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Image showing the Ada & Zangemann book in different languages

What pupils write about proprietary software and why it motivates me

07 December 2023

Pupils all over the world are learning about the story of "Ada & Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards and Raspberry Ice Cream": it is encouraging to see how new generations are inspired to start coding, and to write to Zangemann about his behaviour. Below a message from our president Matthias Kirschner to our readers.  

collage of different pictures of this month

YH4F kickoff +++ UpA Open Letter +++ Router freedom in Belgium

05 December 2023

Last month YH4F 2024 kicked off, the German Parliament received the Upcycling Android Open Letter, we discovered that the ambitious plan of the Interoperable Europe Act turned out to be watered down, we celebrated Belgium’s commitment to router freedom, and much more interesting news was out. 

Illustration about the network termination point showing a modem, as a private network, and the connecting internet point, as a public communication network

Austria goes against Router Freedom

01 December 2023

The Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications, RTR, has decided not to regulate the network operators with regard to Router Freedom, allowing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to impose their equipment on consumers. For RTR, routers configured in “bridge mode” is synonymous with terminal equipment freedom. The FSFE laments this decision as a missed opportunity for Net Neutrality in Austria.  

Illustration with teenagers in a hackerspace

2024 Youth Hacking 4 Freedom kicks off

16 November 2023

Registration is now open for the 2024 edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, the coding competition for young Europeans. This competition gives teenagers the opportunity to code their own projects – alone or in a team –, make new friends across Europe, and win up to €4,096! 

Picture collage with a picture of Earth from space (REUSE goes to Space), the crowd at the Fediverse Symposium in Cologne, and the winners of YH4F 2023

SFSCON 2023 +++ YH4F winners +++ REUSE goes to Space

14 November 2023

Our yearly report, Software Freedom in Europe 2023, is out. At the YH4F award ceremony, we learned about the awesome projects from this edition's winners, our team went to Bolzano to SFSCON, and we are happy to find out how the REUSE specification keeps on helping developers, such as the ones at the German Aerospace Center. Find these and other stories in our November issue! 

Image of an European map with connected pins.

Interoperable Europe Act: an ambition that turned out to be watered-down

13 November 2023

Decision makers are meeting to agree on the final text of the Interoperable Europe Act (IEA). There is a concerning wording related to giving priority to Free Software when implementing interoperable solutions and confusing criteria to do so. Overall, what could have been a very ambitious initiative turned out to be another regulation with ambiguous and problematic wording. 

The Belgian regulator BIPT recognised Router Freedom as a key element for Internet connections.

Belgium commits to Router Freedom

13 November 2023

The Belgian telecom regulator BIPT formally introduced Router Freedom. The decision encompasses all network types including fiber (FTTx) and the decision sets a deadline of twelve months for becoming compliant. The FSFE acknowledges this decision as a major win for consumer rights, and will monitor further implementation. 

Portrait picture of Frank Karlitschek

Frank Karlitschek receives the European SFS Award at SFSCON23

10 November 2023

The founder of Nextcloud received the European SFS Award at SFSCON. This recognition which was presented for the first time jointly by the Linux User Group Bolzano and the Free Software Foundation Europe, went to "a tireless advocate of digital freedom as universal right"

    Image of the entrance of the SFSCON 2022 with a SFSCON baner

    Join us at SFSCON 2023!

    08 November 2023

    We cannot wait to be in Bolzano for the South Tyrol Free Software Conference (SFSCON) on 10 and 11 November. This two-day conference brings together Free Software advocates, decision makers and the general public at the gateway to the Dolomites. Our team will be there with talks, side events and a booth. We are ready to talk to you, so just drop by and say hello! 

    The rocket 'Fairydust' in front of the CCH building in Hamburg

    FSFE at the Chaos Communication Congress

    06 November 2023

    The FSFE is back for the Chaos Communication Congress! Come and join us at the end of December in the "Bits & Bäume" habitat and end the year in a fun and chaos way attending interesting talks and making new friends! The Call for Participation ends on 11 November so hurry up!  

    Image showing the planet Earth from the space

    REUSE goes to space!

    02 November 2023

    The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has adopted the REUSE specification in some of its projects. We have talked to Tobias Schlauch, research software engineer at the DLR, about the role of Free Software for research and innovation, and the importance of clear understanding and displaying of the legal information of software projects. He highlights the special contributions that REUSE has to offer for software development but also for research. 

    Image showing the back of the participants of the Fediverse Day event raising their hands with a speaker on stage in the background

    Fediverse Symposium: Recordings are now online

    25 October 2023

    More than 70 people came together, in Cologne on 22 September, to get an insight into the Fediverse and to discuss the importance of decentralised social networks for our society. If you were not able to join our Fediverse Symposium or want to re-watch the talks, we now have the German-language recordings on our PeerTube instance for you!  

    Image collage showing a picture of Ada & Zangemann in English, YH4F logo, our booth in SFSCON 2022 and a group picture from the summer meeting

    Software Freedom in Europe 2023

    20 October 2023

    In 2023, Software Freedom has been back on stage, while we have boosted our activities for the coming generations with our children's book and the coding competition for young Europeans. We have also continued to bring our demands to lawmakers, helped projects to become REUSE compliant, and shared many great moments with our community. 

    Picture of YH4F workshop during the Award Ceremony weekend

    Find out our YH4F second edition winners!

    17 October 2023

    A real-time plotter for microcontrollers; a classroom quiz platform; a radio tool; a device that provides bags to pick up your dog's poo; a game engine to help non-programmers develop their ideas; and a program to search for a file on your computer by its hash. These are the six projects that won the 2023 edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom.  

    Picture collage with an image of GNU 40, about the four freedoms and a last one with the Router Freedom sticker

    GNU turns 40 +++ Router Freedom, Fediverse & Ada

    04 October 2023

    October starts after celebrating the 40th anniversary of the GNU project, that marked the beginning of our Free Software movement. The new political season has started, both at the EU and the national levels. Thanks for contributing to make our What is Free Software video available in more languages… and we had the first Ada reading in Italian!  

    Map of the world interconnected

    EU: Digital sovereignty & Interoperability. What about the role of Free Software?

    20 September 2023

    Speaking about Digital Public Infrastructures last week, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pointed out that "the trick is to build public digital infrastructure that is interoperable, open to all and trusted". What exactly does this mean? What is required to achieve such an accessible digital infrastructure that can help foster innovation and allow cooperation on a global scale? What role does Free Software play in such ambition? 

    Symbol of Public Money, Public Code

    The Netherlands: Important points for the election

    06 September 2023

    The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is committed to empower users to control technolgy to digital civil rights, transparency and control over technology. It does this by promoting Free Software (also known as Open Source Software). In addition, Free Software promotes innovation and prevents vendor lock-in. Digital sovereignty is only possible with Free Software. 

    Picture collage with an image of an Android robot inside a wrench; an image of the Bundestag with a magnifying glass in the foreground; and an image of the cover of the book Ada & Zangemann

    "Back to school" for EU and German policy +++ Ada available worldwide

    05 September 2023

    September brings the resumption of EU politics and the middle of the term of the current German government, and we look at them from a Free Software perspective. 'Ada & Zangemann' can now be ordered internationally, and you can help us translate our 'What is Free Software' video into more EU languages. And remember - rooting your device does not void its warranty.  

    Entrance to Bits und Baeume village by night

    Chaos Communication Camp 2023: back to the grounds!

    25 August 2023

    One of our favourite events was back this summer: Chaos Communication Camp 2023! This event brings together technologists, activists, and enthusiasts to discuss, share, and celebrate technology, privacy, and freedom in Brandenburg, Germany. This year, the Free Software Foundation Europe joined the campers as part of the 'Bits und Bäume' village.  

    An illustration about the four freedoms that allows Software Freedom

    Liability, Interoperability & Free Software in EU: what we are expecting

    24 August 2023

    After the summer recess, EU institutions are resuming their activities at the end of August. In the coming months, we expect to see the adoption of legislation that could have an impact on Free Software: the Cyber Resilience Act, the Product Liability Directive, the AI Act, and the Interoperable Europe Act. What does all this legislation mean for Free Software and its community? 

    Four photographs of different events and activities with interns and other members of the FSFE community

    Join us as an intern and make the difference!

    15 August 2023

    Have you heard about Free Software and you want to know more about it? Are you already a Free Software advocate and do you want to help to bring software freedom to our society? Then our paid internships are for you! Learn by doing and gain knowledge and technical skills through an internship with us. 

    Picture collage with an image of a people attending the Summer    Meeting posing on some stairs with a building behind, a image of a    photocall poster with the words EU parliament in different languages    and an image with the words Sofware Freedom Podcast

    CRA & IEA +++ SFP episode +++ Summer Meeting

    01 August 2023

    Our August issue comes with the latest updates of the CRA and the IAE, a new episode of our Software Freedom podcast exploring Software Freedom in EU policy, and the announcement of our symposium about decentralised social networks. YH4F participants -and we too- are waiting for the jury feedback on their projects. 

    Lina Ceballos talking at the European Parliament

    SFP#21: Exploring Software Freedom in European Politics with Lina Ceballos

    28 July 2023

    Listen to our new Software Freedom Podcast episode with Lina Ceballos. Lina and Bonnie talk about everything related to Free Software in European Politics. Learn more about Lina's work at the Free Software Foundation Europe and how political decisions come to pass in the EU. Discover how best to advocate for Free Software, and especially, what the Interoperable Europe Act is all about and why the Free Software communities need to be on the lookout for the protection of software freedom.  

    Image with a laptop with some code in the screen

    YH4F: Coding is over!

    24 July 2023

    The second edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, the hacking competition for young Europeans, has just ended. For the last six months, the participants have worked on developing their own personal Free Software projects. 

    Two computer screens showing some code

    Cyber Resilience Act & Free Software: Parliament waters down its own position

    19 July 2023

    The European Parliament today voted on its position on the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). While the position improves on the Commission's exemption to protect Free Software, it fails to introduce a proper protection . We call on the institutions to put the burden of liability only on those who significantly financially benefit from the market, while protecting developers and non-profit work. 

    European Parliament photocall with EU Parliament words in different EU languages

    EU Parliament intends to widen participation in the Interoperable Europe Board

    19 July 2023

    Today the EU Parliament’s Committee responsible for the Interoperable Europe Act has adopted its final position. It is a step forward towards a more inclusive Interoperable Europe Board while it introduces clearer indicators and statistics to monitor the progress of the Act. This position must now be upheld during the upcoming trilogue. 

    European building with the European Parliament symbol

    IEA: EU Parliament advances in strengthening the role of Free Software, yet needs more to improve

    29 June 2023

    The two EP Committees for opinion, IMCO and LIBE, have today adopted their texts on the Interoperable Europe Act. While both recognise the importance of Free Software for this regulation, the inclusion of the Free Software community in the Board remains uncertain. The wording on proper monitoring and evaluation goes in the right direction. 

    House consisting of 0s and 1s

    Germany: dPhoenix on the road to failure?

    06 June 2023

    A Free Software office and collaboration suite for the public sector is one of the projects with which the German government aims to fulfil the goals of the coalition agreement. But a closer look at the project raises questions: Where is the source code? Who is responsible? What happens to the public money involved? We asked the relevant ministry.  

    Picture collage with images inside circles of the Router Freedom sticker, a human head draw in a blue background surrounded by the EU stars and the Public Money, Public Code campaign image surruonded by headphones

    AI Act and Interoperability +++ Router Freedom Survey +++ Podcasts, YH4F & Ada

    06 June 2023

    The June issue brings updates on the Interoperable Europe Act and the AI Regulation, and the publication of the conclusions of our European Router Freedom survey. We were invited to two podcast episodes and were the focus of Edri's 'Member in the spotlight'. Check out a study on net neutrality regulation and read a lovely story about Ada arriving in rural India. 

    EU flag with a gavel in the background and the word fail in the foreground

    Interoperable Europe Act: Committee of the Regions fails to substantially promote Free Software

    24 May 2023

    The Committee of the Regions approved its opinion on the Interoperable Europe Act. The EU representative body has failed to recognise the importance that Free Software has for interoperability and thus for digitalisation and innovation. This underlines the relevance of the Free Software Community's participation in the planned Interoperable Board.  

    Panoramic of Chalmers Univerisity buildings with Swedish flag

    Tack foss-north 2023!

    09 May 2023

    The 2023 edition of foss-north took place in Gothenburg on 24 and 25 April 2023. It was a great occasion to meet again in person with the Nordic Free Software community. Over 180 participants had the opportunity to learn about and discuss Free Software in more than 20 sessions.  

    Picture collage with images of a woman giving a talk, an illustration from a children book and some brochures and totebags

    FOSS-North & LLW+++Device Neutrality+++NGI Zero

    03 May 2023

    In this issue, you can read about the EU project NGI Zero, LLW, the FOSS-North conference, and the struggle of Lithuanian students to avoid using proprietary 2FA. Don't miss our new SFP episode on Device Neutrality; deepen your knowledge with two interesting articles; enjoy the latest ‘Ada & Zangemann’ readings; and discover two YH4F projects.  

    LLW brochure and tote bag

    LLW 2023: learning and exchanging legal knowledge

    28 April 2023

    The Swedish city of Gothenburg hosted the 2023 edition of the Free Software Legal & Licensing Workshop (LLW), the annual conference for the Legal Network community. It was great to see so many old and new faces in person after two years online, and to learn, share and network about the legal and licensing issues facing current technology developments.  

    Futuristic image with a blue background and people

    The FSFE is helping to build an “Internet of Humans”

    25 April 2023

    The Free Software Foundation Europe is a partner of the Next Generation Internet Zero consortium, which aims to build a more resilient, trustworthy and open Internet that empowers end users to control technology. The FSFE team provides support to NGI0 grantee projects on legal and licensing issues, as well as helping them to become REUSE compliant.  

    foss-north 2023 is taking place in Gothenurg on April 24 and 25

    Ready for foss-north 2023?

    12 April 2023

    The FSFE is organising a track covering political and legal aspects of Free Software at foss-north, the conference in Gothenburg that brings together Nordic Free Software communities. It will take place on April 24 and 25 preceded by the community day that will take place on April 23. It is time to register and get your tickets!  

    Painting of a women surrounded by flowers. Text: “Diversity drives innovation – when we limit who can contribute, we in turn limit what problems we can solve.” – Telly Whitney

    Happy Women’s Day!

    08 March 2023

    Today we are celebrating Women’s Day. Thank you to everyone who is making the tech sector more inclusive! Let’s continue working together to achieve gender parity and embrace equity. There might be problems coming our way, but we also have each other. Join us and meet the FSFE Women team.  

    Pictures of peole and an illustration of a sphygmometer

    Medical Devices Should Use Free Software +++ 25 New Videos

    07 March 2023

    In this issue we have a podcast episode about the need that medical devices have Free Software. Watch our talks from FOSDEM and videos about legal issues when developing. Participants of YH4F are already coding. Thanks to all your contributions, our fundraising ended successfully. We bring community news from 9 countries.  

    Call for papers is open

    Call for Papers for foss-north open (Gothenburg, April 2023)

    22 February 2023

    foss-north is a Free Software conference in Gothenburg that brings together Nordic Free Software communities. This year, the Free Software Foundation Europe is organising a track covering political and legal aspects of Free Software, as well as best practices from Scandinavia. We're looking forward to your contribution by March 5! 

    The coding period of this new edition has started

    Let's code!

    20 February 2023

    Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, FSFE's coding competition for young Europeans, has just started. The kick-off event took place on the 26th of January with an online meeting for the participants of this year's competition. There they got the most important information about the contest while starting to get to know each other. 

    Thank you for your support

    Thank you for helping us reach our goal!

    15 February 2023

    Thanks to your valuable contributions, we have reached our fundraising target*. Thank you for your confidence and support, even in these difficult times. These funds will help us run our campaigns and organise events and talks to spread the word about our work, while continuing to promote software freedom. 

      Pictures of a person, a heart, and a mastodon in front on of a building

      I Love Free Software +++ Public authorities in Fediverse

      08 February 2023

      In this issue we invite public institutions to join free, decentralised social networks. Watch our info-session on German municipalities using Free Software. An FSFE volunteer doubts the reliability of AI-generated text. I Love Free Software Day is just around the corner. Celebrate with us!  

      FSFE's booth at one event

      Ready for FOSDEM 2023?

      23 January 2023

      FOSDEM 2023 is taking place in Brussels the first weekend of February. The FSFE team will be participating at the main Free Software convention in Europe with a booth and giving some keynotes. Are you going to be there? Come to our booth and do not miss our talks! 

      Some of the FSFE team hiking in Bolzano

      Join our team as an intern!

      13 January 2023

      Are you a motivated person who wants to support FSFE's activities as an intern? If your background is in computer science, law, political science or another social science field, apply to become part of our team in our Berlin office, working 35 hours per week for a period of 6 months. Join us in empowering people to take control of technology!.  

      Three photographs. The municipality of Dortmund, a portrait of a person in front of GNU Health banner, a makerspace.

      Promising news from Belgium and Dortmund +++ IT Security +++ Job opportunity

      10 January 2023

      In January’s Newsletter: Dortmund embraces Free Software, and Belgium is working to ensure Router Freedom. A cryptographer analyzes IT security. A digital health ecosystem licenses files with the REUSE tool. We are looking for an office coordinator. We look forward to seeing you in FOSDEM and I Love Free Software events.  

      I love Free Software Day

      ♥ I Love Free Software Day: Let’s Meet and Connect!

      04 January 2023

      Every February 14 the Free Software community around the world comes together to celebrate the “I Love Free Software Day”. On this special day we show our gratitude for every Free Software contributor. Join us in celebrating our love for Free Software and thank all the supporters of software freedom.  

      Two staffers from finance team counting money during inventory.

      CLOSED - FSFE is hiring an office coordinator

      20 December 2022

      We are looking for an office coordinator for an open-ended 25-35 hours per week position in our Berlin office. As part of our office management team you will be the administrative backbone of our operations. Our ideal candidate has experience as an office administrator, secretary, event organiser, or another relevant administrative role.  

      the GNU Health team holding their REUSE compliance award and certificate

      GNU Health opts for REUSE

      19 December 2022

      In the framework of the REUSE Booster initiative, the FSFE provides individual assessments and direct assistance to Free Software projects in the implementation of the REUSE best practices. GNU Health, a project that combines social medicine with technology, has recently become REUSE compliant. We have talked with Dr. Luis Falcón, its founder.  

      Picture from the city of Dortmund, Germany

      Event: Municipalities Need Free Software - Dortmund is a Reference Municipality

      15 December 2022

      The City of Dortmund, together with Berlin and Munich, is initialising the "Open Source Big 3" and setting up a "Coordination Office for Digital Sovereignty and Open Source". The Free Software Foundation Europe, the Do-FOSS initiative, and the Offene Kommunen.NRW association will provide information about these current developments in an online event on 11 January 2023.  

      Legal Education Day logo

      FSFE holds 2nd edition of Legal Education Day at the SFSCon 2022

      14 December 2022

      The 2nd Legal Education Day (LED), organized by the FSFE, took place in Bolzano to help Free Software developers understand legal topics on a basic level, so that they can avoid common pitfalls, allowing their software projects to reach full potential. The LED track featured sessions on the basics of copyright law, licenses, and other legal topics.  

        Three young hackers are tinkering on their laptops

        Discover more YH4F projects and learn about the participants Héctor and Leonardo

        09 December 2022

        Are you thinking about registering for the second edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom? But you are not yet sure? Two participants from the last edition, Héctor and Leonardo, talked with us about the projects they developed and their journey throughout the Free Software world! Discover their experiences during the first edition of YH4F.  

        failed attempt to audit a source code

        EU Declaration of Digital Rights and Principles falls short of its ambitions

        06 December 2022

        Member states, the European Parliament, and the Commission have reached a consensus on the Declaration of Digital Rights and Principles. Although it aims to serve as a reference point for the digital transformation of Europe, it instead descends into murky waters, causing ambiguity. Its wording is unclear and it overlooks existing good proposals.  

        FSFE booth at one event

        5 reasons why your contribution is crucial for the promotion of Free Software

        05 December 2022

        Your support and contribution for the promotion of Free Software are important for securing our continuous work, ensuring our independence, strengthening our democratic society, promoting and implementing concrete steps towards software freedom, and making it easier to use and develop Free Software.  

          Three scenes. A person spying, an award ceremony, a young person controlling a table next to a wheelchair

          FSFE wins EU Datathon +++ YH4F winners and new round +++ No to chat control

          15 November 2022

          FSFE’s ‘TEDective’, a program helping to analyse public spending, wins first prize in the EU Datathon and our very own Youth Hacking 4 Freedom contest starts again. An EU draft law might end secure chats. Citizens in Sweden have a say with the Free Software Decidim and the FSFE Switzerland asks administrations to join federated social media.  

          Three young hackers are tinkering on their laptops

          Let’s talk with young hackers Ekaterina, Miquel and Alexia about YH4F

          04 November 2022

          The first edition of the Youth Hacking 4 Freedom contest has ended. After 5 months of coding, over 35 young people came up with outstanding projects. Three of them will be introduced to you in this interview. Ekaterina, the mind behind Music Companion, Miquel who developed Smart Table Assistant and Alexia, the creator of a basic password manager.  

          illustration of three teenagers in a hackerspace

          ✦ Youth Hacking 4 Freedom Winners ✦

          04 October 2022

          After a year of coding and evaluation the Youth Hacking 4 Freedom competition comes to an end, giving us amazing projects. Who won? The six winning programs offer sign language transcription, a smart table robot, a personal assistant, a music tutorial, file sharing, and a homework manager. All Free Software.  

          Illustration with a presentation, a portrait, and a person assembling mouse parts

          Free Software in France +++ Hackerspace in Albania +++ Job

          04 October 2022

          In this issue, we discuss the rising awareness for Free Software in France. We share our plans for monitoring the implementation of Device Neutrality principles. A hackerspace in Albania shares the ‘Public Money! Public Code’ demand. We are looking for a working student to be our next system administrator assistant.  

          A photo of a booth, of a presentation, and of an audience with children

          Software Freedom in Europe 2022

          28 September 2022

          We continuously work to promote Free Software in Europe. In 2022 we addressed technological sustainability, advocated in the DMA and AI act on European level, and defended Router Freedom in Europe – among other activities. To reach younger people, we organised a coding competition for teenagers and published a children's book on software freedom.  

          Hugo Roy

          SFP#16: Free Software in France with Hugo Roy

          09 September 2022

          In this episode of the Software Freedom Podcast, Bonnie Mehring speaks with Hugo Roy about his long involvement with the FSFE. Hugo is also very active in the French Free Software community and gives us an overview of the standing of Free Software in France.  

          Router illustration, two people with books, person giving a Right to Repair presentation.

          Sustainability podcast +++ Job opportunity +++ Partial Router Freedom in Greece

          05 July 2022

          In this issue we share an uplifting podcast episode on the progress of the Upcycling Android campaign. We have a work position in the FSFE staff. Greece is about to secure Router Freedom except for fiber connections. Community news comes from Aarhus, Barcelona, Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, Zurich, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Translators, and Women.  

          two women in professional meeting

          CLOSED - The FSFE is hiring a Senior Project Manager Communication

          15 June 2022

          We are looking for a Senior Project Manager Communication for 20-25 hours per week in our Berlin office. This is a great opportunity to help amplify the importance of software freedom, so that every human can use, study, share, and improve software and thereby support other fundamental rights like freedom of speech, press, and privacy.  

          three pictures of group people

          Municipalities using Free Software +++ PMPC tour in Italy

          07 June 2022

          In this issue, read about nine administrations innovating and saving money with Free Software, a Dutch coalition calling for fair digital education, and how a sustainable telecom sector is attainable with Free Software. Volunteers organise ‘Public Money? Public code!’ tour in Italy.  

          Discussion panelists.

          Key stakeholders debated the future of Router Freedom in Austria

          16 May 2022

          Together with the Alliance of Telecommunication Terminal Equipment Manufacturers (VTKE), the FSFE organised the online event "The Future of Router Freedom in Austria" where decision makers could debate with industry and civil society stakeholders on the future developments regarding the free choice of terminal equipment in Austria.  

          three illustrations: a phone-like device looks like a lock that has been opened, a happy cartoon mastodon, EU datathon banner

          46 Sign OS Freedom Open Letter +++ Fair Market App +++ Your Digital Rights

          10 May 2022

          In this Issue: an alliance of 46 entities - and counting - supports the universal right to install any software on any device. Free Software is being considered for inclusion in the EU Declaration of Digital Rights. FSFE's transparency in public procurement app gets to EU Datathon finals. Italian FSFE volunteers prepare tour.  

          Four illustrations. 1. Three gears in different colors and sizes integrate with each other, while one has the coding abbreviation on it 2. A phone-like device out of which come three arrows, one to the left, one to the right and one straight ahead 3. Four different geometrical figures are connected via bridges 4. a phone like device looks like a lock that has been opened

          EU Ecodesign: 38 organisations demand the right to access and to reuse hardware

          27 April 2022

          The FSFE publishes an open letter, co-signed by 38 organisations and companies, to ask EU legislators for the right to install any software on any device, including full access to hardware. These rights support reusability and longevity of our devices. The alliance is composed of entities from environmental, economic, and technological sectors.  

          Hofburg

          Online session: The future of Router Freedom in Austria

          20 April 2022

          Austria has introduced a reform law for the telecommunications sector which will affect the ability of consumers to choose and use their own routers and modems. Together with the Alliance of Telecommunication Terminal Equipment Manufacturers (VTKE) the FSFE is organising a session on "The Future of Router Freedom in Austria".  

          Public body infrastructure displaying source code

          EU Declaration of Digital Rights & Principles: Free Software should be included

          14 April 2022

          On 26 January 2022, the European Commission presented its proposal for the EU Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles which will serve as a reference point in the future and as a common EU vision of our digital rights. The declaration is now being discussed in the European Parliament and Council, and Free Software should become part of it.  

          Collage with four images. An illustration of a newspaper. An illustration of a neoclassical building with ones and zeros as its columns. An illustration of three phones depicting screens from Plasma Mobile home page, calendar, and calculator.  A photograph of a woman.

          AI in EU +++ Open letter to Bundestag +++ Plasma Mobile +++ Meshnet

          05 April 2022

          In our April Newsletter, we welcome the promising developments on AI in the EU. We address the German Government to demand a clear budget for Free Software. We interview Plasma Mobile developer Bhushan Shah, and talk with Elektra Wagenrad in a podcast episode about Mesh Networking. We congratulate KDE on the world's first eco-certified software.  

          Digital booth

          FSFE at FOSDEM: A vital Devroom, virtual chats, and waffles

          24 February 2022

          At the prominent annual conference for Free Software, FOSDEM, we exchanged opinions and chatted with people from the Free Software community. We raised awareness on wider issues that impact our movement in the Legal and Policy Devroom, co-hosted by the FSFE. Enjoy the videos from the talks and stay in touch via Matrix until the next FOSDEM. 

          I love FS +++ 0 A.D.: Empires Ascendant +++ FOSDEM +++ FSFE20: Interns

          08 February 2022

          In our February Newsletter, we invite you to our Games Event to celebrate the "I Love Free Software" Day on February 14th. Listen to our podcast episode with Stanislas Dolcini from the game '0 A.D.: Empires Ascendant'. FOSDEM was just concluded and the FSFE was there! We complete our celebrations for 20 years FSFE in an interview with past interns.  

          FSFE booth 2018

          The FSFE at FOSDEM 2022

          27 January 2022

          As in 2021, this year's FOSDEM will take place online. But this is neither stopping us from once again co-hosting the Legal and Policy Issues Devroom nor from being present with a digital booth. We are excited and look forward to presenting you an interesting programme throughout the whole weekend. 

          Device Neutrality becomes a reality +++ Stockholm +++ FSFE infrastructure +++ AI

          11 January 2022

          In our January Newsletter, we recognise the importance of the Digital Markets Act as a mostly positive development for software freedom. Read how the lack of public code cost Stockholm €100 million. Our System Hackers team unravel what lies behind the FSFE infrastructure. Vincent Lequertier stresses that AI needs transparency. FOSDEM is coming up.  

          SFP#12: Enforcement of the GNU GPL with Till Jaeger

          22 September 2021

          With our 12th episode of the Software Freedom Podcast we dig into the history and the beginning of enforcing Free Software licences, especially the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL). Together with Till Jaeger, who has been working alongside Harald Welte for enforcing the GNU GPL in the first court cases in Germany, we talk about the long way we have come since those early days.  

          SFP#9: I Love Free Software Day

          11 February 2021

          For this episode of the Software Freedom Podcast we talk about the background of the "I Love Free Software Day" and how it all began 11 years ago. Discover together with Bonnie Mehring why Free Software developers, advocates, activists and contributors think this special day is so important for Free Software.  

          SFP#8: How to tell my mother that Free Software can cost money?

          04 December 2020

          In this Software Freedom Podcast episode Bonnie Mehring and Matthias Kirschner talk about the monetary costs of Free Software. On the example of a conversation Bonnie had with her mother, both discover ways of explaining the world of Free Software and how to answer common questions and misunderstandings about software freedom.  

          Katharina Nocun, Lawrence Lessig and Matthias Kirschner while recording the Software Freedom Podcast

          SFP#5 about regulation with Professor Lawrence Lessig

          09 April 2020

          For our Software Freedom Podcast we talk with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom. In this episode, we talk with Professor Lawrence Lessig, founder of Creative Commons, about regulation of society, offline as well as online, about the different means of regulation, and shed light on regulations through code. 

          SFP#4 about REUSE with Carmen Bianca Bakker

          21 January 2020

          In the monthly Software Freedom Podcast we talk with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom. In this episode, we talk with Carmen Bianca Bakker about the REUSE project. By this we are covering the very broad topic of software licensing and the problems there, which REUSE is able to solve with three simple steps.  

          SFP#2 about KDE with Lydia Pintscher

          12 November 2019

          We are back with the second episode of our Software Freedom Podcast! Once a month, we talk with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom. In this episode, we talk with Lydia Pintscher from KDE about the development of the KDE community, the different KDE projects and the issues they will be tackling over the next two years.  

          SFP#1 on Day Against DRM with Cory Doctorow

          12 October 2019

          We have a Podcast! Starting with this episode, we will talk once a month with people who have inspiring ideas about software freedom. In our first episode of our Software Freedom Podcast, we address the issue of Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) together with Cory Doctorow, a British-Canadian writer, political activist, and co-editor of the blog boingboing.net. Cory Doctorow is a prominent supporter of software freedom and a less restrictive copyright law. His books are published under Creative Commons licenses.