the past years. In
Germany, the public sector is lagging behind. Germany's federal and
state governments finally need to take coherent action so that
public institutions here, too, can enjoy the benefits of Free
Software” says Karsten Gerloff, President of the Free Software
Foundation Europe.
1. http://www.ris-muenchen.de/RII2/RII/DOK/ANTRAG/3456728.pdf
2. http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Linux-in-Muenchen-Stadtrat-verteidig…
== 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/
== Press contact ==
Matthias Kirschner <press at fsfeurope.org>
Free Software Foundation Europe
Schönhauser Allee 6/7, 10119 Berlin
Phone: +49-30-275 95 290
On 13 September 2014 11:00, <press-release-request(a)fsfeurope.org> wrote:
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> 1. Italy: High Court shoots down Windows tax (press(a)fsfeurope.org)
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> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:09:00 +0200 (CEST)
> From: press(a)fsfeurope.org
> To: press-release(a)fsfeurope.org
> Subject: [FSFE PR][EN] Italy: High Court shoots down Windows tax
> Message-ID: <20140912130900.E6CC5316033(a)ekeberg.fsfeurope.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> = Italy: High Court shoots down Windows tax =
>
> [ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140912-01.en.html ]
>
> Italy's High Court has struck a blow to the practice of forcing non-free
> software on buyers of PCs and laptops. According to La Repubblica[1],
> the court ruled on Thursday that a laptop buyer was entitled to receive
> a refund for the price of the Microsoft Windows license on his computer.
>
> The judges sharply criticised the practice of selling PCs only together
> with a non-free operating system as "a commercial policy of forced
> distribution". The court slammed this this practice as "monopolistic in
> tendency". It also highlighted that the practice of bundling means that
> end users are forced into using additional non-free applications due to
> compatibility and interoperability issues, whether they wanted these
> programs or not
>
> "This decision is both welcome and long overdue", said Karsten
> Gerloff, President of the Free Software Foundation Europe. "No
> vendor should be allowed to cram non-free software down the throats
> of users."
>
> Free Software Foundation Europe has been long been fighting the "Windows
> tax", as the involuntary payment to Microsoft is often called. The
> organisation maintains a wiki page[2] with advice for consumers who want
> to avoid funding the development of non-free software, and accounts from
> people who have returned the licenses they were forced to buy.
>
> In response to the ruling, the Italian authorities should discourage the
> bundling of software and hardware, and take practical steps to ensure
> that consumers can really exercise their freedom of choice. Governments
> around Europe should take the same steps, and encourage consumers
> everywhere to install and use Free Software[3].
>
> "This practice of forced distribution needs to end," says Gerloff.
> "We hope that the Italian authorities will turn this ruling into a
> real win for consumers, and ensure that computer buyers can choose
> their device with any operating system they want, or none."
>
> The number of the ruling is 19161 / 2014.
>
> --
> 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.repubblica.it/tecnologia/2014/09/11/news/hp_perde_causa_il_softw…
> 2. https://wiki.fsfe.org/WindowsTaxRefund
> 3. http://fsfe.org/about/basics/freesoftware.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/
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Press-release mailing list
> Press-release(a)fsfeurope.org
> https://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/press-release
>
>
> End of Press-release Digest, Vol 120, Issue 1
> *********************************************
>
--
Brendan Harkin
Director
X Media Lab
www.xmedialab.com
Current Mobile: UK + 44 7 9495 30 600
Skype: 'xmedialab'
= Italy: High Court shoots down Windows tax =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140912-01.en.html ]
Italy's High Court has struck a blow to the practice of forcing non-free
software on buyers of PCs and laptops. According to La Repubblica[1],
the court ruled on Thursday that a laptop buyer was entitled to receive
a refund for the price of the Microsoft Windows license on his computer.
The judges sharply criticised the practice of selling PCs only together
with a non-free operating system as "a commercial policy of forced
distribution". The court slammed this this practice as "monopolistic in
tendency". It also highlighted that the practice of bundling means that
end users are forced into using additional non-free applications due to
compatibility and interoperability issues, whether they wanted these
programs or not
"This decision is both welcome and long overdue", said Karsten
Gerloff, President of the Free Software Foundation Europe. "No
vendor should be allowed to cram non-free software down the throats
of users."
Free Software Foundation Europe has been long been fighting the "Windows
tax", as the involuntary payment to Microsoft is often called. The
organisation maintains a wiki page[2] with advice for consumers who want
to avoid funding the development of non-free software, and accounts from
people who have returned the licenses they were forced to buy.
In response to the ruling, the Italian authorities should discourage the
bundling of software and hardware, and take practical steps to ensure
that consumers can really exercise their freedom of choice. Governments
around Europe should take the same steps, and encourage consumers
everywhere to install and use Free Software[3].
"This practice of forced distribution needs to end," says Gerloff.
"We hope that the Italian authorities will turn this ruling into a
real win for consumers, and ensure that computer buyers can choose
their device with any operating system they want, or none."
The number of the ruling is 19161 / 2014.
--
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.repubblica.it/tecnologia/2014/09/11/news/hp_perde_causa_il_softw…
2. https://wiki.fsfe.org/WindowsTaxRefund
3. http://fsfe.org/about/basics/freesoftware.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/
= EC distorts market by refusing to break free from lock-in =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140708-01.en.html ]
The European Commission has recently renewed its commitment to a
proprietary desktop and secret file formats.The Commission is refusing
to get serious about breaking free from vendor lock-in, and is ignoring
all available alternatives. In doing so, the EU's civil service fails to
practice what it preaches.
In April, the Commission signed two contracts with Microsoft: An
agreement for "high-level services"[1] worth 44 million Euro, and a
framework agreement on software licensing conditions[2]. The actual
licenses are provided by Hewlett-Packard under a separate contract from
2012[3], worth 50 million euro. The contracts cover the Commission
itself, and 54 other EU organisations.
"We are extremely disappointed about the lack of progress here,"
says FSFE president Karsten Gerloff. "The Commission has not even
looked for viable alternatives. Its lazy approach to software
procurement leaves the Commission open to allegations of inertia,
and worse."
The Commission recently admitted publicly for the first time[4] that it
is in "effective captivity" to Microsoft. But documents obtained by
FSFE[5] show that the Commission has made no serious effort to find
solutions based on Open Standards. In consequence, a large part of
Europe's IT industry is essentially locked out of doing business with
the Commission.
In a strategy paper which the Commission released[6] in response to
official questions from MEP Andersdotter, the EC lays out a three-track
approach for its office automation platform for the coming years. This
strategy will only deepen the Commission's reliance on secret,
proprietary file formats and programs.
"The Commission should be setting a positive example for public
administrations across Europe," comments Gerloff. "Instead, it
shirks its responsibility as a public administrations, and simply
claims that such alternatives don't exist. Even the most basic
market analysis would have told the Commission that there's a
vibrant Free Software industry in Europe that it could have relied
on."
Many public organisations in Europe are successfully using Free Software
solutions that implement Open Standards. Examples are the German city of
Munich with its internationally recognised Limux project, and the UK
government, which has made great strides in using Free Software and Open
Standards to obtain value for money in IT procurement. Over the years,
many of these progressive organisations have asked the Commission for
practical and moral support[7] for their course. This latest move by the
Commission will seem a cruel joke to them.
Despite this setback, FSFE will continue to work with the Commission,
and help it improve the way it buys software. It could do so by relying
on specifications and standards rather than brand names, by using an
open call for tender instead of talking to a single vendor, and by
figuring future exit costs into the price of any new solution. These
practices are fast becoming the norm across Europe's public sector. The
EC should practice what it preaches, and adopt these practices for its
own procurement.
--
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://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:140675-2014:TEXT:EN:HTML
2. http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:140672-2014:TEXT:EN:HTML
3. http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:105131-2012:TEXT:EN:HTML
4. http://download.fsfe.org/policy/procurement/201401.EC_Future_Office_Automat…
5. http://download.fsfe.org/policy/procurement/
6. http://download.fsfe.org/policy/procurement/201401.EC_Future_Office_Automat…
7. https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/news/mayor-munich-eu-laptops-should-have-libreo…
== 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/
= FSFE: 32 Free Software Pact supporters elected to the European Parliament =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140528-01.en.html ]
The European elections have brought 32 Free Software supporters into the
new European Parliament. Candidates across the political spectrum signed
the Free Software Pact[1], promising to support Free Software and Open
Standards during their time in Parliament. Out of 162 signatories, 32
were elected
"We congratulate the fresh MEPs on their election, and would like to
thank everyone who signed the Free Sotware Pact," says Karsten Gerloff,
president of the Free Software Foundation Europe. "Europe deserves more
software freedom. We rely on these MEPS to make sure that Europeans can
be in full control of the computers they use. FSFE will be happy to
support them in this important effort."
The Free Software Pact campaign is run by April[2] and supported by FSFE
and other Free Software organisations. Candidates who signed the pact
stated their support for Free Software and Open Standards in politics,
law and administration. Free Software activists all over Europe
collected 162 signatures from candidates across the political spectrum
in 16 countries. France is Europeans country with the highest number of
successful elected signatories, followed by Germany and Slovenia.
FSFE's outreach coordinator Erik Albers says: "Please join us in
continuing the push for software freedom in the Parliament. Contact your
Member of the new European Parliament and get her or him to sign the
Free Software Pact! Europe needs their support for Free Software and
Open Standards."
- More information: April's press release on the Free Software Pact
results in France[3]
- List of all Free Software Pact signatures[4]
--
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://freesoftwarepact.eu/
2. http://april.org
3. http://www.april.org/free-software-pact-162-signataires-dans-16-pays-17-sig…
4. http://freesoftwarepact.eu/europarl2014/
== 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/
= Open Letter to European Commission: Stop DRM in HTML5 =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140506-01.en.html ]
On today's "Day against DRM"[1], the Free Software Foundation Europe
(FSFE) has sent an open letter to the European Commission, asking the EC
to prevent Digital Restrictions Management technology from being closely
integrated with the HTML5 standard.[2].
FSFE is concerned about efforts currently in progress at the World Wide
Web Consortium (W3C), to encourage the integration of Digital
Restriction Management (DRM) technology into web browsers. The W3C
oversees many of the key standards on which the World Wide Web is based.
A W3C working group is currently standardising an "Encrypted Media
Extension" (EME), which will allow companies to easily plug in non-free
"Content Decryption Modules" (CDM) with DRM functionality, taking away
users' control over their own computers. Most DRM technologies impose
restrictions on users that go far beyond what copyright and consumers'
rights allow.
"Integrating DRM facilities into HTML5 is the antithesis of
everything that has made the Internet and the World Wide Web
successful," says FSFE's President Karsten Gerloff. "It is directly
contrary to the interests of the vast majority of Internet users
everywhere."
Auditing the DRM modules will be both difficult and illegal. Their
source code will be a closely held secret of the company which
distributes the module. Performing an audit and reporting security flaws
would also be illegal in the many countries which have adopted so-called
"anti-circumvention" laws. Reporting a security problem in the DRM
module would expose the reporter to the risk of lawsuits from the makers
of that module.
FSFE asks the European Commission to:
- Engage with the W3C and ensure that the organisation takes these
concerns on board as it decides on the adoption of the Encrypted Media
Extension (EME).
- Pledge not to make use of the Encrypted Media Extension in its own
infrastructure, even if EME were to be standardised by W3C.
- Protect people and companies from prosecution who reverse-engineer DRM
technology and report vulnerabilities.
1. http://dayagainstdrm.org/
2. https://fsfe.org/activities/drm/open-letter-ec-drm-html.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/
= Open Letter to EU institutions: Time to support Open Standards =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140326-02.en.html ]
In an open letter[1] to the European Parliament and the European
Commission, Free Software Foundation Europe and Open Forum Europe[2] are
asking the European institutions to improve their support for Open
Standards. The letter is directed to Giancarlo Vilella, the president of
the European Parliament's DG ITEC and chair of the Inter-Institutional
Committee for Informatics.
In a recent letter[3] to MEP Amelia Andersdotter, the EC acknowledges
that is is in a state of "effective captivity" to Microsoft. As FSFE has
pointed out repeatedly[4], this is a persistent problem for the
Commission, the Council and the Parliament.
"Recognising a problem is always the first step towards solving it. We
appreciate the Commission's newfound frankness on the subject," says
FSFE's president Karsten Gerloff. "Along with Europe's citizens and the
continent's software industry, we now expect the Commission to take
action and free itself from this captivity."
The letter also raises the issue of video formats. Currently, it is
difficult or impossible for Free Software users to follow the
proceedings of the Parliament and the Council in real time, because the
live video streams of these organisations rely on proprietary
technology. This is a problem which OFE and FSFE have highlighted for
many years.
"This would be a comparatively simple measure for the European
institutions to improve the transparency of their work for ordinary
citizens," says Gerloff. "We fail to understand why there has not been
more progress on this issue over the past six years."
1. http://fsfe.org/activities/os/2014-03-26.OpenLetterToVilella.en.html
2. http://openforumeurope.org
3. https://ameliaandersdotter.eu/sites/default/files/andersdotter_annex.pdf
4. https://blogs.fsfe.org/gerloff/2011/06/06/the-european-commissions-locked-i…
== 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/
= Document Freedom Day delivers messages of interoperability around the world =
[Read online: http://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140326-01.en.html]
Over the following 24 hours Open Standards will be celebrated to the
ends of the earth. The Document Freedom Day campaign for
interoperability is being enacted from Tokyo to Rio[1], and Birmingham
to Taipei[2]. 41 Events are taking place in 18 countries so far.
Open Standards provide the means for apps and computers to communicate
together using common formats that everyone can use. This year two
Document Freedom Day events have been organised by Government bodies:
the Brazilian Federal Government CISL Committee[3], and the Nepalese
Department[4] of Information Technology. Events in the European
Parliament[5] are today exploring Open Standards used for encryption,
while the OpenStreetMap Foundation on Saturday received the Document
Freedom Day UK award[6] in Birmingham.
"Spying revelations of the last year have proven the value of Open
Standards for security as well for documents" says Sam Tuke, Campaign
Manager. "Encrypted messages and network connections using Open
Standards provide world-class privacy, used by Edward Snowden[7] and the
NSA alike."
Supporting organisations have marked the occasion in their own style,
with a series of articles[8] on SVG by Libre Graphics Magazine, a new
whitepaper by The Document Foundation later this week, and a standards
infographic by PHPList.
"This year, teams are using a broad range of multilingual educational
resources to introduce Open Standards to the public" says Erik Albers,
Community Manager. "Thousands of Cartoons, leaflets and posters have
already been dispatched, and online editions[9] have been printed in
Turkey and Japan. New groups can still participate by locally
distributing materials and registering[10] their event."
Document Freedom Day 2014 is facilitated by the Free Software Foundation
Europe, and made possible by support from Google, Commons Machinery, and
Freiheit Technologies. A report of all events will be published in
April, collecting highlights and media from participating groups.
1. http://documentfreedom.org/events/events.html
2. http://documentfreedom.org/events/events.html
3. http://www.softwarelivre.gov.br/eventos/dfd-document-freedom-day
4. http://www.ku.edu.np/cse/kucc/?event=one-day-workshop-on-open-standards
5. http://www.greens-efa.eu/greensefa-4th-document-freedom-day-in-the-european…
6. http://documentfreedom.org/news/2014/news-20140324-01.en.html
7. http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/17/encrypting-your-email-works-says-nsa-whist…
8. http://libregraphicsmag.com/blog/
9. http://documentfreedom.org/artwork.html
10. http://documentfreedom.org/registerevent.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/
= Computers in the post-Snowden era: choose before paying! =
[Read online: http://fsfe.org/news/2014/news-20140324-01.en.html]
The revelations from Edward Snowden concerning massive surveillance of
communications demonstrates the need for each person to be able to
control their computers and phones. Yet computer and telephone
manufacturers and retailers typicall impose on users programs that
jeopardise their privacy.
Each person should therefore have the opportunity to refuse to pay for
non-Free software, and be allowed to choose the programs that run on
their telephone and computer.
Today, the Free Software Foundation joins other organisations throughout
the world[1] in requesting an unfettered choice of the operating system
on telephones, laptops and other computing devices.
- Sign the international petition![2]
- Further information.[3]
- Do you want help in promoting this petition?[4]
1. http://no.more.racketware.info/petition/support
2. http://no.more.racketware.info/petition/click/en
3. http://no.more.racketware.info/petition/en/index
4. http://no.more.racketware.info/petition/index
== 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/
= Registration opens for Document Freedom Day 2014 =
[Read online: http://documentfreedom.org/registration-2014-opens]
Today registration opens for Document Freedom Day 2014 events. This year the
campaign day is March 26th, when people who believe in fair access to
communications technology and Open Standards will again present, perform, and
demonstrate. Event organisers can now register[1] on the re-launched
documentfreedom.org website.
Promotional packs with all new materials are now available for ordering[2],
including multilingual posters and leaflets, fliers, and stickers. New t-shirts
are available from the online store[3], and introductory pages providing
examples of important standards[4], and the importance of interoperability to
Universities[5], have been published.
"Last year, 60 inspiring community groups ran events communicating the value of
Open Standards around the world" says Sam Tuke, Campaign Manager. "With events
already planned in Brazil, Brussels, Venezuela and elsewhere, we're aiming at 75
in 2014".
"Greater focus this year has been on fresh materials, new educational leaflets,
fliers, cartoons and stickers" says Erik Albers, Community Manager. "By
providing new localised materials for our passionate event organisers, we're
enabling new ways for them to deliver messages of interoperability".
Funding is available for groups organising events or prizes for this year's
campaign[6], and the team is aiming to extend it's reach beyond the 30 countries
which celebrated Document Freedom last year[7], and looking forward to receiving
new registrations over coming days. The campaign is made possible by campaign
sponsors Freiheit, and Google[8].
1. https://documentfreedom.org/how-add-event
2. https://documentfreedom.org/en/promotion-pack
3. https://documentfreedom.org/en/products
4. https://documentfreedom.org/en/open-standards-examples
5. https://documentfreedom.org/en/open-standards-universities
6. https://documentfreedom.org/prize-funding
7. https://documentfreedom.org/news/2013/news-20130419-01.en.html
8. http://documentfreedom.org/en/our-sponsors
== About Document Freedom Day ==
Document Freedom Day (DFD) campaigns to celebrate information
accessibility and introduce non-technical audiences to Open Standards.
Open Standards are a basic condition for freedom and choice in
software; ensuring the freedom to access data, and the freedom to
build Free Software to read and write information. Started in 2008,
the campaign last year had 54 events worldwide. It will happen on 27th
March.
http://documentfreedom.org
== 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.