Happy Valentine's Day! If you're tired of giving people little candy hearts or anxiously scrolling through dating sites, we have something fresh for you to try.

Ask someone you like—romantically or otherwise—to be your cryptovalentine. If they say yes (yikes, nervous!) use the free program GnuPG to set up private and encrypted communication with them.

If one or both of you is new to GnuPG, we recommend our beginner-friendly Email Self-Defense guide. Setting up encrypted communication is a quick activity you can do together whether you are across the room or across the world. And what better way to show love than by helping someone defend their security, privacy, and freedom? The guide is available in 15 languages, so you can't use your valentine's preferred language as an excuse not to encrypt with them!

This is a fun activity, but it can also make a difference. The right to encrypt is endangered around the world, with governments threatening our security and freedom by demanding legal or technological weakening of encryption. Resist with the power of love—encrypt with your valentine, and tell the world!

As we've discussed at length, free software is necessary for privacy online. Because nonfree software's code can't be audited publicly, we can never trust it to be free of back doors inserted by accident or by design. We're thankful to all the hardworking free software developers who give us a fighting chance at digital privacy. It goes without saying, but we love free software and the people who make it.

For more free software Valentine's day fun, like sharable graphics and an #ilovefs photo gallery, visit the Free Software Foundation Europe Web site.

<3