Municipalities using Free Software +++ PMPC tour in Italy
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.
9 administrations innovate and save money with Free Software
In 2020, the city of Bühl in Germany launched "Palim! Palim!", a video conferencing platform based on the Free Software "Jitsi Meet". The city offered the platform to citizens who needed it, and the initiative was well received. Two years later clubs, citizens, and the city itself use "Palim! Palim!" daily.
Other municipalities have also shown interest in the solution. An association of nine administrations that use 'Palim! Palim!' have jointly modernised the administration, based on Free Software. Re@di – regional.digital is an inter-communal cooperation of nine southern German cities. Their common needs are met through synergy effects in collaborative development. In an interview, Alexander Gabriel and Eduard Itrich shared that the administrations could use their resources cost-efficiently thanks to cooperation and sharing Free Software.
Dutch coalition calls for fair digital education
Students should not have to use proprietary software to participate in the educational process. The FSFE joins the Dutch coalition ‘Fair Digital Education’ supporting privacy-respecting solutions involving Free Software in schools. The coalition signed a manifesto calling for more control and fairness in the digital solutions used for education. Students should be taught skills instead of products. Free Software increases code literacy and shows the value of cooperation.
How to attain a sustainable telecom sector
The right to install any software on any device, Free Software licensing, and Device neutrality serve digital sustainability as well as consumer protection measures. When users can install any software on any device this can make the difference in order to repair the device or reuse it and this way prevent it from becoming e-waste. Users’ right to install any software they want, manufacturers’ obligation to publish the full source code, and Device Neutrality are all necessary to reclaim devices. These principles should guide future policies on product design in the EU. The FSFE made this point answering a public consultation about the impact of the telecommunications sector on the environment.
Save the date!
- On 8 June Alexander Sander, Policy Consultant of the FSFE, will give an online talk on AI and Free Software in the EU as part of the OW2 conference.
- On 9 June Matthias Kirschner, President of the FSFE, will give an author reading of the children’s book Ada & Zangemann (DE) in re:publica 22.
- On 9 June Lucas Lasota, FSFE Legal Project Manager, will give a talk on “Practicing Sovereignty. Interventions for open digital futures” at Weizenbaum Conference in Berlin.
- On 9 June Lucas Lasota will give an online talk on Device Neutrality as part of the OW2 conference.
- On 18 June Lucas Lasota will give a talk about Device Neutrality at OSCAL 2022, in Tirana, Albania.
- On 24 June Alexander Sander will give a talk on "What role did Free Software play during the corona crisis?" at esLibre conference in Vigo, Spain.
- On 24 June Lina Ceballos, FSFE Project Manager, will give a talk on "REUSE" at esLibre conference in Vigo, Spain.
- On 25 June, Lina Ceballos and Alexander Sander will give a ‘Public Money? Public Code!’’ workshop at esLibre conference in Vigo, Spain.
- On 30 June, Lina Ceballos will give a talk on REUSE at OpenExpoEurope2022 conference in Madrid.
Past and ongoing activities
- On 3 June Florian Snow, Technical Advisor of the FSFE, gave an Upcycling Android workshop in Cologne.
- On 2 June, Matthias Kirschner offered an author reading of the children’s book Ada & Zangemann in Cologne.
- On 19 May our Policy Consultant Alexander Sander discussed the challenges of ethical AI in the KIDD-Fachkonferenz panel in Berlin.
- On 14-15 May the FSFE had a booth at make-it.saarl and in Saarbrücken, Germany, and Alexander Sander gave a talk "Innovation needs Free Software".
- As a member of European Digital Rights (EDRi), the FSFE participated in the General Assembly on 13-14 May to exchange ideas with other actors. The EDRi network is a collective of 45+ NGOs’ numerous experts working to defend digital rights. Erik Albers gave a workshop on how to utilise the European Ecodesign to ask for the universal right to install any software on any device.
- On 4 May, Key stakeholders debated the future of Router Freedom in Austria in an online session organised by the FSFE and the Alliance of Telecommunication Terminal Equipment Manufacturers (VTKE). The video (DE) is available.
FSFE groups
Aarhus | A group relaunches after seven years. The FSFE local group Aarhus restarts with the aim to raise awareness of Free Software in Denmark. The first meeting will take place on 9 June.
Berlin | The FSFE local group Berlin decided to have the regular monthly meetings in person again from now on, and also met at Linux Works LUG. The group also had the regular online monthly meeting dedicated to Free Software in Education.
Greece | The FSFE country team Greece translated the FSFE’s answer to the consultation round of the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission about the position of the Network Termination Point. Join the Greek-speaking FSFE Matrix room to discuss impossible translations of technical terms and other software freedom topics you like.
Hamburg | The FSFE local group Hamburg had its monthly meeting.
The Netherlands | The FSFE country team the Netherlands organised an FSFE booth in the NLLGG meeting in Utrecht, and had its regular online meeting.
Women | The FSFE Women group met for the first time in person in Berlin. They discussed search engines, chats, and password managers that make lives easier.
Zurich | The FSFE local group Zurich organised a hackathon to prepare an initiative supporting federated communication for public authorities.
Get active in Italy!
Volunteers will present the ‘Public Money? Public code!’ campaign in Italy. Meet the people behind the Italian translations of the FSFE and learn how the digitalisation of the Italian public sector can be improved. The events are in Trento on 7 June, in Bologna on 8 June, in Caltanissetta on 18 June.
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Your editor, Fani Partsafyllidou