Become an FSFE supporter today so we reach our long term vision that:

  • Everyone has the right to remove and install any software on any of their devices!
  • All public funding for software is used for Free Software only!
  • All regulatory frameworks encourage the use and development of Free Software.
  • Licensing and legal decisions are based on facts, rather than fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
  • Young people have the opportunity to tinker, experiment and code with Free Software as the default.

This page has not been translated yet. Please help us to translate this and other pages on fsfe.org, so people can read our message in their native language.

News

The FSFE empowers users to control technology with its diverse activities and concrete engagement for software freedom. Follow us and make sure to receive regular updates and deeper insights on our various channels.

Follow our News

To keep up with our latest news, subscribe to our RSS feed and visit the different media channels.

Social Media

For short news you can follow us on various social networks.

38c3 at Hamburg Messe in 2024: The building at night full of lights

Wrapping Up the Year With Free Software at the 39C3

16 December 2025

Once again, the FSFE is heading to the Chaos Communication Congress! From 27 until the 30 December, we will be back in Hamburg as part of the Bits & Bäume assembly. Over 12.000 people will join us to participate in this community event, full of great talks, workshops and creatures from all over the world. Swing by, say hi, and warm up with some Free Software vibes! 

Software Freedom Podcast illustration: a blue gradient background with the three starts from the FSFE logo also in blue and the words Software Freedom Podcast. It also has in white the fsfe website url

SFP#42: Policy and EU: The answer for a digital sovereign future must be Free Software

12 December 2025

Although 42 is the answer for everything we tried to get it into helping us to achieve digital sovereignty in the public infrastructure. However there is an answer out there: digital sovereignty is only possible by empowering people and, therefore public institutions, to control their technology and own infrastructure.  

Collage of images: People sitting in a row holding popcorn during Ada premiere in IT at SFSCON; German goverment building and the text 'GIVE FREE SOFTWARE A CHANCE' projected on it in the background; YH4F logo; and the FSFE logo in the top left corner..

Germany Stack +++ DMA+++ YH4F

09 December 2025

December has arrived, and with it, our last newsletter of 2025. In the last weeks, we took part in the consultation on the Germany Stack, exchanged insights at the Article 19 2025 DMA Enforcement Symposium, and gave REUSE a new home on Codeberg. Meanwhile, registration for the next edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom is opened and we have new Software Freedom podcast episodes to listen to.  

A split image shows the Twitter bird icon dissolving into digital fragments on the left and a colorful decentralized network on the right, with bright light at the center.

Opening the cage: the FSFE flies away from X (Twitter)

04 December 2025

The Free Software Foundation Europe deleted its account on X. The platform never aligned with our values and no longer serves as a space for communication. What initially intended to be a place for dialogue and information exchange has turned into a centralised arena of hostility, misinformation, and profit-driven control, far removed from the ideals of freedom we stand for. 

Group photo at an FSFE youth competition award ceremony showing about thirty young participants and several adult organizers standing closely together in an indoor hall. The lighting is warm and soft. A tall FSFE banner with the star logo stands on the left. The group is arranged casually, some smiling at the camera, with a floor-to-ceiling glass wall behind them.

Fuel the next wave of tech talent with YH4F, the FSFE’s Free Software competition

20 November 2025

Youth Hacking 4 Freedom is the FSFE’s programming competition for teenagers aged 14 to 18 years from across Europe. Through YH4F the FSFE conveys the values and knowledge surrounding Free Software, provides the chance to develop your own project idea, learn valuable skills for project management, problem solving and of course: programming! Find out why it is worth for you to support us in this mission and what our current sponsors say about YH4F. 

Software Freedom Podcast illustration: a blue gradient background with the three starts from the FSFE logo also in blue and the words Software Freedom Podcast. It also has in white the fsfe website url

SFP#41: Policy and EU: Recap of SFSCON

14 November 2025

Remember that from the 7 November until 8 November, the FSFE has been at the well known and established South Tyrol Free Software Conference (SFSCON) in Bozen / Bolzano? Together with more than 1,000 participants, the FSFE discussed the current topics in the Free Software ecosystem and had a special focus on the main topic of this year's SFSCON: Ethics.  

A collage with four photos. The top photo shows a group of   people smiling behind a booth displaying FSFE materials and   merchandise. The bottom left photo shows a large group of attendees   posing together, some holding a traffic cone symbolizing VLC media   player. The bottom right photo shows a close-up of a glowing LED   arrow device on a table with wires. A red shaped apple snake is on the bottom right. Also, the FSFE logo is displayed on the top left.

SFSCON +++ Apple v EU +++ YH4F winners

13 November 2025

From facing Apple’s lawyer at the EU court defending interoperability to celebrating the unveiling of the 2025 YH4F winners, and finally walking through the autumn streets of Bolzano filled with Free Software enthusiasts, the past few weeks have been quite a roller coaster.  

SFSCON participants posing for a photo with the European SFS Award winner, the president of VLC. There is a traffic cone and a plaque with the VLC media player logo

Jean-Baptiste Kempf receives the European SFS Award 2025 at SFSCON

07 November 2025

The FSFE and LUGBZ have recognized VLC president and core developer with this European award for his long-term dedication to the project. What began as a student initiative has, through his continuous effort, evolved into one of the most widely used media players, with billion of users worldwide. 

To postcards hold by one hand. On the postcards it is written   'Thank you: for your contribution to software freedom!'

“They are not alone in their work for software freedom”

06 November 2025

Every year on 14 February we celebrate “I Love Free Software Day”, thanking all who contribute to Free Software. Without all of you we would not have such a great ecosystem today! Our Polish group joined our celebrations on 2025 for the first time, and we wanted to know more about them. So, we talked with Damian, our Poland group coordinator, about the Polish groups’ commitment to Free Software.  

The FSFE team posing at SFSCON 2024. A diverse group, some of them wearing an FSFE tshirt posing in front of one of the NOI Tech Park buildings

Join the Free Software conversation at SFSCON 2025!

29 October 2025

Under the watchful gaze of the Dolomites, and with the scent of chestnuts in the air, the city of Bolzano welcomes Free Software enthusiasts to the South Tyrol Free Software Conference. Held every November, this event brings together participants from Italy and beyond for two full days of learning, sharing, and discussing the latest in Free Software.  

Graphic showing a yellow bird escaping an open cage on a blue background, symbolizing digital freedom. Below, stylized eyes appear behind bars, representing surveillance. The FSFE logo with stars is in the top left corner.

Yearly Report +++ DMA turns one +++ Legal Corner

08 October 2025

Our October newsletter comes with our Software Freedom in Europe report! As the DMA celebrates its first year, we reflect on Device Neutrality and discuss the war on ad blockers in our Legal Corner. Check out our interview about 'I Love Free Software Day' with our local group in Barcelona and listen to a new episode of our Policy & EU podcast series. 

Purple banner with the headline “Software freedom in Europe” and a green “2025” tag. A collage of circular images: a crowd at an FSFE event, a projection screen showing the FSFE material, an auditorium with a slide depicting people using devices, a green badge with a bird escaping a cage and the words “set your devices free” (device neutrality sticker), a white router icon, and an illustrated young person wearing a backpack and coding on a laptop. The FSFE star logo appears at the lower right.

Software Freedom in Europe 2025

26 September 2025

In 2025 we remained engaged in enforcing the DMA, intervening in the Apple vs EC legal case; we participated in the debates around the CRA and public procurement to ensure that Free Software is embedded in Europe’s digital future. Also, we continued providing legal support and improved REUSE, while involving teenagers with YH4F, and we reached new audiences with the new Ada & Zangemann movies.  

Collage of pictures with the FSFE logo in the top left. It  features three circular photos bordered by light blue rings. The largest photo shows a hand holding a blue contactless card toward a white  SumUp payment reader. A smaller circle at the bottom left displays rows of binary digits with a red shape of a heart overlaying it. The right circle shows three people at an information booth covered with stickers, flyers, and small items, with posters in the background.

Legal Corner +++ CRA +++ Public Awareness

03 September 2025

Last month we published a new article in our Legal Corner, we checked how the German government is doing after 100 days, and we provided a deeper look at the CRA on our podcast. We also attended several conferences and continue working on making gatekeepers accountable under the DMA. 

FSFE Press Release default image. Blue background with the FSFE stars and the words Software Freedom and Press Release on it

After 100 days: German government falls short on Free Software policy

12 August 2025

100 days after the German federal government took office, the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) sees its demand for Free Software in public administration unfulfilled. While the governing coalition of CDU, CSU, and SPD announced ambitious goals for Free Software in the coalition agreement, no concrete, effective measures have been taken. 

Collage of pictures with a star shape: an illustration of a lock that is opened and is letting a bird fly away; a map of Europe; and an illustration saying send  your feedback

MP Explore +++ CRA questionnaire +++ DMA news

06 August 2025

In July we continued working to make the EC aware of the gatekeepers' “excuses” to avoid compliance with the DMA and we are gathering your feedback about the Cyber Resilience Act. We have also developed a Free Software tool to help us reaching out to representatives in Parliaments across Europe. And more: SFP, FOSDEM... 

Collage of pictures showing a team picture with FSFE volunteers and staffers outside a park, with the river Spree behind them; a picture with an image of Ada and Zangemann in Danish showing at a cinema. We see the screen and the people sitting, as the picture has been taken from the back of the room; and one of the YH4F characters

DMA survey +++ SFP ++++ Summer Meeting

08 July 2025

Summer has arrived, and with it came our annual Summer Meeting, where we spent time with our community. Learn more about the latest developments surrounding the Digital Markets Act, take a few minutes to share your perspective in our Interoperability Survey, and listen to the newest episode of our podcast. You can also read the latest news about Ada & Zangemann and Youth Hacking 4 Freedom. 

Software Freedom Podcast illustration: a blue gradient background with the three starts from the FSFE logo also in blue and the words Software Freedom Podcast. It also has in white the fsfe website url

SFP#35: Policy and EU: Tech sovereignty vote in the ITRE Committee

13 June 2025

And we are back for our 35th episode of the Software Freedom Podcast with our monthly update on policy decisions, votes and discussions in the European Union! Together Bonnie Mehring and Alexander Sander talk about one specific policy topic in regard to Free Software. This month they sat down and covered the vote on the Tech sovereignty INI in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). 

YH4F main illustration of a hackerspace wtih the 3 YH4F figures

"YH4F provides teenagers with a platform to express their ideas and develop skills that are crucial for their future careers"

11 June 2025

In just a few days, the 2025 Youth Hacking 4 Freedom programming period will come to an end, marking the start of the evaluation phase. Among the jury members is Alexios Zavras, who has been involved since the very first edition of the contest. Let us hear his insights on the YH4F competition and what motivates him to be part of the jury. 

A laptop with some code showing on its screen with the copyright symbol, the word copyright and a question mark in the foreground

Legal Corner: The threshold of originality for copyrightable source code

15 May 2025

As a general rule, software source code is protected by copyright by default. Copyright holders create Free Software by applying a Free Software license to their code. Creative works, such as source code, nevertheless must be sufficiently original in nature before they can be protected by copyright. Exactly what is this “threshold of originality”, and are there types of code that are not automatically protected by copyright? 

A group of diverse people, male and female, sitting on the edge of  a stage with a slide with the LLW25 donors on the background and a LLW  roll up on the right side and a FSFE roll up on the left side

LLW 2025, “unperfect” discussions around Free Software in a legal environment

24 April 2025

The Free Software Legal & Licensing Workshop convened once again, this time in Essen, bringing together over 100 legal and compliance professionals, technologists, and policy experts from across the globe. The 2025 edition delved into the evolving legal landscapes impacting Free Software, with a particular focus on Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity. 

Collage of pictures: A screening of Ada in a cinmea; the Device Neutrality illustration; and a thank you in white letters in a red background

Thank you +++ DMA ++ SFP +++ Ada

02 April 2025

Spring is here, and so is our monthly newsletter! We want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your continued support and generous donations. In this issue, we bring you the latest updates on the DMA, a special podcast episode on Router Freedom, highlights from our talks at Chemnitzer Linux Tag, exciting Ada news, and much more.  

Ada and Zangemann screening in a cinema: an image of the animated movie in an old cinema with red seats and children there. The picture was taken from the back so you can see the people's back and the screen

Share “Ada & Zangemann” with your friends: spread this animated movie and gift the book!

17 March 2025

Thanks to our supporters and volunteers, the inspiring story of Ada & Zangemann has been translated into several languages! While we work, and gather funds, to publish the book and the animated movie in even more languages, we need your help: share the movie with your friends and post it around! The book is also a perfect gift for local libraries and schools.  

YH4F main illustration of a hackerspace wtih the 3 YH4F figures

Have you heard about YH4F? 2024 participant shares her journey and tips for success!

13 March 2025

The 2025 edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom (YH4F) is officially underway. While this edition’s participants work on their own Free Software projects, we sat down with Aya, a YH4F 2024 contestant. She shared her inspiring journey from her first programming experience to creating a project for YH4F. Learn more about her story, and remember: you can still take part in this year’s competition! 

Collage with an illustration from Ada & Zangemann; the PMPC logo; and a picture from a talk during FOSDEM 2025 where you can see the main stage from the back of the room, from the attendees perspective.

Legal Corner+++ FOSDEM recap+++ Ada in Spanish

04 March 2025

In the last few weeks we published our first Legal Corner article and the recordings of our talks at FOSDEM. We were happy to see pictures from the I Love Free Software Day celebrations and can't wait to meet you at CLT 2025! We are organising an online Q&A session about the DMA and Free Software. The Ada movie is finally available in Spanish!  

Ada and Zangemann postcard with a blue LED, a group of FSFE volunteers at the I Love Free Software Day celebration in Zurich, FSFE staffers playing SuperTuxKart,   Sharepic with a I Love Free Software Day message

"I Love Free Software Day" 2025: Hidden Projects

28 February 2025

In the week of the 14th of February we celebrated the I Love Free Software Day 2025. This year we marked this special day with 19 events in 11 different European countries. Even more, hundreds of people and many organisations joined us in the Fediverse - with a special "Thank you!" note for Free Software projects and contributors. To all who joined us this time: "Thank you" for participating in this 15th edition of the "I Love Free Software Day" ❤️❤️❤️! 

Lucas Lasota key note speech at FOSDEM 2025. Shot from the back of the stage, where Lucas is staying with a microphone and you can see the attendees from his perspective

FOSDEM: Celebrating 25 years of community and Free Software

20 February 2025

Some ocassions are too special to miss, like the FSFE February trip to FOSDEM, where we connected with the Free Software community. Even when things don’t go as planned, it was an energizing boost against the winter blues. Thanks to everyone who joined our DevRooms, attended our talks including our keynote on the Apple litigation, came to our women's breakfast, and stopped at the booth. Your support means a lot!  

Software Freedom Podcast illustration: a blue gradient background with the three starts from the FSFE logo in red and the words Software Freedom Podcast.

SFP#30: The App Fair Project with Marc Prud'hommeaux

14 February 2025

At FOSDEM, Bonnie Mehring and Marc Prud'hommeaux met to talk about Marc's Free Software initiative, The App Fair Project. This project is a marketplace for all devices and especially also for iOS devices that only distributes Free Software applications. Its goal is to foster a more accessible and inclusive Free Software ecosystem.  

Collage with FOSDEM logo, a picture from our booth at FOSDEM and a small picture of one of our talks there. There is also a picture about IloveFS and one from a German government building with the sentence 'Give Free software a chance'

German elections +++ I Love FS Day +++ DMA, Ada, Router Freedom

12 February 2025

February started with FOSDEM! It was great to meet some of you there before we meet again for “I Love Free Software Day”! In recent weeks, we shared our demands for the coming German elections, great news about Router Freedom, and an update about DMA. Moreover, the Ada movie is now available in French and we published two podcast episodes.  

German parliamentary buildings. The Bundestag on the background and in the foreground, another German parliament building with the sentence Give Free Software a chance projected on that builiding walls

German Elections 2025: We demand public code, secure funding for Free Software, and transparent measurement of progress!

06 February 2025

The next German government must finally push for the controllability, security, and sovereignty of the public digital infrastructure. As Free Software is a prerequisite for this, the FSFE is making 4 key demands: "Public Money? Public Code!", securing long-term funding for Free Software, deepening Free Software knowledge in administrations, and monitoring progress. 

Cinema screening of Ada and Zangemann. The picture is showing some rows of red sits and in the screen in the background of the picture, an image from the illustrated movie Ada & Zangemann

The FSFE launches 'Ada & Zangemann' movie in French as Open Educational Resource

21 January 2025

The Free Software Foundation Europe is releasing the animated film ‘Ada & Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream’ in French as an Open Educational Resource. Originally a highly successful illustrated book, now available in 10 languages and counting, the story has been adapted into a film that can be freely used in schools.  

Ilustration showing what looks like a snake in the shape of an apple in black with a red shadow

The FSFE calls for broader interoperability by Apple under the DMA

16 January 2025

The Free Software Foundation Europe, alongside civil society organizations, developers and researchers, submitted its position to the European Commission’s public consultation on measures requiring Apple to ensure compliance with the Digital Markets Act’s interoperability provisions. The FSFE stressed the urgent need for Apple to provide effective, free-of-charge interoperability. 

Collage with a picture from the FSFE booth from FOSDEM 24, the FOSDEM logo and a picture from an I Love FS challenge. Also there are an illustration with the YH4F characters and in the left bottom corner, a picture with the 38c3 name.

FOSDEM & DMA updates+++ 2025 YH4F +++ Our visions for 2048

14 January 2025

The new year has begun, offering 365 days to promote Free Software! As we prepare for FOSDEM and continue working on the DMA implementation, we are excited to launch the fourth edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom. We closed 2024 sharing our predictions for 2048 and taking part in the Chaos Communication Congress. 

News archives

For older news items, please see our news archives.