Today, May 3rd 2013, is the international day against Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). Usually, the term DRM refers to various restrictions that companies – or any other content provider – impose on digital media and data. These restrictions are there to let providers decide what you can do with your media and data and what not. This blog entry sheds light on a related issue: the loss of digital and physical control of your own device.

Diesen Freitag, den 3. Mai 2013, tritt die FSFE der 8. internationalen "Tag gegen DRM"-Kampagne bei, um Digitale Rechteminderung zu beenden. Der Kampf gegen DRM hat in den letzten Wochen an Bedeutung gewonnen. Freiheitsaktivisten haben sich gegen DRM in HTML5 zusammen getan und die schädlichen Auswirkungen dieser Technologie auf Innovationen und die Freiheit der Benutzer deutlich gemacht. Am heutigen Tag gegen DRM wird unsere Schwesterorganisation Free Software Foundation die Petitionsunterschriften gegen DRM in HTML5 dem World Wide Web Konsortium (W3C) in Boston überbringen.

On April 27, the administrative court of Almada, Portugal, declared a 550, 000 Euro contract between Microsoft and the municipality of Almada to be illegal. The technical specifications of the competition launched by the municipality prevented any company other than Microsoft and their partners to submit a proposal.

Join us in calling on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and its member organisations to reject the Encrypted Media Extensions proposal (EME). This proposal aims at incorporating support for Digital Restriction Management (DRM) into HTML and would therefore exclude Free Software browsers from being compatible with many web pages.

A group of Free Software activists from Romania and Moldova has joined FSFE's program of associate organisations. Active since 2008, Ceata incorporated as a foundation in February 2013. Fundația Ceata and FSFE will work together to promote software freedom in Romania and throughout Europe.