= EU Ecodesign: 38 organisations demand the right to access and to reuse hardware =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220427-01.sk.html ]
The FSFE publishes an open letter, co-signed by 38 organisations and
companies, to ask EU legislators for the right to install any software
on any device, including full access to hardware. These rights support
reusability and longevity of our devices. The alliance is composed of
entities from environmental, economic, and technological sectors.
The European Union is about to redefine the ecodesign criteria for
products in several legislative proposals, including the Sustainable
Product Initiative, the Circular Electronics Initiative, and the Right
to Repair. These proposals aim at extending the usage time of hardware
and facilitating circular use of electronic devices. The current
regulations date from 2009 and do not include any criteria regarding the
design and licensing of software as an important factor for the
sustainability of electronic products. Software directly influences how
long consumers can keep using their devices.
Nowadays, users who want to keep using their devices for a longer time,
or to reuse their hardware in a creative way, face a wide range of
software barriers: from obsolescence to an unexpected end-of-support,
from spare part serialization to locked boot loaders. In practice, these
artificial restrictions on using and reusing hardware are ultimately
imposed by software. Neither consumers nor professional third-party
services can overcome them, often simply due to the obscurity of
proprietary software licensing models. Free Software licensing solves
many of these issues and in this way becomes crucial for an eco-friendly
design and the sustainability of hardware; this is the core message of
an Open Letter published today by the Free Software Foundation Europe
and co-signed by 37 European organisations and companies [1].
Among the initial signees are large repair unions as the European Right
to Repair Campaign, the Round Table Repair, and the Netzwerk Reparatur
Initiative - together representing hundreds of initiatives and
associations of the European repair sector. Together with iFixit,
Fairphone, Germanwatch, Open Source Business Alliance, Wikimedie DE,
Digitalcourage, European Digital Rights Initiative, and more, they build
an alliance of 38 organisations, that ask European legislators for a
more sustainable digital economy by giving users the right to freely
choose operating systems, software, and services. The letter divides
this right into four core demands:
=== Universal right to install any software on any device ===
Users must have the universal right to install and develop any operating
system and software they want on any device. Legal, technical, or other
obstacles to reusing these devices for any purpose must not be allowed.
=== Free choice of online service providers ===
Using certain hardware must not dictate which online services to use.
The obligation to connect online services via Open Standards must
empower users to choose services from diverse manufacturers, including
self-hosted services or those hosted by any third party.
=== Interoperable and compatible devices ===
Using certain hardware must not dictate which other hardware to buy in
order to keep those devices connected. Manufacturers must provide any
data necessary to run a device in Open Standards format, allowing
interoperability of devices. Artificial incompatibility of devices must
not be allowed.
=== Publication of source code of drivers, tools, and interfaces ===
Manufacturers must enable users to repurpose, replace, or repair any
part of a device. This is only possible if users can access and reuse
the source code of all necessary drivers, tools, and interfaces to run
the device and its components. This means that the source code of tools,
drivers, and interfaces of every piece of hardware within a device must
be published under a Free Software licence.
The FSFE and 38 European organisations and companies stress the above
demands as necessary for sustainable use and reuse of our hardware.
Empowering users with the right to freely choose operating systems,
software, and services will allow them to use and reuse their devices
for a longer period.
The initial signatories of the open letter include civil society
organisations from the environmental, economic, and technological
sectors. Several companies support these demands as well, showing that a
more sustainable digital society and economic growth are not
contradictions. The list of these initial signees in alphabetical order
is:
1. /e/ Foundation
2. Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL)
3. European Open Source Business Association (APELL)
4. Back Market
5. Barcelona Free Software Group
6. Citizen D
7. Deutscher Naturschutzring
8. Digitalcourage
9. Digitale Gesellschaft CH
10. Document Foundation
11. Environmental Coalition on Standards
12. Epicenter.works
13. European Digital Rights (EDRi)
14. Elektronisk Forpost Norge
15. European Right to Repair Campaign (repair.eu)
16. Fairphone
17. Forum InformatikerInnen für Frieden und gesellschaftliche
Verantwortung e.V. (FifF)
18. Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)
19. Germanwatch
20. Greek Open Technologies Alliance (GFOSS)
21. Heinlein Support
22. iFixit
23. KDE
24. Mailbox.org
25. Mouvement Ecologique
26. Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU)
27. Netzwerk Reparatur Initiativen
28. Nextcloud
29. Nitrokey
30. Norwegian Unix User Group
31. Oekozenter Pafendall
32. Open Kowledge Foundation DE
33. OPNTEC
34. Open Source Business Alliance (OSBA)
35. Runder Tisch Reparatur
36. Shift
37. Vrijschrift
38. Wikimedia DE
1: https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/openletter.sk.html
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Anchor Free Software in the 2022 German Federal Budget! =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220328-01.sk.html ]
The traffic light coalition must anchor its goals for the digitisation
of Germany, based on Free Software, as set out in the coalition
agreement in the 2022 federal budget. Otherwise, there is a risk of
cementing dependencies on individual vendors and losing sovereignty and
innovative power.
Together with other associations and organisations such as the Open
Source Business Alliance and the Open Knowledge Foundation Germany, the
Free Software Foundation Europe calls for, the Free Software Foundation
Europe (FSFE) demands to include digital sovereignty in the 2022 federal
budget and implement already announced initiatives for software freedom.
In an open letter, the signatories address the government groups in the
Bundestag and demand that the goals for the digitalisation of Germany,
based on Free Software, as set out in the coalition agreement, also be
anchored in the 2022 federal budget.
/"The right goal in the coalition agreement to advance digitisation
through the use of Free Software must also be reflected in the
government's concrete actions. Otherwise, there is a risk of cementing
dependencies on individual vendors and losing sovereignty and innovative
power. Digitisation that focuses on independence, sustainability, crisis
resistance and economic success can only be achieved through the
implementation of Free Software. The traffic light coalition is called
upon to provide necessary funds in the federal budget to prevent
digitalisation from failing," explains Alexander Sander, Policy
Consultant at FSFE./ Free Software gives everyone the right to use,
study, share and improve applications for any purpose. These freedoms
ensure that similar applications do not have to be programmed from
scratch every time and, thanks to transparent processes, others do not
have to reinvent the wheel. In large projects, expertise and costs can
be shared and applications paid for by the general public are available
to all. This promotes innovation and saves tax payers money in the
medium to long term. Dependencies on vendors are minimised and security
issues can be fixed more easily. The Free Software Foundation Europe,
together with over 200 organisations, is therefore calling for "Public
Money? Public Code!" - If it is public money, it should be public code
as well. More information on the initiative: https://publiccode.eu/ [1]
The open letter "Consider digital sovereignty in the 2022 federal
budget" can be found here [2].
1: https://publiccode.eu/
2: https://download.fsfe.org/policy/letters/20220328-German-Budget-and-Free-So…
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Germany: 100 days of coalition agreement - hardly one day for Free Software =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2022/news-20220315-01.sk.html ]
At the end of the week, the new German government will have been in
office for 100 days. The coalition agreement contains ambitious
statements on the use of Free Software (also known as Open Source), but
so far nothing has been implemented. On the contrary: dependencies are
to be further cemented.
Just 100 days ago, the new government set out to finally drive forward
the digitisation of Germany. Fortunately the use of Free Software is to
play a major role. The FSFE has been demanding for a long time: "Public
Money? Public Code!" - an implementation of the principle finally seems
tangible.
Free Software gives everyone the right to use, study, share, and improve
applications for any purpose. These freedoms mean that similar
applications do not have to be programmed from scratch every time, and
thanks to transparent processes, others do not have to reinvent the
wheel. For large projects expertise and costs can be shared, and
applications paid for by the public are available to all. This promotes
innovation and saves money in the medium to long term. Dependencies on
vendors is minimised and security issues can be fixed more easily.
/Alexander Sander, the FSFE's Policy Consultant, explains: "Although the
benefits of Free Software are obvious and are also recognised in the
coalition treaty, the new government has so far only been conspicuous by
inactivity and cementing the status quo. Instead of finally providing a
'Free Software cloud' for administrations, the new government will again
rely on costly proprietary applications. This is incomprehensible to
us."/ SAP and Arvato, for example, want to offer Microsoft products to
German administrations and the new government is open to this. The cloud
strategy based on "open interfaces as well as strict security and
transparency requirements", which was still mentioned in the coalition
treaty, is thus moving further and further away.
Apart from a vague announcement by Franziska Brantner, State Secretary
in the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, "to promote
open source technologies from 2022 onwards" nothing happened so far. It
remains unclear what budget is available for this activity, how these
technologies will be identified and promoted, and how stakeholders will
be integrated into the process, especially civil society.
The Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, who is supposed to push the
topic of digitisation for administrations, has so far remained reserved,
as has the chancellor. Although "much more speed" is to be made, how
this is to happen in concrete terms remains nebulous and Free Software
has not played a role so far.
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
Digital Markets Act: Device Neutrality finally becomes a reality
https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20211215-01.html
After many iterations and amendments, the European Parliament adopted
the Digital Markets Act by 642 votes in favour, 8 votes against, and 46
abstentions. With this vote the principle of Device Neutrality is
introduced. At the same time, the Parliament missed the chance to
introduce strong requirements for interoperability based on Open Standards.
"We strongly believe the digital markets will benefit by facilitating
access to Free Software in devices. Device Neutrality translates in the
DMA as stricter consent rules for pre-installed apps, safeguards against
vendor lock-in, and real-time data portability. Interoperability of
services was also introduced, but not with the requirement to be based
on Open Standards. This is a lost chance to leverage competition with
accessible and non-discriminatory technical specifications. Open
Standards are an important element for innovation by allowing market
actors to innovate on top of technical specification standards and build
their own services.", says Lucas Lasota, the FSFE's Deputy Legal
Coordinator.
The FSFE has urged EU legislators to safeguard Device Neutrality in the
DMA. We regret the voting has not contemplated setting Open Standards as
default to define interoperability. However, getting Device Neutrality
in the legislation is the first step. The right for end-users to use
their own device and operating system is an important factor to
guarantee access of Free Software operating systems to dominant
platforms. As a daily reality for many users this option enlarges the
audience for Free Software adoption.
The FSFE has been working for two decades empowering people to control
technology in their devices. We will closely follow the implementation
of the law and continue to conduct activities and initiatives to
safeguard end-users' interests.
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination.
We enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software
adoption, encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide
resources to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Digital Markets Act - Device Neutrality must be consolidated in the legislation =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20211213-01.sk.html ]
On December 15, the Digital Markets Act, the EU's comprehensive
regulatory package for internet platforms, will go through plenary
voting at the European Parliament. The FSFE calls for consolidating
Device Neutrality to enable fair and non-discriminatory use of Free
Software in digital devices.
The European Union is about to introduce a major overhaul of Internet
legislation with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) [1]. After successful
committee voting on 22 November, the European Parliament will conduct
plenary voting on 15 December. The FSFE advocates Device Neutrality [2]
as a fundamental step to achieve a contestable, open, and competitive
digital market in the EU and urges the European Parliament to secure
this principle in the final voting.
== Device Neutrality - fostering Free Sofware in an end-user centric digital market ==
The DMA focuses on "gatekeepers", understood as very large tech
companies that have control over large parts of digital services, such
as search engines, social networking services, messaging services,
operating systems, and online intermediation services. While digital
devices are a ubiquitous reality in all aspects of life, our control
over the hardware and software running on them is increasingly being
limited. Device Neutrality is the policy concept that users should have
the right of non-discrimination of the services and software they use,
based on platform control by hardware vendors, manufacturers, and
service providers. The goal is to enable users to bypass gatekeepers and
enable a fair and non-discriminatory use of Free Software in devices.
Freedom in the information society needs your financial contribution.
Become a supporter now [3] After many iterations and amendments, the
DMA's final text submitted to the plenary voting incorporates the
following Device Neutrality principles, which the FSFE urges the
European Parliament to consolidate in the plenary voting:
- *Strict end-user consent for pre-installed apps*. The DMA must impose
on gatekeepers the obligation to allow their customers to uninstall
any pre-installed software applications they provide on their services
or with their hardware. This means more restrictive rules for pre-
installed apps, providing users the same access privileges for both
pre-installed and alternative apps, and the possibility to uninstall
pre-loaded apps.
- *No vendor lock-in*. The DMA should enable side-loading of apps in
dominant operating systems, so consumers can install any compatible
software on their devices. The DMA should require gatekeepers to
permit third-party app stores and code repositories that compete with
their own. The law must prohibit gatekeepers limiting the ability of
end-users to switch between and subscribe to different software
applications and services. This will prevent gatekeepers from locking
users into specific service providers.
- *Interoperability of services based on* Open Standards [4]. It is
urgent for the DMA to require gatekeepers to provide access and
interoperability to hardware and software features accessed or
controlled via the gatekeeper's operating system. That means that the
operating system's functionalities and available APIs should be
transparent and available to apps in a non-discriminatory way.
Interoperability should be defined by Open Standards.
- *Real-time data portability*. The DMA should require gatekeepers to
provide real-time data portability for devices, so that consumers can
switch from one device to another - including operating systems - as
smoothly as possible.
Discuss this [5]
1: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/OJQ-9-2021-12-15_EN.html
2: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20211122-01.sk.html
3: https://my.fsfe.org/donate?referrer=https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-2021121…
4: https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/standards/index.sk.html
5: https://community.fsfe.org/t/780
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Children‘s book published about software, skateboards, and raspberry ice cream =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20211129-01.sk.html ]
Today, 29 November, O'Reilly Germany publishes the book "Ada & Zangemann
- A fairy tale about software, skateboards and raspberry ice cream"
written by FSFE President Matthias Kirschner and illustrated by Sandra
Brandstätter, among other things, character designer for the series
"Trudes Tier" from the show "Sendung mit der Maus".
The famous inventor Zangemann lives in a huge villa high above the
city. Adults and children alike love his inventions and are
desperate to have them. But then something happens: when Zangemann
once again wants to take a close-up look at his inventions during a
walk through the cityand with a loud thud, a child riding a
skateboard hits him in the shin! Enraged, the inventor makes a
momentous decision... The clever girl Ada sees through it all.
Together with her friends, she forges a plan.
This illustrated children's book tells the story of the famous inventor
Zangemann and the girl Ada, a curious tinkerer. Ada begins to experiment
with hardware and software, and in the process realises how crucial it
is for her and others to control technology.
A book for children from the age of 6 that arouses children's interest
in tinkering and encourages shaping technology.
"Kirschner's book introduces readers young and old to the power and
peril of software. It also highlights the accelerating effects of
sharing software freely - creating conditions for direct and
indirect collaboration which can be a metaphor for the conduct of
science. Behind it all is a backdrop of ethics of knowledge sharing
upon which the arc of human history rides."
Vint Cerf - Computer Scientist and one of the inventors of the
internet (after reading the English translation).
"Even as a non-child, I was captivated by the story from the first
page to the last. Kudos to the author for packaging difficult topics
such as monopolies, lobbyism, digital divide, software freedom,
digital autonomy, IoT, consumer control, e-waste and much more in a
child-friendly form in an easily understandable and exciting
storyline. And kudos to the publisher for having the guts to publish
a book under CC-BY-SA."
Jörg Luther, chief editor of the German Linux-Magazin, LinuxUser,
Raspberry Pi Geek
"After my son was read the book last night, he told me the whole
story this morning... He wants to make something out of old pallets
after school today. And then he wants to learn programming."
Ingo Wichmann, CEO Linuxhotel GmbH
The book "Ada & Zangemann - Ein Märchen über Software, Skateboards und
Himbeereis" [1] by Matthias Kirschner and Sandra Brandstätter, published
by dpunkt.verlag GmbH under ISBN 978-3-96009-190-5, is licensed under
"Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)
[2] ".
Matthias Kirschner wrote the text on a voluntary basis for the FSFE. All
author revenues go directly to the non-profit Free Software Foundation
Europe. The FSFE paid the illustrator Sandra Brandstätter and the
children's book editor Wiebke Helmchen for their work. Linuxhotel GmbH
made the project possble by already agreeding at the beginning of the
writing process to buy 1000 copies once the book was finished.
Currently, the FSFE is looking for a suitable publisher to for an
English translation. The FSFE would like to enable as many people as
possible to read the book in their mother tongue and asks for donations
for its work [3].
Further press material on "Ada & Zangemann" is available on the
publisher's website [4].
Discuss this [5]
1: https://oreilly.de/produkt/ada-und-zangemann/
2: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/
3: https://fsfe.org/donate
4: https://oreilly.de/presseinformationen/pressematerialien-ada-und-zangemann/
5: https://community.fsfe.org/t/773
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Upcycling Android: Keep using your phone with Free Software =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20211125-01.sk.html ]
In the European Week for Waste Reduction the FSFE launches its new
initiative "Upcycling Android": Every time we keep using our phone
instead of buying a new one we support a more sustainable use of our
resources. Upcycling Android helps people to tackle software
obsolescence and to keep using their phones with Free Software.
It is the European Week for Waste Reduction, a week that is dedicated to
promoting the reuse of products and materials and to helping save
resources and reduce waste in everyday life. The FSFE joins in with the
new initiative "Upcycling Android" [1] - an initiative to help saving
resources by reusing one of our most valuable devices of our daily life,
our phones.
Every year, manufacturers produce 1.5 billion phones worldwide - and
unfortunately, probably almost as many are thrown away after what is
usually a far too short hardware lifespan. The short lifespan of these
phones often stems from so-called "software obsolescence", the situation
in which users are faced with the dilemma of either buying new hardware
or living with outdated software. The environmental consequences of
these short hardware lifespans can be dire. To help users in overcoming
this problem, with Upcycling Android we enable people to upcycle Android
phones with Free Software. Every time we keep using our current phone
instead of buying a new one we help avoid the production of new phones
and the growing disposal of e-waste.
Upcycling Android explains the issue of software obsolescence in the
Android world and helps people flashing their phones with Free Software
operating systems [2]. This process not only offers you greater control
of your phone, it can also provide a better experience than using
proprietary operating systems. But most important: in cases where phones
stop receiving software updates from the manufacturing company,
switching to a Free Software operating system helps keeping your phone
up-to-date. This way you can keep using your device, help the
environment, and enjoy many more benefits. Free Software gives you full
control over your device, as you can finally uninstall apps you could
not before, and you profit from extended privacy protection - just to
mention a few.
=== Political background & information material ===
The FSFE is steadily committed to a more sustainable use of technology
with Free Software. In the beginning of the year, we participated in the
EU consultation [3] about "Energy labelling of mobile phones and
tablets" and later in the year we published a study [4] on software
obsolescence with a call for Device Neutrality and Upcycling of
Software.
We have a huge collection of information and background material [5] to
help spread the word about the environmental impact of our phones. And
how to help reducing the problem by upcycling your Android device with
Free Software. The range of material includes stickers, infographics,
leaflets, videos, podcasts, articles and studies.
=== Upcoming activities ===
In the upcoming months, the FSFE's activities within the Upcycling
Android initiative will be two-fold: In cooperation with local groups we
provide several workshops [6] where people can gather and network around
the topic of Upcycling Android, can experiment or receive help in
flashing their phones. In addition, we watch and engage within the
current discussions on the European level surrounding the "Sustainable
Products Initiative" and the "Circular Electronics Initiative". Within
these activities we aim at explaining the benefits of Free Software for
a more sustainable use of our products to decision-makers.
Discuss this [7]
1: https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/upcyclingandroid.sk.html#head
2: https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/howtoupcycle.sk.html#head
3: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210127-01.sk.html
4: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20211015-01.sk.html
5: https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/informationmaterial.sk.html#he…
6: https://fsfe.org/activities/upcyclingandroid/workshops.sk.html#head
7: https://community.fsfe.org/t/759
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Digital Markets Act - the FSFE calls for Device Neutrality =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20211122-01.sk.html ]
On the imminent voting of the Digital Markets Act - the latest EU
proposal on internet platform regulation - the FSFE demands device
neutrality as a fundamental element for safeguarding consumer protection
in open, fair, and contestable digital markets.
While digital devices are a ubiquitous reality in all aspects of life,
control over the hardware and software running on them is increasingly
being limited by internet platforms, digital services providers,
hardware manufacturers, and vendors. The European Commission's Digital
Markets Act (DMA) [1] is a regulatory instrument for targeting large
internet companies that act as gatekeepers in digital markets. Such
gatekeepers may be internet platforms, service providers, manufacturers,
and vendors satisfying criteria defined by law. This regulatory
initiative is an attempt to create fairer and more competitive markets
for online platforms in the EU. On November 22, the European
Parliament's leading IMCO committee will vote on its position.
The FSFE urges the Members of the European Parliament in the upcoming
vote to safeguard device neutrality principles based on Open Standards
[2] and interoperability, securing the interest of consumers for a
contestable, open, and competitive digital market in the EU.
Freedom in the information society needs your financial contribution.
== Become a supporter now [3] Free Software and Device Neutrality ==
Device neutrality [4] translates as non-discrimination of services and
apps by providers, manufacturers, and vendors. The objective of device
neutrality is to enable consumers to bypass gatekeepers and enable a
fair and non-discriminatory use of Free Software in the application and
operating system layers of devices. The FSFE demands the inclusion of
the following principles in the DMA legislation:
- *Strict end-user consent for pre-installed apps*. The DMA must impose
on gatekeepers the obligation to allow their customers to uninstall
any pre-installed software applications they provide on their services
or with their hardware. This means more restrictive rules for pre-
installed apps, providing users the same access privileges for both
pre-installed and alternative apps, and the possibility to uninstall
pre-loaded apps;
- *No vendor lock-in*. The DMA should enable side-loading of apps in
dominant operating systems, so consumers can install any compatible
software on their devices. The DMA shall require gatekeepers to permit
third-party app stores and code repositories that compete with their
own. The law must prohibit gatekeepers limiting the ability of end-
users to switch between and subscribe to different software
applications and services. This prevents gatekeepers from locking
users into specific service providers;
- *Interoperability of services based on* Open Standards [5]. It is
urgent for the DMA to require gatekeepers to provide free of charge
access to and interoperability with the same hardware and software
features accessed or controlled via an operating system. This includes
communication apps and social media platforms. Interoperability should
be defined by Open Standards;
- *Real-time data portability*. The DMA should require gatekeepers to
provide real-time data portability for devices, so that consumers can
switch from one device to another - including operating systems - as
smoothly as possible.
== Next steps ==
After the committee voting on Monday, 22 November, the proposal will
incorporate the approved amendments. Next up is the plenary voting to
achieve the final position of the European Parliament, planned for
December. The FSFE will continue to monitor the whole process closely
and demand device neutrality to the full extent in the legislative text,
so users are empowered to control technology.
"The digital markets will benefit by the regulatory proposal of the DMA.
Device neutrality is fundamental for a fair, competitive, and
contestable market. We demand stricter consent rules for pre-installed
apps, no vendor lock-in, full interoperability, and real-time data
portability. Free Software and Open Standards are key to achieve these
goals", says Lucas Lasota, the FSFE's Deputy Legal Coordinator. Discuss
this [6]
1: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-…
2: https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/standards/index.sk.html
3: https://my.fsfe.org/donate?referrer=https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-2021112…
4: https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/sustainability/sustainability.sk.html#id-devi…
5: https://fsfe.org/freesoftware/standards/index.sk.html
6: https://community.fsfe.org/t/763
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Youth Hacking 4 Freedom: Coding Competition for teenagers about to start =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210928-01.sk.html ]
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) is a charity that empowers
users to control technology. To inspire the younger generation to
software freedom, the FSFE is organising the coding competition ‘Youth
Hacking 4 Freedom' (YH4F), where teenagers from all around Europe have
the chance to compete in a fair and fun way. The winners receive a cash
prize and a trip to Brussels with other young hackers.
- Participants must be 14-18 years old and should register at yh4f.org
[1]
- The opening event will be hosted on 10 October 2021.
- Registration will be open until *31 October 2021*.
- Six winners will be awarded cash prizes (2 x 4.096€, 2 x 2.048€, 2 x
1.024€) and a trip to Brussels.
- The competition will take place online. The Award Ceremony will be in
Brussels.
Graphic by Lisa Schmidt [2], CC-BY-SA 4.0 [3]
The YH4F competition includes an online opening day to welcome everyone
on board, in a kick-off event on Sunday 10 October, 5pm CEST. The FSFE
will present the competition and answer questions. Please find more
information on how to join at yh4f.org [4].
=== Coding ===
On Monday 1 November 2021, a five-month coding phase starts and the
participants focus on coding until March 2022. Participants may bring
all their imagination to the competition; they may code any type of
software they want, as long as it is Free Software. The software project
can be a stand-alone program written from scratch, or you can modify or
combine existing programs. Everything is welcome! The participants will
have the chance to briefly follow each other’s work and exchange ideas.
=== Evaluation ===
After the participants submit their programs, an evaluation phase is
carried out by Free Software experts. Our jury members [5] excel in
software development; among them are Neil McGovern, Executive Director
of the GNOME Foundation, and Claudia Müller-Birn, Professor for Human-
Centered Computing at the Freie Universität Berlin.
=== Awards ===
The winners will be invited to receive their awards during a trip to
Brussels in June 2022. The 2-day trip includes the Award Ceremony and
social activities where the winners will have the chance to get to know
each other better.
Graphic by Lisa Schmidt [6], CC-BY-SA 4.0 [7]
We are dedicated to offering an inclusive environment in the YH4F, and
we would like to encourage people of all genders to join! We will make
sure that everyone will enjoy the process and will leave this
competition with added knowledge and a smile. The YH4F is made possible
thanks to the kind support of Reinhard Wiesemann, Linuxhotel, and
Vielrespektzentrum.
At the website yh4f.org [8] you can find all related information, such
as the process, the eligibility criteria, and FAQs [9]. You can also use
the illustrations in our dedicated media package [10] when sharing the
news of the competition.
Discuss this [11]
1: http://yh4f.org/
2: https://mullana.de/
3: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
4: http://yh4f.org/
5: https://fsfe.org/activities/yh4f/jury.sk.html
6: https://mullana.de/
7: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
8: http://yh4f.org/
9: https://fsfe.org/activities/yh4f/faq.sk.html
10: https://fsfe.org/activities/yh4f/media.sk.html
11: https://community.fsfe.org/t/744
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org
= Public bodies fail: Volunteers have to sacrifice free time to make CovPass app available to all =
[ Read online: https://fsfe.org/news/2021/news-20210830-01.sk.html ]
After the successful liberation of the German Corona tracing app from
Google services last year, volunteers once more have to step in to take
over the government's task in order to make the CovPass app available to
everyone.
With the CovPass app, the EU digital COVID certificate for Corona
vaccination can be used on smartphones. Until today, it was only
available on Apple, Huawai and Google app stores due to proprietary
dependencies. The support team of the CovPass app also argued that the
app cannot be published in other app stores due to security reasons and
to prevent misuse. This argumentation is not only misleading and wrong,
as we have already seen with other Corona apps, but prevents the use of
many Corona apps for people who value privacy and software freedom on
their devices. A group of volunteers worked heavily in the past weeks to
make this app available to everyone and released it today on F-Droid, a
Free Software app store. [1]
To do so, the volunteers also removed proprietary Google libraries which
are not necessary for the app to function. This additional work could
have been prevented if the CovPass developers (who are paid with public
funds) would not include such unnecessary proprietary libraries from the
beginning. Furthermore, the company developing CovPass was unsupportive
towards external developers, which increased the difficulty for the
volunteers to contribute improvements. Because of this, improvements
which would have required little effort by the original developers
turned out to be a difficult task for volunteers. A positive example is
the COVID Certificate, the official app for storing and presenting Swiss
COVID certificates. It was developed by the Federal Office of
Information Technology, Systems and Telecommunication (FOITT) on behalf
of the Federal Office of Public Health, and the developers made sure to
include the app in the Free Software app store F-Droid themselves.
Felix C. Stegerman, software developer and part of the volunteers group
that worked on the CovPass app: "I want to make sure that everyone can
use publicly financed apps so we can tackle the pandemic. It is sad that
the processes of some of those publicly financed apps scare off external
contributions instead of working together on improvements. More
administrations should follow the example of the developers of the Swiss
COVID Certificate app." Matthias Kirschner, President of the Free
Software Foundation Europe expresses: "One more time volunteers are
taking over governments' and administrations' tasks to make Corona apps
available to everyone. The FSFE thanks @jugendhacker, @mythsunwind,
@rugk, @tzugen, Felix C. Stegerman and Marcus Hoffmann for their crucial
work in tackling the pandemic. But it should not be on volunteers to do
this job: we urge the government to quickly adapt its practices and make
sure everyone can use such apps without any restrictions from the start.
Furthermore, if ensured that solutions are published as Free Software,
they can be adjusted and reused by other institutions around the world."
Since the beginning of the Corona crisis, the FSFE has demanded that all
apps released to tackle the crisis must be Free Software. Only Free
Software offers enough transparency to validate complete data protection
and compliant use; allowing trust to be established. Also, global
problems need global solutions, and it is only Free Software that
enables global code development in a legally safe and cooperative
environment. Any proprietary solution will inevitably lead to countless
isolated solutions and thereby waste energy and time. Besides global
cooperation, Free Software licences allow sharing of code in any
jurisdiction and for every device.
Discuss this [2]
1: https://f-droid.org/packages/de.rki.covpass.app/
2: https://community.fsfe.org/t/720
== About the Free Software Foundation Europe ==
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 this technology empowers rather than
restricts us. Free Software gives everybody the rights to use,
understand, adapt and share software. These rights help support other
fundamental freedoms like freedom of speech, press and privacy.
The FSFE helps individuals and organisations understand how Free
Software contributes to freedom, transparency and self-determination. We
enhance users' rights by abolishing barriers to Free Software adoption,
encourage people to use and develop Free Software, and provide resources
to enable everyone to further promote Free Software in Europe.
https://fsfe.org