[FSFE PR][EN] Document Freedom Day from Brussels to Taiwan: Open Standards celebrated on 30 countries

[FSFE Press]

= Document Freedom Day from Brussels to Taiwan: Open Standards
celebrated in 30 countries =

[Read online: http://fsfe.org/news/2013/news-20130327-02.en.html ]

In 30 countries around the world, activists are celebrating Open
Standards on today's Document Freedom Day, an annual campaign to promote
Open Standards. More than 50 groups are hosting events around the world,
from Brussels to Nicaragua to Taiwan.

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.

"Markets for digital products such as audiobooks and cloud documents
have grown dramatically. Open Standards let users break free from vendor
lock-in and corporate control," said Sam Tuke, Campaign Manager at the
Free Software Foundation Europe.

This year the campaign focuses on web-streaming technologies. "In 2012
trail-blazing Open Standards advocates introduced thousands of people to
better standards" said Erik Albers, Community Manager. "This time, we
are encouraging people to switch to HTML5 technologies".

The campaign calls on websites to replace  Flash with Open
Standards-based HTML5 technologies. Activists are reporting
Flash-dependent web pages and donating to educational packs including
blacked-out "Flash Player required" glasses, illustrating the exclusive
and inaccessible nature of closed formats for media streaming.

Document Freedom Day 2012 is facilitated by the Free Software Foundation
Europe, and supported by campaign sponsors Google and openSUSE.

== 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.

  http://fsfe.org/