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Ready for FOSDEM 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!

After two years without the chance to meet in person and spend time talking with other Free Software friends -- and newcomers -- around our booth, we are almost there: FOSDEM is back as an “in situ” event.

FOSDEM brings together thousands of Free Software enthusiasts for one weekend in Brussels to discuss current topics and developments in the Free Software world. This year we are back at the Université Libre de Bruxelles with our booth and several talks to encourage and raise awareness on wider issues that impact our movement. Networking is equally important. We have prepared social gatherings to get to know each other a bit better during the evenings in some informal venues.

Join the chat

Your first step if you are coming to FOSDEM is to join our Matrix FOSDEM 2023 room.Stay up to date and tell us if you want to join our social gatherings and join the FSFE booth team.

FOSDEM BOOTH SET UP- Friday 3 February

If you are already in Brussels on Friday and have time, help us set up our booth! Then we will have a small social gathering. Let’s catch up! 19.00 h. Dinner at Positano restaurant: Rue De Pascale 20, 1050 Ixelles. See in OpenStreet Map.

FSFE FOSDEM Legal & Policy DevRoom, TEDective - Saturday 4 February

The Legal and Policy Issues Devroom is taking place during the first day of the conference. Together with our co-organisers Karen Sandler and Bradley Kuhn from Software Freedom Conservancy, Richard Fontana from Red Hat, and Tom Marble from Informatique, Inc., the FSFE’s Alexander Sander and Matthias Kirschner will be addressing legal and policy topic.

Also on Saturday morning we have a talk about TEDective, our Free Software solution that makes European public procurement data explorable for non-experts and after it a talk about thr Windows and Office “tax” refund. Between these talks and other interesting ones that you might attend, do not forget to stop by at our booth to get some promo material and to buy some new merchandise, such as a t-shirt so you can show everyone your support.

Finally, we will come to the end of this long but worthwhile first day with a meetup to get to know the members of our community better, sharing a beer with a passionate debate on some of the topics we have learned about during the day!

Saturday

• 10:00 - 18:30 h. - FSFE BoothBuilding K level 1. Group A- Community advocacy, 5.
• 10:30 - 18:50 h. - Legal & Policy Devroom Room: UB5.132
• 10:30 - 10:55 h. - TEDective Room: UB5.132
• 11:00 - 11:25 h. - Windows and Office "tax" refund Room: UB5.132
• 19.00 h. Drinks in Zonneklop pub. You can bring food from other places. Rue de la Paix 29, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium. See in OpenStreet Map

FSFE FOSDEM Public Money, Public Code!, REUSE - Sunday 5 February

Our second day will start with a talk in the morning about our campaign ‘Public Money? Public Code!’, in which we will provide a policy brief of the state of play of Free Software in the European Union. If you are interested in this topic, you should attend another of our talks about this issue to learn how to effectively push for Free Software all over Europe. That one will take place in the afternoon under the title ‘If it’s public money, make it public code!’.

Also in the afternoon you can learn about REUSE, our tool to communicate licensing and copyright information, which makes developing, using,and re-using Free Software easier.

Of course, we have more activities, campaigns and topics that our team can discuss with you. So stop at our booth! We will be willing to answer your questions and show you some of the initiatives that we have going on.

Sunday

• 09:00 - 17:00 h. - FSFE BoothBuilding K level 1. Group A- Community advocacy, 5.
• 10:00 - 10:30 h. - Public Money? Public Code! in Europe Room: AW1.125
• 13:30 - 13:45 h. - REUSE Room: UB3. 136
• 14:05 - 14:25 h. - If it’s public money, make it public code! Room: UB5. 132

Give us a hand!

Bringing and taking back our merchandise and promotional material all the way to Brussels is no easy task and we need extra hands to help building and tearing down the booth. Contact our Community Coordinator Fani fani@fsfe.org if you can join us!

• Friday ~15:00 - 17:00 h. - Moving boxes to booth
• Sunday 17:00 - 17:30 h. - Booth tear-down

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Municipalities need Free Software: Recording and new mailing list

Dortmund is opening a new chapter in Free Software Governance and inspiring municipalities all over Germany. The recording of our event on 11 January 2023 is now online. Are you interested in Free Software and working in a municipal administration or in politics? Join our new mailing list to exchange information on Free Software in municipalities!

In December 2022, the City of Dortmund raised its profile as a pioneer of Free Software and decided to set up a “Coordination Office for Digital Sovereignty and Open Source”. On 11 January 2023, more than 160 interested representatives from municipalities all over the country informed themselves in an online event about the developments leading to this step, about the guiding principle “Public Money? Public Code!”, about Free Software Governance as the key to digital sovereignty and about new perspectives for municipalities throughout the country.

The recording of the joint event of the the Do-FOSS initiative, the Offene Kommunen.NRW association, the Kommunale Gemeinschaftsstelle für Verwaltungsmanagement and the Free Software Foundation Europe can now be viewed online.

For further discussion about Free Software in municipalities there is now a new mailing list fs-kommunen (at) lists.fsfe.org. We invite interested parties from municipal administrations, politics and IT companies as well as interested private individuals to use this list for exchange of information and for networking on the topic of municipal Free Software Governance. Also, Free Software related jobs can be shared here.

Free Software and “Public Money? Public Code!”

Free Software gives everyone the right to use, study, share and improve applications for any purpose. These freedoms ensure that similar applications do not have to be programmed from scratch every time and, thanks to transparent processes, others do not have to reinvent the wheel. In large projects, expertise and costs can be shared and applications paid for by the general public are available to all. This promotes innovation and saves tax payers money in the medium to long term. Dependencies on vendors are minimised and security issues can be fixed more easily. The Free Software Foundation Europe, together with over 200 organisations and administrations, is therefore calling for “Public Money? Public Code!” - If it is public money, it should be public code as well. More information on the initiative on the “Public Money? Public Code!” website.

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Join our team as an intern!

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!. 10:37

About the FSFE

The 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 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, encourages people to use and develop Free Software, and provides resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.

We are involved in many activities in the legal, economic, political and technical areas around Free Software. Our work is made possible by a community of volunteers, supporters, donors, and staff.

We are looking for an intern

We are looking for a reliable and driven intern to join our team. You will support the FSFE's activities and work closely with our team. Our internships are of great value to us, therefore we make sure to offer our interns the opportunity to learn about Free Software and to meet and work with our vibrant community across Europe. The person will work 35 hours per week with our team in the FSFE Berlin office for a six months period.

Read more about our internships and what former interns say about it.

Main responsibilities

• Support FSFE’s oingoing projects depending on your background and interests;
• Communicate with different members of the FSFE community, NGOs, industry, and public administrations;
• Depending on the work area, you will participate and help organising events around Europe,
• Work together with our staff and volunteers on various projects;
• General office tasks.

Qualifications

• Your field of study doesn't matter, but you should be able to relate it to our work. Traditionally, a lot of interns in the FSFE have a legal or political science background, but we've also had excellent interns working with us with a more technical or other social science background.
• Excellent spoken and written English, other European languages are considered an asset;
• Very reliable, well-organised, and supportive of colleagues.

How to apply

To apply, please send a maximum one-page cover letter and a maximum two-page CV by email to jobs@fsfe.org, with the subject "Intern position 2023". Please do not include pictures of yourself in the application. There is no immediate closing date for submitting applications, but we recommend to apply as early as possible as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please indicate your possible starting date.

The position is for a period of 6 months, full time - 35 hours per week, starting as agreed. The location of the internship is Berlin, Germany, therefore you will be required to show that you can legally work in Germany; either by being an EU citizen, or by having a residence and work permit for the duration. This internship is compensated according to the German minimum wage. Your personal data will be deleted 3 months after we have made our decision.

Free Software is meant to serve everyone regardless of their age, ability or disability, gender identity, sex, race, nationality, religion or sexual orientation. Hence, we encourage applications from all backgrounds and promise to judge all applications on merit, without reference to any of the characteristics listed. To promote diversity and equality in the Free Software community, we shall give preference between applications of equal strength to applicants who identify as part of a traditionally marginalised demographic in technology.

# You might be interested in

A thank you note to past FSFE interns

An internship in the FSFE can be an intensive yet enriching experience. We have asked eight of our former interns about their time at the FSFE. Get a glimpse of what to expect from this position in our interview with past interns.

Support FSFE

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

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.

Belgium Ready to Tick All Boxes for Router Freedom

Collaboration with supporters and volunteers brings us closer to victory. We addressed Router Freedom to privacy groups, consumer organisations, regulators, and telecommunications industry representatives. We want the upcoming legislation in Belgium to protect the right of all internet users to choose and use a private modem and router. We were not alone. 260 people from Belgium answered our survey which we could use to show potential barriers to Router Freedom.

The Belgian telecommunications regulator drafted a framework that ensures Router Freedom for all connections, including optical fiber which was often excluded in other countries. Enforcement of the current proposal will mark a win for digital rights in Belgium.

Dortmund Becomes Exemplary Municipality for Free Software

By embracing Free Software, Dortmund becomes an example for other municipalities. 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". This Office in Dortmund will cooperate with the Municipal Joint Office for Administrative Management (KGSt) on Free Software governance. The involvement of KGSt makes this development relevant for all other municipalities in Germany.

We will inform you about the developments in an online event on 11 January 2023, organised in cooperation with the Do-FOSS initiative and the Offene Kommunen.NRW. Register to join us!

Podcast Episode: What Makes a Program Secure?

Achieving optimal security is a challenge for the average user; we need to decide what level of privacy we need and what we are comfortable with. Cryptographer and privacy specialist Cryptie explains what makes a program secure: it has to be audited, checked, and corrected. Free Software allows more people to audit as more people are allowed to read the code and discover vulnerabilities.

Ultimately Free Software creates a culture in which people are ready to answer to criticism on systems and software. However there is also Free Software that is not audited, so its security is not confirmed. Conclusion: the best and most secure software is Free Software, but not all Free Software is secure. Listen to our new podcast episode with Cryptie.

Security by obscurity has been debunked for nearly half a century” says privacy specialist, Cryptie.

Digital Health Ecosystem Licenses Files With REUSE Tool

The combination of two ideas, universal access to healthcare and Free Software, gives us GNU Health. Created by GNU Solidario, a non-profit dealing with technology and social medicine, GNU Health is a community-driven Free Software project. While visiting schools in Latin America twenty years ago, the founder, Dr. Luis Falcón, realised that technology needs to support social changes.

To make the licensing clear, the project has recently adopted the REUSE specification 3.0 in its components Hospital Management System (both server and client) and Thalamus (the message server for the GH Federation). Luis presented the project and the process of the REUSE implementation in a video interview.

Presentation of the digital health ecosystem GNUHealth by founder Dr. Luis Falcón. Becoming REUSE compliant was simple, says Luis in the interview, also available in in our Peertube instance.

“Thank You for Your Support” Raffle

The FSFE needs your help to keep on working towards software freedom. Support us until February 12! We want to thank you for your support during these difficult times with a raffle. If you donate, or donated in the past year, more than €128 you might receive a signed copy of ‘Ada & Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream' Feeling lucky?

Hey, our work depends on you. Support Free Software in Europe! Donate more than €128 and you might receive a signed copy of a children’s book about software freedom.

Celebrate I Love Free Software Day with a Meetup

On Tuesday 14 February let’s join to say thank you together to the awesome Free Software community; let’s express our love to the contributors behind Free Software. Their work is irreplaceable and does not go unnoticed.

We invite you to organise a thematic meetup with friends, colleagues, or FSFE local groups, and share your pictures with us. We also invite you to share a warm thank you message to your favourite Free Software project in a video or an image.

Join our team and take care of our office

We are looking for an office coordinator for an open-ended 25-35 hours per week position in our Berlin office.

Join us in one of our events

We had an awesome Upcycling Android workshop in Pablo Neruda library in Berlin. Next workshops are in Cologne and online!

• 💻 Online: Do you want to organise a workshop on how to flash phones? We are here to help with an online train-the-trainers workshop. Learn about the Upcycling Android campaign, what to consider when organizing a workshop, and how we can help in promoting and implementing a workshop. F-Droid lead maintainer Hans-Christoph Steiner and microG main developer Marvin Wißfeld will present these two cornerstone projects. The workshop will take place in English on 19.01.2023 from 6-8pm (CET) online in a BBB room.

• 💻🇧🇪 Online & Brussels, Belgium: FSFE goes to FOSDEM 2023! On Saturday 4 February come to our Legal and Policy Devroom, and our talk on TEDective. On Sunday 5 February checkout our talks on REUSE and ‘Public Money? Public Code!' policy and community stories. If you are in Brussels, come over to our booth, anytime in the weekend.

• 🇩🇪 Cologne, Germany: Upcycling Android is coming up on 20 January. You can extend the life of your phone by flashing it with a Free Software operating system. We will bring sample phones so participants can tinker around with Free Software operating systems and we will also help participants to flash their own devices. Please register.

What we have done

• We had another fun Upcycling Android workshop in Berlin, this time in a library makerspace. Several people came to Pablo Neruda library for the event, and many dropped by out of curiosity. We flashed phones and, getting into the holiday spirit, we had biscuits and coffee.

Groups

Denmark: Local group Aarhus is meeting on 12 January.

Germany: Local group Berlin had its online edu meeting and local group Hamburg had its monthly meeting. Local group Bonn met on 9 January.

Greece: The FSFE country team Greece had its first meeting in December, with many participants and a lively discussion about Mastodon that lasted for hours. The meeting started with a long introduction round to get to know each other. Then the group discussed Mastodon tips. Nikos Roussos presented the Greek mastodon instance Libretooth. Fani Partsafyllidou, FSFE Communications Project Manager, gave updates from the FSFE. The group voted for ‘Translations and Documentation in Greek’ as the topic of the next meeting on 12 January.

Netherlands: The FSFE country team Netherlands met online just before the holidays and discussed how to deal with proprietary educational tools and whether a meeting should be arranged during FOSDEM. Also, they talked about the public registry of AI systems in Amsterdam, the innovation of Open Hardware in Delft, and communication problems with Neutrinet VPN. Fani shared updates from the FSFE.

Switzerland: The Zurich group is meeting on 19 January to plan an I Love Free Software meetup and discuss the ongoing campaigns.

Women: The Women’s group’s next meeting will be held on 20 January.

Contribute to our Newsletter

If you would like to share any thoughts, pictures, or news, please send them to us. As always, the address is newsletter@fsfe.org. We're looking forward to hearing from you! If you also want to support us and our work, join our community and support us with a donation or a monthly contribution. Thanks to our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make our work possible. And thanks to our translators, who enable you to read this newsletter in your native languages.

Happy New Year!

Your editor, Fani Partsafyllidou

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FediGov seeks to promote sovereign communication in the public sector

The FSFE Swiss local group launches an initiative with GNU/Linux.ch to encourage public institutions to use federated free software solutions to communicate with their people. FediGov is the name of this campaign that is encouraging people to ask their governments to adopt ethical communications.

Encouraging public institutions to communicate sovereignly is the aim of the FediGov campaign, launched by FSFE Switzerland and GNU/Linux.ch, that is asking individuals to explain to their local authorities the importance of sovereign communication in the public sector.

Public administrations are currently using commercial social networks to establish direct communications, excluding residents that are not using the commercial services but alternatives that allow them to use the Internet in a self-determined and privacy-friendly way.

These alternatives such as the Fediverse are also enjoying growing popularity, for example with many federal authorities in Germany. The Fediverse is a federated social network of free opensoftware servers (referred to as “instances”) with applications such as Mastodon that communicate with each other via a common protocol. Users have the option of operating their own instance or joining existing instances.

This results in an independent and self-determined use and design of digital technologies. It forms the cornerstone for our democracy in an increasingly digitalized society. People are not forced to pass on their data to large corporations in order to be able to communicate with public institutions.

With the FediGov campaign, FSFE Switzerland and GNU/Linux.ch want to raise awareness of the issue and offer both individuals and public authorities direct opportunities for action. Interested parties can use a template to send a letter to public authorities to motivate them to also be represented in the Fediverse. Public institutions are given assistance in dealing with decentralized social networks based on Free Software.

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