The call for sessions is open now, until November 2nd, 2017. General registration and exhibitor and sponsor registration are also open. Pre-order a LibrePlanet 10th anniversary t-shirt when you register to attend!

Do you want to discuss or teach others about a topic relevant to the free software community? You've got until Thursday, November 2nd, 2017 at 10:00 EDT (14:00 UTC) to submit your session proposals.

LibrePlanet is an annual conference for free software enthusiasts and everyone who cares about the intersection of technology and social justice. For the past nine years, LibrePlanet has brought together free software developers, policy experts, activists, hackers, students, and people who are at the beginning of their free software journeys. LibrePlanet 2018 will feature programming for all ages and experience levels.

If you're new to the community or to the LibrePlanet conference, check out last year's conference site and session videos, including the opening keynote, a look at the 21st century techno-surveillance state by Kade Crockford of the Massachusetts chapter of the ACLU.

What kinds of sessions are we looking for?

Each year, LibrePlanet offers both technical talks and sessions examining the intersection of free software and activism, culture, and current events. Here are a few examples of talks or sessions you might propose:

• An examination of how free software can aid in an aspect of life that is important to you, like education, medicine, social movements, or community organizing

• A workshop (for beginners or experienced users) on how to use a free software program or free hardware project

• A project sprint, where new and current contributors to a free software project can meet and work together on an aspect of the project

• An introduction to free software licensing, copyleft, or a deep dive into a current legal issue

• An update on your free software project

Check out talk recordings from LibrePlanet 2017 for more ideas.

LibrePlanet's 10th anniversary theme is "Freedom. Embedded." Embedded systems are everywhere, in cars, digital watches, traffic lights, and even within our bodies. Proprietary software is everywhere, its sinister aspects woven throughout the devices permeating our lives. We've come to expect that our phones monitor our activity and share that data with big companies, and that governments enforce digital restrictions management (DRM).

In a society reliant on embedded systems, how do we defend computer user freedom? How do we insist on copylefted code, protect ourselves against government and corporate surveillance, and move toward a freer world? For many people, digital freedom seems like a pipe dream. We change the narrative and make free software the norm, instead of walled gardens, denial of the right to repair, and DRM.

The FSF is committed to increasing participation by people belonging to groups traditionally underrepresented at free software conferences, including women, people of color, and transgender and nonbinary people. If you are comfortable sharing demographic information on the proposal form, please do. Your proposal will not be judged negatively should you choose to omit information about your identity.

The LibrePlanet conference also has a safe space policy, because we want everyone who attends to feel comfortable, cared for, and able to enjoy the conference without worrying about harassment. The policy applies to all conference sessions, so keep that in mind when you write your proposal.

We will hold IRC office hours in the #libreplanet channel on irc.freenode.org so you can ask questions about the call for sessions and get feedback on your proposal before you submit -- we will announce hours and dates for these feedback sessions soon. You may also contact us at campaigns@fsf.org any time between now and the submission deadline if you have questions about your submission.

LibrePlanet has thrived for a decade thanks to the interesting ideas and generous spirit found in the free software community. We hope you will want to be part of LibrePlanet 2018. Submit a proposal now!.

Gratis admission for FSF members

Members (and students with valid ID) attend LibrePlanet gratis. FSF Associate Membership starts at just $10/month and comes with many benefits.

Need help attending LibrePlanet?

The FSF is able to offer a limited amount of funding to bring conference participants to LibrePlanet from all around the world. You can apply for a scholarship through Thursday, November 30th, 2017 at 10:00 EST (15:00 UTC). Scholarship recipients will be notified by early January.

If you don't need a scholarship, you can help those with financial need attend LibrePlanet 2018 by making a contribution to the conference's scholarship fund now, or when you register for LibrePlanet.

Volunteering

LibrePlanet is supported by dozens of volunteers, without whom this community event would not happen -- and volunteers attend LibrePlanet gratis. Applications for most LibrePlanet volunteer opportunities will be available soon, but if you would like to help with advance outreach (spreading the word about LibrePlanet in online communities, your networks, and by posting flyers at schools and community spaces), please email campaigns@fsf.org.

Free Software Award nominations

Each year at LibrePlanet, the FSF presents its annual Free Software Awards. Nominations for the awards are open through Sunday, November 5th, 2017 at 18:59 EST (23:59 UTC).

Promotional opportunities

LibrePlanet is a good place to spread the word about your organization to the free software community. You can sponsor LibrePlanet or have a table in our exhibit hall (or both!). Our exhibit hall is at the center of the LibrePlanet venue, and sponsors are highly visible at the conference and in our promotional materials. The FSF and LibrePlanet are heavily member-supported, and we appreciate the support of organizations that embrace free software. Apply to exhibit at LibrePlanet 2018 or email us at campaigns@fsf.org if you are interested in being a sponsor.

Participate in supporting the Directory by adding new entries and updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the #fsf channel on irc.freenode.org.

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions, to providing detailed info about version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing info that has been carefully checked by FSF staff and trained volunteers.

While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!

On the 22nd of this month back in 1893, bicycle makers Charles and Frank Duryea showed off the first American automobile produced for sale by cruising through the streets of Springfield, Massachusetts. This momentous day requires two themes: first is CAD Software for the design of the parts, and second, in the modern car we can't overlook the navigation system.

If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it onto IRC on Friday, our participation guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the Directory today! There are also weekly Directory Meeting pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.

Participate in supporting the Directory by adding new entries and updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the #fsf channel on irc.freenode.org.

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions, to providing detailed info about version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing info that has been carefully checked by FSF staff and trained volunteers.

While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!

This week we're back to adding new packages to the Directory. We'll also be checking in on the import project, which will allow for the automated creation of entries from repositories based on their previously vetted licenses, and which could grow the Directory by a massive amount. The more the merrier! That goes for software packages, but also for friends joining us for the weekly meeting. Hope to see you all there.

If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it onto IRC on Friday, our participation guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the Directory today! There are also weekly Directory Meeting pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.

We wrote previously about why you should support the Talos II from Raptor Engineering. The pre-order period for the Talos II is almost over. Making a pre-order will help them to launch this much-needed system. The goal for the folks at Raptor Engineering has always been to gain Respects Your Freedom certification. We certified a lot of new devices this year, and if we want to keep seeing those numbers increase, then it is critical that we support projects like this. As we said in our last post:

The unfortunate reality is that x86 computers come encumbered with built-in low-level backdoors like the Intel Management Engine, as well as proprietary boot firmware. This means that users can't gain full control over their computers, even if they install a free operating system.

While people are currently working to overcome the Intel Management Engine problem, each new generation of Intel CPUs is a new problem. Even if the community succeeds fully with one generation, it has to start over with the next one. This is precisely why the Talos II is important. As we said previously:

For the future of free computing, we need to build and support systems that do not come with such malware pre-installed, and the Power9-based Talos II promises to be a great example of just such a system. Devices like this are the future of computing that Respects Your Freedom.

You should help make the Talos II a success by making a pre-order by September 15th. The FSF Licensing & Compliance Lab will have to do another evaluation once it is actually produced to be sure it meets our certification standards, but we have high hopes. Here is what you can do to help:

• Pre-order a Talos II by September 15th.

• Support our work on the RYF certification program, to help get more devices made that run free software by design, by becoming an associate member or making a donation.

We get it: people like technology that they believe is easy to use, and costly, flashy-looking smartphones have become status symbols for many. The trouble is that the cost of owning an iPhone is even higher than the new iPhone's hefty $1000 USD price tag.

Here are four reasons to avoid the new iPhone (and all things iOS):

The iPhone despises free software

While Apple is happy to make use of free software to construct its operating system, almost all of the software distributed with its devices is proprietary. Apple's refusal to release its source code violates your freedom to study, modify, and distribute software. Apple may claim to care about your privacy and security, but unless you can inspect Apple's source code, you have no way of verifying whether they're really looking out for you. And unless you have the right to install third-party or modified versions of the software on your device, you have no way to protect yourself when they aren't.

Apple loves DRM

Apple products, including the iPhone, are shackled with Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). Despite the fact that DRM restricts your freedom, preventing you from using computers as you please, Apple works hard to restrict you, even going so far as to argue that the anti-circumvention provisions of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which makes it illegal to tinker with an iPhone for any reason, should remain in place. Even Steve Jobs's opportunistic 2007 essay arguing against DRM has mysteriouly disappeared from Apple's Web site. They have a history of using demonization, concern trolling, and false claims about security to justify this.

Apple is lawsuit-happy -- especially regarding software patents

Apple has often ended up embroiled in lawsuits, both as plaintiff and defendant, and has several times unleashed their massive legal team on other smartphone creators, including suing HTC for allegedly infringing on multiple software patents relating to the iPhone in 2010, and spending the last six years battling Samsung in massive litigation encompassing more than 50 lawsuits worldwide covering a variety of alleged violations, including that of some Apple software patents. Some of these cases drag on today.

We've written extensively about how these lawsuits could hurt free software, causing free software developers to shy away from any ideas that might expose them to a patent infringement lawsuit. The FSF advocates for the elimination of all software patents.

Apple has worked hard to take away their customers' right to repair

Many people like to tinker with things they own, to understand how they work, modify them in ways that make them more useful, or to extend their usefulness through repair. Though the four freedoms of free software do not encompass hardware, restriction of the right to repair often goes hand in hand with nonfree code, and Apple is a prime example.

Apple leads the charge among technology companies when it comes to removing your right to repair, through physical changes to their products and by lobbying for laws that make it illegal for you to modify devices that you own. Apple's physical changes include using non-standard screws and tools for their products, making it extremely difficult to open them up to examine, repair, or replace parts. Its legal efforts include attempting to kill a "Fair Repair" bill introduced by farmers and independent repair shops in Nebraska earlier this year. These measures by Apple negatively impact free software developers trying to reverse engineer support, or make modifications to the hardware that would allow free software to run on the devices.

Apple's encryption is not trustworthy

In 2016, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tried to force Apple to help it unlock an iPhone 5c used by a person believed to have staged a terrorist attack in California. While it is good that Apple did not create a wide open general backdoor for the FBI which could've been exploited by others and for other purposes, they still conceal their encryption practices, so users cannot discern what's happening under the glass or verify Apple's claims.

Part of Apple's security efforts include preventing unauthorized firmware from being installed on a device by verifying that all firmware updates are signed with a trusted key -- but the trusted key is Apple's, not yours. That means Apple is ultimately deciding what is "authorized" firmware -- you cannot. True security in the long term comes only from completely free software, and as security developer Matthew Garret argues, "If Apple genuinely value user privacy over Apple's control of a device" they should "allow users to remove Apple's validation keys and substitute their own."

What can you do instead?

We don't have a freedom-respecting drop-in replacement for the iPhone. Apple's government-subsidized DRM and massive legal intimidation team make developing and distributing a freedom-respecting smartphone very difficult. But we are nonetheless getting closer. You can have a solid, basic smartphone today by running Replicant, a free software version of Android. You can install it yourself on supported models, or buy one pre-installed from Technoethical. You can give the Replicant project a boost, and help them to implement missing features, by donating. Also, check out F-Droid, an app repository of exclusively free software for Android.

Keep an eye on the Purism phone crowdfunding campaign -- they haven't yet fully committed, but they are trying very hard to provide a phone whose hardware does not require any proprietary software, and won't be locked down. If they do make such an announcement, you should support them as much as you can.

Don't buy any iOS device, and let Tim Cook at Apple know why you won't.