[FSFE PR][EN] Bundestag Election 2021: Demands for a Digitally Sovereign Society

[press at fsfe.org]

 = Bundestag Election 2021: Demands for a Digitally Sovereign Society =

[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210427-01.en.html ]

Digital civil society organisations make four demands for a digitally
sovereign society to politicians for the 2021 federal election. Among
them is the Free Software Foundation Europe, which works to ensure that
software developed with public money shall be published under a Free
Software licence.

On 1 April 2020, civil society organisations working for an independent
digital infrastructure and free access to knowledge called on
politicians: Learn from the crisis - strengthen digital civil society!
[1] (German) In an open letter, the undersigned organisations also made
concrete recommendations for action. However, far too little has
happened since then. The past year has made it clear that politics and
public administration are overwhelmed with their own digital
transformation and are setting priorities in digital policy that do not
meet the needs of society. We are far from a digitally sovereign
society.

That is why a broad spectrum of organisations, including the Free
Software Foundation Europe, has once again come together at
digitalezivilgesellschaft.org [2] to support politics with their
expertise. With four demands, the network shows how digitisation can
succeed for a digitally sovereign society - and calls on the parties in
light of the federal elections to make digitisation for the common good
a central topic.

 === Four demands to the federal government ===

1. Digital Sovereignty: politicians must anchor the digital sovereignty
   of society as the highest maxim in digital policy. Instead of a
   digital ministry, we need a mission for the coming legislative period
   that elevates digital sovereignty to a guiding principle and is
   drafted and evaluated together with representatives from civil
   society, science and business.

2. Participation and Transparency: civil society must finally be given
   the same opportunities as business and science to contribute its
   expertise. This is achieved through a civil society quota in
   political advisory bodies, communication and transparency on
   procedures of political decision-making processes, legally defined
   deadlines for consultations as well as machine-readable
   documentation.

3. Public Money, Public Good: publicly funded solutions must be
   accessible to all under a free licence so that no knowledge is lost
   or problems are solved twice. This concerns software: We want legal
   foundations that require software developed with public money for
   public administrations to be published under a Free Software Licence
   (also know as Open Source). If public money is involved, the code
   should also be public! (Public Money? Public Code!) [3]. But also
   public administration data (Open Data) as well as free knowledge and
   open educational materials (Open Educational Resources).

4. Sustainable Digitisation: digitisation can only succeed if the
   development of digital infrastructure is economically and socially
   viable. To this end, diversity in digitisation and the development
   and maintenance of secure, decentralised digital infrastructure for
   society must be promoted in the long term.

 == Launch event on 5 May 2021 ==

At the launch event, Julia Reda (former member of the EU Parliament),
Henning Tillmann (software developer and co-chair of D64) and Julia
Kloiber (co-founder Superrr Lab) will discuss these four demands on 5
May 2021 from 18:00 to 19:30. The panel will be moderated by Katja Jäger
(betterplace lab). Afterwards, all participants will have the
opportunity to exchange ideas on solutions, measures and calls for
action in four thematic rooms. FSFE's Alexander Sander will moderate the
room on "Public Money? Public Code!". Further information and
registration for the launch event will be available soon on
digitalezivilgesellschaft.org [4].

Signatory organisations of digitalezivilgesellschaft.org: Free Software
Foundation Europe, Superrr Lab, gut.org, betterplace lab, Social
Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland e.V. (SEND), Open Knowledge
Foundation Deutschland e.V., Liquid Democracy e.V., iRights.Lab, Forum
InformatikerInnen für Frieden und gesellschaftliche Verantwortung e.V.
(FIfF), Chaos Computer Club, Bundesverband Smart City e.V., mediale
pfade, Stiftung Erneuerbare Freiheit, Center for the Cultivation of
Technology, neuland21 e.V., Arbeitskreis Digitalisierung der BUNDjugend,
Verstehbahnhof, Bundesnetzwerk Bürgerschaftliches Engagement, Wikimedia
Deutschland e. V., Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, D64, epicenter.works
e.V., Digitale Gesellschaft e.V., Ashoka Deutschland e. V., Progressives
Zentrum e. V.

Discuss this [5]

 1: https://lists.fsfe.org/pipermail/press-release-de/2020q2/000323.html
 2: https://digitalezivilgesellschaft.org/
 3: https://publiccode.eu/
 4: https://digitalezivilgesellschaft.org/
 5: https://community.fsfe.org/t/663

  == About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==

  Free Software Foundation Europe is a charity that empowers users to
  control technology. Software 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 rights to use,
  understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
  fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.

  The FSFE helps individuals and organisations to understand how Free
  Software contributes to freedom, transparency, and self-determination.
  It enhances users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software
  adoption, encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and
  provide resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software
  in Europe.

  https://fsfe.org