# articles

feed_id: news-20231113-01
title: Interoperable Europe Act: an ambition that turned out to be watered-down
uri: Interoperable-Europe-Act-an-ambition-that-turned-out-to-be-watered-do
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231113-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Interoperable Europe Act: an ambition that turned out to be watered-down</h1><p>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.</p><p>The FSFE has received exclusive access to the the <a href="media/92b01338.version-trilogue131123-1.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/documents/version-trilogue131123-1.pdf"> 
final agreement of the IEA </a> which will be agreed on tonight, on 13 
November. We welcome that there is a clear definition of Free Software 
licenses, as well as the intention to monitor the development of Free 
Software interoperable solutions in the public sector.</p><p>There is, nonetheless, an especially concerning wording in the text 
when it comes to the sharing and reusing of interoperability solutions 
(Art4(5a)). The draft text suggests that public administrations should 
prioritise Free Software when deciding on the implementation of 
interoperability solutions. However, the way the final text looks is 
problematic for two reasons:</p><p>The wording <em>"solutions that do not carry restrictive licensing 
terms, such as open source solutions"</em> implies that there are other 
solutions that do not carry restrictive licensing terms apart from open 
source licenses. If so, which ones would those be? This is indeed not 
clear in the text and this leads to legal uncertainty.</p><p>Since this specific wording can become extremely misleading, it is 
particularly important to highlight this problematic loophole. To 
serve as an example, we have the well-known fact that FRAND licensing 
terms - that in theory stand for "fair, reasonable, and 
non-discriminatory" terms - in practice are <a href="https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/standards/why-frand-is-bad-for-free-software.html">incompatible 
with most of Free Software</a>. In the past, we have already criticised 
the stance of the Commission on such licensing and we have also pointed 
out that in fact FRAND licences cannot be considered fair, reasonable 
nor non-discriminatory.</p><p>Furthermore, the European Commission has watered down the already 
ambiguous wording of this article by limiting the situations in which 
public administrations shall prioritise Free Software interoperable 
solutions by adding the following criteria: <em>"when equivalent in 
functionalities, total cost, user-centricity, cybersecurity or other 
relevant objective criteria".</em></p><p>This wording undermines a regulation that aims to make the sharing and 
reuse of solutions a more common practice among public administrations. 
By adding this criteria to allow public administrations to actually 
refuse to use Free Software solutions, the Commission is going in the 
opposite direction of the <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20230323-02.html"> 
"Free Software first" approach </a> that this legislation needs. </p><p>Wording as <em>"other relevant objective criteria"</em> brings back, 
once again, the constant problematic tendency of the Commission to 
limit Free Software and its adoption by adding ambiguous and unclear 
wording. It also shows a lack of ambition which could have led it to 
become a real game changer.</p><p>By adopting this position, the European Commission is also falling 
short of its own ambitions, already defined in documents such as the 
<a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2020/news-20201023-01.html"> Open Source Strategy </a>
and the ’Decision on the open source licensing and reuse of Commission 
software’. Therefore, it is deeply concerning that the European 
Commission is now pushing back by turning on the opposite direction. 
</p><p>Last but not least, unfortunately, the chance for other stakeholders 
to be part of the governance structure, specifically on the Board, has 
been removed from the final text, being currently only up to the Chair 
to decide if an expert can join the Board as an observer. </p><p>That is why the role of the Free Software community is crucial to 
monitor the implementation of the IEA, while highlighting the 
importance of Free Software for achieving interoperability in the 
European digital public services.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20231113-02
title: Belgium commits to Router Freedom
uri: Belgium-commits-to-Router-Freedom
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231113-02.fr.html
content:
<h1>Belgium commits to Router Freedom</h1><p>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.</p>
<a href="media/95894528.d77d9c6c1dd67bde4691263433e0448a.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/big/d77d9c6c1dd67bde4691263433e0448a.png">	
       
       </a>
       The Belgian regulator BIPT recognised Router Freedom as a key element for Internet connections."

     <p><a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/routers/index.html">Router Freedom</a> is the right that customers of any Internet Service Provider (ISP) are able to choose and use a private modem and router instead of equipment provided by the operator. This freedom has direct impact on consumer welfare, device security, and sustainability in the telecom sector. In a decision published on October 2023, the Belgian telecom regulator BIPT formally introduced Router Freedom nation wide, applying this right to all network types, including fiber (FTTx).</p><p>In <a href="https://www.bipt.be/consumers/publication/decision-of-26-september-2023-regarding-the-identification-of-the-network-termination-point-for-broadband-services-and-tv-services">a comprehensive analysis</a>, the regulator confirmed its <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20221215-01.html">previous proposal</a> to set the position of the Network Termination Point (NTP) at Point A, meaning that end-users will be able to use routers and modems of their choice. The regulator rebuked the arguments of telecom operators who claim that Router Freedom would have a negative impact on the interoperability and security of the network.</p><p>The decision of the BIPT explicitly recognised Router Freedom for 
fiber networks in the EU. Although other regulators have considered 
this freedom in general terms for all network types, operators have 
been pushing for exceptions for fiber in order to push their own 
optical terminal equipment (ONT) onto consumers. The BIPT dismissed the 
exception of fiber networks, arguing in favour of the same definition 
of the NTP for all topologies. ISPs will have twelve months to come 
infrastructure to come into compliance.</p>“Since the location of the network connection point at 
 A most promotes innovation and competition in the terminal 
equipment market, it is appropriate to set the NTP at point A. […] This 
means that modems and routers are part of the terminal equipment and 
can therefore be freely selected for broadband and VoIP services”. 
(translated from Belgian) Belgian Institute for Postal Services and 
Telecommunications (BIPT).<h2>Community support was paramount</h2><p>T"The BIPT recognised the demands of the FSFE and quoted us in several parts of their analysis, referring inclusively to our <a href="https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/router-freedom-tracker_581123#4/53.15/18.19">monitoring 
map</a>. A network of supporters, volunteers, and supporting 
organisations in Belgium empowered the expert contribution of the FSFE 
to the regulatory process. We relied on the support of the <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/BNL">FSFE Benelux team</a>, who 
proactively monitored and supported communication with the regulator. 
Besides that, <a href="https://www.modemlibero.it/">our partners in 
Italy</a> helped us provide prompt repsonses when the regulator 
required further input regarding the certification procedures for 
router interoperability in Italy.</p><h2>Practical implementation requires proper monitoring</h2><p>As we 
point out in our recently published <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20230515-02.html">comprehensive survey on Router 
Freedom</a>, even in countries where Router Freedom is regulated, 
end-users suffer several hurdles to use their own equipment. Operators 
contractually prohibit the use of private equipment or impose 
disproportional disadvantages to users with private routers. The 
operators often do not inform end-users about access credentials device 
compatibility with the network and customers often do not receive the 
same level of service compared to customers who use the operators’ 
routers.</p><p>The FSFE will closely follow up on the implementation and further 
monitor future developments. We urge the BIPT to do the same and 
strictly intervene in non-compliant cases.</p><h2>Further material</h2><ul>
<li>The FSFE position to public consultation of the BIPT <a href="media/f12a294a.fsfe-bipt-ntp-en.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/routers/fsfe-bipt-ntp-en.pdf">(EN)</a> <a href="media/a57c439d.fsfe-bipt-ntp-nl.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/routers/fsfe-bipt-ntp-nl.pdf">(NL)</a></li>
<li>The BIPT decision on the position of the NTP <a href="https://www.bipt.be/consumenten/publicatie/besluit-van-26-september-2023-betreffende-de-identificering-van-het-netwerkaansluitpunt-voor-de-breedbanddiensten">(NL)</a></li>
</ul><h2>The Router Freedom initiative</h2><p><a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/routers/index.html">Router Freedom</a> is the right that customers of any Internet Service Provider (ISP) are able to choose and use a private modem and router instead of equipment provided by the operator. Since 2013, the Free Software Foundation Europe has been successfully engaged with Router Freedom, promoting end-users’ freedom in many European countries. Join us and learn more about the several <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210330-01.html">ways to get involved</a>. Please consider <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210330-01.html">becoming a FSFE donor</a>; you help make possible our long-term engagement and professional commitment in defending people’s rights to control technology.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: nl-202311
title: SFSCON 2023 +++ YH4F winners +++ REUSE goes to Space
uri: SFSCON-2023-YH4F-winners-REUSE-goes-to-Space
url: https://fsfe.org/news/nl/nl-202311.fr.html
content:
<h1>SFSCON 2023 +++ YH4F winners +++ REUSE goes to space</h1><p>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!</p>
  <img src="media/32dec314.109d47b0b7cdab5dd430197ca6ed.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/d0/7f/109d47b0b7cdab5dd430197ca6ed.jpg"/>

  <p>Table of contents</p>
  <ol>
    <li><a href="#software-freedom-in-europe-2023">Software Freedom in Europe 2023</a></li>
    <li><a href="#find-out-about-our-yh4f-second-edition-winners">Find out about our YH4F second edition winners!</a></li>
    <li><a href="#reuse-goes-to-space">REUSE goes to space!</a></li>
    <li><a href="#sfediverse-symposium-recordings">Fediverse Symposium: Recordings are now online</a></li>
    <li><a href="#ga-meeting">Meeting of the General Assembly</a></li>
    <li><a href="#from-our-community">From our Community</a></li>
    <li><a href="#fsfe-code-of-conduct">FSFE Code of Conduct</a></li>
    <li><a href="#quote-of-the-month">Quote of the Month</a></li>
    <li><a href="#contribute-to-our-newsletter">Contribute to our Newsletter</a></li>
</ol>
<h3>Software Freedom in Europe 2023</h3><p>Our yearly report is out! 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.</p><p><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231020-01.html">Read our report!</a></p><h3>Find out about 
our YH4F second edition winners!</h3><p>A real-time plotter for 
micro-controllers, 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 <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231017-01.html">the six projects that won 
the 2023 edition</a> of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom.</p>
  <img src="media/409a6d03.b6fa63ad71ff1514b06dbdbe2434.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/8c/66/b6fa63ad71ff1514b06dbdbe2434.jpg"/>
<h3>REUSE goes to space!</h3><p>The German Aerospace Center <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231102-01.html">has adopted the REUSE specification</a> 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, innovation, and the importance of a 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.</p><h3>Fediverse Symposium: Recordings are now online</h3><p>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, <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231025-01.html">we now have the German-language recordings on our PeerTube instance</a> for you!</p><h3>SFSCON: What a great experience!</h3><p>Last Friday and Saturday, <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231108-01.html">the FSFE team participated in SFSCON23</a>. We had a great time and we really loved both the environment and the ideas that were circulating. It was also a great chance to meet the Italian Free Software community, with volunteers and friends we haven’t seen in a long time.</p><p>The European SFS Award was awarded during SFSCON to <a href="">Frank Karlitscheck, founder of Nextcloud</a>, a remote collaboration tool for teams under the GNU AGPL. This is the first time that the SFS Award has been extended to the European level, and FSFE joins its organiser Linux User Group Bolzano (LUGBZ) in this recognition.</p><p>Stay tuned on our channels to know more about what happened during SFSCON!</p><h3>From our Community</h3><p>A lot of things happened in our Planet in recent weeks! Check out the experience of our Vienna local group with an <a href="https://blogs.fsfe.org/franz.gratzer/2023/10/26/fsfe-information-stall-on-veganmania-rathausplatz-2023">FSFE booth at the 25th anniversary of the Veganmania</a> or the post about Ada, and <a href="https://k7r.eu/promote-digital-maturity-by-reading-books-to-others/">Promote Digital Maturity by reading books to others</a>.</p><p>In October many Italian communities gathered to celebrate <a href="https://linuxday.it/">Linux Day</a>! From Palermo to Milan, enthusiasts as well as newcomers from various Italian cities met to explore topics related to Linux and Free Software, and of course to hear more readings of ‘Ada &amp; Zangemann’! If you want to get involved or just stay informed about the activities organised by the Italian FSFE community, the <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Teams/Italy">Italian FSFE Team</a> would love to welcome you.</p>
  <img src="media/57553291.c613b25a48b7151fdbffe6ba05fa.JPG" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/6c/57/c613b25a48b7151fdbffe6ba05fa.JPG"/>
  Meeting of the General Assembly
<p>The members of the Free Software Foundation Europe held their General Assembly on 21 and 22 October at Linuxhotel in Essen. This annual meeting is held to discuss the course for the overall direction of the organization. Among other things the current Executive Council was re-elected: Matthias Kirschner as President, Heiki Lõhmus as Vice President, and Patrick Ohnewein as Financial Officer.</p><p>And some last big news! You can now watch -and share- our “What is Free Software” video in Albanian and Finnish! You can find them in our <a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/p/9gYSyoEYggsqBExLWjRejL">What is Free Software playlist</a>. Thanks to our supporters for making this happen!</p><h3>FSFE Code of Conduct</h3><p>The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) and its community aim to offer a friendly and peaceful environment for every participant at the FSFE's events, online and offline.</p><p>Therefore, we are committed to ensuring welcoming and respectful environments for our staff, volunteers, and participants, and we will uphold our <a href="https://fsfe.org/about/codeofconduct.html">Code of Conduct</a>. Misbehaviour can lead to exclusion from our events and/or our technical infrastructure. </p><p>If you have been in a situation in which the spirit of the Code of Conduct was breached, please be in touch with our <a href="https://fsfe.org/about/codeofconduct.html#CARE">central CARE team</a>.</p><h3>Quote of the Month</h3><p>“Four decades of the free software movement have put us today in the position to widely deploy software that gives people rights with respect to the critical technology they rely on. The next 40 years is critical. I'm confident the diversity of voices and organizations working together will make it possible to achieve the hard work and vision of the movement's ideals, democratizing our technology and instituting ethical software for all of our essential infrastructure.”</p><p><em>Karen Sandler, Executive Director of the Software Freedom Conservancy (from her testimony for the GNU 40th anniversary)</em></p><h3>Contribute to our Newsletter</h3><p>We would love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, pictures, or news to share, please send them to us at newsletter@fsfe.org. You can also <a href="https://fsfe.org/donate/donate.html">support us</a>, <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/contribute.html">contribute to our work</a>, <a href="https://fsfe.org/about/groups.html">and join our community</a>. We would like to thank our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make our work possible, with a special mention to our translators who make it possible for you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.</p><p>Your editor,
Ana Galán</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20231115-01
title: German Parliament receives Upcycling Android Open Letter
uri: German-Parliament-receives-Upcycling-Android-Open-Letter
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231115-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>German Parliament receives Upcycling Android Open Letter</h1><p>On 14 November, the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) handed 
over the Open Letter “The right to install any software on any device"
to Tabea Rößner, Chair of the Digital Affairs Committee at the German 
Bundestag. The letter aims to enable a more sustainable use of 
electronic products and devices in the European Union.</p>
  <img src="media/f43b9e15.fe1888ae201853581b722a6e1952.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/fb/41/fe1888ae201853581b722a6e1952.jpg"/>
   
<p>
To achieve this goal, the <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/openletter.html">Open Letter</a> sets out four key 
demands:
</p> 
<ol> 
	<li>Users have the right to freely choose operating 
systems and software running on their devices</li> 
	<li>Users have the right to freely choose between service providers to connect their 
devices with</li> 
	<li>Devices are interoperable and compatible with 
open standards</li> 
	<li>Source code of drivers, tools, and interfaces 
are published under a free license</li> 
</ol> 
<p>Signed by more than 3000 individuals and by 147 organisations, the Open Letter to 
European Union legislators was presented on 14 November to the Chair of the Digital Affairs Committee (Ausschuss für 
Digitales) at the German Bundestag, by a delegation from the FSFE.</p>Tabea Rößner, Chair of the Digital Committee, commented 
when receiving the open letter:"So many devices end up on the 
scrapyard after just two or three years. But the devices are still in 
good condition and could be made to last with new software. We could 
bring them back to life, especially with Free Software. It would be a 
real sustainability effect if we had the right to install any software 
on any device. That's why this initiative is absolutely worth 
supporting.”<p>Rößner announced that she would hand over the Open Letter to Steffi 
Lemke, Germany's Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature 
Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection.</p>"The Open Letter is part of 
our Upcycling Android campaign, which we started to raise awareness 
about how Free Software can help to improve the sustainability of our 
digital devices. In addition to the Open Letter, the initiative has 
held workshops, developed policy recommendations, and received a lot of 
public attention, promoting the right of every user to install any 
software on any device. Moreover, upcycling our devices is an important 	 
step in rethinking our short-term, linear consumption of electronic 
devices in favour of a circular economy”, explains Johannes Näder, FSFE Senior Policy Project Manager.
<img src="media/5390a293.cbf7f6c6f7fd9356f4b0e024d062.JPG" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/cc/61/cbf7f6c6f7fd9356f4b0e024d062.JPG"/>
<h2>About Upcycling Android</h2><p>Launched in November 2021, under the name  <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/">“Upcycling Android"</a>, this 
FSFE initiative has also helped people to flash their phones with Free 
Software operating systems. This not only promotes the right of any 
user to install any software on any device, but also enables a more 
sustainable use of electronic products.</p><p>Even after the project has officially ended, the Upcycling Android 
material can be freely used by others who want to continue promoting 
the use of Free Software while overcoming software obsolescence.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20231116-01
title: L’édition 2024 de la compétition Youth Hacking 4 Freedoom démarre
uri: L-édition-2024-de-la-compétition-Youth-Hacking-4-Freedoom-démarre
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231116-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>L’édition 2024 de la compétition Youth Hacking 4 Freedoom démarre</h1><p>Les inscriptions sont désormais ouvertes pour l’édition 2024 de Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, le concours de codage destiné aux jeunes Européens. Ce concours donne aux adolescents la possibilité de coder leur propre projet - seul ou en équipe - de se faire de nouveaux amis dans toute l’Europe et de gagner jusqu’à 4 096 euros !</p>
	<img src="media/47027603.9594f30fb15a8edf5082d60baac594bd.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/9594f30fb15a8edf5082d60baac594bd.png"/>
<p>Après deux éditions réussies, <a href="https://yh4f.org">Youth Hacking 4 Freedom</a>, le concours de codage de la Free Software Foundation Europe pour les jeunes Européens, <a href="https://survey.fsfe.org/index.php/658534">ouvre les inscriptions pour sa troisième édition</a>. YH4F 2024 démarre le 7 décembre avec un événement en ligne pour répondre aux questions des participants avant que la période de codage ne commence en janvier 2024. Plus de 10 000 euros en espèces seront attribués aux six gagnants de l’édition 2024. 4096 € pour la première place, 2048 € pour la deuxième place, 1024 € pour la troisième place et des prix spéciaux seront distribués. En outre, tous les participants qui soumettent un projet recevront le prix de participation YH4F.</p><p>L’objectif de ce concours est de rassembler des jeunes de toute l’Europe intéressés par le codage, quel que soit leur niveau actuel en la matière. Pendant six mois, les participants - qui doivent être âgés de 14 à 18 ans au moment de l’inscription - auront la possibilité de travailler sur leur propre projet de logiciel libre, seuls ou en équipe.</p><p>Les participants doivent s’inscrire pour participer au concours qui débutera le 7 décembre par un événement en ligne expliquant les détails du même. Cet événement de lancement est une excellente occasion pour tous ceux qui pourraient avoir des doutes quant à leur participation d’obtenir des réponses à leurs questions et de comprendre le fonctionnement de ce concours et les raisons pour lesquelles toute personne, quelles que soient ses compétences en matière de codage, est plus que bienvenue pour y participer.</p>
	<img src="media/cd3124e8.09c1b2c58f3969b007f06f8e40dd.JPG" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/b9/e5/09c1b2c58f3969b007f06f8e40dd.JPG"/>
	Les participants de YH4F 2023 expérimentants.
<p>Lorsque la période de codage débutera le 1er janvier 2024, les participants auront la possibilité de travailler sur leurs projets pendant six mois, jusqu’au 30 juin 2024, date à laquelle ils devront soumettre leurs projets. Une inscription tardive est possible, de même qu’une modification de l’idée originale du projet, mais la période de codage ne sera pas prolongée.</p><p>Au cours de ces six mois, les participants auront également l’occasion de rencontrer d’autres jeunes Européens qui partagent leurs intérêts et, très probablement, leurs défis en matière de codage. Des réunions mensuelles facultatives en ligne seront organisées pour guider les participants tout au long de la période de codage et leur apprendre à mener à bien un projet de logiciel libre, à tirer parti des expériences des participants précédents et à obtenir des conseils de la part des membres expérimentés de notre jury.</p><p>En juillet et août 2024, un jury international d’experts techniques examinera les projets et les gagnants seront notifiés en septembre 2024 et officiellement annoncés lors du week-end de la cérémonie de remise des prix à Bruxelles en octobre 2024.</p><h3>Èvenement d’ouverture – 7 December</h3><p>Lors de l’événement d’ouverture en ligne du 7 décembre, les organisateurs du concours YH4F expliqueront en détail ce qui est attendu des participants et répondront à leurs questions. En outre, les participants auront la possibilité de poser des questions aux participants des éditions précédentes, qui expliqueront leur expérience dans le cadre de ce concours.</p><p>Sur <a href="https://yh4f.org">le site web du YH4F</a> vous trouverez de plus amples informations sur l’inscription, l’événement d’ouverture et le concours en général. Si vous avez des questions, vous pouvez toujours nous contacter à l’adresse <a href="mailto:contact@fsfe.org">contact@fsfe.org</a>.</p><h3>Sponsor 2024 Youth Hacking 4 Freedom</h3><p>Le concours 2023 a pu être organisé grâce au financement généreux de Reinhard Wiesemann et du Linuxhotel GmbH.</p><p>Si vous souhaitez sponsoriser l’édition 2024 ou les éditions futures de YH4F, veuillez nous contacter à l’adresse <a href="mailto:contact@fsfe.org">contact@fsfe.org</a>.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: episode-22
title: SFP#22: All about "Public Money? Public Code!" with Johannes Näder
uri: SFP-22-All-about-Public-Money-Public-Code-with-Johannes-Näder
url: https://fsfe.org/news/podcast/episode-22.fr.html
content:
<h1>SFP#22: All about "Public Money? Public Code!" with Johannes Näder</h1><p>
In our 22nd Software Freedom Podcast episode, we talk with Johannes Näder, Senior Policy Project Manager at the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), about "Public Money? Public Code!".
</p><p>
The "Public Money? Public Code!" initiative advocates for public bodies to switch to Free Software instead of spending tons of money on proprietary software. The reasons for "Public Money? Public Code!", how the initiative has evolved over the years, and how the FSFE defines its role as a watchdog within the initiative are discussed with Johannes in this episode.
</p><p>Johannes has been involved with Free Software since the 1990s. In November 2022, he turned his passion for Free Software into his daily bread and started working for the Free Software Foundation Europe. He is, among other responsibilities, the current coordinator of the FSFE’s "Public Money? Public Code!" initiative.</p><p>If you have not heard of this initiative yet, or if you don’t know how best to get involved, check out our new Software Freedom Podcast episode and learn all about "Public Money? Public Code!".</p><p>Show notes</p><ul>
<li><a href="https://lists.fsfe.org/mailman/listinfo/fs-kommunen">Mailing list for German municipalities</a></li>
<li><a href="https://publiccode.eu/en/">"Public Money? Public Code!"</a></li>
<li><a href="https://publiccode.eu/en/openletter/">Open letter: Publicly funded software has to be Free and Open Source Software.</a></li>
<li><a href="https://tedective.org/">TEDective: Find out where the money flow goes in the EU</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20230920-01.html">Sovereign workspace openDesk: German Ministry of the Interior provides answers</a></li>
</ul><p>If you liked this episode and want to support our continuous work for software freedom, please help us with a donation.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20231201-01
title: Austria goes against Router Freedom
uri: Austria-goes-against-Router-Freedom
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231201-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Austria goes against Router Freedom </h1><p>The Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and 
Telecommunications, RTR, has decided  not to regulate the network 
operators with regard to Router Freedom, allowing ISPs to impose their 
equipment to 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 the country. 
</p>
  <img src="media/621fea4d.5ea9fb812fdccd5e90966ebe309f.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/original/9f/ec/5ea9fb812fdccd5e90966ebe309f.png"/>
  The Austrian regulator RTR has decided to not formally determine the position of the NTP. It means that end-users cannot freely use their modems for internet connection. 
  <p>In 2016, the Net Neutrality regulation established, for the first 
time in Europe, <a href="media/bf4d5529.fsfe-router-freedom-activity-summary.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/routers/fsfe-router-freedom-activity-summary.pdf">freedom of terminal equipment for internet connection</a>. 
It means, in theory, consumers would be able to choose and use their 
own routers and modems independently from those provided by the 
internet service providers (ISPs). However, <a href="https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/router-freedom-tracker_581123#4/53.12/18.37">the practical realisation 
of this right has followed not a linear process</a>, but has been marked by 
several difficulties, including the 2018 reform of EU telecom law, the 
implementation of technical rules, and the resistance from national 
regulators to interfere in the activities of  operators. 

While several countries such as Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, and Belgium have 
decided on the <a href="https://fsfe.org/tags/tagged-routers.html">full regulatory protection of Router Freedom</a>, other EU 
members have followed other paths, preferring to  exclude fiber 
networks (as Greece and Italy) or deciding completely against freedom 
of terminal equipment, as in Latvia, Denmark and now Austria. </p><h2>Consumer protection falls short.</h2><p>In November 2023, the Austrian telecom regulator RTR has published <a href="https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20231110_OTS0116/rtr-schliesst-evaluierung-der-routerfreiheit-ab">a 
decision on the evaluation of Router Freedom and the position of the 
network termination point (NTP)</a>, a demarcation of the limits of the 
public and private networks. The regulator has concluded to not 
regulate Router Freedom due to some alleged factors, including the 
limited usage by end-users of private routers and the enhanced 
operational costs for network operators.  RTR has also claimed that the 
mere fact that Austrian providers already offer  for end-users the 
possibility to connect their own router to the ISP’s modem in “bridge 
mode” would signify freedom of terminal equipment. This , as we explain 
below, is a contradiction in itself. Of particular concern is  RTR’s 
statement affirming that there is currently insufficient evidence of 
significant restrictions on Router Freedom  for a relevant proportion 
of users (page 3).</p><h2>A lost opportunity for Net Neutrality</h2><p>RTR’s position fails 
to capture the notion of Router Freedom as a fundamental aspect of Net 
Neutrality, as it has a profound impact on how end-users access the 
Internet. Router Freedom is the hardware component of  Net Neutrality, 
and its protection should be understood not only from the market 
perspective, but should embrace its nature as an essential element of 
the Open Internet.</p><p>Formally defining the position of the <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2020/news-20200601-01.html">NTP at Point A</a> would 
officially include the modem and router under the end-user premises, 
and the public network would initiate from the plug on the wall. That 
would signify complete freedom of terminal equipment. RTR’s decision 
instead only guarantees that end-users can connect their routers to 
ISPs’ modems in “bridge mode”. Since operators can still impose their 
modems inside end-users’ premises, it cannot be considered compliant 
with Router Freedom.</p><p>Early on in 2021, when Austria was in the process of implementing 
the reform of the telecom sector, the FSFE, together with 
epicenter.works, has urged the Austrian government to safeguard Router 
Freedom in the new adopted legislation. <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210506-01.html">We have warned back</a> then that 
in case the decision on Router Freedom would be delegated to the 
national regulatory agency (RTR) this could lead to solutions against 
consumer rights and interests.</p><p>In 2022,<a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220420-01.html">we engaged with a wide range of stakeholders</a>, including 
representatives from industry and policy makers to demonstrate why 
Router Freedom is important for market competition, device innovation, 
and sustainability. We urged at the time RTR to seize the opportunity 
to establish Router Freedom in Austria by defining the NTP in a 
position favourable to consumer interests.</p><p>In May 2023, we sent to RTR our <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20230515-02.html">report on the Router Freedom survey</a>, 
demonstrating how Internet Service Providers (ISPs) still hamper 
consumer freedom of choice, exercise lock-in over internet equipment 
and promote proprietary devices, negatively affecting consumer welfare, 
security, privacy and data protection. Although more than 13% of the 
participants were Austrians, the regulator has not provided feedback on 
this.</p>
  <img src="media/0fa55a7f.b3eeb6363c93efb45456a6aa8e11.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/original/f7/ba/b3eeb6363c93efb45456a6aa8e11.jpg"/>
  The vast majority of participants of our survey agreed that Router Freedom is important for freedom of choice, privacy, security and fair competition. More than a market or tech issue, Router Freedom is a policy demand.
 
  <p>Besides, while other member states regulators have conducted open 
consultations and produced <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231113-02.html">comprehensive reports and detailed studies</a> 
regarding Router Freedom, RTR has not provided any relevant data, nor 
conducted consultation procedures where civil society stakeholders were 
broadly involved. This lack of transparency negatively affects the 
monitoring on Open Internet in the country.</p><p>The FSFE laments how RTR was not able to find a balance among 
business, investments considerations, and consumer protection, 
preferring to align themselves with telecom operators instead of taking 
a step towards Net Neutrality and Open Internet.</p><h2>Aiming at the future: there will be room for improvement</h2><p>As affirmed by RTR, the present decision has not a definitive 
character, and the regulator will re-evaluate this framework in the 
future. No deadlines nor a time schedule were informed, though. 
Although we regret the long period such regulatory decisions normally 
take place, there will be still room for improvement, and we will 
continue to closely monitor the situation in Austria.</p><p>Zooming out, as an example, in <a href="https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/e1f1154f-ee2f-11ed-a05c-01aa75ed71a1">a study conducted on behalf of the 
European Commission</a>, Router Freedom was considered one of the 
priorities for the proper implementation of Net Neutrality in Europe. 
Regulators have to take uttermost account of this freedom when 
designing their policies for the telecommunications sector. Besides, 
emerging issues regarding devices, optical fiber networks and satellite 
connections are still  under intense debate on different levels at the 
EU and member states. Aspects of <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220510-01.html">sustainability of the telecom sector</a> 
are also been discussed. All those elements have been monitored by the 
FSFE, and Router Freedom will be an important element for policy 
making.</p>
  <img src="media/70a8a9f9.e15021d00f32dc067d894525d6213354.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/big/e15021d00f32dc067d894525d6213354.png"/>
  Router Freedom enables the right to repair and promotes fair competition. Free Software in a router can greatly extend the device’s lifespan and increase energy management. These advantages can lead to major wins in future policy making. 
  <h2>The Router Freedom initiative</h2><p><a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/routers/index.html">Router Freedom</a> is the right that customers of any Internet Service Provider (ISP) are able to 
choose and use a private modem and router instead of equipment provided 
by the operator. Since 2013, the Free Software Foundation Europe has 
been successfully engaged with Router Freedom, promoting end-users’ 
freedom in many European countries. Join us and learn more about the 
several <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210330-01.html">ways to get involved</a>. Please consider <a href="https://fsfe.org/donate?mtm_campaign=routers">becoming a FSFE donor</a>; 
you help make possible our long-term engagement and professional 
commitment in defending people’s rights to control technology.
</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: nl-202312
title: YH4F kickoff +++ UpA Open Letter +++ Router freedom in Belgium
uri: YH4F-kickoff-UpA-Open-Letter-Router-freedom-in-Belgium
url: https://fsfe.org/news/nl/nl-202312.fr.html
content:
<h1>YH4F kickoff +++ UpA Open Letter +++ Router freedom in Belgium</h1><p>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.</p>
	<img src="media/4a53b37e.1ac703589d3ae59c5b6f54711778.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/70/9a/1ac703589d3ae59c5b6f54711778.png"/>

<p>Table of contents</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="#youth-hacking-4-freedom-kicks-off">Youth Hacking 4 Freedom kicks off!</a></li>
<li><a href="#german-parliament-receives-upcycling-android-open-letter">German Parliament receives Upcycling Android Open Letter</a></li>
<li><a href="#interoperable-europe-act-an-ambition-that-turned-out-to-be-watered-down">Interoperable Europe Act: an ambition that turned out to be watered down</a></li>
<li><a href="#belgium-commits-to-router-freedom">Belgium commits to Router Freedom</a></li>
<li><a href="#take-action-support-our-public-money-public-code-initiative">Take action! Support our “Public Money? Public Code!” initiative</a></li>
<li><a href="#and-even-more">And even more!</a></li>
<li><a href="#enjoy-reading-ada-zangemann-in-french">Enjoy reading Ada &amp; Zangemann in French!</a></li>
<li><a href="#quote-of-the-month">Quote of the Month</a></li>
<li><a href="#contribute-to-our-newsletter">Contribute to our Newsletter</a></li>
</ol>
<p><strong>Are we ending up in your spam?</strong></p><p>It may happen that this newsletter ends up in your spam folder, but you really don’t want to miss the latest news about Free Software in Europe… do you?</p><p><strong>In that case, it will be helpful to add our address, newsletter@fsfe.org, to your contact list!</strong></p><h3>Youth Hacking 4 Freedom kicks off!</h3><p>After two successful editions, <a href="https://yh4f.org/">Youth Hacking 4 Freedom</a>, the Free Software Foundation Europe’s coding competition for young Europeans, <a href="https://survey.fsfe.org/index.php/658534">opens registration for the third round</a>. YH4F 2024 kicks off on 7 December with an opening event. More than €10,000, in cash, will be awarded to the six winners of the 2024 edition.</p><p>Help us spread the word and involve the Free Software hackers of future generations! Find out more on <a href="https://yh4f.org/">the YH4F website</a>.</p><h3>German Parliament receives Upcycling Android Open Letter</h3><p>Signed by more than 3000 individuals and by 147 organisations, the Open Letter to European Union legislators was presented by a delegation from the FSFE on 14 November to the Chair of the Digital Affairs Committee at the German Bundestag.</p><p>Discover more about <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/index.html">what Upcycling Android is about</a>, and the <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/openletter.html">open letter demands</a>!</p>
<p>“So many devices end up on the scrapyard after just two or three years. But the devices are still in good condition and could be made to last with new software. We could bring them back to life, especially with Free Software. It would be a real sustainability effect if we had the right to install any software on any device. That’s why this initiative is absolutely worth supporting.”</p>
<p>— Tabea Rößner, Chair of the Digital Affairs Committee, when receiving the open letter</p><h3>Interoperable Europe Act: an ambition that turned out to be watered down</h3><p>Some weeks ago, European decision makers met to agree on the final text of the Interoperable Europe Act (IEA). There is wording that worries the FSFE 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.</p><p>In particular, the critical wording refers to different passages in (Art4(5a)). Moreover, the chance for other stakeholders to be part of the governance structure, specifically on the Board, has been removed from the final text.  It is currently only up to the Chair to decide if an expert can join the Board as an observer. <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231113-01.html">Read our news item</a> to have a deeper understanding of the FSFE’s concerns.</p><h3>Belgium commits to Router Freedom</h3><p>The Belgian telecom regulator BIPT formally introduced Router Freedom nationwide, applying this right to all network types, including fiber (FTTx).</p><p>The FSFE celebrates this milestone, especially because of the critical role played by the community. We want to strongly thank the <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/BNL">FSFE Benelux team</a>, who proactively monitored and supported communication with the regulator, and also <a href="https://www.modemlibero.it/">our partners in Italy</a>, who helped us provide prompt responses when the regulator required further input regarding the certification procedures for router interoperability in Italy.</p><h3>Take action! Support our “Public Money? Public Code!” initiative</h3><p>Together with 226 organisations and more than 36,000 individuals, we are calling on European politicians to enshrine the principle of “Public Money? Public Code!” across Europe.</p><p>We have important months ahead to get closer to this goal: in June, EU citizens will elect a new European Parliament with many new members. We need to reach out to them, as they could have a positive impact on software freedom in the coming years.</p><p>It is your support that enables us to continue our daily work for Free Software in Europe. We know that times are tough for many of you, but <a href="donate/donate.fr.html">with a donation</a> you can ensure that we keep advocating for software freedom across Europe with a clear goal: wherever public money is spent on software, the code must be public too! And do not forget to share the <a href="https://publiccode.eu/en/openletter">PMPC Open Letter</a>!</p><h3>And even more!</h3><p>Thanks to the invaluable contribution of our great volunteers, the video “What is Free Software” is now in <a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/1Py4dfQipa8G6Td48mnCyU">Esperanto</a>! We will be working to have it translated into more languages! Remember to share this video – <a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/p/9gYSyoEYggsqBExLWjRejL">in any of the available languages</a> – among your friends and relatives! Help us grow a better and broader understanding of the critical role played by Free Software in our society.</p><h3>Enjoy reading Ada &amp; Zangemann in French!</h3><p>“Ada and Zangemann – A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry Ice Cream” is now available in French, too! The French translation joins the English, German, and Italian editions. The books make for a wonderful Christmas gift, for children and adults alike.</p><p><a href="https://ada.fsfe.org/">On the dedicated page</a>, you can buy the book, read the reviews, and see the letters addressed to Zangemann!</p><h3>Quote of the Month</h3>
<p>“Free Software is an important basis for DLR’s software development efforts. […] Free Software helps us to rapidly try out new things because we do not have to develop them from scratch. Besides these more efficiency-related aspects, publishing Free Software in the research domain helps to exchange knowledge inside a research community and between different research communities. In this way, Free Software can be a driver for innovation in research.”</p>
<p>— Tobias Schlauch – Software engineer at DLR (German Aerospace Center)</p><h3>Contribute to our Newsletter</h3><p>We would love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, pictures, or news to share, please send them to us at newsletter@fsfe.org. You can also <a href="https://fsfe.org/donate/donate.html">support us</a>, <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/contribute.html">contribute to our work</a>, and <a href="https://fsfe.org/about/groups.html">join our community</a>. We would like to thank our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make our work possible, with a special mention to our translators who make it possible for you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.</p><p>Your editors,
Ana and Tommi</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20231207-01
title: What pupils write about proprietary software and why it motivates me
uri: What-pupils-write-about-proprietary-software-and-why-it-motivates-me
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231207-01.fr.html
content:
<h3/><h1>What pupils write about proprietary software and why it motivates me</h1><p>Pupils all over the world are learning about the story of "Ada &amp; 
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. </p>
  <img src="media/cb49a352.d983774aecccb9b950910c6d54d8.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/3e/34/d983774aecccb9b950910c6d54d8.jpg"/>
  
  The story of Ada &amp; Zangemann is currently available, for purchase, 
  in French, English, German and Italian
   
  <p>2023 has been a busy year at the FSFE. Besides our general promotion 
for software freedom, we have helped EU regulators to better understand 
Free Software for their work on the Cyber Resilience Act, the Product 
Liability, the Interoperable Europe and the AI Act. We have followed up 
on the Digital Markets Act about device neutrality, monitored the 
implementation of router freedom, and made sure to keep public 
administration accountable for their promises on Public Money? Public 
Code!". We supported Free Software contributors by answering questions 
and providing tools to better handle legal obligations.</p><p>This year, as well as in the two decades before, there are times 
when, despite working hard with our team, there are setbacks. 
Regulators who (even though it is 2023!) still do not understand how 
Free Software works, companies that, again and again, try to restrict 
software freedom for their own benefit despite the harm they thereby do 
to society, or people in the Free Software community who fight with 
each other instead of focusing on our common mission.</p><p>Looking ahead, next year marks 20 years of working for the Free 
Software Foundation Europe for me. On 10 December 2003 I joined the 
FSFE’s discussion mailing lists; in 2004, I became the FSFE's first 
intern; later, I continued as a volunteer; and since 2009, I am a staff 
member.</p><p>At the FSFE, I have the privilege of working with many volunteers 
and colleagues who encourage each other to continue our work, even in 
situations where others might have given up. We remind each other why 
we are doing this work, and why it is crucial for society to continue 
it despite hard resistance.</p><p>Some of those reminding moments are when I get emails and letters 
about the book "Ada &amp; Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and 
Raspberry Ice Cream": emails from parents telling me about their 
daughter who started programming after reading the book to her; cute 
postcards from children telling me their thoughts about the book; or an 
email with pictures from a hospital in the Middle East who got some of 
the books and shared with us how much the children enjoyed reading the 
book (and side note, as one character in the book, many of them have 3D 
printed arms or legs due to war injuries).</p><p>In June, we received the letters that pupils wrote from the English 
International College in Marbella (Spain). Their teacher, Kaye Fogarty 
read the book together with her 8- and 9-year-old pupils, focusing on 
"the access to the internet on a global level and how the inequality of 
access in certain parts of the world hugely disadvantages people there 
in terms of education and opportunity". The pupils then shared their 
thoughts on the book by <a href="https:/activities/ada-zangemann/letters.fr.html">writing letters to 
Zangemann</a>, the antagonist of the 
book. We got permission to share those letters with you -- so you can 
see for yourself why that was a motivating moment for me.</p><p>Reading all these letters and emails, I am sure that there are many 
young people out there who care about software freedom. While people in 
our movement have been working hard for software freedom for 40 years 
now, I am confident that there will be new generations, bright and 
energetic who will take the reins and using technology to shape their 
future. I have a strong feeling that they will continue with, and 
strengthen, our movement for the challenges that lie ahead for humanity 
in the next 40 years.</p><p>
  <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/ada-zangemann/letters.html">Enjoy reading the 
  letters yourself</a>
</p><p>Thank you for your support!</p><p>Matthias Kirschner, President FSFE</p>
 <p>
 PS: Here the feedback I received by the teacher: "A wonderfully 
 entertaining read with an empowering message for younger generations, 
 one which will shape our world and the way we live in it." 
 Kaye Fogarty, The English International College, Marbella
 </p>
<p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20231211-01
title: The FSFE is looking for a policy intern
uri: The-FSFE-is-looking-for-a-policy-intern
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231211-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>The FSFE is looking for a policy intern</h1><p>We are looking for a motivated intern to support the FSFE’s policy activities and contribute to our work to empower people to control technology. The person will work 35 hours per week with our team in the FSFE Berlin office for a period of six months.</p><h2>About the FSFE</h2><p>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 right to use, understand, adapt, and share software. These rights help support other fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press, and privacy.</p><p>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. </p><p>The FSFE is involved in many activities in the legal, economic, political, and technical areas around Free Software. This work is made possible by a community of volunteers, supporters, donors, and staff.</p><img src="media/bc04aba4.fe41d82a70151b0d9c7448ef8296.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/b7/a0/fe41d82a70151b0d9c7448ef8296.jpg"/><h2>We are looking for an intern</h2><p>We are looking for a reliable and driven intern for our policy team. You will support the FSFE’s activities and work closely with our team. We will make sure to offer our interns the opportunity to learn about Free Software and while supporting carrying out advocacy activities, the person will also be able to meet and work with our vibrant community across Europe. This position will take place in our FSFE Berlin office, 35 hours per week for a six month period. </p><p>Read more about our internships and <a href="https://fsfe.org/about/jobs/internship">what former interns say about it</a>.</p><h2>Main responsibilities</h2><ul>
	<li>Support FSFE policy projects like <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/publiccode/publiccode.html">Public Money? Public Code!</a></li>
	<li>Conduct background research in the fields of politics, administrations, and economy</li>
	<li>Assist our policy team with formulating policy positions on various issues</li>
	<li>Communicate with contacts from the FSFE community, NGOs, industry, and public administrations</li>
	<li>Work together with volunteers in various projects</li>
	<li>You will participate and help organising events around Europe</li>
	<li>General office tasks</li>
</ul><h2>Qualifications</h2><ul>
	<li>Background in political or social science, or related field</li>
	<li>A knowledge of the EU legislative process is an advantage</li>
	<li>Excellent spoken and written English, other European languages are considered an asset</li>
</ul><h2>Attitude</h2><p>We are looking for a reliable and well-organised team player who cares about social and political change for the next generations and is interested in acquiring practical experience by learning from our different policy activities. </p><h2>How to apply</h2><p>To apply, please send a maximum one-page cover letter and a maximum two-page CV in PDF format by email to jobs@fsfe.org, with the subject “<em>Intern position</em>”. Please do not include pictures of yourself in the application. <strong>There is no immediate closing date for submitting applications</strong>, but we recommend to apply as early as possible as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please indicate your possible starting date.</p><p>The position is for a period of 6 months, full time at 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. The internship is compensated according to the German minimum wage. Your personal data will be deleted 3 months after we have made our decision.</p><p>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.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20231214-01
title: Router Freedom tech wiki is now online!
uri: Router-Freedom-tech-wiki-is-now-online
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231214-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Router Freedom tech wiki is now online!</h1><p>In recent years we have focused on the policy and legal aspects of Router Freedom. Now, with the help of our Netherlands volunteer team, we are publishing the Router Freedom tech wiki, which provides information on the necessary steps you need to use and connect your own router. We need your help to get it printed!</p>
	<img src="media/1d088fec.eaba93d324a8f3fad951f528bde328a3.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/eaba93d324a8f3fad951f528bde328a3.jpg"/>
<p>The FSFE has concentrated its efforts in recent years to conduct a European-wide initiative to defend the rights and interests of end-users regarding <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/routers/routers.html">Router Freedom</a>, after the series of reforms introduced by EU telecom law with regards to internet devices and terminal equipment. Numerous reports, policy papers, news items, and dedicated studies have been published so that regulators and legislators all around Europe could make informed decisions to safeguard this fundamental right for net neutrality.</p><p>We have also helped people to get active, providing solid material for policy engagement with our <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Activities/CompulsoryRouters/">Router Freedom policy wiki</a> and a <a href="media/bf4d5529.fsfe-router-freedom-activity-summary.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/routers/fsfe-router-freedom-activity-summary.pdf">handbook</a> with the most important elements regarding freedom of terminal equipment. And <a href="https://umap.openstreetmap.fr/en/map/router-freedom-monitoring-tool_581123">we have been successful</a>, contributing to several regulatory processes that introduced Router Freedom in EU member states.</p><p>However we were still lacking a practical guide for interested technical people desiring to change their router provided by the ISP, helping them on the path (sometimes not so trivial) of installing their own private router at home. We introduce the new Router Freedom tech wiki, prepared by our <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/BNL">Netherlands team of volunteers</a>!</p><h2>Covering the basics of using your own router</h2><p>The <a href="https://docs.fsfe.org/en/teams/router-freedom-tech-wiki">Router Freedom tech wiki</a> guides you towards Router Freedom. It is set up to be as generic as possible, as each situation is different. Different countries have different legislation. ISPs have different policies in place and provide different information. Lastly your modem or router of choice will also influence the options you have.</p>
	<img src="media/9c7b6796.189ea590625a1e8280cbe44058a6.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/original/5b/7a/189ea590625a1e8280cbe44058a6.png"/>
	The Router Freedom tech wiki helps you with basic information on how to start using your own router
<p>This wiki helps you to replace the ISP’s router/modem with your own. Most modems of the internet service provider allow you to set them in 'bridge' mode, so you can use your own router for the internal networking. Although this allows you to separate your internal networking from the ISP, you would end up with two devices where you could just have one.</p><p>We would love to hear back from you, and to know more about your experience in setting up your router, sharing what you did and how you did it. Please feel free to check the wiki out and use it. If you already use your own router, share your experience in the comments section or mark your message in social media with the hashtag <strong>#RouterFreedom.</strong></p><h2>Help us spread the word about Router Freedom!</h2><p>Since several countries have officially introduced the possibility for users to use their own routers, we want to encourage people to try out and enjoy this freedom. We need your help to design, publish, and print materials that can be used on booths and at other in-person events, so people can talk about and collectively learn about using their own routers.</p><ul>
	<li><strong>Leaflet</strong>: If we raise <strong>3,000 euros</strong>, we can cover the costs for the design and printing of a new leaflet with a nice and intuitive design for the decision tree, as well as with basic information about Router Freedom. As are all our information materials, it will also be available under a free license on <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword">our website</a>.</li>
	<li><strong>Sticker</strong>: As a thank you for your help, did you know that you can order our <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword#device-neutrality">Router Freedom sticker</a> for free to show off on your liberated router/modem?</li>
</ul><h2>The Router Freedom initiative</h2><p><a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/routers/index.html">Router Freedom</a> is the right that customers of any Internet Service Provider (ISP) are able to choose and use a private modem and router instead of equipment provided by the operator. Since 2013, the Free Software Foundation Europe has been successfully engaged with Router Freedom, promoting end-users’ freedom in many European countries. Join us and learn more about the several <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210330-01.html">ways to get involved</a>.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20231220-01
title: Unblocking User Freedom: the right to use adblockers
uri: Unblocking-User-Freedom-the-right-to-use-adblockers
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231220-01.fr.html
content:
<h3/><h1>Unblocking User Freedom: the right to use adblockers</h1><p>Companies increasingly aim to control how users interact with their 
content online, threatening user freedom. As more companies crack down 
on browser extensions and other third-party software used by internet 
users to customise their experiences, two recent German court cases on 
adblockers could strengthen the legal case for user control over 
technology.</p>
  <img src="media/e72cebcc.d5fc8d5a7998f9146d7be156e0f2.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/c2/a1/d5fc8d5a7998f9146d7be156e0f2.png"/>
  
    CC-BY-NC-SA by <a href="http://rahak.net/work.html">Rahak</a>
  
<p>Advertisements are a part of our lives, including our digital ones. 
They are in the websites we browse, the search results we receive, and 
the online news we read. Tired of receiving so many ads, some users try 
to avoid them by installing an adblocker. But is this a legal practice? 
Is using adblockers an act of restricting market autonomy, or do they 
help achieve user freedom?</p><p>Imagine a scenario where website owners hold copyright over their 
websites, including whatever ads they place, and could effectively sue 
for copyright infringement if users were to remove or suppress ads when 
visiting these websites. This hypothetical situation would enable any 
website copyright holder to use the legal system to stop any ordinary 
user on the internet who tries to bypass these ads. This would 
lead to an internet where unsolicited information 
and advertisements are imposed on users. Fortunately, recent court 
decisions have at least prevented this hypothetical from becoming a 
reality in Germany.</p><h2>Is it legal to use adblockers? The lawsuit in question</h2><p>Using an adblocker is the main way in which many internet users 
bypass ads and pop-ups when accessing websites. Adblockers usually come 
in the form of browser extensions and plugins that filter out unwanted 
ads for an ad-free internet browsing experience.</p><p>As the use of these adblockers increases, some companies have begun 
considering whether it is legal for  users to be able to block their 
ads. This was the case in Germany when Axel Springer SE (Axel 
Springer), one of Germany’s largest publishing companies, engaged in 
lawsuits against Eyeo GmbH (Eyeo), the creator of <a href="https://adblockplus.org/en/about#whymoney">Adblock Plus</a> (a 
Free 
Software adblocking tool licensed under the GPLv3). These lawsuits have 
resulted in a legal battle for user freedom and an open internet.</p><p>In the case of Adblock Plus, ads are blocked according to filter rules 
maintained in a so-called “black list”, which users use as a default 
setting. The extension offers ad providers the possibility of having 
their ads excluded from this black list (and included in a “white 
list”) by complying with <a href="https://acceptableads.com/standard/">“acceptable advertising 
standards”,</a> disclosing 
their annual turnover, and paying a sum to Eyeo. Users will only see 
ads that have been included in the white list, but they also have the 
option of blocking ads from both white and black lists altogether.</p>
<p>Axel Springer filed several suits in Germany against Eyeo on the grounds 
that the Adblock Plus extension interfered with their business, 
alleging that by blocking its advertisements, Eyeo had engaged in 
anti-competitive measures. According to Axel Springer, Eyeo’s business 
model constituted:</p>
<ol>
<li>Targeted obstruction and aggressive business practice; and </li>
<li>A violation of freedom of the press.</li>
</ol>
<h3>The right not to be advertised to</h3><p>After ruling that the option to use adblockers is a decision that internet users should be able to make, 
the courts in Germany ruled that user rights not only include the 
freedom to express an opinion and to receive information, but also the 
rights to refrain from expressing an opinion and to refuse to receive 
imposed information. In doing so, the rulings considered a user’s 
interest in being spared from obtrusive advertising.</p><p>Accordingly, internet users are simply exercising their right to not 
have certain forms of advertising displayed when visiting internet 
websites when they choose to make use of an adblocker. Adblock Plus’s 
business model, according to the courts, was therefore a marketable 
service offer which was not primarily aimed at impairing the 
competitive development of Axel Springer. In the opinion of the courts, 
Adblock Plus also does not directly interfere with the business, as 
users retain autonomy to do as they wish with the settings of the 
add-on after installation. Users can block or wish to see only the ads 
in the whitelist. Adblock Plus is therefore merely a product whose use 
is decided solely by the internet user.</p><h3>The HTML argument: does the use of adblockers constitute a modification of a computer program?</h3><p>Axel Springer also submitted an argument to the German courts that their
websites would be protected under German copyright law as a copyrighted 
computer program, and that their HTML code would similarly be covered 
under this ambit because of the control components it included. Because 
of how Adblock Plus interacts with its website, Axel Springer therefore 
claimed that copies and adaptations of the code in its website were 
violations of copyright made without permission.</p><p>In both the initial court ruling and the decision on the subsequent appeal in favour 
of Eyeo, the court disagreed with Axel Springer and held that the use 
of Adblock Plus solely affects the program flow through external 
commands, without altering the program’s essence or generating a 
changed version. Thus, the use of the extension results in a mere 
browser configuration carried out by users according to their 
preferences.</p><p>The courts noted that internet users do not require permission from 
website owners when they want to make the website look better for 
themselves. Modern websites are made up of many separate parts that can 
be technically distinguished from each other, including text, images, and 
videos, as well as software that is embedded in the HTML page. For the 
courts, it wasn’t enough that these software components were used in 
the website’s HTML page to mean that the website itself was a 
protectable computer program. We can therefore infer that adblockers 
do not infringe upon a program’s protections.</p><h2>Downsides of the case</h2><p>Nevertheless, some aspects in the judgments are still not ideal in 
promoting the average user’s rights. While user freedom  means that 
users are able to use the tools that they wish to when browsing the 
World Wide Web, the court nevertheless preserved Axel 
Springer’s right to exclude users with an activated adblocker from 
accessing its content. This can be understood as an approval on the use 
of adblock detection tools by companies like Axel Springer.</p><p>Unfortunately, the court also mentioned that Axel Springer can convert 
its content into a paid access model, justifying this measure as an 
element inherent for competition. We fear that this tacit approval can 
result in paywalls and adblock detection tools becoming the basic 
standard on the internet.</p><p>More importantly, tools to detect the use of adblockers go against <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32002L0058">Art. 
5(3) of the ePrivacy directive</a>, which mandates that websites must seek 
consent before accessing or storing information about a user’s device. 
The EU commission has confirmed that, Art. 5(3) of the ePrivacy directive 
<a href="https://forum.adblockplus.org/viewtopic.php?t=45001">is not 
just limited to cookies but ‘all types of information’ stored or 
accessed</a> in the user’s terminal device. This applies to the storage by 
websites of scripts in users’ terminal equipment to detect if users 
have installed or are using adblockers.</p><h2>A win for user freedom?</h2><p>With many service providers and websites on the internet following the 
trend of restricting users with adblockers from accessing their services, these court 
decisions in Germany help build precedents that uphold and recognize 
principles of user freedom.</p><p>Indeed, these decisions support the principles of a <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/ngi/ngi.html">Next Generation 
Internet</a>, including ensuring that internet users can make individual 
choices and exercise their freedom of expression, in ways in which they 
can freely develop and use new extensions and browser features to 
enhance their online experience and user control.</p><p>Despite the steps forward for user control found in these judgments, 
they do not go as far as we would hope to secure user freedom when 
using the internet, and are still subject to appeals and therefore may 
not be final. We will keep an eye on the legal proceedings in this case 
and keep you updated when new developments occur. In the meantime, the 
court cases can be read on the <a href="https://juris.bundesgerichtshof.de/cgi-bin/rechtsprechung/document.py?Gericht=bgh&amp;Art=en&amp;nr=8849">Bundesgerichtshof</a> 
and <a href="https://www.landesrecht-hamburg.de/bsha/document/JURE220021753">Landesgerichts</a> 
websites. If you are aware of any similar cases or other developments to 
support user freedom in any other member states in the EU, then please 
do share and reach out to us!</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: episode-23
title: SFP#23: What is Free Software? A Christmas podcast to learn about Free Software
uri: SFP-23-What-is-Free-Software-A-Christmas-podcast-to-learn-about-Free
url: https://fsfe.org/news/podcast/episode-23.fr.html
content:
<h1>SFP#23: What is Free Software? A Christmas podcast to learn about Free Software</h1><p>
These days are quite special, right? So is our Christmas Software Freedom Podcast episode! In this 23rd episode, the FSFE goes crazy and has fun playing a guessing game with terms related to Free Software. This is the perfect episode for you to learn more about your favourite type of software: Free Software! 
</p><p>Our podcast host, Bonnie Mehring meets with Matthias Kirschner, the FSFE's President, Gabriel Ku Wei Bin, member of the FSFE's legal team, and Tobias Diekershof, the FSFE's System Administrator, to play a little guessing game about Free Software basic terms.
</p><p>This episode has something for everybody, no matter if you are already part of the Free Software universe or if you just arrived in this world. It is the perfect episode to learn more about Free Software. Share this episode with your family so they finally understand what you are talking about, when you talk about GNU 😉.</p><p>And do not forget to stop the audio and have a guess yourself! ♥♥♥
</p><p>Show notes</p><ul>
	<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_and_Other_Laws_of_Cyberspace">Book by Lawrence Lessig: Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace</a></li> 
<li><a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/">"FSFE's initiative: Upcycling Android"</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/howtoupcycle">How to Upcycle your smartphone</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/ngi/">Next Generation Internet</a></li>
<li><a href="https://media.fsfe.org/my-library/video-playlists/43045073-4523-4807-bd1b-6c91dcee981c">Learn more about: What is Free Software?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/newsletter.html">Read more about Free Software in our newsletter.</a></li>
</ul><p>If you liked this episode and want to support our continuous work for software freedom, please help us with a donation.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240109-01
title: Are you ready for ‘I Love Free Software Day’ 2024?
uri: Are-you-ready-for-I-Love-Free-Software-Day-2024
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240109-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Are you ready for ‘I Love Free Software Day’ 2024?</h1><p>Every year, on 14 February, the FSFE, together with Free Software organisations around the globe, celebrates “I Love Free Software Day”: a special day of appreciation to all the contributors to Free Software projects, large or small.</p><img src="media/1156d972.680bd97ee6bdb4767f5c036f4ec5.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/c8/34/680bd97ee6bdb4767f5c036f4ec5.jpg"/><p>As Free Software powers the tools we use every day, we want to create an occasion to celebrate the ones making it happen! Whether they are developers, system administrators, community moderators, reviewers, enthusiasts, there are many incredibly passionate people working behind the scenes to make the world a better place, one string at a time.</p><p>We celebrate those who advocate for Free Software and those who support it in any other way, and we show our appreciation to the countless contributors to software freedom. We also take this opportunity to promote Free Software, software that is free to use, to understand, to improve, and to share.</p><p>We strongly believe that the Free Software communities are a friendly and welcoming place. We all strive to be excellent to each other! On the “I Love Free Software Day” we share our appreciation and love for Free Software with those around us. A simple “Thank you” motivates others to keep contributing, encourage new people to join, and form a friendly and welcoming community. A simple “Thank you” is enough to share your appreciation for Free Software and its contributors. Join the “I Love Free Software Day 2024: Forging the future with Free Software” and share your appreciation for Free Software.</p><p>For the “I Love Free Software Day 2024: Forging the future with Free Software”, we want to focus on <strong>engaging the young generation</strong> in Free Software as they are the ones who will shape the future. Therefore, we invite you to organise an event aimed at younger people to highlight their contributions to Free Software.</p><p>For more ideas on how to participate in the upcoming “I Love Free Software Day 2024: Forging the future with Free Software”, here are some suggestions:</p><ul>
	<li>create a short video with a “Thank You” message to your favourite Free Software project. You can then share it via your preferred social media channel with the hashtag #ilovefs.</li>
	<li>With our <a href="https://sharepic.fsfe.org">Sharepic Generator</a>, create a Sharepic of yourself and include a personal “Thank You” message. Then you can share it on social media using the hashtag #ilovefs.</li>
	<li>Organise a local <strong>get-together</strong> with your colleagues, friends, or family to celebrate and recognize the work of the contributors of Free Software. Maybe there is also an <a href="https://fsfe.org/community/groups.html">FSFE local group</a> close to you so you can reach them.</li>
	<li>Order, for free, some ilovefs <strong>stickers</strong> and <strong>posters</strong>! </li>
	<li>Take pictures and share them on social media with #ilovefs.</li>
	<li><a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword.html#ilovefs">Order, for free, some ilovefs postcards</a> to send to your favourite Free Software project or contributor!</li>
	<li>Share your knowledge about Free Software and spread the word about the four freedoms: Use, Understand, Share, and Improve.</li>
	<li>For more information, ideas, and inspiration check out the <a href="https://ilovefs.org">I Love Free Software activity page</a>!</li>
</ul><p>The “I Love Free Software Day” is an important tradition for the Free Software community. The more that people participate in this day, the more we can show how important Free Software contributors and developers are to our society. Take a few moments on Wednesday, 14 February, to show your love for Free Software!</p><p>And, please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any more information or any help!</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240111-01
title: The FSFE at the 37C3: Unlocked
uri: The-FSFE-at-the-37C3-Unlocked
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240111-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>The FSFE at the 37C3: Unlocked</h1><p>The Free Software Foundation Europe, along with more than 10.000 hackers, took part in the 37th Chaos Communication Congress. It was a great pleasure to be back in Hamburg and to join the Chaos family for another amazing four-day congress. Thank you all for coming and participating in the Chaos!</p>
  <img src="media/2d06891f.5f42b0036360dd50b704dc71ad7a.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/ca/54/5f42b0036360dd50b704dc71ad7a.jpg"/>
<p>At the end of 2023, the Chaos Communication Congress returned as an in-person event at the Congress Centre Hamburg. This renowned annual gathering is one of the most important technology conferences, not only in Europe but also worldwide. It brings together developers, technical experts, civil society advocates, and individuals passionate about building a better society.</p><p>The FSFE was once again part of the Bits &amp; Bäume assembly, where we had our booth to spread the word about Free Software, our work, and our activities. Here we were surrounded by our t-shirts, socks, books, and stickers. Many familiar faces visited the booth, either to refill their stickers or get one of our new shirts. However, as always at the Chaos events, many new people also stopped by to learn more about our work and Free Software in general. It was wonderful to have so many well-prepared volunteers and staff members with us who were able to answer all questions or direct them to the right people. Thank you all for your great support at the booth!</p><p>The FSFE was also represented with two workshops, two lighting talks, an ‘Ada &amp; Zangemann’ reading, and a puzzle session. At the Bits &amp; Bäume assembly we had a great and busy workshop area, which was opened by Tobias Diekershoff with a session on the <a href="">REUSE tool</a>. Over 25 people attended this workshop, a third of them with previous knowledge of the tool and even great ideas for future development, and others who had their first contact with REUSE.</p><p>Our second workshop was also hosted by Tobias Diekershoff, who, for the first time, talked about how to run an NGO on Free Software. This workshop was attended by an audience of around 40 people, including many NGO representatives who wanted to learn how to integrate more Free Software into their daily work. As shown in the following discussion, not all of them had previous knowledge of Free Software, so they asked for more documentation on the subject and examples of tools to be used for managing their daily tasks and communication.</p><p>Both lightning talks, <a href="yh4f.org">“Youth Hacking 4 Freedom”</a> by Bonnie Mehring and <a href="media/132fbee0.The20FSFE20-C37C3.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/presentations/The%20FSFE%20-C37C3.pdf"> “The Free Software Foundation Europe”</a> by Ana Galán, went quite well. Lightning talks usually attract a larger crowd at the Chaos Communication Congress, so it was no surprise that the hall was packed with hundreds of people. It was a great pleasure to reach out to so many people and introduce them to the FSFE and our activities.</p>

Bonnie Mehring presenting the FSFE’s programming competition “Youth Hacking 4 Freedom” at the 37C3
<p>Of course, we also had a reading of our well-known story <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/ada-zangemann.html">'Ada &amp; Zangemann'</a>. Bonnie Mehring had a pleasant time reading the book to a lot of kids at the Bits &amp; Bäume workshop space. As in previous sessions led by Bonnie Mehring, the session ended with a warm discussion about our favourite ice cream. It was fun to connect with the youngest participants about Free Software.</p><p>All in all, attending the Chaos Communication Congress was a great experience for our team, as we also had time to attend several talks, widen our network, enjoy being an “angel” helping with congress tasks, and have fun while spreading the word about software freedom. It really is worth a visit for everyone. It is not your usual conference but it is much more than that. We can’t wait to see you at  the next Chaos events!</p><p>Stay tuned and subscribe to our <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/newsletter.html">information updates</a> and follow us on <a href="media.fsfe.org">peertube</a>.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: nl-202401
title: Podcast episodes +++ Router Freedom tech wiki +++ Become our policy intern
uri: Podcast-episodes-Router-Freedom-tech-wiki-Become-our-policy-in
url: https://fsfe.org/news/nl/nl-202401.fr.html
content:
<h1>Podcast episodes +++ Router Freedom tech wiki +++ Become our policy intern</h1><p>
We are starting 2024 with a lot of energy, looking for a policy intern 
and with great news: two new SFP episodes, the Router Freedom tech wiki, 
the ‘Ada &amp; Zangemann’ ebook is free of charge in French, and we are looking 
forward to celebrating ‘I Love Free Software Day’ on 14 February!
</p>
	<img src="media/df9b24c9.ffddcc73fe45a2be26905cf75c61.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/f5/12/ffddcc73fe45a2be26905cf75c61.png"/>

<p>Table of contents</p>
<ol>
<li><a href="#Software-Freedom-Podcast">Software Freedom Podcast: Listen to our episodes about ‘What is Free Software’ and ‘Public Money? Public Code!’</a></li>
<li><a href="#Router-Freedom">Router Freedom: Good news: our tech wiki is now online! Bad news: Austria goes against Router Freedom</a></li>
<li><a href="#job-internship">Spread the Word! We are looking for a policy intern</a></li>
<li><a href="#Unblocking-User-Freedom">Unblocking User Freedom: The right to use adblockers</a></li>
<li><a href="#Ada-&amp;-Zangemann">‘Ada &amp; Zangemann’: What pupils write about proprietary software and why it motivates the author</a></li>
<li><a href="#Italian-Community-Meeting-2023">Italian Community Meeting 2023</a></li>
<li><a href="#Get-involved">Get Involved: I Love Free Software Day</a></li>
<li><a href="#quote-of-the-month">Quote of the Month</a></li>
<li><a href="#contribute-to-our-newsletter">Contribute to our Newsletter</a></li>
</ol>
<h3>Software Freedom Podcast: Listen to our episodes about ‘What is Free Software’ and ‘Public Money? Public Code!’</h3><p>During the past weeks we published two new episodes of our Software Freedom Podcast!</p><p>
In our episode number 23,  some FSFE staffers play <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/podcast/episode-23.html">a guessing game with terms related 
to Free Software</a>. This is the perfect episode for you to learn more 
about it and get a better understanding of some terms that you might 
not use daily.
</p><p>
Before that, we talked with Johannes Näder, Senior Policy Project 
Manager at the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE), about <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/podcast/episode-22.html">"Public Money? Public Code!", in 
our 22nd episode</a>.
</p><h3>Router Freedom: Good news: our tech wiki is 
now online! Bad news: Austria goes against Router Freedom</h3><p>
Have you ever thought about installing your own router but never had the 
chance to learn how to do it? Now you can with our <a href="https://docs.fsfe.org/en/teams/router-freedom-tech-wiki">Router 
Freedom tech wiki</a>, which provides information on the necessary steps 
you need to use to connect your own router! With the help of our team 
of volunteers from the Netherlands, you can check all the necessary 
steps to start using your own home router. Our 
policy and advocacy work continues, notwithstanding some regulatory 
hurdles. <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231201-01.html">The Austrian Regulatory 
Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications decided not to 
regulate the network operators</a> with regard to Router Freedom, 
allowing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to impose their equipment on 
consumers. We will continue to seek alternative ways to promote Router Freedom in the country. 
</p><p/><h3>Spread the Word! We are looking for a policy intern</h3><p>
The FSFE team is looking for <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231211-01.html">a motivated intern to support 
the FSFE’s policy activities</a> and contribute to our work to empower 
people to control technology. The person will work 35 hours per week 
with our team in the FSFE Berlin office for a period of six months.
</p><p>
"I joined FSFE as an intern in March 2023 because I have always 
been interested in European politics and because the slogan "Public 
Money? Public Code!" resonated deeply with my beliefs. The experience at 
FSFE has been great: I learned how to make our voice heard and I am 
proud of being part of a community of  many amazing people working and volunteering for 
software freedom.” - Dario Presutti, former policy intern
</p><h3>Unblocking User Freedom: The right to use adblockers</h3><p>
Companies increasingly aim to control how users interact with their 
content online, threatening user freedom. As more companies crack down 
on browser extensions and other third-party software used by internet 
users to customise their experiences, two recent German court cases on 
adblockers could strengthen the legal case for user control over 
technology.
</p><p>
Interesting? <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231220-01.html">Read our news 
item to find out more</a> about this topic.
</p><h3>"Ada &amp; Zangemann": What pupils write about proprietary software and why it motivates the author</h3><p>
Pupils all over the world are learning about the story of "Ada &amp; 
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. <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231207-01.html">Check out this message</a> from 
our president, Matthias Kirschner, to our readers.
</p><p>
The story of "Ada &amp; Zangemann" is now available in 
French and, thanks to the French Ministry of Education, you can download 
the ebook free of charge at <a href="https://cfeditions.com/ada">https://cfeditions.com/ada</a>(FR). And if 
you want to read the story about how this book was translated into 
French by some students, do not forget to read the quote there (FR) 
from Alexis Kauffmann, head of the Free Software and educational 
resources project at the Ministry of Education and Youth and founder of 
Framasoft.
</p><h3>Italian Community Meeting 2023</h3><p>
More than 20 volunteers and associations' members from all over Italy, 
online and in person, gathered in Bolzano for the Italian Community 
Meeting during SFSCON 2023 to discuss the future of Free Software 
in Italy. You can enjoy <a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/7SfNACpkJ1oiE8NHwYXbjL">the recording of 
the workshop in our Peertube Channel</a>.
</p><p>A sneak peek at the main topics discussed by our participants: Free 
Software in schools, the creation of a toolkit which can be adopted by 
all organizations to encourage the use of Free Software, and raising 
awareness about Free Software with the general public through simplified 
information!
</p><h3>Get Involved: I Love Free Software Day</h3><p>
On 14 February, we gather to celebrate "I Love Free Software Day". Join 
our local groups' events on that date, organise your own gathering, 
and/or send a message to thank the contributors of the Free Software 
project you really like.
</p><p>
For “I Love Free Software Day 2024: Forging the future with Free 
Software”, we want to focus on engaging young generations in Free 
Software as they are the ones who will shape the next years. For more 
information, ideas, and inspiration check out the <a href="https://ilovefs.org/">'I Love Free Software' activity page!</a>.
</p><h3>Quote of the Month</h3>
<p>“Dear Zangemann,
I used to like your inventions in fact I still like them but you are 
starting to use them in the wrong way. It’s not fair that some people 
have to eat, drink and listen to music they don’t like. When you do that 
to people can see you inside and how selfish you are. It’s much better 
if you share your inventions because it doesn’t mean they are stealing 
it, it means they just are borrowing it, and making it better. So please 
share your ideas. It will make our planet much better.”</p>
<p>— Nikita (from one of <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/ada-zangemann/letters.html">the letters sent to Zangemann</a>)</p><h3>Contribute to our Newsletter</h3><p>
We would love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, pictures, or 
news to share, please send them to us at 
newsletter@fsfe.org. You can also <a href="https://fsfe.org/donate/donate.html">support us</a>, <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/contribute.html">contribute to our work</a>, and <a href="https://fsfe.org/about/groups.html">join our community</a>. We would like to thank 
our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make 
our work possible, with a special mention to our translators who make it 
possible for you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.
</p><p>Your editors,
Ana and Tommi</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240117-01
title: NGI: € 21.6 million in grants for Free Software
uri: NGI-21-6-million-in-grants-for-Free-Software
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240117-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>NGI: € 21.6 million in grants for Free Software</h1><p>
The Next Generation Internet (NGI) Zero consortium, of which the FSFE is a 
partner, has just unveiled the NGI0 Commons Fund. This new public fund 
will award 21.6 million euro to small and medium R&amp;D projects 
developing Free Software technologies that can improve the Internet.
</p>
	<img src="media/4b282c6f.224760511fb6265da08a6493ce67.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/original/5c/52/224760511fb6265da08a6493ce67.png"/>
<p>
The <a href="https://nlnet.nl/NGI0/">Next Generation Internet Zero 
consortium</a> aims to build a more resilient, trustworthy, and open 
Internet that empowers end-users to control technology. Since 2018, FSFE 
has been a partner of this coalition, led by the <a href="https://nlnet.nl/NGI0/">NLNet Foundation</a>, providing support to 
several hundreds of Free Software projects with their legal and 
licensing issues. The FSFE has developed <a href="media/c3295ab9.FSFE20-20720-20FAQs20and20Background20Information.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/NGI0/V2/FSFE%20-%207%20-%20FAQs%20and%20Background%20Information.pdf">workflows 
and best practices</a> for such projects. We have also been promoting 
the <a href="http://reuse.software/">REUSE specification</a> as a way to 
simplify copyright and licence compliance for software projects.
</p><p>
The NGI Commons Fund will award over 21 million euro in small and medium 
R&amp;D grants to Free Software projects starting in 2024, until 2027. 
This makes the fund the single largest investment made by the European 
Commission’s <a href="https://NGI.eu/">Next Generation Internet 
initiative</a> since it became operational in 2019.
</p><h3>Simplified granting process</h3><p>
The grants (between 5,000 and 50,000 euro) are available to individuals 
and organisations of any type. One requirement for receiving a grant is 
that the project outcomes must be made publicly available under a Free 
Software license. For projects with high scalable potential, a scale-up 
programme is also available.
</p><p>
The scope of the open calls is broad, meaning that those working on 
technology commons across the entire technological spectrum can apply: 
operating systems, front and backend apps, AI, open hardware, encryption 
and security technologies, and many more areas are included.
</p><p>
The first call of <a href="https://nlnet.nl/commonsfund/">the NGI Zero 
Commons Fund</a> opens on <strong>1 February 2024, with a deadline of 
1 April 2024 12:00 CET (noon)</strong>. It will be followed by new 
opportunities every two months until the budget is fully allocated.
</p><p>
Besides financial support, the projects can count on a range of support 
services to improve the quality, maturity, and deployability of their 
efforts. Practical services such as security, accessibility audits, and 
packaging help to improve the quality and promote adoption of the 
projects. Services like mentoring and diversity management aim to 
strengthen the communities behind them or, in the case of the FSFE, to 
help with legal and licensing questions.
</p>
“We believe the NGI0 Commons Fund to be a crucial stepping stone for 
promoting the development of Free Software in Europe. Free Software is 
key for helping people to control technology in a democratic society.  
Fostering digital commons through these investments will render 
technologies more accessible and the internet less dependent on 
proprietary solutions”, Gabriel Ku Wei Bin, FSFE’s Legal Programme 
Manager.
<h3>About NGI Zero</h3><p>
The FSFE is a <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/ngi/ngi.html">consortium member of 
the Next Generation Internet (NGI)</a>, supported by the European 
Commission's <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/communications-networks-content-and-technology_en">DG 
CNECT</a>. The NGI has the mission to re-imagine and re-engineer the 
Internet to shape a value-centric, human and inclusive society for all. 
NGI Zero is a dynamic coalition of not-for-profit organisations 
founded in 2019 that together fund and support the development of 
technology commons as building blocks for the future of the Internet. 
NGI Zero encompasses a grant mechanism providing resources for 
several hundreds of Free Software projects.
</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240122-01
title: The FSFE partners with the Edulife Foundation to introduce Italian students to Free Software
uri: The-FSFE-partners-with-the-Edulife-Foundation-to-introduce-Italian-stu
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240122-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>The FSFE partners with the Edulife Foundation to introduce Italian students to Free Software</h1><p>In the framework of the ITS Academy LAST project, the Free Software Foundation Europe and the Edulife Foundation, the operational partner of ITS Academy LAST, have developed a two-year agreement to deliver educational content to students about Free Software legal aspects, policy and public awareness.</p>
	<img src="media/f1393b60.a24df523825e9c9c27b181b18554.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/d0/7a/a24df523825e9c9c27b181b18554.jpg"/>
<p>During <a href="https://sfscon.it">SFSCon 2023</a>, the FSFE and <a href="https://www.fondazioneedulife.org/">Edulife Foundation</a> kicked off a collaboration project to raise awareness about the benefits of Free Software to the next generation of innovators. The educational initiative aims to expose the students to Free Software, so they can positively contribute to how technology is developed. More than 50 students of the ITS Academy LAST were able to attend the kick-off at SFSCon, having the opportunity to listen to talks about Free Software as well as engage in discussions with experts from the FSFE and other speakers and enthusiasts.</p><p>For more than 20 years, the Edulife Research Foundation has been working to guide local students and educators in Italy towards the realisation of their professional and personal life goals. One the leading initiative is the <a href="https://www.olos311.org">“Observatory and Laboratory for Free Software”</a>. Antonio Faccioli, the scientific coordinator of the digital courses of the ITS Academy LAST, and a Free Software enthusiast, was the idealizer of this partnership.</p><p>This partnership represents an important step for the FSFE to engage with students and	educational communities in Italy. It is important to convey to next generation of professionals the message of Free Software, especially in broader contexts the mean of technology in a democratic society.</p><h3>The IT Free Software Knowledge Project</h3><p>Known as “IT Free Software Knowledge Project”, this two-year partnership started in November 2023. As part of this studies academic program, the FSFE has delivered educational content about Free Software, with a focus on Free Software legal issues, policy aspects and public awareness in the form of lectures. Besides, the students attended Free Software conferences, such as the <a href="sfscon.it/index.fr.html">SFSCon</a>, where they will be able to have a more practical approach and the opportunity to get in touch with leading experts of the Free Software world.</p><p>Should you want to receive further information on the IT Free Software Knowledge Project do not hesitate to get in touch with us at contact@fsfe.org. We are always on the look out for partners who share the same goals to foster a culture of Free Software on the territory. If you want to share a project idea please do not hesitate to contact us.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240126-01
title: Meet Jannes and Aaron, YH4F 2023 participants
uri: Meet-Jannes-and-Aaron-YH4F-2023-participants
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240126-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Meet Jannes and Aaron, YH4F 2023 participants</h1><p>Find out more about the Youth Hacking 4 Freedom participants of the 2023 edition. We are starting this series talking with Jannes and Aaron: both worked on projects related to school education, and it is particularly interesting to see how these two projects approached different aspects with a similar spirit.</p><img src="media/d6dc8200.0da002d353f2bfecfcb043ea9ea7.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/66/c6/0da002d353f2bfecfcb043ea9ea7.png"/><p>Aaron and Jannes are two German students, from North Westphalia and near Hamburg, respectively. They are 18 and 19 years old, and during Youth Hacking 4 Freedom 2023 they created <a href="https://codeberg.org/alaeseke/school_hub">School Hub</a> and <a href="https://git.warpnine.de/jannes/nanoly">Nanoly</a>+<a href="https://git.warpnine.de/jannes/shigoto">Shigoto</a>, two projects that they intend to continue to develop.</p><p>School Hub is an unified platform for school information both for students and teachers. It seeks to help the average student to use data more quickly, while being an alternative to similar proprietary apps. Nanoly and Shigoto are designed to have a more efficient and tailored environment for managing homework and study material.
In this interview, we will learn more about them!</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>: Hi to Aaron and Jannes! Before diving into the details, can you introduce yourselves?</p><p><strong>Aaron</strong>: I’m Aaron. I’m 18 years old and I come from North Westphalia, in Germany. I’ve been interested in computers from a very early age and it’s currently what I do as a hobby. It’s my passion.</p><p><strong>Jannes</strong>: My name is Jannes. I’m from Germany and I live near Hamburg. I’m currently 19 years old and I’m in the 13th grade, so this is my last year of school. I like programming. I also do sports: I like cycling a lot, and I practice Aikido in my free time.</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>: Could you introduce us to the project you developed for YH4F 2023?</p><p><strong>Aaron</strong>: My project is called “<a href="https://codeberg.org/alaeseke/school_hub">School Hub</a>”, it aims to be a unified platform for school information, both for students and teachers.</p>
	<img src="media/d19e7ead.1a5af2fa86fd6590b860cb62a4c1.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/2b/81/1a5af2fa86fd6590b860cb62a4c1.png"/>
	School Hub’s “news” section (<em>Neuigkeiten</em>)
<p>Very early in my time trying out Flutter [coding framework], I was incredibly interested and passionate about it. At the same time, the current software my school uses is proprietary and it’s crap. So I asked my school: “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if our school had a mobile app with these features and resources? I think it would be cool!” The idea was shot down for privacy reasons or because they did’t want to get involved.</p><p>That’s what made me think: “I need an app that I can open in the morning and I don’t have to sign in every morning; where I can see instantly for me which lessons are cancelled, substituted or otherwise if something special going on”. Nowadays we use Microsoft Teams, but all the data is communicated through chats: it’s not really stored anywhere properly. So the main point of the app is to take all the data it can collect, and present it in a nice way.</p>
	<img src="media/400d3d63.d8aea14bd6ef16f11e575bf2b98d.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/91/06/d8aea14bd6ef16f11e575bf2b98d.png"/>
	School Hub’s “substitutions” (<em>Vertretungen</em>) section
<p><strong>Jannes</strong>: I developed two sibling projects: <a href="https://git.warpnine.de/jannes/nanoly">Nanoly</a>, a file manager focused for school usage, and <a href="https://git.warpnine.de/jannes/shigoto">Shigoto</a>, a to-do list manager. By integrating them, my purpose was to provide students with a dashboard to manage their school work.</p><p>I’m working on my laptop most of the time, and I needed some sort of organization, as well as a tool for writing homework. I had very specific needs and use cases in mind, such as opening files with custom key-bindings, touch support, annotating PDFs, and other things. So I started building the UI and then writing the code for it. I learned a lot of new things along the way!</p>
	<img src="media/7cca3917.d070e7052f5add56fb4cca98e91d.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/db/ee/d070e7052f5add56fb4cca98e91d.png"/>
	Nanoly’s main page
<p>My main idea was to reduce the number of windows I have open on my screen in order to be more productive. I haven’t quite achieved this, because I decided to develop two parallel projects. But at least both concepts fit very well on one screen, and I don’t need anything else except the application that’s open to edit files, for example.</p>
	<img src="media/87064244.2087686ddd30132dd70402d01ac1.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/a4/57/2087686ddd30132dd70402d01ac1.png"/>
	An example of the Shigoto dashboard
<p><strong>FSFE</strong>: Not any kind of project, your projects are Free Software! How did you get in touch with the movement?</p><p><strong>Jannes</strong>: I first got into free software during the first covid lockdown. A friend convinced me to switch to Linux and invited me into a group chat with people, who all work/study in the IT sector. I joined their video calls and learned a lot from them about Linux, self-hosting, and other great free and open source software. During the same period, I also got into programming, and participated in some competitions. One of the people from the chat group told me about the YH4F competition, where I then learned how to make my own software into <em>Free</em> Software.</p><p><strong>Aaron</strong>: My family like to joke about being careful to give me a screwdriver, because otherwise I would disassemble all the devices in the house. I have been tinkering with computers since I was little. As I got older, I played around with it. I experimented with programming, trying out different kinds of software. And eventually I wrote one by my own.</p><p>At some point I became curious about installing Ubuntu. So I did. Later, I tried several different distributions. I switched off Windows completely. And I appreciate that my operating system doesn’t nag me all the time.</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>: You developed your software during YH4F 2023, where you also had the chance to meet other young developers as well as more senior Free Software contributors. How was this experience?</p><p><strong>Aaron</strong>: One thing I really enjoyed about the competition was the generous amount of time compared to my previous involvement in events or competitions. Most of the time, I have participated in hackathons where I only had a couple of days at most. It is just enough for a really small and light proof of concept. By putting more time and energy into my own project, I was able to make it much better. I also enjoyed the frequent meetings we had, as well as some guest presentations from some <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/yh4f/jury.html">prominent people</a>. It’s always nice to see how people do their things, which is something I don’t get to see very often.</p><p><strong>Jannes</strong>: There was quite a lot I learned! By participating also to the 2022 edition, it was such a long time that I invested into putting both competitions together, three projects in different areas. I learnt a bit about those areas. Just a little bit about the whole context, but a lot for me. I was able to help improve my coding skills. In terms of the competition itself, it was really great. There was a chat room, there were the monthly calls and it was super easy to interact with the other participants, which was very fun. I always felt particularly taken care of by the organizers, because we always had a way of contacting them to get some help if we needed it. The monthly calls were great to stay up to date and keep in touch with the others.</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>: The competition has finished, but life goes on. What are the future plans both for your project and for you?</p><p><strong>Jannes</strong>: First of all, I want to finish school and apply to the University of Hamburg. I hope to be accepted. Between the end of school and the start of the first semester there are about 21 weeks that I have to fill somehow. During this time, I really want to push my personal projects, because I still have a lot of them on my to-do list. I also want to try and get a small job where I can work in a team with others, hopefully coding, or maybe software testing.</p><p><strong>Aaron</strong>: Once I have a bit more free time and less stress around me, I can definitely see myself working on this project and seeing if I can make it more functional, ideally making it a little companion. Apart from the app, I really hope that I can continue with my studies. At the same time, I hope to be able to continue coding and developing free applications as a hobby, because that’s what I enjoy doing.</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>: Thank you Jannes and Aaron. We wish you a great future and a lot of success with your projects!</p><p>The new edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom has just started its coding period! Participants registration are still open, so you can still take part in the 2024 edition. Check out the <a href="https://yh4f.org">YH4F webiste to find out all the details about this competition</a>!</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240130-01
title: See you at FOSDEM 2024!
uri: See-you-at-FOSDEM-2024
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240130-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>See you at FOSDEM 2024!</h1><p>
It is that time of the year again. FOSDEM will take place in Brussels on 
3 and 4 February 2024. The Free Software Foundation Europe will be there 
with most of its staff and some of our volunteers! Are you planning to 
attend? If so, come meet us at our booth! 
</p>
  <img src="media/7eb117b0.a32ca6f95a79fa9394a055deface.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/original/c1/2b/a32ca6f95a79fa9394a055deface.jpg"/>
  <p>FOSDEM brings together thousands of Free Software enthusiasts in 
Brussels on the first weekend of February each year to discuss Free 
Software related topics. Once again, we are participating in this 
two-day event at the Free University of Brussels with our booth, the 
Legal and Policy Devroom that we co-organize, and other interesting 
talks. Our team will be there ready to meet you, engage in fruitful 
discussions and network with the Free Software Community. Come along to 
check out our  socks and t-shirts, along with a bunch of freshly-printed 
stickers!
</p><p>
If you are planning to come to FOSDEM, we encourage you to join our <a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23fosdem24:fsfe.org">Matrix FOSDEM 2024 
room</a>. Stay up to date and step by at our social gatherings!Indeed, 
if you are already in Brussels on Friday, you can join our first social 
gathering and catch up! Meeting point for dinner and drinks at La 
Mazette at 19:00h. <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/1196935388">See in Open Street 
Map</a>.
</p><h3>Saturday, 3 February</h3><p>
From Saturday, as usual, you will find us around, mainly at our booth. 
If you are a newcomer or a Free Software expert, our team will be happy 
to meet you at the FSFE booth. Come to chat with us and discuss about 
Free Software, get informed about our activities, share with us your 
impressions about our new stickers, and add a new t shirt - or a pair of 
socks - to your wardrobe. Our booth is the best place to find our team! 
<strong>The FSFE Booth is in Building K level 2. Group A - Community 
advocacy, 5</strong>.</p><p>Moreover, Saturday is the day during which our co-organized devroom, <a href="https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/track/legal/">the Legal and 
Policy Issues Devroom</a>, takes place. We have been co-organizing this 
devroom since 2020 and since then, FOSDEM participants have showed great 
interest in these topics. Our Legal and Policy Issues Devroom is taking 
place from 15:00 in Guillissen. One more year, together with our 
co-organisers Karen Sandler and Bradley Kuhn from Software Freedom 
Conservancy, and Tom Marble from Informatique, Inc., the FSFE’s 
Alexander Sander and Matthias Kirschner will be addressing key legal and 
policy topics related to Free Software.
</p><ul>
<li><strong>09:00h - 19:00h</strong> - FSFE Booth Building K level 2. Group A - Community advocacy, 5.</li>
<li>
<strong>15:00h - 19:00h</strong> - <a href="https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/track/legal/">Legal &amp; Policy 
Devroom Room</a>: UA2.220 (Guillissen)
</li>
	<ul>
		<li>
		<strong>15:00h – 15:05h</strong> -  Welcome to the Legal and Policy 
		Issues Devroom Room: UA2.220 (Guillissen)
		</li>
		<li>
		<strong>15:05h – 16:00h</strong> -  RHEL and CentOS and the growth of 
		openwashing in FOSS Room: UA2.220 (Guillissen)
		</li>
		<li><strong>16:00h – 16:30h</strong> -  Figuring out trademark policy on the fly Room: UA2.220 (Guillissen)</li>
		<li><strong>16:30h – 17:00h</strong> -  GPL’s Termination under German Law Room: UA2.220 (Guillissen)</li>
		<li>
		<strong>17:00h – 17:40h</strong> -  Further Restrictions, Imposed 
		Downstream on Copyleft, Wreak Havoc: Discussing A Plan of Action Room: 
		UA2.220 (Guillissen)
		</li>
		<li>
		<strong>17:40h – 18:10h</strong> - The new Swiss Open Source Law: 
		"Public Money Public Code" by default Room: UA2.220 (Guillissen)
		</li>
		<li>
		<strong>18:10h - 19:00h</strong> - Hot Topics: Organizers of the Legal 
		&amp; Policy DevRoom discuss the issues of the day Room: UA2.220 
		(Guillissen)
		</li>
	</ul>
</ul><p>
After a long day, what is better than a pizza? Join us to continue 
discussing about Free Software while we enjoy a yummy pizza. Meeting 
point at Otomat at 19:30h. <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/4665832791#map=19/50.85015/4.34708">See 
in Open Street Map</a>.
</p><h3>Sunday, 4 February</h3><p>On Sunday, our booth will be open from 9:00h until 17:00h. You will find 
there our team and volunteers who would love to explain you our 
activities. We are also coming with a lot of merchandising, but if you 
want to secure a t-shirt in your size, the sooner you are coming, the 
better!
</p><p>  
On this day, the <a href="https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/track/eu-policy/">"Open Source in 
the European Legislative Landscape" devroom</a> will take place. This 
devroom is run by Simon Phipps, Enzo Ribagnac, Maarten Aertsen, Axel 
Thévernet, Deb Bryant, Alexander Sander, and Gijs Hillenius, and the 
Community will discuss current policy topics with European legislators. 
There, Alexander Sander, FSFE's Senior Policy Consultant, will moderate 
the session on <a href="https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/event/fosdem-2024-3717-foss-policy-engagement-panel/">"FOSS Policy 
Engagement"</a>. After it, if you stay in that same room, you will have 
the chance to listen to Lina Ceballos, FSFE Policy Project Manager, who 
will open the session on <a href="https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/event/fosdem-2024-3710-public-services-interoperability-the-interoperable-europe-act-the-challenges-and-opportunities-for-the-free-and-open-source-communities-/">“Public 
Services interoperability”</a> and the Interoperable Europe Act, 
followed by a discussion between decision makers and the Community. 
Later that day, Lucas Lasota, FSFE Programme Manager, together with our 
Netherlands Coordinator Niko Rikken, will highlight the main challenges 
for <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/routers/">Router Freedom</a> and Device 
Neutrality in Europe. 
</p><p>
Finally, Niharika Singhal, FSFE’s Project Manger, will present the 
FSFE’s work on AI and license proliferation done within <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/zooom">the Zooom initiative</a>. The talk will be 
presented in the <a href="https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/track/ai_ml/">AI and Machine 
Learning devroom</a>.
</p><ul>
<li><strong>09:00 – 17:00</strong> - FSFE Booth Building K level 2. Group A - Community advocacy, 5.</li> 
<li><strong>12:30 – 13:10</strong> - FOSS policy engagement: workshop Room AW1.120</li>
<li>
<strong>13:35 – 14:10</strong> - Public services interoperability: The 
Interoperable Europe Act; the challenges and opportunities for the free 
and open source communities Room AW1.120
</li>
<li>
<strong>15:10 – 15:20</strong> - Digital Services Interoperability: 
Intertwining EU telecom law, the DMA, internet devices and Free Software 
Room AW1.120
</li>
<li>
<strong>16:00 – 16:15</strong> - Codes Bound by Ethics: The Rising Tide 
of Non-Free Software Licenses in AI ecosystems Room UB2.252A (Lameere)
</li>
</ul><p>
Of course, there will be many more interesting talks going on! You can 
check the schedule of the two day conference in the <a href="https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/">FOSDEM website</a>.
</p><p>Let’s close this two intense but insightful days with our last community 
gathering. Meeting point at 18:00 at the Cafè La Maison du Peuple. <a href="https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/3349536694">See in Open Street 
Map</a>.
</p><h3>Give us a hand!</h3><p>
Although we hope we do not have a lot of merchandising left at the end 
of the conference, tearing down the booth is usually not an easy task so 
we might need extra hands on Sunday. Contact our Office Assistant 
Francesca fi@fsfe.org if you can join us!
</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240206-01
title: Interoperable Europe Act adopted, close monitoring vital
uri: Interoperable-Europe-Act-adopted-close-monitoring-vital
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240206-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Interoperable Europe Act adopted, close monitoring vital</h1><p>Today the Interoperable Europe Act has been adopted in plenary with 524 votes in favour, 18 against and 97 abstentions. Although some of the potential of the regulation got undermined, the Act as a whole is an important opportunity for Free Software and its community to contribute to an interoperable Europe. The FSFE will closely monitor its implementation.</p>
	<img src="media/dbf4bd2b.d962d407ddb1848b0d547b554549.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/2a/0d/d962d407ddb1848b0d547b554549.png"/>
<p>Interoperability stands as a cornerstone in the establishment of a seamlessly connected and digitalized infrastructure. Through the Interoperable Europe Act, the EU is aiming to enhance interoperability in cross-border digital public services. The FSFE has urged decision makers to recognise the crucial role of Free Software and the expertise of its community in achieving this goal in this regulation. As with our <a href="https://publiccode.eu">Public Money? Pubic Code! Initiative</a>, we have demanded decision makers to acknowledge the role of Free Software in fostering digital European public administrations while having control and sovereignty over the software they are using and making sure that public funds are spent in the most efficient way.</p><p>In spite of our efforts to integrate the Free Software community into the decision making power body, the Interoperable Europe Board, decision makers have opted to involve this community solely within the Interoperable Europe Community. While this allows the community to provide expertise, it underscores the importance of closely monitoring the implementation of this regulation. Such monitoring helps identify opportune moments for civil society, including the Free Software community, to contribute effectively.</p><p>Beyond these limitations and some ambiguities in the wording in many parts of the text (see <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20231113-01.html">Interoperable Europe Act: an ambition that turned out to be watered-down</a>), we welcome that decision makers have heard some of <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20230323-02.html">our demands</a>. We managed to include provisions mandating the European Commission to provide an annual report on the development of Free Software interoperability solutions for public services, while including requirements to set up actions in support of Free Software interoperability solutions. These actions will be instrumental in assessing the Act’s success in prioritising the use of Free Software and will help us to keep being a watchdog on the matter.</p><p><em>With the text now finalised, the most crucial phase of the regulation begins - its implementation. We will monitor the implementation to make sure that Free Software reaches its full potential as an enabler of transparent, reusable and shareable solutions. We will also keep a close watch for opportunities where the Free Software community can engage and by providing its expertise support public administrations throughout the EU in delivering Free Software interoperable digital services</em> states Lina Ceballos, FSFE Policy Project Manager.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240208-01
title: Less than one week to I Love Free Software Day 2024!
uri: Less-than-one-week-to-I-Love-Free-Software-Day-2024
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240208-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Less than one week to I Love Free Software Day 2024!</h1><p>On 14 February Free Software communities around the world gather to celebrate developers, maintainers, and contributors of Free Software projects. Take part in one of the many events across Europe that celebrate this day!</p>
	<img src="media/8ddffbe1.550382e3bcb588c98397392a1662.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/7e/31/550382e3bcb588c98397392a1662.png"/>
<p>Just less than one week until many Free Software enthusiasts from all the world meet to celebrate “<a href="https://ilovefs.org/">I Love Free Software Day</a>”, an occasion to share gratitude and appreciation to those who make Free Software come true. This year, the focus of the celebration is on young generations, that’s why we are calling it “I Love Free Software Day 2024 – Forging the Future with Free Software”! In Italy, UK, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, and Netherlands, the FSFE local groups, as well as other Free Software communities and enthusiasts, are going to make this day special.</p><h3>In Bergamo, Italy, with Kenobit and Dario!</h3>
	<img src="media/cec3e399.5ba5d0b81ea2927939295a43f451.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/small/a1/2c/5ba5d0b81ea2927939295a43f451.png"/>
<p>This year, <a href="https://mobilizon.fr/events/6a1e8bba-fe08-48c9-b477-e544516493f4">a very big event</a> is taking place in Bergamo, Italy: together with <a href="https://bglug.it/">Bergamo Linux User Group</a> (BgLUG), we are hosting a workshop and discussion about the critical relevance Free Software has for music production. Our host for that night, <a href="https://livellosegreto.it/@kenobit">Kenobit</a>, is a chiptune music producer, a Fediverse administrator, and an exceptional creative mind! For I Love Free Software Day he is going to host a workshop about the use of Free Software for music production. This year’s I Love Free Software Day is focusing on young people, who are the next generation for Free Software. Kenobit is a well known DJ in Italy, and many young people can connect with his music. Moreover, FSFE’s project manager Dario Presutti is participating to moderate the conversation. The Bergamo event starts at 18:00 (CET) at Spazio Polaresco. The event is open for everybody, come and join the BgLUG for an evening full of Free Software!</p><p>If you are not in the Milan/Bergamo area, don’t worry! People are meeting in so many places it is likely that you can find an event near you!</p><h3>Other gatherings in Europe!</h3><p>In <strong>Italy</strong>, the <a href="https://lugbz.it/">Linux User Group of Bolzano/Bozen</a> is taking I Love Free Software Day as an opportunity to start a series of weekly meetings, the “<a href="https://www.lugbz.org/free-software-wednesdays/">Free Software Wednesdays</a>”! Check out their website to learn more. In Bologna, the <a href="https://twc-italia.org/">Tech Workers Coalition Italia</a> is using this day to begin the <a href="https://mobilizon.fr/events/6a1e8bba-fe08-48c9-b477-e544516493f4">“Free Software Syndacates” study group</a>!</p>
	<img src="media/825529f0.1c34030eea9b41fc27097bfb3e8cb31d.jpeg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/1c34030eea9b41fc27097bfb3e8cb31d.jpeg"/>
<p>In the <strong>UK</strong>, the FSFE Potteries (Staffordshire) local group is planning to host <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/Potteries">a cozy and welcoming evening</a> at the KPA Clubhouse, join them to have a great time!</p><p>In <strong>Germany</strong>, if you are around Wiesbaden, join the local Chaos Computer Club for <a href="https://www.cccwi.de/events/2024/01/20/ILoveFreeSoftware/">a series of lightning talks and a final round table</a>. In Berlin, the local FSFE group is going to be <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Events/Berlin/2024-02-14">meeting at xHain</a>, to share ideas and love about Free Software projects, while having a great time together.</p><p>In <strong>Spain</strong> two local groups are organising an event. There will be a meeting <a href="https://www.meetup.com/barcelona-free-software/events/298954182/">in Barcelona</a>, with a fun introduction to Free Software. While in Madrid a meeting will be organised in the local Makespace.</p><p>The <strong>Danish</strong> friends of FSFE are meeting <a href="https://freely.modspil.dk/agger/i-love-free-software-day-i-aarhus-onsdag-den-14">in Aarhus</a>. In <strong>Switzerland</strong>, the FSFE local group is meeting <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Events/Zurich/2024-02-14">in Zurich</a>.</p>
	<img src="media/6d818051.a286b7bc0840d68cfccd60fa15b4.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/35/04/a286b7bc0840d68cfccd60fa15b4.jpg"/>
<h3>Spread the word, share the love!</h3><p>Can’t join a celebration in person? Please do not let this prevent you from sharing the love and saying “Thank you” to Free Software developers and contributors! Here are some options:</p><ul>
	<li>create a short video with a “Thank You” message to your favourite Free Software project. You can then share it via your preferred social media channel with the hashtag #ilovefs.</li>
	<li>With our <a href="https://sharepic.fsfe.org/">Sharepic Generator</a>, create a Sharepic of yourself and include a personal “Thank You” message. Then you can share it on social media using the hashtag #ilovefs.</li>
</ul><p>Any other information is on <a href="https://ilovefs.org/">the I Love Free Software page</a>. Feel free to reach out to <a href="mailto:contact@fsfe.org">contact@fsfe.org</a> if you have any questions, we hope to be seeing you soon!</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: nl-202402
title: Celebrate I Love Free Software Day +++ Interoperable Europe Act adopted
uri: Celebrate-I-Love-Free-Software-Day-Interoperable-Europe-Act-adopte
url: https://fsfe.org/news/nl/nl-202402.fr.html
content:
<h1>Celebrate I Love Free Software Day +++ Interoperable Europe Act adopted</h1><p>Once again, FOSDEM did not disappoint! Meeting the Free Software community in Brussels is always one of the best moments of the year! And just before we meet again to celebrate I Love Free Software Day with the great news of the Interoperable Europe Act being adopted! This newsletter also includes our first interviews with 2023 Youth Hacking 4 Freedom participants… and more!</p>
	<img src="media/6d474abe.07a3e026bbd277f569dd3ebd21c6.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/be/24/07a3e026bbd277f569dd3ebd21c6.png"/>
<p>Table of contents:</p><ul>
	<li><a href="#i-love-free-software-day-2024-join-an-event">I Love Free Software Day 2024: Join an event!</a></li>
	<li><a href="#interoperable-europe-act-adopted-close-monitoring-vital">Interoperable Europe Act adopted, close monitoring vital</a></li>
	<li><a href="#meet-jannes-and-aaron-yh4f-2023-participants">Meet Jannes and Aaron, YH4F 2023 participants</a></li>
	<li><a href="#edulife">The FSFE partners with the Edulife Foundation to introduce Italian students to Free Software</a></li>
	<li><a href="#ngi-21.6-million-in-grants-for-free-software">NGI: € 21.6 million in grants for Free Software</a></li>
	<li><a href="#take-action-help-us-spread-the-word-about-router-freedom">Take action: Help us spread the word about Router Freedom!</a></li>
	<li><a href="#quote">Quote of the Month</a></li>
	<li><a href="#contribute">Contribute to our Newsletter</a></li>
</ul><h3><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240208-01.html">I Love Free Software Day 2024: Join an event!</a></h3><p>On 14 February Free Software communities around the world gather to celebrate developers, maintainers, and contributors of Free Software projects. Take part in one of the many events across Europe that celebrate the contributors to our favorite type of software: Free Software!</p><p>On this day we reach out to those people behind Free Software and say “Thank you” for their work and help throughout the year. </p><p><a href="https://ilovefs.org/">Visit the activity’s website</a> to learn more about “I Love Free Software Day 2024: Forging the Future with Free Software”.</p><h3><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240206-01.html">Interoperable Europe Act adopted, close monitoring vital</a></h3><p>The Interoperable Europe Act has been adopted, on 6 February, in plenary with 524 votes in favour, 18 against, and 97 abstentions. Although some of the potential of the regulation got undermined, the Act as a whole is an important opportunity for Free Software and its community to contribute to an interoperable Europe. The FSFE will closely monitor its implementation.</p><h3><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240126-01.html">Meet Jannes and Aaron, YH4F 2023 participants</a></h3><p>Find out more about the Youth Hacking 4 Freedom participants in the 2023 edition! We are starting this series of interviews talking with Jannes and Aaron: both worked on projects related to school education, and it is particularly interesting to see how these two projects approached different aspects with a similar spirit.</p><h3><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240122-01.html">The FSFE partners with the Edulife Foundation to introduce Italian students to Free Software</a></h3><p>In the framework of the ITS Academy LAST project, the Free Software Foundation Europe and the Edulife Foundation, the operational partner of ITS Academy LAST, have developed a two-year agreement to deliver educational content to students about Free Software legal aspects, policy, and public awareness.</p><h3><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240117-01.html">NGI: € 21.6 million in grants for Free Software</a></h3><p>The Next Generation Internet (NGI) Zero consortium, of which the FSFE is a partner, has just unveiled the NGI0 Commons Fund. This new public fund will award 21.6 million euro to small and medium R&amp;D projects developing Free Software technologies that can improve the Internet.</p><h3>Take action: Help us spread the word about Router Freedom!</h3><p>Since several countries have officially introduced the possibility for users to use their own routers, we want to encourage people to try out and enjoy this freedom. <a href="https://fsfe.org/donate?mtm_campaign=routerfreedom">We need your help</a> to design, publish, and print materials that can be used on booths and at other in-person events, so people can talk about and collectively learn about using their own routers.</p><ul>
	<li><strong>Leaflet</strong>: If we raise <strong>3,000 euros</strong>, we can cover the costs for the design and printing of a new leaflet with a nice and intuitive design for the decision tree, as well as with basic information about Router Freedom. As are all our information materials, it will also be available under a free license on <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword">our website</a>.</li>
	<li><strong>Sticker</strong>: As a thank you for your help, did you know that you can order our <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword#device-neutrality">Router Freedom sticker</a> for free to show off on your liberated router/modem?</li>
</ul><h3>Quote of the month</h3>
	<p>I believe Free Software needs a voice at the national as well as the EU level in politics: Software does not exist in an isolated bubble, it’s heavily dependent on the ecosystem that it lives in. In my opinion Free Software as well as open standards are key to creating a society that provides equal access.</p>
<p>Isabel Drost-Fromm (Software Engineer and Member of the Apache Software Foundation)</p><h3>Contribute to our Newsletter</h3><p>We would love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, pictures, or news to share, please send them to us at newsletter@fsfe.org. You can also <a href="https://fsfe.org/donate.html">support us</a>, <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/contribute.html">contribute to our work</a>, and <a href="https://fsfe.org/about/groups.html">join our community</a>. We would like to thank our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make our work possible, with a special mention to our translators who make it possible for you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.</p><p>Your editors,
Ana and Tommi</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: episode-24
title: SFP#24: The status of Free Software with Karen Sandler and Alexander Sander
uri: SFP-24-The-status-of-Free-Software-with-Karen-Sandler-and-Alexander-S
url: https://fsfe.org/news/podcast/episode-24.fr.html
content:
<h1>SFP#24: The status of Free Software with Karen Sandler and Alexander Sander</h1><p>Have there been any changes for Free Software in Europe or the USA in the last year? How is Free Software viewed by legislators? What can we do to support software freedom? Karen Sandler and Alexander Sander are active in the Free Software movement and share their views on the current status of Free Software in our society.
</p><p>Karen Sandler is the executive director of the <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/">Software Freedom Conservancy</a> and has a background in law and engineering. Our second guest for this  episode is the FSFE's Senior Policy Consultant, Alexander Sander. In his work, Alex focuses on policy topics, always raising the status of Free Software within Europe. Over the past year, he has met with many decision-makers in Europe such as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) or officials from the European Commission and Council, to talk about Free Software, for example in relation to the AI Act, the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), or the Product Liability Directive (PLD).</p><p>At the same time, across the ocean, the Software Freedom Conservancy has been working <a href="https://sfconservancy.org/news/2023/dec/06/sfc-amicus-curiae-in-dmca-suit/">with a broad alliance</a> to advocate for the right to repair.</p><p>In short a lot has happened in the past year. Luckily, Alex and Karen are here to talk with our host Bonnie about the current situation and what we still need to do for software freedom. Learn more about the state of Free Software with Alex and Karen and find out how you can support software freedom.</p><p>This is the perfect episode for everybody who needs a quick summary of the past year. Let's start software freedom!</p><p>Show notes</p><ul>https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/small/13/04/1eca3b91f7d5d338f8f2c6876d6c.png
	<li><a href="https://sfconservancy.org/">Software Freedom Conservancy</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://sfconservancy.org/news/2023/dec/06/sfc-amicus-curiae-in-dmca-suit/">"Amicus curiae brief": SFC joins amicus curiae in Green v. Department of Justice</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://sfconservancy.org/usethesource/">Use the source</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://sfconservancy.org/casts/the-corresponding-source/">Software Freedom Conservancy Podcast</a> with Karen Sandler</li>
	<li><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20230824-01.html">Liability, Interoperability and Free Software in EU: what we are expecting</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20221206-01.html">EU Declaration of Digital Rights and Principles falls short of its ambitions</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://publiccode.eu/en/">"Public Money? Public Code!"</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/Activities/ContactingAdministrationsForPMPC">"Public Money? Public Code!": contact your local public bodies</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/">FSFE's activities and how you can join our work for software freedom</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://fosdem.org/2024/schedule/track/legal/">FOSDEM Legal and Policy Issues devroom</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://valetudo.cloud/">Valetudo: liberate your vacuum robot</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://dedalo.dev/">Dédalo: Managing Cultural Heritage Archives</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://mujerymemoria.org/web/">Mujer y memoria</a></li>
</ul><p>If you liked this episode and want to support our continuous work for software freedom, please help us with a donation.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240226-01
title: "I Love Free Software Day" 2024: Forging the future with Free Software
uri: I-Love-Free-Software-Day-2024-Forging-the-future-with-Free-Software
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240226-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>"I Love Free Software Day" 2024: Forging the future with Free Software</h1><p>
Together with hundreds of people and several organisations, we have 
celebrated another "I Love Free Software Day" on 14 February! On this 
day, we reached out to Free Software contributors to say Thank you! To 
all who joined us this time: Thank you for participating in this 14th 
edition of the "I Love Free Software Day" ❤️❤️❤️!
</p><p>
The "I Love Free Software Day" 2024 focused on younger generations and 
how to introduce them into the Free Software community. Therefore, several 
of our local groups celebrated this day with a meeting focused on 
younger people. The rest just focused on the main "I Love Free Software 
Day" idea: to acknowledge the amazing Free Software community, thanking 
Free Software projects and sharing their love for Free Software. And 
while several FSFE local groups - in Italy, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, 
England, Germany, and Switzerland - got together and celebrated their love 
for software freedom in person, we were happy to see how other other members 
of the Free Software community joined our call and 
organised meetings, like the one in Portugal.
</p>
<img src="media/cec3e399.5ba5d0b81ea2927939295a43f451.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/small/a1/2c/5ba5d0b81ea2927939295a43f451.png"/>
<h3>I Love Free Software Day celebrations 2024</h3><p>
For this year the FSFE planned a special gift for several 
organisations and long-term volunteers to get them ready for 'I Love 
Free Software' day. We gave them an acrylglas heart and an LED strip, 
plus a microcontroller and some jump wires. The challenge? To tinker 
around with these things and to upload a picture of the heart on 14 
February. It turned out to be <a href="https://rwright.co/i-love-free-software-day">quite a 
challenge</a>, but a lot of fun!
</p>
		<img src="media/d807243e.a0fe516893e0e4a52ed1cbe128d3.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/db/72/a0fe516893e0e4a52ed1cbe128d3.png"/>
	<p>
	For the celebrations in 2024, over a hundred people came together in <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/ilovefs/">13 local meetings</a> organised by either 
	FSFE local groups or other Free Software groups in seven different 
	countries. The celebrations were as different as the groups. The local 
	group in Aarhus, Denmark, organised a reading of the children's book <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/ada-zangemann/">"Ada &amp; Zangemann"</a>, while the 
	Portuguese organisation <a href="https://esop.pt/destaque/esop-vai-participar-no-7o-debate-do-gt-pasc-democracia-cidadania-e-inclusao-social">esop 
	organised a translation</a> of this book into Portuguese.
	</p>
		<img src="media/fc20ea85.fd8baf4b7cc380f67b7a4ef18377.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/69/5e/fd8baf4b7cc380f67b7a4ef18377.jpg"/>
		"'I Love Free Software Day' celebration in Zurich, Switzerland"
	
		<img src="media/1a904815.f94d697372ee28d2e26a7ca772e2.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/dc/ab/f94d697372ee28d2e26a7ca772e2.jpg"/>
		"'I Love Free Software Day' celebration in Potteries, England"
	
		<img src="media/10d6fe22.f3e2fa86dbcc44a29417e7d33a31.JPG" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/55/37/f3e2fa86dbcc44a29417e7d33a31.JPG"/>
		"'I Love Free Software Day' celebration in Bergamo, Italy"
	<p>
	There are many more thank you messages and blogposts out there 
	highlighting the work of Free Software contributors. It is touching to 
	see so many people, companies, and organisations joining us for this 
	special day and reaching out to the people who work for software 
	freedom. For a longer read we recommend the full <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/ilovefs/report/report_2024">"I Love Free 
	Software Day: Forging the future" report</a>.
	</p><p>Thank you for joining this year's “I Love Free Software” celebrations ❤️ ❤️ ❤️</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240301-01
title: FOSDEM 2024 was a blast!
uri: FOSDEM-2024-was-a-blast
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240301-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>FOSDEM 2024 was a blast!</h1><p>
At the beginning of February, FSFE volunteers and staffers went back to 
Brussels to take part in FOSDEM 2024 with a booth and talks. While for 
some of us this has become an awesome yearly experience, it was the 
first time for others. Thanks to everyone who came to FOSDEM, visited 
our booth for a nice chat, and joined us during our social events!
</p><p>
For many members of our community, FOSDEM marks the beginning of the 
annual Free Software conferences. It is also one of the largest 
conferences on Software Freedom, so as a Free Software enthusiast it is 
one of the places to be.
</p><p>
While most of our staff and volunteers have marked the first weekend of 
February in their calendars for years, some FSFE members attended for 
the first time. We asked one of them, <a href="https://tommi.space/">Tommi</a>, a Free Software enthusiast 
and FSFE intern, about his first FOSDEM experience.
</p>
	<p>“When I was asked to go to FOSDEM, my answer was of course! 
	So, a couple of weeks ago, I caught a train to Brussels and took part in 
	the first FOSDEM of my life. It won’t be the last one.</p>
	<p>It is hard to explain how incredible an experience it was to 
	attend the conference. What struck me the most was to finally give a 
	face and an identity to usernames contributing to Free 
	Software. Up to FOSDEM, I personally met only a few people directly 
	involved in the universe of open technologies that I have been 
	following in the past few years. FOSDEM gave me the opportunity to 
	finally have a face-to-face conversation with a lot of developers and 
	members of the Free Software community, and I expressed my gratitude to 
	them.</p>
	<p>Both by standing at our booth and by wandering around, I could 
	not help but feel surrounded by like-minded people who believe in the 
	importance of Software Freedom, and more broadly in technology 
	developed by the people for the people. I chatted face-to-face with 
	developers and maintainers of projects whose existence literally 
	changed my life, and all this happened in a self-organized and 
	volunteer-led environment, making it even more interesting and 
	captivating. Of course, there was also time to attend really 
	interesting talks, and I had the chance to listen to my colleagues in 
	front of an audience. It was also great to have the chance to meet a 
	lot of FSFE volunteers and engage in interesting discussions with them 
	during our social events.”</p>

	<img src="media/0b590b5d.c0dc9a85f12e912c90380098daaa.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/f4/77/c0dc9a85f12e912c90380098daaa.jpg"/>
	Our team and volunteers at our FOSDEM 2024 booth!
<p>
For this year, we had a booth at FOSDEM with <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword.html">promotion material</a> and <a href="https://fsfe.org/order/index.html">merchandising</a>. Thanks to everyone who gave 
us a hand there!
</p><p>
If you missed FOSDEM or didn’t have time to attend all of our 
sessions, don’t worry! Have a look at the devrooms we co-organized 
this year and took part in, so that you can learn something new, deepen your 
knowledge, and improve your Free Software skills.
</p>
	
	<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/aQs7EbEUQGt4DP13SsqAJ7">Legal and Policy issues Devroom</a>

	
	<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/9anGpCP2t8355qd3aUyQhC">CRA &amp; PLD: Free Software in the European legislative landscape</a>, the first of four parts of the <a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/p/xoLLMjgsgDFdcVNBwKyn3m">EU policy devroom</a>

	
	<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/thWtSBLxNRRAkiiMPamjdg">Codes Bound by Ethics: The Rising Tide of Non-Free Software Licenses in AI ecosystems</a>


<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/8GSutX7VcnGtMiqm3Ng96m">Presenting Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, FSFE programming competition for European teenagers</a>
<p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: nl-202403
title: I love FS celebrations +++ FOSDEM 2024 +++ SFP episode
uri: I-love-FS-celebrations-FOSDEM-2024-SFP-episode
url: https://fsfe.org/news/nl/nl-202403.fr.html
content:
<h1>I love FS celebrations +++ FOSDEM 2024 +++ SFP episode</h1><p>
Our March newsletter is here! Last month took us to FOSDEM, while ‘I 
Love Free Software Day’ was celebrated all over Europe. We also launched 
a new SFP episode on the state of Free Software and a discussion on 
banking and Software Freedom. Check out some interesting reading and 
event recommendations!
</p><ul>
<li><a href="#fosdem-was-a-blast">FOSDEM was a blast!</a></li>
<li><a href="#thanks-to-all-who-made-i-love-free-software-day-2024-a-great-success">Thanks to all who made I Love Free Software Day 2024 a great success!</a></li>
<li><a href="#sfp-the-status-of-free-software-with-karen-sandler-and-alexander-sander">SFP: The status of Free Software with Karen Sandler and Alexander Sander</a></li>
<li><a href="#software-freedom-in-banking">Software Freedom in banking</a></li>
<li><a href="#about-device-neutrality-dma-and-software-licensing">About Device Neutrality, DMA and software licensing</a></li>
<li><a href="#join-our-next-events">Join our next events!</a></li>
<li><a href="#take-action-spread-the-word-about-fedigov">Take action: spread the word about FediGov!</a></li>
<li><a href="#quote-of-the-month">#Quote of the month</a></li>
<li><a href="#contribute-to-our-newsletter">Contribute to our Newsletter</a></li>
</ul>
	<img src="media/b5a2b8f9.2ae27535a203e9472b8352ba1108.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/19/e2/2ae27535a203e9472b8352ba1108.png"/>
<h3>FOSDEM was a blast!</h3><p>
At the beginning of February, FSFE volunteers and staffers went back to 
Brussels to take part in <a href="https://fosdem.org/2024">FOSDEM 
2024</a> with a booth and talks. While for some of us this has become an 
awesome yearly experience, it was the first time for others. We asked 
one of our interns to share his thoughts about his first time there, but 
we also collected the recordings of the talks and devrooms we were 
involved with.
</p><p><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240229-01.html">Find out more</a>!</p><h3>Thanks to all who made I Love Free Software Day 2024 a great success!</h3><p>
Together with hundreds of people and several organisations, we have 
celebrated another “<a href="https://ilovefs.org/">I Love Free Software 
Day</a>” on 14 February! On this day, we reached out to Free Software 
contributors to say “Thank you!” To all who joined us this time: Thank you 
for participating in this 14th edition of the “I Love Free Software Day” 
❤️❤️❤️!
</p><p>Read <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240226-01.html">the report</a>!</p><h3>SFP: The status of Free Software with Karen Sandler and Alexander Sander</h3><p>
Have there been any changes for Free Software in Europe or the USA in 
the last year? How is Free Software viewed by legislators? What can we 
do to Support Software Freedom? Karen Sandler and Alexander Sander are 
active in the Free Software movement and share their views on the 
current status of Free Software in our society.
</p><p><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/podcast/episode-24.html">Listen to it</a> now!</p><h3>Software Freedom in banking</h3><p>
Are you forced to use proprietary applications when dealing with your 
bank? What is the relationship between banking applications and Free 
Software? Our staff member Florian Snow has been 
researching this topic and found that banks are pushing the development 
and use of proprietary applications for two-factor 
authentification. In doing so, they are restricting users' freedom to 
choose a one-time password generator of their choice.
</p><p>
Read more and take part in <a href="https://lists.fsfe.org/pipermail/discussion/2024-February/013383.html">the 
discussion on the mailing list</a> and <a href="https://mastodon.social/@floriansnow/111980368441061603">on the 
fediverse</a>!
</p><h3>About Device Neutrality, the DMA, and software licensing</h3><p>
In recent years, the FSFE team has been working for <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/deviceneutrality/">Device Neutrality</a>, 
promoting ways to re-empower users to control their devices by running 
Free Software on them. With the upcoming entrance into force of the latest 
EU legislation on this area – the Digital Markets Act – policy makers 
are interested in the strategies adopted by large tech corporations 
(gatekeepers) to comply with the DMA. The FSFE was contacted by the 
Headquarters for Digital Market Competition of Japan (HDMC) regarding 
Apple’s strategy to comply with the DMA and its impact on Free Software. 
Our staff prepared a study in collaboration with F-Droid. You can read 
the <a href="media/17cb8ffd.fsfe-apple-report-final.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/device-neutrality/fsfe-apple-report-final.pdf">
report here</a> (PDF).
</p><p>
In regard to the DMA, we also recommend reading a paper 
that our Legal Programme Manager, Lucas Lasota, has published <a href="https://edoc.hu-berlin.de/handle/18452/28971">linking the DMA, 
Free Software, and freedom of terminal equipment</a>. This study puts 
into perspective the role Free Software has in facilitating the process of 
achieving fairness and contestability of digital markets. As a case 
study, this article presents the recent regulatory developments 
involving routers and modems in the EU, and the interaction telecom 
operators’ monopolistic practices have with Free Software.
</p><p>
Last but not least, the FSFE has also provided an in-depth analysis of 
the compliance workflow adopted for the Next Generation Internet (NGI) 
initiative. The study analyzes the <a href="https://edoc.hu-berlin.de/handle/18452/28972">compliance issues 
software projects may face during their implementation of Free Software 
licenses</a>. This article concludes with the lessons learned from the 
experience gathered in the three years of implementation of the 
compliance workflow established for the NGI initiative, and especially 
notes how <a href="http://reuse.software/">REUSE</a> plays a 
game-changing role in this context.
</p><p>Please share these publications to strengthen our efforts towards Software Freedom!</p><h3>Join our next events!</h3><p>
For first time, we are participating in the <a href="https://circonomiafano.it/">Circonomia Festival</a> in Fano (PU), 
Italy. There, we will be hosting, from 8 to 10 March, <a href="https://tommi.space/fedilab">a workshop</a> on decentralized and 
sustainable networks and Free Software, and a reading of the book “<a href="https://ada.fsfe.org/">Ada &amp; Zangemann</a>” in Italian. You 
are welcome to join us any of the three days! Find out more in <a href="https://fsfe.org/events/#event-20240308-01">the event page</a>.
</p><p>
A weekend later, on 16 and 17 March, you can meet as in the <a href="https://chemnitzer.linux-tage.de/">Chemnitzer Linux Days</a>! One 
more year we are attending this long-standing event for education about 
Linux and Free Software. We will be present with an information booth, 
and on Saturday, the FSFE’s Policy Project Manager, Johannes Näder, will 
present <a href="http://yh4f.org/">Youth Hacking 4 Freedom</a>, the Free 
Software competition for young people aged 14-18, currently in its 
third edition.
</p><p>
And if you are in Utrecht that Saturday, on 16 March, stop by at our 
info booth at the national <a href="https://nllgg.nl">Dutch Linux Users Group (NLLGG) meeting!</a>
</p><p>Remember that you can find all the information about our events at <a href="https://fsfe.org/events/">events.fsfe.org</a>.</p><h3>Take action: spread the word about FediGov!</h3><p>
<a href="https://fedigov.eu/">FediGov</a> is an initiative by the FSFE 
Swiss local group, together with GNU/Linux.ch, which aims to raise 
awareness among public institutions to use federated Free Software 
solutions to communicate with the public.
</p><p>
<a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20230109-01.html">This campaign</a> 
encourages individuals to ask their governments to adopt federated 
and decentralized communications by explaining to their local 
authorities the importance of sovereign communications in the public 
sector.
</p><p>
You can help by spreading the word at the local level, but also by 
contributing to the website with translations or improvements! <a href="https://fedigov.eu/#section6_id">Take action!</a>
</p><h3>Quote of the month</h3>
<p>I think the best thing about YH4F is that it promotes Free Software 
alternatives to people who haven’t had the chance to realize the 
benefits of such projects. I use Free Software pretty frequently, 
especially when it comes to operating systems.</p>
<p>Alexia, <a href="https://yh4f.org/">Youth Hacking 4 Freedom</a> 2022 participant</p><h3>Contribute to our Newsletter</h3><p>
We would love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, pictures, or 
news to share, please send them to us at newsletter@fsfe.org. You can 
also <a href="https://fsfe.org/donate/donate.html">support us</a>, <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/contribute.html">contribute to our work</a>, and <a href="https://fsfe.org/about/groups.html">join our community</a>. We would like to thank 
our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make 
our work possible, with a special mention to our translators who make it 
possible for you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.
</p><p>Your editors,
Ana and Tommi</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240307-01
title: Let’s make Device Neutrality a reality in Europe!
uri: Let-s-make-Device-Neutrality-a-reality-in-Europe
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240307-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Let’s make Device Neutrality a reality in Europe!
</h1><p> As the Digital Markets Act comes into effect today, Device 
Neutrality starts to become  a tangible reality in the European Union. 
While acknowledging the new law, the FSFE alerts that this is only the first 
step and further commitment is necessary.</p>
  <img src="media/9839a8f9.58622b1832738c71e85a538cb518.jpeg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/a1/05/58622b1832738c71e85a538cb518.jpeg"/>
  <p>Digital devices are becoming increasingly important tools in our 
daily tasks, with more and more of us using them in different areas of 
our lives. However, we, as end-users, are losing control over them – 
especially the ability to run Free Software – due to unfair practices by 
device manufacturers, vendors, and platforms.</p><p><a href="https://deviceneutrality.org/">Device Neutrality</a> aims to 
restore end-user control over devices by 
ensuring software freedom in devices, protecting users from lock-ins and 
promoting their control over data in devices. It seeks to enable 
end-users to run the software of their choice and use services 
independently of the control exercised by hardware manufacturers, 
vendors, and platforms, known as gatekeepers.</p><p>Some aspects of Device Neutrality are imposed on large tech 
companies by the <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32022R1925">Digital 
Markets Act (DMA)</a>, a recent EU law that 
enters into force on 7 March, to reestablish higher degrees of 
competition in digital markets. Therefore, <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_4328">the 
DMA will be applicable 
to six gatekeepers</a>: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Bytedance, Meta, and 
Microsoft.</p><p>
The FSFE has been involved with the DMA throughout the legislative process, 
and welcomes its entry into force, which makes several elements of 
Device Neutrality legally enforceable. However, while the DMA represents 
a very important step in holding gatekeepers accountable for their 
negative disruptions and distortions in digital markets, the law alone 
is not enough to promote Device Neutrality to the extent necessary to 
re-empower end-user control over devices.
</p><h2>The Digital Markets Act: only a first step towards Device 
Neutrality</h2><p>Initially, the enforcement of the DMA will be 
challenging, as the law addresses diverse aspects of devices including 
the (un)installation of software,  the use of third-party apps stores 
and payment systems, interoperability obligations for operating systems 
and messaging apps, and some degree of real-time data portability. 
Imposing legal obligations on such elements will require considerable 
enforcement efforts and proper monitoring of the technical solutions 
implemented by the gatekeepers.</p><p>Besides, similarly to <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/routers/routers.html">Router 
Freedom</a> where network operators create 
various barriers and hurdles for end-users to exercise that right, 
gatekeepers may try hard to avoid implementing solutions that will 
fully benefit end-users, but rather may use the law in ways that can hinder 
end-users’ rights related to Device Neutrality. For instance, the tech 
company Apple – one of the gatekeepers – has already gone to court to 
avoid the DMA obligations, and decided to implement <a href="media/17cb8ffd.fsfe-apple-report-final.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/device-neutrality/fsfe-apple-report-final.pdf">an 
absurd strategy against third-party apps 
stores (PDF)</a> that will negatively impact the ability of 
alternatives such as F-Droid to enter iOS environments.</p><p>For these reasons, the FSFE will collaborate with the 
European Commission and other regulators to monitor compliance with the 
DMA, so that the DMA will act as a catalyst for Device Neutrality rather than an 
additional barrier to it.</p><p>“DMA represents a bold step from the EU to regulate large 
companies acting as gatekeepers over devices. However, proper 
implementation of the law will be challenging, and it will require 
strict monitoring from civil society to safeguard Device Neutrality. 
Open Internet needs Device Neutrality. Free Software is key to achieve 
that”.</p>
<p> -Lucas Lasota, FSFE’s Legal Programme Manager -</p>
<h2>Going beyond very large platforms</h2><p>The DMA is limited to big tech companies. The law only applies to 
enterprises providing services to at least 45 million monthly active 
end-users established or located in the EU on a yearly basis. Taking into 
account other quantitative restrictions, Device Neutrality is safeguarded 
by the law against only a handful of gatekeepers. 
Smaller companies may also engage in predatory behavior against 
Device Neutrality, negatively impacting end-users' rights. However, they 
are not covered by the DMA.</p><p>That’s why the FSFE is promoting Device Neutrality in a much broader 
context to include not only large companies but any device 
manufacturer, vendor, or platform. We strongly believe that software 
freedom should be the default standard and end-users should not be 
imprisoned into lock-ins. Tech companies should not trap users into 
walled gardens that limit what they can do with their devices.</p>
  <img src="media/f1ce9d97.f69b91bf2163be13a54093488f09.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/small/e4/d6/f69b91bf2163be13a54093488f09.png"/>
  
  Check the new webpage for <a href="https://deviceneutrality.org/">Device Neutrality</a> and <a href="media/0877c2b8.poster.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/device-neutrality/poster.pdf">help 
  spread the word with our poster</a>!
  
  <p>In parallel to its involvement with the DMA, the FSFE is launching <a href="https://deviceneutrality.org/">a 
new website for Device Neutrality</a> to raise public awareness of topics 
concerning Device Neutrality. This site points to in-depth insights 
about Device Neutrality and Free Software, downloadable promotional 
material, and ways to  spread the word. Check it out!</p><h2>Supporting the work on Device Neutrality</h2><p>Higher degrees of openness and equality in digital markets can only 
be achieved when end-users can enjoy software freedom with their 
devices. The DMA is the first step, and the FSFE will continue to work 
for Device Neutrality in different areas: monitoring DMA 
implementation, overseeing compliance, collaborating with regulators 
and policy makers, promoting public awareness, and expanding the 
agenda beyond gatekeepers. For that, we count on your support for our 
work with a donation. Get active and help us empower you to regain 
control over your devices!</p><p>
      
	I want to donate for Device Neutrality!
      
    </p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240312-01
title: CRA & PLD: Liability rules with large exemptions for Free Software are introduced
uri: CRA-PLD-Liability-rules-with-large-exemptions-for-Free-Software-are
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240312-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>CRA &amp; PLD: Liability rules with large exemptions for Free Software are introduced</h1><p>
With today's votes on CRA and PLD on the introduction of liability rules 
for software, a broad exception for Free Software was made, so that 
after long and intense debates individual developers and non for profit 
work are safeguarded.
</p>
  <img src="media/37126758.0188f091d8cec72a54695659d554d4e1.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/0188f091d8cec72a54695659d554d4e1.jpg"/>
  <p>
On Tuesday, March 12, the two votes in the plenary of the European 
Parliament on the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the Product Liability 
Directive (PLD) marked the provisional end of a long debate on the 
introduction of liability rules for software - with a broad exemption 
for Free Software.
</p><p>
Already at an early stage, <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2023/news-20230323-01.html">the 
FSFE argued in a hearing in the EU Parliament</a>, for the inclusion of 
clear and precise exemptions for Free Software development in the 
legislation and for liability to be transferred to those who 
significantly financially benefit from it on the market.
</p><p>
The co-legislators have largely complied with our  demands and following 
intensive debates, have significantly improved the Commission’s 
proposal, by  introducing an exemption for Free Software and including 
it in the articles of the regulation. In the future, individual 
developers and non-profit development of Free Software will be exempt 
from the CRA and the PLD. Nevertheless, the wording  in both the 
regulations are different and a standardisation processes and guidelines 
are still being drawn up. We will therefore closely monitor the 
implementation and whether Software Freedom is protected accordingly. 
The efforts of Free Software advocates have also helped to ensure that 
decision maker in  EU institutions now have a better understanding of 
Free Software and its various stakeholders, which will be useful in 
future debates.
</p>
<p>"In the debate about liability rules for Free Software, it has become 
clear how important Free Software is for our economic and social 
development. On the other hand, it has also become clear what needs to 
be taken into account in the Regulation when it comes to software 
freedom. This has shown the  immense importance of working together with 
the various stakeholders in Free Software development and distribution 
and as well as to understand and accommodate the different interests of 
these players," concludes Alexander Sander, FSFE`s Senior Policy 
Consultant.</p>
<p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240318-01
title: Looking back: Software freedom discussion @FOSDEM
uri: Looking-back-Software-freedom-discussion-FOSDEM
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240318-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Looking back: Software freedom discussion @FOSDEM</h1><p>Once again we co-organised our now well-known Legal &amp; Policy Issues Devroom during FOSDEM 2024. The discussions in this track covered  important issues for Software Freedom, such as CRA, RHEL, GPL termination, where discussed. Thanks to everyone who participated in it!</p>
  <img src="media/bee0545a.0496d4f8950eb6e14ad918ce3a90.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/ff/65/0496d4f8950eb6e14ad918ce3a90.jpg"/>
  <p>The Legal and Policy Issues Devroom  took place on the first day of FOSDEM in one of the main rooms, which was packed throughout the track. In fact, this was the 12th edition and FSFE’s fourth year of co-organising in this devroom.</p><p>Together with our co-hosts  this devroom once again focused on current political and legal challenges we face in the world of software freedom. These included discussions on recent licencing practices around RHEL and CentOS, questions on how to deal with with trademark issues, GPL termination under German law, discussion around GPLv3/AGPLv3 Section 7 and the new Swiss law on the procurement of Free Software.</p>
	
	<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/aQs7EbEUQGt4DP13SsqAJ7">id you miss the talks or do you want to watch them again? We have complied all the talks from this devroom in this video</a>
<p>As always the dev room ended with a discussion that brought all the organisers on stage: Karen Sandler and Bradley Kuhn from the Software Freedom Conservancy, Tom Marble, and Alexander Sander and Matthias Kirschner from FSFE talked about the most important issues for software freedom, touching on the Liability discussion in Europe around the Cyber Resilience Act, Product Liability Directive but also the AI Act, as well as discussing current cases and campaigns.</p>
<p>“Once again, we were able to bring exciting and pressing issues related to the law and politics of software freedom to the stage and discuss them with the FOSDEM community, raising awareness of how these issues intersect strongly with technological advances, and therefore why it is important to address and debate them”.</p>
Alexander Sander, FSFE's Senior Policy Consultant and one of the devroom organizers
<p>Last but not least,  we want to thank you to everyone who take part of this devroom, from the amazing speakers to the participants who engaged in fruitful discussions to the FOSDEM organizers. We cannot wait to see you next year!  And if you have any suggestion about topics and speakers, please do not hesitate to <a href="mailto:contact@fsfe.org">contact us</a>!</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240318-02
title: EU policy meets Free Software in FOSDEM
uri: EU-policy-meets-Free-Software-in-FOSDEM
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240318-02.fr.html
content:
<h1>EU policy meets Free Software in FOSDEM</h1><p>
The FSFE helped to organise a FOSDEM devroom about Free Software in the European legislative landscape. It was the first time that this devroom was held and got a lot of interest from the community, that engaged in fruitful discussions about current EU policy topics.
</p>
  <img src="media/99243b20.a64e2e4d243b3280250d56f583c0.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/99/50/a64e2e4d243b3280250d56f583c0.jpg"/>
  <p>During the last edition of FOSDEM, an EU policy devroom was organised and FSFE helped to co-organise it!  On the second day of the conference, some of our staff and volunteers took part in this devroom, which was packed, and where the community had the opportunity to discuss current policy topics together with European lawmakers.</p><p>The devroom kicked off the day with a discussion on the new liability rules for Free Software. This turned into a broader debate on how the Free Software community can and should engage in the decision making process. Alexander Sander, FSFE's Senior Policy Consultant, moderated the session on <a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/e4AjFFy239XNN7MBHhf3bo">"FOSS Policy Engagement"</a>, including a panel and a fishbowl discussion. After that, Lina Ceballos, FSFE Policy Project Manager, opened the session on <a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/8N57qV4Q8saYmTSEH9JNym">“Public Services interoperability”</a> and the Interoperable Europe Act, followed by a discussion between decision makers and the Community on <a href="news/2024/news-20240206-01.fr.html">the challenges and opportunities that the Interoperable Europe Act means for the Free Software community</a>. Finally, Lucas Lasota, FSFE Programme Manager, together with our Netherlands Coordinator Niko Rikken, highlighted the main challenges for <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/routers/">Router Freedom</a> and <a href="https://deviceneutrality.org/">Device Neutrality</a> in Europe.</p><p>As this was the first time that we co organised this devroom, we are particularly <a href="mailto:contact@fsfe.org">interested in your feedback</a> when it comes to the idea itself but also on the different format which was used to discuss those topics. We also want to thanks to the other devroom organizers: Simon Phipps, Enzo Ribagnac, Maarten Aertsen, Axel Thévernet, Deb Bryant, and Gijs Hillenius.</p><h3><a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/p/xoLLMjgsgDFdcVNBwKyn3m">EU policy devroom</a></h3>
	
	<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/9anGpCP2t8355qd3aUyQhC">CRA &amp; PLD: Free Software in the European legislative landscape</a>

	
	<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/e4AjFFy239XNN7MBHhf3bo">Free Software policy engagement: Free Software in the European legislative landscape</a>

	
	<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/8N57qV4Q8saYmTSEH9JNym">Public Services Interoperability : Free Software in the European legislative landscape</a>

	  
	<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/wyVNuwgm36sPsPgxUdWA2H">Digital Services Interoperability: Free Software in the European legislative landscape</a>
<p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240321-01
title: Let’s advocate together for Free Software in the European Elections
uri: Let-s-advocate-together-for-Free-Software-in-the-European-Elections
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240321-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Let’s advocate together for Free Software in the European Elections</h1><p>
European citizens will hit the ballot boxes from 6 to 9 June 2024 to 
choose their next representatives in the European Parliament. As the 
campaign heats up, it is important to get active and ensure Software 
Freedom is part of the larger political debate. How can you do this? 
Find practical advice on how to advocate for Free Software in the coming 
months!
</p>
  <img src="media/62480eec.970a16ed77991bb4172d382088d6.jpeg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/52/3a/970a16ed77991bb4172d382088d6.jpeg"/>
  <p>
Every five years, Europeans citizens elect their representatives to the 
European Parliament, the EU's sole directly elected institution. These 
representatives shape new EU legislation and how taxpayers' money is 
spent. The electoral campaign has started and candidates across Europe  
are organising and taking part in different events to listen to 
citizens’ demands. Electoral programs are often written during these 
events, together with your input. Get active and ask your candidates 
their stance on Free Software (also known as Open Source).
</p><h3>Get to know your candidates and their events</h3><p>
Identifying your local EU candidates is the first step to starting the 
debate. You can search political parties’ and institutional websites to 
find the candidates running for election in your area. If elected, they 
are the ones who represent you based on your area of residence and have 
more direct contact with their constituents. In the run-up to the 
elections, round-table discussions, election booths and debates with 
candidates will be held. To find those, do not forget to check the 
candidates’ social network accounts, too.
</p><p>
Additionally, seek recommendations from <a href="https://wiki.fsfe.org/LocalGroups/">local Free Software advocacy 
groups or communities</a>, as they might take part in or organise meetings 
related to the European elections.
</p><h3>Talk to your candidates</h3><p>
Once you found a way to talk to your candidates, you can kick off the 
conversation starting with <a href="https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/">the basics</a>. If 
you cannot find any event around your area, you can directly ask for a 
meeting with the candidates, or you can propose local groups and 
communities to organise one! Ask candidates if they know <a href="https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/">what Free Software is and tell them why it is 
important</a> for a democratic society. If you cannot go to an event or 
meet the candidate in person, you can also write an email to your local 
candidate and ask their position on Free Software.
</p><p>Free Software is an important topic when it comes to public 
administrations. You can use the following arguments to explain why:
</p><ul>
<li>
Free Software, thanks to the four freedoms, allows public 
administrations to take control of their digital infrastructure. Using 
Free Software in public administrations is a prerequisite for becoming 
digitally sovereign and crucial for a resilient digital society, 
especially in times of crisis.
</li>
<li>
Free Software licenses help public administrations to escape dependency 
and vendor lock-in, which at a high cost hinders competition and 
innovation.
</li>
<li>
Free Software ensures that the source code is accessible so that 
security holes can be fixed without depending on one service provider.
</li>
</ul><p/>
 <p>Mention the FSFE’s <a href="https://publiccode.eu/">“Public Money? 
 Public Code!”</a> initiative and ask the candidates a position on the 
 topic. Make their answers public to help other people in the EU 
 understand the candidates’ positions on Free Software.</p>
 <p>You can also find <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/spreadtheword">informative 
 material</a> on Free Software, “Public Money? Public Code!” and other 
 relevant topics on our website. All the material can be printed or 
 requested for free through our request form. This material can be 
 useful to get a basic and simple understanding of Free Software and can 
 be easily shared. Make use of it!</p>
 <p>Find more advice, a mail template and a toot template in this <a href="https://fsfe.org/activities/publiccode/get-active.html#letter-template">new page</a> on how to 
 get active during electoral campaigns!</p>

  <img src="media/a3d78144.cfc76939fd386c51ab26a60525f5.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/original/4a/13/cfc76939fd386c51ab26a60525f5.jpg"/>
  <h3>Be active on social media</h3><p>
Do you want to use social media platforms to amplify your message and 
engage a wider audience? Share informative content about Free Software, 
emphasise the importance of open standards, and advocate for policies 
prioritising digital freedoms. Use hashtags like #publiccode to join 
discussions and encourage others to do the same, pointing out Free 
Software's significance for shaping our democratic society in the 
digital age.
</p><p>
Moreover, you can use our <a href="https://sharepic.fsfe.org/#pmpc">share-pic generator</a> and share 
why you support our “Public Money? Public Code!” campaign. Post your 
share-pic on social media and encourage others to do the same.
</p><p>
You can also follow us on social media and contribute to spreading the 
word during these crucial months that will shape Europe for the next 
years.
</p><h3>Help us continue our work</h3><p>
Our team and volunteers are working daily with decision-makers, 
advocating for Free Software on all levels. Your support enables us to 
continue our work, protecting our community and engaging with 
legislators to shape policies that uphold Free Software principles. 
Please consider becoming an FSFE supporter and making a donation. Thank 
you!
</p><p>
      
	Become a supporter!
      
    </p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: nl-202404
title: DMA and Device Neutrality +++ CRA & PLD vote +++ EU elections: get active
uri: DMA-and-Device-Neutrality-CRA-PLD-vote-EU-elections-get-act
url: https://fsfe.org/news/nl/nl-202404.fr.html
content:
<h1>DMA and Device Neutrality +++ CRA &amp; PLD vote +++ EU elections: get active</h1><p>
Last month, the DMA came into force and we launched a website about 
Device Neutrality, the EU parliament voted the CRA and the PLD, and we 
released a guide to get active for the upcoming EU elections. Check out 
the videos from the devrooms we joined at FOSDEM!
</p>
	<img src="media/f21e9f6a.087f399684e4d6a00f04d9807361.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/cf/4e/087f399684e4d6a00f04d9807361.png"/>

	<ul>
		<li><a href="#lets-make-device-neutrality-a-reality-in-europe">Let’s make Device Neutrality a reality in Europe!</a></li>
		<li><a href="#cra-pld-vote-in-the-european-parliament">CRA &amp; PLD vote in the European Parliament</a></li>
		<li><a href="#watch-the-recordings-from-fosdem">Watch the recordings from FOSDEM!</a></li>
		<li><a href="#take-action-get-active-for-the-elections-in-the-european-union">Take action: get active for the elections in the European Union!</a></li>
		<li><a href="#news-from-zooom">News from ZOOOM</a></li>
		<li><a href="#past-and-upcoming-events">Past and upcoming events</a></li>
	</ul>
<h3>Let’s make Device Neutrality a reality in Europe!</h3><p>
Last 7 March, the Digital Markets Act came into force in the European 
Union. This milestone marks the start of Device Neutrality as a 
tangible reality in the European Union. The FSFE acknowledges the new 
legislation, but we want to remark that this is only the first step, and 
further commitment is necessary! <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240307-01.html">Read this article</a> to dive 
deeper.
</p><p>
To raise public awareness concerning Device Neutrality, the FSFE has 
launched <a href="https://deviceneutrality.org/">deviceneutrality.org</a>. This site 
points to in-depth insights about Device Neutrality and Free Software, 
downloadable promotional material, and ways to spread the word. Check it 
out!
</p><h3>CRA &amp; PLD vote in the European Parliament</h3><p>
The European Parliament voted on the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and the Product 
Liability Directive (PLD) on 12 March. Regarding the 
introduction of liability rules for software, a broad exception for Free 
Software was made, so that after long and intense debates individual 
developers and non-profit work are safeguarded. We will therefore 
closely monitor the implementation and whether Software Freedom is 
protected accordingly.
</p><p><a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240312-01.html">Read the FSFE’s full statement</a></p><h3>Watch the recordings from FOSDEM!</h3><p>
Did you miss FOSDEM 2024, or did you not have the chance to participate 
in the Devrooms we took part in? <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240301-01.html">We’ve got you covered with their 
recordings</a>.
</p><p>
Once again we co-organised <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240318-01.html">our now well-known Legal &amp; 
Policy Issues Devroom</a>. The discussions in this track covered 
important issues for Software Freedom, such as CRA, RHEL, and GPL 
termination. Furthermore, <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240318-02.html">we helped to organise a 
devroom</a> about Free Software in the European legislative landscape.
</p><h3>Take action: get active for the elections in the European Union!</h3><p>
European citizens will hit the ballot boxes from 6 to 9 June 2024 to 
choose their next representatives in the European Parliament. As the 
campaign heats up, it is important to get active and ensure Software 
Freedom is part of the larger political debate.
</p><p>
How can you do this? <a href="https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240321-01.html">Find 
practical advice</a> on how to advocate for Free Software in the coming 
months! In order to reach as many European Citizens as possible, your 
help with <strong>translating</strong> the guide would be incredibly 
valuable!
</p><h3>News from ZOOOM</h3><p>
As part of its involvement with <a href="https://zooom4u.eu/">the Zooom 
consortium</a>, the FSFE has produced four chapters in two comprehensive 
reports on Free Software <a href="media/2fa28497.Document_Licensing-Framework_final_PUB.pdf" data-original-source="https://zooom4u.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Document_Licensing-Framework_final_PUB.pdf">legal</a> 
and <a href="media/246d3ad5.ZOOOM-D1.1-Licensing-Framework_submitted.pdf" data-original-source="https://zooom4u.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ZOOOM-D1.1-Licensing-Framework_submitted.pdf">business 
topics</a>. These reports deal with a broad range of topics, and provide 
empirical data on Free Software topics in Europe in relation to critical 
technologies, such as AI. The FSFE also contributed to <a href="media/f541c896.ZOOOM_PolicyBrief-03_2024-03.pdf" data-original-source="https://zooom4u.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/ZOOOM_PolicyBrief-03_2024-03.pdf">a 
study</a> on how the term “open” has been improperly used to refer to 
AI projects that are not Free Software.
</p><h3>Past and upcoming events</h3><p>
During the the weekend of 16 and 17 March, some of our staff together 
with volunteers went to the <a href="https://chemnitzer.linux-tage.de">Chemnitzer Linux-Tage</a>! We 
were very happy to meet and chat with so many of you about so many 
topics related to Software Freedom. We also took the stage to talk about <a href="https://yh4f.org">Youth Hacking 4 Freedom</a>!
</p><p>
“Ada &amp; Zangemann - A Tale of Software, Skateboards, and Raspberry 
Ice Cream” arrives in Belgium! <a href="https://flb.be/evenement/5865094589/">Attend the reading</a> 
taking place in Brussels on Thursday 4 April at 15:00!
</p><p>
On 15 and 16 April, foss-north is taking place at Chalmers Conference 
Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden. The event will be run on-site, in-person, in 
a physical venue. <a href="https://foss-north.se/2024/">Learn more</a>
</p><h3>Quote of the month</h3>
	<p>The solutions of tomorrow must be built using public code. This is 
	not only to ensure a sound use of public money, but also to promote 
	freedom of choice and to avoid vendor lock-in.</p>
<p>
~<a href="https://media.fsfe.org/w/jQP39ayyxgEC8egKY73Lif"> EU 
Commissioner Johannes Hanh</a>, talking about “Public Money, Public 
Code!”
</p><h3>Contribute to our Newsletter</h3><p>
We would love to hear from you. If you have any thoughts, pictures, or 
news to share, please send them to us at newsletter@fsfe.org. You can 
also <a href="https://fsfe.org/donate/donate.html">support us</a>, <a href="https://fsfe.org/contribute/contribute.html">contribute to our work</a>, and <a href="https://fsfe.org/about/groups.html">join our community</a>. We would like to thank 
our community and all the volunteers, supporters, and donors who make 
our work possible, with a special mention to our translators who make it 
possible for you to read this newsletter in your mother tongue.
</p><p>Your editors,
Ana and Tommi</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240417-01
title: Are Free Software developers at risk?
uri: Are-Free-Software-developers-at-risk
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240417-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Are Free Software developers at risk?</h1><p>Free Software is everywhere, with studies estimating that it is 
present in about 96% of the applications that we use. But what are the responsibilities and 
liabilities of the Free Software developers? A potential threat to Free 
Software developers looms in the form of an ongoing lawsuit in the UK 
involving Bitcoin and its core developers.</p>
	<img src="media/0227e205.ad6cb9ed8fd720738c087b2099a2.jpg" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/eb/53/ad6cb9ed8fd720738c087b2099a2.jpg"/>
<p>Bitcoin (BTC) is a cryptocurrency created in 2009 that operates 
under the <a href="https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin">MIT Free Software 
licence</a>. After its creator disappeared, a 
group of software developers continued to develop Bitcoin 
independently. Currently, Dr. Craig Wright, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/14/australian-craig-wright-not-bitcoin-creator-satoshi-nakamoto-high-court-rules">who 
claimed to be the 
creator of Bitcoin</a>, is suing the Bitcoin developers in the UK courts 
through his company, Tulip Trading Limited (Tulip). This company claims 
to have lost	£3 billion worth of bitcoin due to a hack that 
compromised the private keys, resulting in the loss of access to the 
funds. In this lawsuit Tulip is demanding that the Bitcoin developers 
provide access to the lost Bitcoin, arguing that the developers have a 
legal obligation to provide access or offer equitable compensation or 
damages.</p><p>As such, this legal case is currently drawing attention to the issue 
of Free Software developers' liability, in particular the extent to 
which they are responsible to their users.</p><h3>UK High Court’s opinion: Developers have no legal duties or a duty 
of care in this case, but they do have certain duties in some specific 
situations.</h3><p>The High Court considered whether software developers and 
controllers of digital asset networks bear legal obligations to 
cryptocurrency holders who rely on their software. <a href="media/a5c67dfa.first-instance-decision-dismissing-TTL.redacted.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/legal/documents/first-instance-decision-dismissing-TTL.redacted.pdf">The 
court ruled in 
favour of the developers</a>, stating that as a "fluctuating body of 
individuals", the developers could not realistically maintain ongoing 
obligations. The court rejected the notion that developers should be 
compelled to provide software updates upon the request of digital asset 
owners, emphasising the absence of any explicit commitment or assurance 
by the developers. Regarding the alleged tortious duties, the Court 
determined that the developers did not owe Tulip a duty of care, 
highlighting that Tulip's loss was solely economic.</p><em>A duty of care is a legal responsibility imposed on an 
individual that requires them to follow a level of reasonable care when 
conducting any acts that could endanger others.</em><p>However, the court recognized that, in certain cases, <strong>software 
developers have specific duties. For instance, developers must exercise 
caution to avoid harming users' interests and may have an obligation to 
remedy bugs or faults in the system</strong>.</p><p>The court also acknowledged that <a href="https://opensource.org/license/MIT">the disclaimer in the MIT 
license</a>, 
broadly disclaims liability for software issues. However, the court did 
not confirm whether this disclaimer absolved BTC Network developers of 
responsibility for its operation. This is because:</p><ul>
	<li>the MIT disclaimer has never been litigated, and the court is free to decide and set precedent.</li>
	<li>such disclaimers are not easily found when using software.</li>
</ul><h3>UK Court of Appeal’s opinion: Arguable that developers owe some fiduciary legal duties</h3><p>On appeal, the Court of Appeal (the second highest court in the UK) 
<a href="media/7a81e835.Tulip-v-Van-Der-Laan-judgment-030223.pdf" data-original-source="https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Tulip-v-Van-Der-Laan-judgment-030223.pdf">overturned 
the High Court's decision</a>, concluding that it was at least 
arguable that the developers owe fiduciary legal duties to 
cryptocurrency owners. The court noted the exclusive control of the 
Bitcoin software code by a small group of developers and their 
decision-making role on behalf of all Bitcoin owners, resembling 
fiduciary responsibilities. The court also noted that only a handful of 
developers have exclusive access to the Bitcoin software code on 
GitHub. For example, if a Bitcoin owner notices a bug, he or she is 
unable to fix it because only the developers with access can do so, and 
they have to agree to do so. In the eyes of the court, this is a clear 
exercise of the de facto power of the developers. The court completely 
missed the point that no one can prevent others from applying a fix to 
the code - that is part of the fundamental freedom that comes with Free 
Software: if the developers of a particular repository refuse to apply 
needed fixes, the community can fork the project and bypass those 
developers.</p><p>Furthermore, code is speech. Freedom of expression includes 
expression in the language of computer code as well. Imposing 
disproportionate duties on Free Software developers forces them to 
change their code, and therefore infringes on their freedom of 
expression. The court also observed that the developers have a 
positive duty to fix bugs and code errors and a negative duty to 
refrain from acting in their own self-interest.</p><p>In summary, Tulip's case raises significant legal questions, and 
according to the latest developments, Tulip must prove ownership of the 
alleged stolen bitcoins <a href="media/914c5bf0.PRELIMINARY20ISSUE20TRIAL.pdf" data-original-source="https://download.fsfe.org/legal/documents/PRELIMINARY%20ISSUE%20TRIAL.pdf">in 
a preliminary trial</a>.</p><h3>Chilling effect on Free Software development?</h3><p>Common law in 
the UK (and other countries) is developed through court decisions and 
precedents. When a court makes a decision in a case, it establishes a 
legal precedent that serves as a guide for future cases with similar 
circumstances. Lower courts generally have to follow the precedents set 
by the higher courts. Courts in common law countries tend to also 
borrow concepts and precedents from other countries if there is no local 
precedent available. The law and legal scholarship around Free Software 
developers’ duties is underdeveloped and almost non-existent. If Tulip 
succeeds in their case, it	may set an international legal precedent, 
opening the floodgates to litigation. This means that any user of Free 
Software could potentially sue developers for alleged breaches of duty.</p><em>A fiduciary duty, as claimed by Tulip, refers to the legal 
duty of a person or entity to act in the best interests of another 
party, typically referred to as the beneficiary or principal. This duty 
is characterized by trust, confidence, and reliance on the fiduciary to 
act ethically and responsibly on behalf of the beneficiary. Fiduciary 
duties exist in only very specific relationships, like those of 
trustees, solicitors, agents, partners, and company directors. 
Attaching these duties to Free Software developers is unprecedented and 
disproportionate.</em><p>Free Software production, a catalyst for technological innovation, 
relies on voluntary contributions. Imposing fiduciary duties (or any 
disproportionate duties) on developers could deter them from 
participating in Free Software projects, fearing legal repercussions. 
This could lead to a chilling effect, where developers opt for more 
restrictive licensing, or refrain from sharing their code altogether, 
or release the software only in jurisdictions where there are no duties	
out of fear of litigation. The results of such an effect would be 
disastrous; stifling innovation and potentially halting the progress of 
specific Free Software endeavours.</p><p>In essence, if the court rules in favour of Tulip, it can have 
far-reaching consequences that can be detrimental to the Free Software 
developers in the following ways:
</p><ol>
	<li>Courts may impose an active duty on Free Software developers to fix 
what the courts deem to be problematic issues.</li> 
	<li>In future courts may impose an active duty on Free Software 
developers to not cause any bugs that impact users. This can 
potentially expose the developers to litigation for just letting 
through a bug or failing to spot a bug. </li>
	<li>Courts may also impose obligations on Free Software developers that 
require them to compromise the cryptographic integrity guarantees of 
the software. This could involve mandates to weaken encryption 
algorithms or provide backdoor access, directly undermining the 
security measures designed to protect user privacy and data 
confidentiality. Such orders would not only compromise the 
effectiveness of encryption software but also the tools such as secure 
file deletion or data recovery.</li> 
</ol><p>Free Software development thrives on the collaborative efforts of 
developers worldwide, continually evolving. The developers’ autonomy 
inherent in Free Software must not be jeopardized by the fear of unjust 
litigation. FSFE remains vigilant in safeguarding against threats to 
developer autonomy that could stifle innovation. In the light of 
these concerns, we call upon the developers to persist in their 
invaluable work without fear.</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


feed_id: news-20240430-01
title: Meet Antoni and Tobias, YH4F participants
uri: Meet-Antoni-and-Tobias-YH4F-participants
url: https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20240430-01.fr.html
content:
<h1>Meet Antoni and Tobias, YH4F participants</h1><p>
Find out more about the Youth Hacking 4 Freedom participants of the 2023 
edition. We are continuing this series talking with Antoni and Tobias: 
Antoni developed a dictionary to preserve endangered languages, and 
Tobias conceived a rich featured calendar.
</p>
	<img src="media/d6dc8200.0da002d353f2bfecfcb043ea9ea7.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/66/c6/0da002d353f2bfecfcb043ea9ea7.png"/>
<p>
Antoni and Tobias participated in YH4F in 2023, being both currently in 
their last year of high school. Antoni is Polish and he developed the <a href="https://ankiedos.github.io/Endangered-Languages-Dictionary/about.en.html">Endangered 
Languages Dictionary</a>, software with the purpose of keeping 
languages at risk of extinction alive, valuing the contribution of 
native language speakers. Tobias comes from the Netherlands, and he 
developed <a href="https://edugit.org/thedutchprogrammers/plan2go">Plan2Go</a>, a 
calendar webapp he got the idea for while talking with his friends.
</p><p>Read along to learn more about these projects and their developers!</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>: Hi Tobias and Antoni! Can you introduce yourselves before explaining your projects?</p><p>
<strong>Tobias</strong>: I’m Tobias from the Netherlands and I’m 17 
years old. I love programming and helping others by making software. 
Sometimes I play video games or make stuff for video games.
</p><p>
<strong>Antoni</strong>: My name is Antoni, I am a high school student 
from Poland. I’m mainly a linguistics and computer science nerd, but am 
also interested in sociology, psychology, cultural studies, literature, 
and philosophy. I would like to study computer science and classics.
</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>:  What is the project you developed for YH4F 2023? How does it work?</p><p><strong>Antoni</strong>: </p><a href="https://ankiedos.github.io/Endangered-Languages-Dictionary/about.en.html">Endangered Languages Dictionary (ELD) project</a>
	<img src="media/029f0513.526a4391e5a2e1eea5cdc526037c.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/6b/8f/526a4391e5a2e1eea5cdc526037c.png"/>
	The landing page of the Endangered Languages Dictionary
<p>
<strong>Tobias</strong>: I developed <a href="https://edugit.org/thedutchprogrammers/plan2go">Plan2Go</a> with 
the idea to make a planning app that is fully customisable and with many 
features. The front end has been coded with HTML and CSS, and the 
calendar and customisations are made using JavaScript. You can get 
access to the calendar by using the website hosted on GitLab Pages, by 
cloning the code and building the source, or by using the desktop app.
</p>
	<img src="media/37fd00c3.e799ea5c1eeded8cf989c3bac937.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/medium/73/c2/e799ea5c1eeded8cf989c3bac937.png"/>
	The main page of Plan2Go with example events
<p>
<strong>Tobias</strong>: Once you are in, you see an overview of the 
current month and you can click to add new events. If you click on an 
existing event, you can view more details about it and you can delete 
it. If you click above an event, you can add another event. Using the 
“Back” and “Next” buttons you can go back and forward in months. When an 
event starts, you could get a notification [not fully working, see below 
in the interview]. Overall, its key features are: multiple events per 
day, theme switcher, exporting and importing iCals, secret Easter Eggs, 
PWA installable and a desktop app version available.
</p>
	<img src="media/ce2ad440.85ecc7da47bbcedf2048bb494eee.png" data-original-source="https://pics.fsfe.org/uploads/original/47/16/85ecc7da47bbcedf2048bb494eee.png"/>
	Plan2Go example event details window
<p><strong>FSFE</strong>: What motivated you to create this software?</p><p>
<strong>Antoni</strong>: I wanted to provide an online presence of the 
endangered languages to prevent their native speakers, especially the 
young ones, from abandoning their tongues. I believe “if you aren’t 
online, you don’t exist” to be an unjust rule. This dictionary was going 
to be the first step in achieving this.
</p><p>
<strong>Tobias</strong>: Mostly, the idea came while talking with my 
friends, who just started programming. We made a whole list of stuff 
that we could make, and we shared this list publicly. Eventually, I just 
let my friends choose what to do. They chose to go with a planner, and 
we made that.
</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>: Your projects are Free Software! When and how did you get in touch with the movement?</p><p>
<strong>Antoni</strong>:  One day, at school, I was chatting with a 
classmate and introduced <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Subsystem_for_Linux">Windows 
Subsystem for Linux (WSL)</a> to him. He replied he preferred 
VirtualBox, as “it is open source”  After I explained to him that he was 
wrong [VirtualBox is licensed under GPL, but the extensions are 
proprietary], and the openness of the source code of WSL, he asked for 
evidence, and he got it. After examining the codebase, he wrote me: “It 
is quite similar to the situation when you would paint a beautiful white 
shirt in brown just to wallow it in the mud. (of course the shirt is 
Linux)”. This has influenced me to the degree that I got pushed even 
further in that direction than my classmate.
</p><p>
<strong>Tobias</strong>:  I always only made software for myself, I 
began to do it more seriously when I found out that other people might 
also want my software. So I published it online, without any license.
</p><p>
<strong>FSFE</strong>: So it seems that at the time you did not know 
that by default, if you do not specify a license, it is copyrighted.
</p><p><strong>Tobias</strong>: Yes, I discovered Free Software licenses thanks to YH4F!</p><p>
<strong>FSFE</strong>: Both projects are very interesting and ambitious. 
Why did you decide to code them from scratch, rather than to contribute 
existing projects?
</p><p>
<strong>Tobias</strong>: It’s always nice to have one [project] that you 
can completely modify the way you want. If you are going to contribute 
to other projects that are already kind of finished, there is only a 
little bit of stuff that you might be able to add. We had about six 
months, and I did not really think I could just spend all of it 
contributing to just an existing project. Most probably, I would have 
been done before the end of the coding period. Above all, it is very 
helpful to know what’s behind a project you build from scratch by your 
own.
</p><p>
<strong>Antoni</strong>: I didn’t find any Free Software similar to 
mine, though I didn’t actively do any in-depth research. If it comes to 
the value of ELD, it is low-bandwith friendly as it doesn’t depend 
heavily on stylesheets. Additionally, this also implies a decrease of 
resources. needed only to render a webpage!
</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>: How was the experience of developing your software during YH4F 2023?</p><p>
<strong>Antoni</strong>: What I enjoyed the most was the fact that this 
is not only a competition, but also an opportunity to learn something, 
just by participating! I think that is mainly because of the long 
timespan given and the short list of requirements.
</p><p>
<strong>Tobias</strong>: I liked the whole thing! You can program stuff, 
you can join meetings with other participants and have a discussion. For 
example, you can explain your project and then get some feedback. That’s 
the deal: making software and getting feedback from others. And just 
having fun.
</p><p><strong>FSFE</strong>: What are the future plans for your project?</p><p>
<strong>Antoni</strong>: I would like to share the message to conserve 
endangered languages because it is quite sad that we are losing 
linguistic diversity. The world would be less interesting and less rich. 
About extending the project, I am going to pause its development, and 
get back to it once I have resources, such as time and money.
</p><p>
<strong>Tobias</strong>: If I find the time and I get an idea to add 
something to the software or just fix a feature that does not work right 
now (like the time notifications) then I will work on it. Otherwise, I 
will just leave it as it is right now.
</p><p>
<strong>FSFE</strong>: Thank you Antoni and Tobias. We wish you a bright 
future and a lot of success with your plans!
</p><p>
The 2024 edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom is still going on now! The 
coding period ends on 30 June and you can still take part in the 2024 
edition via last minute registration. Check out the <a href="https://yh4f.org">YH4F website</a> to find out all the details of 
this competition or feel free to reach out to the organisers via <a href="mailto:contact@fsfe.org">mail</a>!
</p><p><a href="https://my.fsfe.org/support">Support FSFE</a></p>


